Why Convert?

[umm Zachariah]

Hi Ronniv93,


Brother Dan already explained point 1 to you but I fill it out a bit with a few lines that can be read in a book called ''The Messengers and the Messages In the light of the Qur'an and Sunnah'' by Dr Umar Sulaiman Al-Ashqar.


1. Allah, SWT has informed His Messengers and Prophets in three different ways. The first is that by direct address to the heart of the Prophet to who, the Revelation is intended; in such a way that the person concerned shall have no doubt that what is in his heart is from, Allah, SWT. So this way through dreams, since prophetic dreams are always true. For example like Ibrahim, AS, when he was to slaughter his son as he saw like a command from Allah, SWT, you can read the Qur'an 37:102-105.


The second form of revelation is that Allah, SWT, speaks to His Messengers from behind a veil, as in the case of Moses, AS - The Qur'an 7:143 and 20:11-14. To Adam, AS - The Qur'an 2:33 and likewise Allah, SWT spoke to Muhammad, SAAWS at the night of the Ascension to the Heavens.


The third form, is revelation to a Messenger through the angel, Gibrael, like in The Qur'an 42:15 and 'a Messenger' here meaning Gibrael.


2. Let me take an example,


''It is He Who sent down to thee (step by step), in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it; and He sent down the Law (of Moses) and the Gospel (of Jesus) before this, as a guide to mankind, and He sent down the criterion (of judgment between right and wrong).'' The Qur'an 3:3.


Now to fully understand this, it is good to read the tafsir to this. Here I give you the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir to these verses. He is a well know scholar.


**[بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ ]


[الم - ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ - الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلوةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ - وَالَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالأْخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ ]


(In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful) (1. Alif-Lam-Mim.) (2. Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists.) (3. It is He Who has sent down the Book to you with truth, confirming what came before it. And He sent down the Tawrah and the Injil,) (4. Aforetime, as a guidance to mankind. And He sent down the criterion. Truly, those who disbelieve in the Ayat of Allah, for them there is a severe torment; and Allah is All-Mighty, All-Able of Retribution.)


We mentioned the Hadith in the Tafsir of Ayat Al-Kursi [2:255] that mentions that Allah's Greatest Name is contained in these two Ayat,


[اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ ]


(Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists) and,


[الم - ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ]


(Alif-Lam-Mim. Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He, the Ever Living, the One Who sustains and protects all that exists.)


We also explained the Tafsir of,


[الم ]


(Alif-Lam-Mim) in the beginning of Surat Al-Baqarah, and the meaning of,


[اللَّهُ لاَ إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ الْحَىُّ الْقَيُّومُ ]


(Allah! La ilaha illa Huwa, Al-Hayyul-Qayyum) in the Tafsir of Ayat Al-Kursi. Allah's statement,


[نَزَّلَ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَـبَ بِالْحَقِّ]


(IT IS HE WHO HAS SENT DOWN THE BOOK TO YOU WITH TRUTH, ) MEANS, REVEALED THE QUR'AN TO YOU, O MUHAMMAD, IN TRUTH, MEANING THERE IS NO DOUBT OR SUSPICION THAT IT IS REVEALED FROM ALLAH. VERILY, ALLAH REVEALED THE QUR'AN WITH HIS KNOWLEDGE, AND THE ANGELS TESTIFY TO THIS FACT, ALLAH IS SUFFICIENT AS A WITNESS. ALLAH'S STATEMENT,


[مُصَدِّقاً لِّمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ]


(CONFIRMING WHAT CAME BEFORE IT) MEANS, FROM THE PREVIOUS DIVINELY REVEALED BOOKS, SENT TO THE SERVANTS AND PROPHETS OF ALLAH. THESE BOOKS TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH OF THE QUR'AN, AND THE QUR'AN ALSO TESTIFIES TO THE TRUTH THESE BOOKS CONTAINED, INCLUDING THE NEWS AND GLAD TIDINGS OF MUHAMMAD'S PROPHETHOOD AND THE REVELATION OF THE GLORIOUS QUR'AN.


Allah said,


[وَأَنزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ]


(And He sent down the Tawrah) to Musa (Musa) son of `Imran,


[وَالإِنجِيلَ]


(And the Injil), to `Isa, son of Mary,


[مِن قَبْلُ]


(Aforetime) meaning, before the Qur'an was revealed,


[هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ]


(as a guidance to mankind) IN THEIR TIME.


[وَأَنزَلَ الْفُرْقَانَ]


(And He sent down the criterion) which is THE DISTINCTION between misguidance, falsehood and deviation on one hand, and guidance, truth and piety on the other hand. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE INDICATIONS, SIGNS, PLAIN EVIDENCES AND CLEAR PROOFS THAT IT CONTAINS, AND BECAUSE OF ITS EXPLANATIONS, CLARIFICATIONS ETC.


Allah's statement,


[إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِأيَـتِ اللَّهِ]


(TRULY, THOSE WHO DISBELIEVE IN THE AYAT OF ALLAH) MEANS THEY DENIED, REFUSED AND UNJUSTLY REJECTED THEM,


[لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ]


(FOR THEM THERE IS A SEVERE TORMENT) ON THE DAY OF RESURRECTION,


[وَاللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ]


(And Allah is All-Mighty) meaning, His grandeur is invincible and His sovereignty is infinite,


[ذُو انتِقَامٍ]


(ALL-ABLE OF RETRIBUTION.) FROM THOSE WHO REJECT HIS AYAT AND DEFY HIS HONORABLE MESSENGERS AND GREAT PROPHETS. **


The emphasises are mine.


Hope this clarifies the matter.


Regards