Elijah

Elijah (Ilyas (AS) or Elias) is a prophet of Islam in Israel during 870-850 BC. Quran describes Elijah as a righteous and great prophet of Islam who preached the word of Allah Almighty. He also regarded as a prophet in Christianity and Judaism. Many Muslim scholars believe that Elijah came from the family of Prophet Aaron (Harun (AS)). It is believed that Elijah was awarded prophet hood after the death of great Prophet and King Solomon (Sulayman (AS)), for the people of Israel.

Muslims believe that Elijah was one of the prophets sent for the guidance of people of Israel by Allah Almighty. In Quran, it is specially mentioned about Elijah and his preaching in opposition of false Syrian god Ba’al, pleading with people to the True God. Most scholars believe that Elijah preached to the people of Israel, ruled by Ahab and later his son Ahaziah. He is believed to have been a prophet of the desert like John (Yahya (AS)). Elijah preached with great zeal to Ahab and his wife jezebel, who were responsible for the worship of false idols in the area of Israel. In spite of all this, majority of people refused to listen to Elijah.

Elijah is mentioned in Quran for his powerful preaching. As Allah Almighty says in Quran,

                “So also was Elias (Elijah) among those sent (by Us). Behold, he said to his people, ‘Will ye not fear (God)? Will ye call upon Baal and forsake the Best of Creators,- God, your Lord and Cherisher and the Lord and Cherisher of your fathers of old?’” (37:123-126)

The Qur'an makes it clear that the majority of Elijah's people denied the prophet and continued to follow idolatry. However, it mentions that a small number of devoted servants of Allah Almighty among them followed Elijah and believed and worshiped Allah Almighty. As Quran Says,

                “But they rejected him, and they will certainly be called up (for punishment),- Except the sincere and devoted Servants of God (among them).” (37:127-128)

Alcohol

Islam is very clear about intoxications. Intoxications are not allowed for some specific spiritual reasons. In life, alcohol is the reason of many sinful and negative behaviors. Consuming alcohol is one of the worst sins Muslim can commit. Intoxications were forbidden in Quran through several verses. At first, it was forbidden for Muslims to attend prayers when intoxicated. As in Quran Allah Almighty says,

                “O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand all that ye say,” (4:43)

Then it was revealed that alcohol contains some good and some evil but evil is greater than good. It is said in Quran,

                “They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: "In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit." They ask thee how much they are to spend; Say: "What is beyond your needs." Thus doth God Make clear to you His Signs: In order that ye may consider-” (2:219)

And finally the verses of Quran forbidding intoxication,

                “O ye who believe! make not unlawful the good things which God hath made lawful for you, but commit no excess: for God loveth not those given to excess. Eat of the things which God hath provided for you, lawful and good; but fear God, in Whom ye believe.” (5:90-91)

Quran uses strongest terms and warnings in reference to consuming alcohol. According to Quran alcohol covers reality and cover God from those who consume it. The use of alcohol is considered to be a grave sin. Not only consuming alcohol is a great sin but trading alcohol is also forbidden.

The purpose of forbidding alcohol in Quran is to emphasize to Muslims that purity of mind and body is essential for spiritual progress and closeness to Allah Almighty.

Talking Ants

There are a lot of secrets about this universe revealed in Quran along with prayers, prohibitions and commands. These secrets can only be seen by a person with attentive eye and believe in truthfulness of Quran. These secrets not only lead way to our life but to science too. The reason for this is that any information not based on revelations of Allah Almighty is always in contradiction of universe and is illusion.

For years scientists were trying to watch and record sounds and vibrations of insects. The matter was resolved when Professor Robert Hickling, president of Sonometrics Inc, successfully recorded sounds coming out of Ants. Scientists were surprised by the fact that sound frequencies released by ants varied from ant to ant. This was a remarkable and interesting discovery, keeping in mind the fact that there are over 12,000 species of ants and the number of ants is multiple folds more than humans.

This discovery again proved that each and every piece of information in Quran is divine revelation and authentic. 27^th chapter of Quran is named Surah Al-Naml (The Ant), in which Allah Almighty mentions ants,

                “At length, when they came to a (lowly) valley of ants, one of the ants said: ‘O ye ants, get into your habitations, lest Solomon and his hosts crush you (under foot) without knowing it.’ So he (Solomon) smiled, amused at her speech; and he said: ‘O my Lord! so order me that I may be grateful for Thy favours, which thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents, and that I may work the righteousness that will please Thee: And admit me, by Thy Grace, to the ranks of Thy righteous Servants.’” (27:18-19)

In these verses Allah Almighty clearly tells us about the speech of ants. Researchers also discovered that ants communicate through the antennas on their heads. They use their antennas to send and receive sound vibrations. The interesting discovery was also that while receiving vibrations, the antennas filters vibrations and removes overlapping sounds. This is a very developed communication system unknown to science until few years ago but Quran mentioned it over 1400 years before scientific discovery and told us that ants speak.

Munkar and Nakeer

Munkar and Nakeer are the angels who test the faith of dead in their graves, according to teachings of Islam. The literal meaning of Munkar and Nakeer is of ‘the Denied and the Denier’ in Arabic.

According to Quran and Islam, one’s soul passes through a stage called Barzakh after death. The soul exists in grave during stage of barzakh. The soul will remain in grave even if the body is destroyed completely. The questioning of soul starts immediately after funeral is over and all people leave the grave.  Munkar and Nakeer come to the grave and prop the departed soul upright in the grave. They will ask three questions from the soul, “Who is your Lord? Who is your Prophet and What is your religion?”. If the person is righteous, the soul will answer the questions correctly that “Allah is my lord, Muhammad (SAW) is my Prophet and Islam is my religion.” Those who answer the questions correctly will spend their stage of Barzakh pleasantly but if the questions are answered incorrectly the time in grave will be harsh.

According to teachings of Islam and Quran, the angels are described as having solid black eyes, carrying hammers, tongue slashing fire flames as they speak and their shoulder span measured in miles. Those who answer the questions incorrectly are beaten and tortured everyday until Allah Almighty order for punishment to stop.

Death

Death is the most important aspect of life as it is certain to happen to all of us. We never know when it is going to happen to us, in the next minute or in years. We plan many things in our life which may never happen, death on the other hand is certain to happen to all of us. This truth enables us plan and live our lives for that moment. Death is also part of final trial of humans. Allah Almighty says in Quran that life and death are created to try humans,

                “He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed: and He is the Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving;-”(67:2)

Death is the end of this life and the beginning of the next. Which means death is the end of trial of a man. Therefore believers are not afraid of death because they spend their lives according to the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. They spend each and every moment of their lives in pursuit of good deeds as preparation of Hereafter. Non-believers, on the other hand, are afraid of death as they consider it complete end. So they try to avoid thoughts of death and try to escape from it. But it is impossible to escape from death. Allah says in Quran,

                “Wherever ye are, death will find you out, even if ye are in towers built up strong and high!”  (4-78)

Thinking about death strengthens our will and spirit. It protects us from false temptations of this world. It prevents us from all the actions which are unpleasant to Allah Almighty. This is the reason that Muslims think about death never forget that they will die some day.

Pillars of Islam

The five pillars of Islam are the five basic acts of Islam. They are considered obligatory for all muslims. The Quran present them as a sign of commitment to the faith. They are Shahadah, Salat, Sawm, Zakat and Hajj.

Shahadah

Shahadah is saying and accepting the oneness of Allah Almighty and prophet of Muhammad (SAW). Shahdah is a statement recited in Arabic as, ‘La Ilaha Illallah Muhammad Rasulullah’ which means “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger” in English. Also one should should try to say the declaration of Faith when dying. It is obligatory to say this when converting to Islam.

Salat

Salat is Islamic prayer. It consists of five daily prayers: fajr, Dhuhr, Asar, Maghrib and Isha. The timings of prayers are fixed according to the position of sun. Each prayer consists of certain amount of sequence of actions and words called Rakat.

Sawm

Sawm is Arabic word for fasting. By Islamic law Sawm means to abstain from eating, drinking, sex and anything prohibited by Islamic Law. Sawm during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam along with Tauhid, Salat, Zakat and Hajj. Sawm is obligatory in Ramadan but it can be observed other time of year also. As Allah Almighty says in Quran,

                “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,” (2:183)

Zakat

Zakat is the most important worship performed financially. Muslims who fulfill the duty the duty of giving Zakat are promised endless rewards in this world and hereafter. In the same way those who refuse to follow instructions about Zakat, are warned about strict punishments by Quran and Muhammad (SAW). The ratio of Zakat is 2.5% of total wealth and is obligatory on every wealthy and rich Muslim.

Hajj

Hajj is an act of worship just like Salat (Prayer), Sawm (Fasting) and Zakat. Muslims from all over the world gather in Makkah to perform hajj. Hajj is performed in the Islamic month of Dul-Hajj. It is obligatory on every sane and able adult Muslim.

Pillars of Islam-Shahadah

Shahadah is an Arabic word of meaning “to know and believe without suspicion, as if witnessed”. The Shahadah is the Muslim declaration of belief in oneness of Allah Almighty and acceptance of Muhammad (SAW) as His Prophet. In Arabic it reads as: La Ilaha Illallah Muhammad Rasulullah which means “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His messenger” in English.

The word Shahadah is derived from word Shahida meaning to observe, witness or testify. A single honest recitation of Shahadah in Arabic is required by a person to become a Muslim. This declaration of faith is called Kalima, which means “word” literally. The first and most important of five pillars of Islam is recitation of Shahadah. A public recitation of Shahadah can convert a non-Muslim to Islam. The significance of declaration of Shahadah is the belief that the only purpose of life is to obey and serve only Allah and this is achieved through the teachings and practices of last prophet Muhammad (SAW).

Shahadah come from the Quran as stated in the Surah Ali Imran verse 18 that there no another God than Allah alone. As Allah says in Quran,

                “There is no god but He(Allah):”(03:18)

And in Surah Al Munafiqin verse 1 of Quran Allah recognized Muhammad (SAW) as the last prophet and messenger of Allah.

                “they say, We bear witness that thou art indeed the Apostle of God.”(63:1)

These essences are combined to be the Shahadah, spoken by all Muslims in every prayer and anyone who wishes to convert to Islam.

Pillars of Islam -Salat

Salat is an Arabic word whose meaning is prayer. Salat is the second pillar of Islam after Shahadah (Believe in oneness of Allah and prophet hood of Muhammad (SAW)). Salat is the Arabic name of formal prayer in Islam. Salat is ritual prayer and have some defined conditions, procedures and times. Allah Almighty Says in Quran,

                “I have only created Jinns and men, that they may worship (and serve) Me.”(51:56)

Salat is obligatory for all adult Muslims According to Quran and Sunnah. To perform Salat, one must be clean and pure. Physical purity is mainly achieved by ritual of Ablution. The place of Salat should be clean as well and so should be clothes one is wearing. Salat is performed five times a day depending upon the movement of sun. Salat consists of two or more units of sequence of actions and words, prescribed by Muhammad (SAW). The number varies according to their timings and special circumstances (Friday and Eid salat etc). There are some exceptions for some or all the actions of Salat for those who are physically unable to complete them. The prescribed words remain obligatory.

The importance of Salat can be considered by the fact that it is mentioned 70 times in Quran. Allah Almighty says, in Quran,

                “To those whose hearts when God is mentioned, are filled with fear, who show patient perseverance over their afflictions, keep up regular prayer, and spend (in charity) out of what We have bestowed upon them.”(22:35)

Salat is the distinction between Muslim and a non-Muslim. As prophet Muhammad (SAW) said,

                “What lies between a man and a disbelief is the abandonment of prayer”

The purpose of Salat is that it acts as medium of communication between a person and Allah Almighty. Daily prayers remind people about thanking Allah for His blessings. Salat is a formal process of remembering Allah. Salat is also considered a means of restraining one from wrong and evils. According to Hadith Salat is the best deed.

Pillars of Islam-Sawm

Sawm is Arabic word for fasting. By Islamic law Sawm means to abstain from eating, drinking, sex and anything prohibited by Islamic Law. Sawm during Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam along with Tauhid, Salat, Zakat and Hajj. Sawm is obligatory in Ramadan but it can be observed other time of year also. As Allah Almighty says in Quran,

                “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,” (2:183)

Muslims are prohibited from some things which are legal and normal in other circumstances. Muslims are prohibited from eating, drinking, having sex and smoking from dawn to sunset. Fasting or Sawm is an attempt to seek nearness of Allah Almighty. Another reason of fasting is to sympathize with those who are less fortunate and do not always have something to eat or drink. It is important that one try to control his temptations and desires of food, drink and sex etc. One must control his anger, evil thoughts and stop cursing. Sawm also teach one love and obedience because fasting during Ramadan is done out of respect and love of Allah Almighty.

Sawm is obligatory in the month of Ramadan which is a great month in sense that it was the month in which Quran was revealed to Muhammad (SAW) and the rewards of good deeds done in this month is multiplied several folds for the believers. Lailat Ul-Qadr comes in this month which is regarded as night better than thousand months. Gates of paradise are opened and gates of hell are closed during Ramadan.

Fasting in Ramadan is obligatory on every adult and healthy Muslim. According to Quran, if there is any danger to one’s health than fasting can be delayed to time when he gets healthy. Same is case with women who are expecting and elderly, they should either make up for the lost days by fasting after they get healthy enough or feed needy person for every day missed.

Pillars of Islam-Zakat

Zakat is one of the basic duties of Islam. It is one of the five pillars of islam. After Salat it is the most important part of Islam. It has been mentioned in Quran seventy times, just like Salat. It is mentioned by Allah in Quran several times as, “…and establish regular Salat and give regular Zakat…”. Just as Salat is most important worship performed bodily, Zakat is the most important worship performed financially. Muslims who fulfill the duty the duty of giving Zakat are promised endless rewards in this world and hereafter. In the same way those who refuse to follow instructions about Zakat, are warned about strict punishments by Quran and Muhammad (SAW).

As Zakat is duty of every Muslim so every Muslim gives zakat voluntarily. Zakat is for welfare purposes. Rich give zakat so it can be distributed among poor and equilibrium is maintained in Muslim society. It is one of the reasons that Islam spread peacefully in non-Muslim countries. The best example is of Spain, where zakat was taken from rich landowners and distributed among the poor and deprived majority of Spain. This resulted in the interest of the poor population of Spain in Islam and their majority converted to Islam. It was also the main reason for Persians convert to Islam. In Europe, Zakat was regarded as threat to their feudal economy, especially after Spain’s covert to Islam.

The ratio of Zakat is 2.5% of total wealth and is obligatory on every wealthy and rich Muslim. Zakat is applicable on every Muslim who has at least one of the following possessions

·         Gold or silver in any form equal to nisaab

·         Cash, Currency Notes, Bonds etc equal to nisaab

·         Merchandise of Business equal to nisaab

·         Live stock equal to nisaab

·         Income from other businesses equal to nisaab

Nisaab is the amount of wealth which makes one liable to Zakat. It is as follows as fixed by Muhammad (SAW)

·         Gold 7.50 Tolas = 87.48 gms

·         Silver 52.50 tolas = 612.36 gms

Zakat cannot be given to descendents of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), one’s immediate family and Organizations or governments who would not distribute it among poor.

Pillars of Islam-Hajj

Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam. It is obligatory on every sane and able adult Muslim. It was made obligatory on 9^th year of Hijra. On that year 300 Muslims under the leadership of Abu Bakar (RA) were sent to Makkah to perform Hajj and it was for non-Muslims to enter Kaba. On 10^th Hijra, Muhammad (SAW) performed Hajj along with one hundred and fifty thousand Muslims. At the end of that Hajj Muhammad (SAW) announced that the religion of Islam is now complete. As Allah Almighty says in Quran,

                “This day have I completed My commandments for you, and have brought to its fullness the favor that I have bestowed upon you, and have chosen Islam as your religion” (Al Maaidah)

Hajj is an act of worship just like Salat (Prayer), Sawm (Fasting) and Zakat. Muslims from all over the world gather in Makkah to perform hajj. Hajj is performed in the Islamic month of Dul-Hajj. All the essential duties of Hajj are performed on the 8^th and 9^th of Dul-Hajj. There are three basic pillars of hajj namely entering state of “Ihram” with intention of performing Hajj, to stay at the field of “Arafat” on the 9^th of Dul-Hajj and Circling of Kaba. It is prohibited to wear sewn cloths or cut hair during Hajj. Hunting is also prohibited.

On 10^th of Dul-hajj, muslims celebrate Eid al-adha as a celebration for performing Hajj. There is one Surah named after Hajj, Surah Al-Hajj. Which is the 22^nd surah of Quran. Hajj is mentioned in several other chapters of Quran as well, which signifies its importance.

Morals of Islam in War

According to teachings of Islam, war is an unwanted obligation which has to be carried out under strict moral and humane values. War is an option taken only when inevitable. According to Quran wars are started by those who are unbelievers and Allah Almighty does not approve that. Islam stresses the fact wars should be for defensive purposes in unavoidable circumstances.

Quran was revealed in a period of twenty three years and out of these twenty three, for thirteen years Muslims were living in Makkah. They were in minority and faced oppression from others. Muslims were tortured, abused and even murdered. Despite all of this, Muslims never resorted to violence and lived in peace. Muslims migrated to Madinah when oppression was unbearable where they established a free and just community. Only after mischief and oppression of unbelievers continued in Madinah that Allah permitted them to fight in defense of Islam. As the following verses were revealed in Quran,

                “Permission to fight is given to those who are fought against because they have been wronged - truly God has the power to come to their support - those who were expelled from their homes without any right, merely for saying, 'Our Lord is God'…” (22:39.40)

To summarize Muslims are allowed to start a war only when they are oppressed and abused. In other words, war is only allowed for defensive purposes. But even in wars Muslims are ordered to be humane and keep up the moral values Islam teach. As it is said in Quran,

                “Fight in the Way of God against those who fight you, but do not go beyond the limits. God does not love those who go beyond the limits.”(2:190)

A Muslim should treat a non-Muslim kindly. Muslims should only fight in a humane way.

Trusting Fellow Muslims

One of nature of humans is that they find it very hard to trust others. They can establish friendships with individuals of same ideologies, tastes, personalities and fell respect for each other. But when a situation demands them to show trust in their friends they just step away. They feel that they can not trust anyone including their parents, children, spouses and friends. They can only trust themselves. This is all because of curious nature of humans that they suspect each other. Spouses, friends, siblings say that they are very close and trust each other but in reality they always suspect and try to find secrets of each other.

But all this is totally different in Islam and Muslims. It is not difficult for Muslims to trust each other. The teachings of Quran and Muhammad (SAW), and fear of Allah Almighty enable us to trust fellow Muslims. They know for fact that they are answerable for every good and bad deed to Allah Almighty. True Muslims never lie, steal, betray or harm others. They know the value of respect, friendship, loyalty and love for one another. They do not any thing they could not do. As Allah Almighty says in Quran,

                “Your friend is only Allah and His Messenger and those who have faith: those who establish prayers (salat) and pay alms (zakat), and bow. As for those who make Allah their friend, and His Messenger and those who have faith: it is the party of Allah who are victorious!” (5:55.56)

There is no difficulty in trusting fellow Muslims if we follow true spirit of Islam and Quran. Muslims know they would be answerable for all their deeds, god or bad. So they do not betray or harm another.

Darwinism Exposed

Darwinists have been spreading a huge propaganda for the last one and a half century, since the birth of theory of Darwin. They controlled press and media to spread their beliefs around the world and silenced any voice against them. They found their way into school, colleges, universities and all education institutes around the world. Text books are full of their false propagandas. They designed false fossils and used their powers over the press to spread their lies. This all had to end one day and their end is happening right now. As Allah Almighty says in Quran,

                “We hurl the truth against falsehood and it cuts right through it,” (21:18)

The antichrist (Dajaal) had been hypnotizing the world for over 150 years. Trying to make everyone darwinist, irreligious and materialist. He cast his spell over humans trying to tell them that “you are darwinists, you came into being by chance and there is no God”. Under that spell many people believed that darwinism is reality and life just happened by chance and there is no Creator who created everything in this universe and beyond it. But Darwinists failed to answer about soul and spirit. They did not believe that their lies would be exposed one day.

On October 4, 2007, during a press conference at Council of Europe, 'Atlas of Creation' was presented to world. Darwinists were shocked by that presentation as suddenly their spell was coming to an end. They did not know how to deal with sudden blow on them. The Atlas of Creation contained information about 300 million fossils. People were amazed by the fact that not a single transitional fossil was in the atlas. The fact was proved by the atlas that life did not come into being by chance. Darwinists did not believe that they could be exposed one day but their beliefs were against teachings of Quran and Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The Atlas of Creation was a serious blow to their shameful acts and it silenced them. As Allah Almighty said in Quran,

                “Say: O Allah! Owner of Sovereignty! Thou givest sovereignty unto whom Thou wilt, and Thou withdrawest sovereignty from whom Thou wilt. Thou exaltest whom Thou wilt, and Thou abasest whom Thou wilt. In Thy hand is the good. Lo! Thou art Able to do all things.”(3:26)

  May Allah give us power to struggle against evil and fight for good according to teachings of Quran and Muhammad (SAW).