http://www.islam21c.com/index.php?option=c...4&Itemid=86


Christmas and the Paganisation of Christianity


Written by Muhammad Nizami


Sunday, 14 December 2008


Ignorantly they have assumed that Christmas is typically associated with nationalism rather than theology, and in their fervent desire to assimilate into a British identity...


As Muslims who live in the West, we find ourselves surrounded by a culture of capitalism which utilizes anything in its means to further its spread and acceptance. Amid this culture is the widespread acceptance of the 25th of December being the birthday of Jesus Christ. However, as Pastors and Priests of the Christian faith have accepted over the years, this is an erroneous claim. Nevertheless they have continued to re-enact the nativity in their churches and narrate stories surrounding it which clearly demonstrates both their lack of desire for the truth and the way in which they easily accept falsehood and implement it into their religion.


Additionally, there is a phenomenon among a number of Muslims to partake in the Christmas festivities where they erect Christmas trees and exchange gifts. Ignorantly they have assumed that Christmas is typically associated with nationalism rather than theology, and in their fervent desire to assimilate into a British identity they feel obliged to get involved. However, as this essay aims to demonstrate, Christmas is deeply theological and based in pagan, and not Christian beliefs.


This essay hopes to discuss practices in the West which are common during this time of the year as well as discuss numerous paganistic religions from which Christianity has adopted this festival.


Christmas also known as Christ's Mass is probably the most popular celebration that takes place in the West. It is an annual holiday which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ on the 25th of December. Generally, festivities are combined with secular and pagan customs and begin on the 24th of December until after Boxing Day (26th of December). For a long time people have assumed that Christmas Day is the actual day of the birth of Jesus Christ. However, there is much proof to the contrary which is found in the bible and the books of history.


A close reading of the New Testament provides no specific date for the birth of Jesus. Additionally, only two gospels of the four actually narrate the nativity story although both apparently contradict each other. The Gospel of Luke describes how the archangel Gabriel came to Mary to inform her of a son to be born to her. She responded that she was a virgin to which the angel then stated "nothing will be impossible with God" to which she replied "here I am the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according with the Lord's word"1. While pregnant, Mary and her Husband traveled to Bethlehem to register in a census. Having found no room at the inn they lodged in the barn. Meanwhile an angel appeared to some shepherds nearby and informed them of Jesus' birth and a 'heavenly host' appeared to them and said "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."2 Based on the accounts in Luke of the shepherds' activities, the time of year depicted for Jesus' birth could be either spring or summer thus contradicting the notion that Christ was born in winter. The Gospel of Matthew contradictorily narrates a different version of events, and relates that the 'good news' was told to Joseph (and not Mary) in a dream, after which he fled with his family to Egypt seeking safety from Herod. Matthew also included the story of the foreign magi (three wise men) although Luke mentions shepherds who are guarding their flock nearby. These contradictions are clearly apparent and have clearly confused most Christians as there is no clear narration detailing Christ's birth, to the extent that most Christians are ignorant of the fact that Jesus is narrated as having traveled to Egypt in the early part of his life. Thus we see many nativity plays which differ from one another where Christians randomly pick and choose events which they believe will increase the entertaining value of the play.


Additionally, paganism manages to sneak into the story in the narration of Matthew. We are told of the magi 'from the East' who come to 'worship' Jesus. The magi's are considered Midian Zoroastrian priests who were experts in astronomy by most historians. Some Muslim commentators have argued that 'worship' here meant sujud at ta'zheem (prostration out of respect), which is likely if the story is true as Persians were known to prostrate in front of their kings out of respect. However, the narration of Luke contradicts this entire event by stating that shepherds, and not magi, visited Jesus which seems more probable due to the fact that Luke's version is more consistent with Christian theology. Additionally he narrates the verse "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests."3 Which refutes many Christian beliefs as it implies three things; a) that God is not the baby Jesus which is born to Mary based on the fact that God is "in the highest heaven" and Jesus is a baby on Earth; B) that Jesus is a man of those "on whom His favor rests."; and c) God is in/above the heavens and not everywhere as most Christians and pantheists claim.


Even though there are many major discrepancies in the nativity story, a brief look at Christianity proves that the early Christians disregarded the birthday of Jesus as is evident through the fact that Iraneus and Tertullian4 did not list Christmas as a Christian festival and omitted it from their list of feasts.5


There is additional proof which states that Christians held birthdays as sinful. Origen6 states "of all the holy people in the Scriptures, no one is recorded to have kept a feast or held a great banquet on his birthday. It is only sinners (like Pharaoh and Herod) who make great rejoicings over the day on which they were born into this world below."7 Thus theologically, celebrations surrounding birthdays were not only non-existent, but also impermissible in early Christianity.


This then begs the question, when and where did Christmas come about? We find in most records that Christmas began to be practiced as a festival as early as the 4th century by Roman Christians and gained significant prominence when Charlemagne8 was crowned in the year 800 AD on the 25th of December. Originally, the pagans celebrated a number of festivals during the winter solstice such as Saturnalia, Sol Invinctus and Yule. All of these had a profound contribution in forming Christmas during the spread of Christianity throughout Europe.


Saturnalia was the festival that the pagan Romans celebrated in order to commemorate the temple of Saturn, a god worshipped by the Romans. On this day, just as Christmas day, public festivities would ensue which involved sacrifices and the making and giving of small presents (saturnalia et sigillaricia). Additionally there was a time of general relaxation, feasting, merry-making, and a cessation of formal rules9. During Saturnalia, business was postponed and even slaves feasted. There was drinking, gambling, singing, and even public nudity. It was the 'best of days' according to the poet Catullus10, a time to 'eat, drink, and be merry'. Pagans decorated their houses with clippings of evergreen shrubs and decorated living trees with bits of metal and replicas of their God, Bacchus. It is noted that Tertullian complained that too many Christians were imitating paganistic practice of adorning their houses with lamps and wreathes of laurel during the winter solstice. In addition, the Talmud and Mishna11 relate accounts of a pagan festival called Saturnura which has claimed its origins to Adam, the first man, who noticed that the days were getting shorter and assumed that it was punishment for his sin. Afraid that the world was returning to the chaos and emptiness that existed before creation, he fasted for eight days out of repentance. Once he realised that this was the natural cycle of the world, he celebrated for eight days, a tradition which later turned into a pagan festival.12


Another pagan festival which has heavily influenced Christmas is Sol Invinctus which was celebrated by Romans in veneration of solar deities such as Elah Gabal (also known as Baal), Sol and Mithras. Followers of the god's would gather together on the 25th of December and celebrate Dies Natalis Solis Invicti or 'the birthday of the unconquered sun', the object of veneration. They considered the sun 'unconquered' due to the fact that it 'survives' the reduced daylight hours during the winter solstice. This festival most closely resembles Christmas in that it is on the same day to the extent that a Syriac Bishop wrote: "It was a custom of the Pagans to celebrate on the same 25th December the birthday of the Sun, at which they kindled lights in token of festivity. In these solemnities and revelries the Christians also took part. Accordingly when the doctors of the Church perceived that the Christians had a leaning to this festival, they took counsel and resolved that the true Nativity should be solemnised on that day."13 As is evident, the Church chose the 25th of December as a religious celebration in order to sanctify the fact that Christians were celebrating an openly pagan festival. To that extent the Catholic Encyclopedia states, "The well-known solar feast, however, of Natalis Invicti, celebrated on 25th December, has a strong claim on the responsibility for our December date"14.


Most traditions which have passed on to Christians in the UK are derived from Yule which is celebrated in Scandinavia and is used interchangeably with Christmas. Although it became a Christian festival during the process of Christianisation, it was deeply pagan and many traditions were carried over into Christianity, especially the way in which Christmas is practiced in the UK and consequently the United States. When the Germanic peoples began to convert, missionaries found it convenient to provide a Christian reinterpretation of popular pagan holidays such as Yule and allowed the pagan celebrations themselves to go on largely unchanged such as decorating Christmas trees, eating roasted Pig, hanging mistletoe and holly etc. These practices have no basis in Christian texts, and some are actually condemned. For example, as is common during Christmas, many people including Muslims erect Christmas trees in their homes adorning them with decorations such as tinsel, fairy lights and baubles. Underneath the tree there are usually a pile of presents which are opened on Christmas day. However, all of these practices originate from paganism. Erecting trees and adorning them for celebrations originated from pre-Christianity, to the extent that Jeremiah states in the Old Testament "For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not."15 Additionally, the actual Christmas trees used in Britain stem from Norse paganism (and their celebrations during Yule), while decorations such as baubles represent the sun synonymous with the festival of Sol Invinctus. A practice which resembles Saturnalia is kissing under the mistletoe, and although fornication is explicitly forbidden in Christianity, many people have adopted this pagan practice of kissing strangers using mistletoe as an excuse to satisfy sexual desires. It was first practiced in Britain during solstitial rites among the pagan Druids.


Another major myth and tradition surrounding Christmas is that of Santa Claus. The name is actually a mispronunciation of the Dutch name Sinterklass (from St Nicholas). It is widely held that Santa Claus is a representation of St Nicholas and stories surrounding his charitable life. However, there existed in Germanic and Norse mythology a figure by the name of Odin who was considered a major pagan god who would be 'seen' hunting in the sky during Yule. According to Siefker, children would place their boots, filled with carrot, straw or sugar, near the chimney for Odin's flying horse, Sleipnir, to eat. Odin would then reward those children for their kindness by replacing Sleipnir's food with gifts or sweets.16 The physical appearance of Odin resembles that of Santa Claus like the beard, hat and staff, and the cloth bag held by the servants to capture naughty children. Although widespread images of Santa Claus are based upon American representations, the basis came from paganism.


Even though most of the West has immersed itself into the Christmas culture without questioning its origins or pagan connotations, the paganisation of the Christian faith has not gone unnoticed by all, rather we see in the past that Christmas was rejected by many Protestant groups during the 16th century, and in addition, Puritans of 17th century England and America banned the festival of Christmas as pagan. Oliver Cromwell also banned Christmas after the English Civil War due to the belief that it was a pagan belief which encouraged sin and immorality interpolated into the Christian faith. Christians suchas Jehovah Witnesses continue to hold beliefs similar to the Puritans and reject the notion of Christmas altogether.


We also find that the process of secularization has caused Christmas in the past few years to lose all remnants of the Christian faith and has made it a secular holiday with paganistic practices. Capitalist ideals have utilized the festival to make even more money from theologically ignorant shoppers, causing them to drown in debt. As Muslims we must refrain from becoming involved in such practices whether it is in the name of nationalism or integration. The messenger of Allah stated "whoever imitates a people is one of them"17 and Abdullah Ibn al-‘Aas said: "Whoever lives in the land of the mushrikeen and celebrates their Nawrooz (New Year) and their Mahrajaan (festivals), and imitates them until he dies, he will be a loser on the Day of Resurrection." This is not to say that Muslims should not shop during this period but there are some that are affected by the culture of capitalism and squander during the Christmas period. It is not an innocent festival based on regional customs, but an ideological celebration based on the theological beliefs of Christians and pagans, and used by capitalists to exploit citizens.


Allah the Most High stated,


And those who do not witness falsehood, and if they pass by some evil play or evil talk, they pass it by with dignity.18


We as Muslims should pass this festival by with dignity, refraining from the office 'parties', Christmas celebrations, the exchange of gifts, and even exchanging Christmas greetings. There are a number of reasons for this: firstly, to become involved in a festival is to sanction the beliefs behind such a festival and as Muslims we are forbidden to sanction anything other than Islam. Just as we as Muslims distance ourselves from celebrations such as Diwali (Hinduism) and Hanukkah (Judaism), we must also do so with Christmas. By celebrating Christmas, not only do we sanction pagan and Christian practices, but we imply that the festival is pleasing to us and that Islam is not complete as it missed out on the festival of Christmas. Allah states,


This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.19


Secondly, Allah describes Christians as "those who went astray" in the opening chapter of the Qur'an, thus to celebrate something that is not even sanctioned in their religion is to imply that their straying is of no consequence. Thirdly, to take part in their festivities or to give greetings such as 'merry/happy Christmas' is to encourage and congratulate them in their actions instead of censuring them for their falsehood. This is in opposition to Qur'anic teachings whereby Allah states,


They believe in Allah and the Last Day; they enjoin what is right, and forbid what is wrong; and they hasten (in emulation) in (all) good works: They are in the ranks of the righteous.20


Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancour. Fear Allah, for Allah is strict in punishment.21


Muslims, by the grace of Allah, have been afforded a complete way of life which details that which is best and most beneficial for the entire human race. We have the Qur'an and sunnah, and to cling to them is an aspect of the faith, regardless of the taunts of liberal Muslims and non-Muslims who may call us 'radicals' and 'fundamentalists' since being fundamental is part of Islam as A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the prophet (peace be upon him) said "Whoever innovates something in this matter of ours (Islam) that is not a part of it, will have it rejected."22


Christmas remains a stark warning and example to Muslims of what can happen to Islam if we were to accept innovations into our faith. To cling to the Qur'an and sunnah as understood by the salaf is the only way to remain within the sanctified parameters of our deen, and thus, Christmas is a notion which calls for the awareness of the Muslim laity to be mindful about those from whom they take their religion and knowledge. We thank Allah for preserving our faith and pray that he bestow upon us the ability to stay on the Straight Path.


___________________________________________________________


Notes:


Source: www.islam21c.com


1. Luke 1:31-38


2. Luke 2:8-15


3. Luke 2:8-15


4. Early distinguished fathers and scholars of the Christian Church.


5. The Catholic Encyclopedia


6. An early Christian scholar and theologian who is considered one of the most distinguished early fathers of the Christian Church.


7. Origen, in Levit., Hom. VIII, in Migne P.G., XII, 495


8. Considered the father of Europe


9. http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/SF/WinSol.html


10. http://www.ancientworlds.net/aw/Article/242252


11. Important Jewish texts


12. Avodah Zara 8a


13. Cited in MacMullen. R. Christianity and Paganism in the Fourth to Eighth Centuries. Yale:1997


14. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04636c.htm


15. Jeremiah 10:3-4


16. Siefker. P. Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men: The Origins and Evolution of Saint Nicholas, Spanning 50,000 Years. McFarland:1997


17. Related in Sunan Abu Dawud


18. Surah al-Furqan 25:72


19. Surah Maa'idah 5:3


20. Surah Aali Imran 3:114


21. Surah Maa'idah 5:2


22. Related in Sahih al-Bukhari

assalamoalaikum wr wb


Let us see today what is today's muslim like:


1)Fajr --On the bed


2)Zuhr --In business


3)Asr --Tea time


4)Maghrib --On the way


5)Isha --Watching TV


Juma'a --in sleeping


Eid--In the markets


No Fasting ,No Qur'an what kind of Muslim is this and then they say Allah is not Merciful?WHY?


can we answer this question in the light of our deeds?why?


take care,


wassalam wr wb


Juwayriah Haani

UPDATED ON:


THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2009


17:20 MECCA TIME, 14:20 GMT Deaths in Yemen raid on al-QaedaFootage of one al-Qaeda commander at a public rally in Yemen was obtained by Al Jazeera


At least 30 suspected al-Qaeda fighters have been killed in a dawn air raid by Yemeni forces in the eastern Yemeni province of Shabwa.


Among those thought to have been killed in the raid early on Thursday was Anwar al-Awlaki, a Muslim preacher, who according to a Yemeni security official was linked to a man who killed 13 people at a US army base in Texas.


"Anwar al-Awlaki is suspected to be dead [in the air raid]," the unnamed Yemeni official was quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying.


According to US officials, al-Awlaki had contacts to Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a US soldier, who shot dead 13 people at the Fort Hood army base in the US state of Texas.


<b>Casualties disputed</b>


Thursday's raid supposedly struck at a meeting of al-Qaeda operatives in Wadi Rafadh, a remote mountainous region lies about 650km east of the Yemeni capital Sanaa.


Alongside al-Awlaki, several senior members of al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula - a group formed of al-Qaeda fighters in Yemen and Saudi Arabia - were also thought to have been killed in the raid.


But there was confusion over the number of casualties.


"Local sources have said that the casualties from this strike was seven people only," Mohammed al-Qadhi, a correspondent in Yemen for Abu Dhabi's The Nationalnewspaper, told Al Jazeera.


"All of those are from al-Qaeda, according to local sources, but the government reports say there are more than 30 [dead]."


<b>No confirmation</b>


Nasser al-Whaychi, the head of al-Qaeda in the Arabic Peninsula, was thought to have been present at the meeting at the time of the attack but it is not known if he was killed in the raid.


Initial reports also said that two other al-Qaeda commanders, identified by security sources as Saad al-Fathani and Mohammad Ahmed Saleh al-Oumir, were among those killed.


But there was no official confirmation that any of the men had been killed.


Al-Oumir is thought to have been the man who spoke at a rally in Abyane, a rare public appearance by an al-Qaeda leader, footage of which was obtained by Al Jazeera.


Thursday's attack comes a week after the raid on Abyane, which prompted the rally at which al-Oumir appeared and which allegedly killed dozens of civilians as well as al-Qaeda fighters.


Yemen's government has been battling al-Qaeda in the country at the same time as dealing with a Shia uprising in the north and rising secessionist sentiment in the south.

assalamoalaikum wr wb


here is the summary of the second part


"Al-Andalus was the arabic name given to the parts of the lberian peninsula and Septimania governed by arab and North African muslims (given the generic name Moors),at various times in the period between 711 an 1492.


Following the conquest Al-andalus was divided into five administrative areas roughly corresponding to Andulsia,Galicia and Lusitania,Castile and leon,Aragon and Catalonia,and Septimania.As a political domain or domains,it successively constituted a province of the Umayyad Caliphate,initiated by the Caliph Al Walid 1(711-750);the Emirate of Cordoba(c.750-929);the Caliphate of Cordoba(929-1031) and the Caliphate of Cordoba's taifa(successor )kingdoms.


In suceeding centuries,Al-Andalus became a province of Berber Muslim dunasties of the Almoravids and Almohads,subsequently fragmenting into a anumber of minor states,most notably the Emirate of Granada.For large parts of its history,prticularly under the Caliphate of Cordoba,Al-Andalus was the beacon of learning,and the city of Cordoba became one of the leading cultural and economic centres in bothe the Mediterranian bsin and the islamic world.


For much of its history Al-Andalus existed in conflict with christian kingdoms to the north.In 1085,Alfanso Vl of leon and Castile captured Toledo precipitating the grafual decline until,by 1236,with the fall of Cordoba,the Emirate of Granada remained the only muslim ruled territory in what is now Spain.The Portugese Reconquista of the Al-Garve Al-Fansolll.In 1238 Granada officially became a tributary state to the kingdom of Castile,than ruled by Ferdinandlll.On Jnauary 2,1492,Muhammad Xll surrendered complete control of Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella,Los Reyes Catolicos,"The Catholic Monarchs".


take care


ws wr wb


ur sister


Hafiza Juwayriah Haani

http://current.com/items/90812572_more-evi...edish-story.htm


Last week Sweden’s largest daily newspaper published an article containing shocking material: testimony and circumstantial evidence indicating that Israelis may have been harvesting internal organs from Palestinian prisoners without consent for many years.


(Picture used here is the FBI arrest of several Jewish Rabbis accused of buying and selling human organs and having the money sent to Israel. Courtesy of www.netdor.com)


Worse yet, some of the information reported in the article suggests that in some instances Palestinians may have been captured with this macabre purpose in mind.


In the article, “Our sons plundered for their organs,” veteran journalist Donald Bostrom writes that Palestinians “harbor strong suspicions against Israel for seizing young men and having them serve as the country’s organ reserve – a very serious accusation, with enough question marks to motivate the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to start an investigation about possible war crimes.”1/


An army of Israeli officials and apologists immediately went into high gear, calling both Bostrom and the newspaper’s editors “anti-Semitic.” The Israeli foreign minister was reportedly “aghast” and termed it “a demonizing piece of blood libel.” An Israeli official called it “hate porn.”


Commentary magazine wrote that the story was “merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of European funded and promoted anti-Israel hate.” Numerous people likened the article to the medieval “blood libel,” (widely refuted stories that Jews killed people to use their blood in religious rituals). Even some pro-Palestinian writers joined in the criticism, expressing skepticism.


The fact is, however, that substantiated evidence of public and private organ trafficking and theft, and allegations of worse, have been widely reported for many years. Given such context, the Swedish charges become far more plausible than might otherwise be the case and suggest that an investigation could well turn up significant information.


At the Link are a few examples of previous reports on this topic.


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


At first, I was in disbelief as well as "lets wait for more evidence" mode. Now, I am still in this mode, however, I am starting to lean towards the initial story by the Swedish Newspaper. I am cautious to go full tilt on this because this is a serious allegation. I dont want to hurt anyone who is innocent. But tallying up all the human rights violations and bloodshed the Israeli government has committed----besides breaking International laws repeatedly--and the new evidence presented in this story, my feelings are that there is some substance to these allegations. I still want to find more evidence. It is just too hard to believe that humans would do this kind of evil. I don't want to believe it. But like I said, my feelings are starting to lean to 'believing'.


Read the story, and come to your own conclusions. Below, in comments, I posted what evidence and news articles (from known sources) that were used to back up the writers story. I'm still hoping it is not true.

Salam,


I chose this topic for incuraging the people of this religion at least come to comman terms to know about the religions and commanarities between then like islam and hinduism.


As Holy Qur’an says in Surah Al Imran, Ch. No.3, V. No. 64, which sayS… ‘Say to the people of the book "That come to comman terms as between us and you that we worship none but Allah,we associate no partner with him ,that we ereact not amoungs ourselves, Lords and Patrons, other than Allah’.…‘if then they turn back’.…‘say we bear witness’.‘that we are Muslims bowing our will to Allah Subhana wa Taala.


This is a verse ofthe Holy Qur'an which show you a way how to speak with people of diffrent communities, it says come to commen terms as between us and you, which is the first term,That we worship none but Allah, ... we associate no partners with him.as in the islam and hiduism


Difference between Islam and Hinduism is ‘s’


(Everything is ‘God’s’ - everything is ‘God’):


The major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim is that the common Hindu believes in philosophy of Pantheism i.e. everything is God, the tree is God, the sun is God, the snake is God, the human being is God.


and the muslim belives that every thing is God's.Everything belongs to God, human being belongs to God ,tree belongs to God etc etc Thus the major difference between the Hindus and the Muslims is the apostrophe ‘s’.


Analyzing the scripture of the Hindus and the Muslim.


1. BhagwadGeeta.


The most popular amongst the hindu scriptures is the Bhagwad geeta.bhagwad Geeta mentions in Chapter 7, Verse 20, “Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires worship demigods” that is “Those who are materialistic, they worship demigods” i.e. besides the true God.


2 .Upanishad.


Upanishad are also one of the sacred scriptures of the Hindus.


a) (i) Chandogya Upanishad, Chapter 6, Section 2, Verse 1


It is mentioned in the Chandogya Upanishad, Prapathaka(Chapter) 6, Khanda(Section)2, Shloka(Verse) “Ekam evaditiyam”, “He is one only without a second”.


The principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan, page 447 and 448(sacred books of the east Volume 1 the Upanishads, part I, page 93)


a) (ii) Similar to what is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an in Surah Ikhlas, Chapter 112, Verse 1, “Say he is Allah one and only”.


(i) Svetasvatara Upanishad, Chapter 6, Verse 9


It is mentioned in the Svetasvatara Upanishad, Adhyaya(Chapter) 6, Shloka(Verse) 9, “Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah” “Of him there is neither parents nor lord”.


“na tasya kascit patir asti loke, na cesita naiva ca tasya lingam, na karanam karanadhipadhipo na casya kascij janita na cadhipah”.


“Of him there is no master in the world, no ruler, nor is there any mark of him. He is the cause, the lord of the lords of the sense organs; of him there is neither progenitor nor lord”.


(The principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 745 and in sacred books of the east Volume 15, the Upanishads, part II, page 263)


(ii) Similar message is given in Holy Qur’an in Surah Ikhlas, Chapter 112, Verse 3,


“He begets not, nor is he begotten”.


c) (i) In Svetasvatara Upanishad, Chapter 4, Verse 19


It is mentioned in Svetasvatara Upanishad, Adhyaya(Chapter) 4, Shloka(Verse) 19,


“Na tasya pratima asti” “There is no likeness of him”.


“nainam urdhvam na tiryancam na madhye na parijagrabhat na tasya pratima asti yasya nama mahad yasah” “There is no likeness of him whose name is great glory”.


(The principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 736 & 737 and in sacred books of the east Volume 15, the Upanishad, part II, page 253)


c) (ii) Similar message is given in the Holy Qur’an in Surah Ikhlas, Chapter 112, Verse 4,


“And there is none like unto him”.


c) (iii) Surah Shura, Chapter 42, Verse 11 and also in Surah Shura, Chapter 42, Verse 11,


“There is nothing whatever like unto him”.


d) (i) In Svetasvatara Upanishad, Chapter 4, Verse 20


It is mentioned in Svetasvatara Upanishad, Adhyaya(Chapter) 4, Shloka(Verse) 20,


“na samdrse tishati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam” “his form cannot be seen, no one sees him with the eye”


“nasamdrse tishati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam. Hrda hrdistham manasa ya enam, evam vidur amrtas te bhavanti”


“His form is not to be seen; no one sees him with the eye. Those who through heart and mind know him as abiding in the heart become immortal”.


(The principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 737 & in sacred books of the east Volume 15, the Upanishad part II, page 253)


e) (ii) Similar message is given in the Holy Qur’an in Surah Anam, Chapter 6, Verse 103,


“No vision can grasp him. But his grasp is over all vision: he is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things”.


5. Yajurveda


Vedas are the most sacred amongst all the Hindu scriptures, there are principally 4 Vedas, Rigved, Yajurved, Samved and Atharvaved.


a) Yajurveda, Chapter 32, Verse 3


It is mentioned in Yajurved, Chapter 32, Verse 3


“na tasya pratima asti” “There is no image of Him”


It further says as “He is unborn, He deserves our worship”


“There is no image of him whose glory verily is great. He sustains within himself all luminous objects like the sun etc. may he not harm me, this is my prayer. As he is unborn, he deserves our worship”.


(The Yajurveda by Devi Chand M.A. page 377)


Yajurveda, Chapter 40, Verse 8


It is mentioned in Yajurved, Chapter 40, Verse 8, “He is body less and pure”


“He hath attained unto the bright, bodiless, woundless, sinewless, the pure which evil hath not pierced. Far-sighted wise, encompassing, he self existent hath prescribed aims as propriety demands unto the everlasting years”


(Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph I.H. Griffith page 538)


c) Yajurveda, Chapter 40, Verse 9


It is mentioned in Yajurved, Chapter 40, Verse 9


“Andhatma pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste”


“They enter darkness, those who worship natural things” For e.g. air, water, fire etc.


It further continues and says, “They sink deeper in darkness those who worship Sambhuti i.e. created things”, For example table, chair, idol etc.


“Deep into shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti’s worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti are intent”


(Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T.H. Griffith page 538)


6. Atharvaveda


a) (i) Atharvaveda, Book 20, Hymn (Chapter) 58, Verse 3


It is mentioned in Atharvaveda, Book 20, Hymn (Chapter) 58, Verse 3


“Dev maha osi” “God is verily great”


“Verily, surya, thou art great; truly, aditya, thou art great. As thou art great indeed thy greatness is admired: yea, verily, great art thou, O God”


(Atharvaveda Samhiti Volume 2, William Dwight Whitney page 910)


a) (ii) Surah Rad, Chapter 13, Verse 9


A similar message is given in Qur’an Surah Rad, Chapter 13, Verse 9,


“He is the Great, the most High.”


7. Rigveda


The most oldest and sacred amongst all the Vedas is Rigveda.


a) Rigveda, Book No.1, Hymn No. 164, Verse 46


It is mentioned in Rigveda Book no.1, Hymn no.164 Verse 46


“Sages (learned Priest) call one God by many names”


“They have styled (Him, God or the sun) indra (the resplendent), mitra (the surveyor), varuna (the venerable), agni (the adorable), and he is the celestial, well-winged garutmat (the great), for learned priests call one by many names as they speak of the adorable as yama (ordainer) and matarisvan (cosmic breath)”.


(i) Rigveda, Book 2, Hymn 1


Rigveda gives no less than 33 different attributes to Almighty God several of these attributes are mentioned in Rigveda, Book 2, Hymn 1


(ii) Brahma - Creator - Khaliq, Rigveda Book 2, Hymn 1, Verse 3


Amongst the various attributes given in Rigveda one of the beautiful attributes for Almighty God is ‘Brahma’. ‘Brahma’ means ‘the creator’. If you translate into Arabic it means ‘Khaliq’. We Muslims have got no objection if you call Almighty God a ‘Khaliq’ or ‘Creator’ or ‘Brahma’ but if someone says that ‘Brahma’ is Almighty God who has got 4 heads and on each head is a crown and he has got 4 hands. We Muslims take strong except to it because you are giving an image to Almighty God. Moreover you are going against Yajurveda, Chapter 32, Verse 3, which says,


“Na tasya pratima asti” ‘”There is no image of him”


(iii) Vishnu - Sustainer - Rabb: Rigveda, Book II, Hymn 1, Verse 3


Another beautiful attribute mentioned in the Rigveda, Book II, Hymn 1, Verse 3, is Vishnu, ‘Vishnu’ means ‘the Sustainer’. If you translate into Arabic it means ‘Rabb’, we Muslims have no objection if anyone call Almighty God as ‘Rabb’ or ‘Sustainer’ or ‘Vishnu’ but if someone says Vishnu is Almighty God who has got 4 arms. One of the right arm holding the ‘Chakra’ i.e. a discus and one of the left arms holding a ‘Conch shell’ and he is riding on a bird or reclining on a snake couch. We Muslims take strong exception to this, because you are giving an image to Almighty God. Moreover you are going against Yajurveda, Chapter 40, Verse 8.


c) Rigveda, Book 8, Hymn 1, Verse 1


It is mentioned in Rigveda, Book 8, Hymn 1, Verse 1


“Ma Chidanyadia Shansata”


“Do not worship anybody but Him, the divine one Praise Him alone”


“Ma cid anyad vi sansata sakhayo ma rishanyata in dram it stota vrishanam saca sute muhaur uktha ca sansata”.


“O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the divine one. Let no grief perturb you. Praise Him alone, the radiant, the showerer of benefits. During the course of self-realization, go on repeatedly uttering Hymns in His honour”.


(Rigveda Samhiti, Volume IX, page 1 and 2 by Swami Satyaprakash Sarasvati and Satyakam Vidhya Lankar)


d) (i) Rigveda, Book 5, Hymn 81, Verse 1


It is mentioned in Rigveda, Book 5, Hymn 81, Verse 1,


“Verily great is the glory of the divine creator”


(Rigveda Samhiti, Volume 6, page 1802 and 1803 by Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati and Satyakam Vidhyalanka)


d) (ii) Surah Fateha, Chapter 1, Verse 2


Similar message is given in the Holy Qur’an In Surah Fateha, Chapter 1, Verse 2,


“Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds”.


e) (i) Rigveda, Book 3, Hymn 34, Verse 1


It is mentioned in Rigveda, Book 3, Hymn 34, Verse 1


“The bounteous giver”


(Hymns of Rigveda, Volume 2, page 377, by Ralph T.H. Griffith)


e) (ii) Surah Fateha, Chapter 1, Verse 3


Same as Surah Fateha, Chapter 1, Verse 3, “Most Gracious, most merciful”


f) (i) Yajurveda, Chapter 40, Verse 160


It is mentioned in Yajurveda, Chapter 40, Verse 16


“Lead us to the good path and remove the sin that makes us stray and wonder”


“By goodly path lead us to riches, Agni, thou God who knowest all our works and wisdom. Remove the sin that makes us astray and wander: most ample adoration will we bring thee”


(The Yajurveda Samhiti by Ralph T.H Griffith Page 541)


f) (ii) Surah Fateha, Chapter 1, Verse 6 and 7


Similar message is given in Surah Fateha, Chapter 1, Verse 6 and 7


“Show us the straight way, the way of those on whom thou has bestowed thy grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath. And who go not astray”.


g) Rigveda, Book No VI, Hymn 45, Verse 16


It is mentioned in Rigveda, Book VI, Hymn 45, Verse 16


“Ya eka ittamushtuhi”


“Praize Him who is the matchless and alone.”


(Hymns of Rigveda by Ralph T.H. Griffith page 648)


8. Brahma Sutra of Hindu Vedanta


The Brahma Sutra of Hindu Vedanta is:


“Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste nen na naste kinchan”


“Bhagwan ek hi hai dusara nahi hai, nahi hain nahi hai zara bhi nahi hai.”


“There is only one God, not the second, not at all, not in the least bit.”


Therefore only if you read the Hindu Scripture will you understand the correct concept of God in Hinduism.


salam.

assalampalaikum wr wb


everyone


after along time an article on Al-Andalus is present


"Tariq Bin Ziyad (November 15 689-april 11 720)was a berber muslim and Umayyad general who led the conquest of Visigothic Hispania in 711 under the orders of the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid l.


Tariq bin Ziyad is considered to be one of the most important military commanders in lberian history.He was inintially the deputy of Musa ibn Nusair in North Africa ,and was sent by his superior to launch at the first thrust of a conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom (comprising modern Spain and Portugal).


On April 29 711,the armies of Tariq landed at Gibralter(the name Gibralter is derived from the arbic name Jabal Al Tariq which means Mountain of Tariq)


Upon landing Tariq burned his ships and the made a speech to his soldiers:


"Oh my warriors! whither would you flee..behind you is the sea, and before you ,the enemy.You have left now only the hope of your courage and your constancy.Remember that in this country you are more unfortunate than the orphan seated at the table of the avaricious master.Ypur enemy is before you, protected by,an innumerable army;he has men in abundance,but you as your only aid,have your own swords,and, as your only chance for life,such chance as you can snatch from the hands of ypur enemy.If the absolute want to which you are reduced is prolonged ever so little ,if you delay to seize immediate success,your good fortune will vanish,and your enemies whom your very presence has filled with fear,will take courage.Put far from you the disgrace from which you flee in dreams,and attack this monarch who has left his strongly fortified city to meet you.Here is a splendid opportunity to defeat him,if you will constent to expose yourselves freely to death.Do not believe that i desire to incite you to face dangers which i shall refuse to share with you.In attack i myself will be in the fore,where the chance of life is always least.


Remember that if suffer a few moments in patience ,you will afterward enjoy supreme delight.Do not imagine that your fate can be separated from mine,and rest assure that if you fall,i shall perish with you,or avenge you.You have heard that in this country,there are large number of revishingly beautiful greek maidens,their graceful forms are draped in sumptuous gowns on which gleam pearls,coral,purest gold,and they lived in the palaces of royal kings.The commander of True believers,Al-Walid,son of Abul malek, have chosen you for this attack from among all his arab warriors;and he promises that you shall become his comrades and shall hold the rank of kings in this country.Such is his confidence in your intrepidity.The one fruit which he desires to obtain from your bravery is that the word of Allah shall be exalted in this country,and that the true religion shall be established here.The spoils will belong to yourseleves.


Remember that i place myself in the front of this glorious charge which i exhort you to make.At the moment when two armies meet hand to hand,you will see me,never doubt it,seeking out this roderick,tyrant of his people,challenging him to combat,if God is willing.If i perish after this,I will have had atleast,the satisfaction of delievering you,and you will easily find among you an experienced hero,to whom you can confidently give the task to direct you.But should i fall before i reach to Roderick,redouble your ardor,force yourselves to the attack and achieve the conquest of this country,in depriving him of life.With him dead,his soldiers will no longer defy you."


The muslim army swept through Hispania and in the summer of 711,won a decisive victory when the Visigothic king ,Roderick,was defeated and killed on July 29 at the Battle of Guadalete.Afterwards Tariq was made the governer of Hispania but eventually was called back to Damascus by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid l where he spent the rest of his life.


ws wr wb


Jowayriah

Bismillah


as salam alykom brothers and sisters


May Allah Assist us all to desert all forms of sins and immigrate to all forms of good deeds and obedience. May Allah Assist us to follow the footsteps of the best immigrant among human beings our beloved Messenger, teacher, leader and mentor Mohammad Ibn Abdullah salla Allah a`lyhee wa sallam. May Allah Support our efforts and struggle we are enduring in this life in preparation for a better destination in the Hereafter Ameen.

USED vs. LOVED


I'm glad a sweet person forwarded this to me as a reminder...


and I want to share with you all


While a man was polishing his new car,


his 4 yr old son picked up a stone


and scratched lines on the side of the car.


In anger, the man took the child's hand


and hit it many times not realizing


he was using a wrench.


At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers


due to multiple fractures.


When the child saw his father.....


with painful eyes he asked, 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?'


The man was so hurt and speechless;


he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.


Devastated by his own actions......


sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches;


the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'.


Anger and Love have no limits;


choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely


life & remember this:


Things are to be used and people are to be loved.


The problem in today's world is


that people are used while things are loved.


Let's try always to keep this thought in mind:


Things are to be used,


People are to be loved.


Watch your thoughts; they become words.


Watch your words; they become actions.


Watch your actions; they become habits.


Watch your habits; they become character;


Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Assalamoalaikum wr wb


let "ME" quiz u this time and see if u can answer these questions:


1)who was Badr bin Mughira


2)who was Changes khan


3)what do u know about "Al-Andulus


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"DONT FEEL ASHAMED IN LEARNING WHAT YOU DONT KNOW"(HAZRAT ALI AL-MURTAZA (RZ)


WA'ALAIKUMMUSSALAM WR WB


HAFIZA JAWARIA