Thursday 28 February 2013

The Amazing Quran


By Gary Miller


Introduction
The Qur’an is the last revealed Word of God. It is a record of the exact words revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. It was then dictated to his Companions who memorized it, and it was written down by scribes. The Qur’an is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad fourteen centuries ago. Not one word of its 114 chapters has been changed over the centuries.The Qur’an deals with all subjects which concern us as human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures. There are also many verses in the Qur’an concerned with natural phenomena that are astounding. It is impossible to explain their presence in humans terms, given the state of knowledge at the time the Qur’an was revealed. In the West, such statements had never before formed the subject of a scientific communication until recent times.On 9th November 1976, an unusual lecture was given at the French Academy of Medicine. Its title was ‘Physiological and Embryological data in the Qur’an’ and was delivered by the famous French physician Dr. Maurice Bucaille. His reason for doing this was that “our knowledge of these disciplines is such, that it is impossible to explain how a text produced at the time of the Qur’an could have contained ideas that have only been discovered in modern times.”The citations included in this pamphlet appeared in the Qur’an during the 7th century CE. The Prophet Muhammad was himself illiterate and was living among illiterate people. The Arabs at that time worshipped idols and believed in horoscope and magic and were superstitious. The Arabs very actively opposed the teachings advanced by the Prophet through his revelations.This short article is for you to read and to consider. Because the subject matter is so vast, we have space to mention only a few brief facts from the Amazing Qur’an.
The Creation of the Universe
“Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together, then We clove them asunder? And We made from water every living thing. Will they not then believe?”(21:30) This verse is specifically addressed to non-believers, andtouches upon the creation of the universe and the origins of all life. The Qur’an mentions the existence of a gaseous mass (dukhan,41:11) which is unique and whose elements, although at first fused together (ratq) subsequently became separated (fatq). The separation process resulted in the formation of multiple worlds, a notion which crops up dozens of times in the Qur’an (1:1): “Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.” [1,2]
The Origins of Life
“And We made from water every living thing.Will they not then believe?” (21:30)
The building blocks of all living things are called cells. They are the basic units of life.
Protoplasm (cytoplasm nucleus) is the substance of all living things. Cytoplasm is a jelly-like material consisting of water and dissolved substances. The constitution of protoplasm is about 80-85% water. Without water life is not possible. [2]
None of the myths on the origins of life that abounded at the time of the Qur’an are present in the text. Furthermore, the fact that all life originated from water would not have been a very easy thing to convince people of 1400 years ago, especially in the desert!
The Expansion of the Universe
The expansion of the universe is the most imposing discovery of modern science. Today it is a firmly established concept and the only debate centres around the way this is taking place.
“The heaven, We have built it with power. Verily, We are expanding it.” (51:47)‘We are expanding it’ is the translation of the plural present particle musi’una of the verb ausa’a meaning “to make wider, more spacious, to extend, to expand.” Some translators were unable to grasp the meaning and provided mistaken translations. Others sense the meaning, but were afraid to commit themselves eg. Hamidullah talks of the widening of the heavens and space, but he includes a question mark. Zidan & Zidan, and The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs refer to the expansion of the universe in totally unambiguous terms. [1,2]
The Mountains
Mountains have always been looked upon as conspicuous landforms, characterized by lofty protrusions above their surroundings, high peaks and steep sides.However, the Qur’an accurately describes mountains as stabilizers for the Earth that hold its outer surface firmly, lest it should shake with us, and as pickets (or pegs) which hold that surface downwardly as a means of fixation.”Have we not made the earth an expanse, and the mountains stakes (awtad)?” (78:6-7) and “And God cast into the ground mountains standing so that it does not shake with you.” (31:10). [1,3]
The Developing Human Embryo
Statements referring to human reproduction and development are scattered throughout the Qur’an. It is only recently that the scientific meaning of some of these verses has been fully appreciated. The Qur’an determines that human development passesthrough stages (39:6). The realization that the human embryo develops in stages was not discussed and illustrated until the 15th century. The staging of human embryos was not described until the 20th century. Streeter (1941) developed the first system of staging which has now been replaced by a more accurate system proposed by O’Rahilly (1972). However, the Qur’an was the first source to mention the (23:12-16). The Qur’an and Hadith also state that both parents share in the origins of the offspring: “O mankind! We created you from male and female.” (49:13) and “We created mankind from a mixed drop (nutfah-amshaj).” (76:2)The mixed drop refers to the mixture and convergence of a small quantity of sperms with the ovum (and its associated follicular fluid) to form the zygote. It has the form of a drop and consists of a mixture of male and female secretions.”Then we made the drop into a leech-like structure (‘alaqah).” (23:14) ‘alaqah in Arabic means (i) to cling and stick to a thing; (ii) a leech or bloodsucker; (iii) a suspended thing; and (iv) a blood clot. Amazingly, each of the meanings for ‘alaqah can be applied to human prenatal development.For example, taking ‘alaqah to mean a leech we find that the embryo is surrounded by amniotic fluid just as a leech is surrounded by water. The human embryo clings to the mothers womb, in the same way that a leech clings to the skin. A leech is a pear shaped organism and thrives on bloodsucking. The diagram above clearly indicates that the shape of the embryo does in fact resemble a leech! At this stage the cardiovascular system has started appearing and the embryo is now dependant on the maternal blood for its nutrition like a leech! As there were no microscopes or lenses available in the 7th century, people could not have known that the embryo has this leech-like appearance.”Then out of that leech-like structure We made a chewed lump (mudghah).” This statement is from Surah 23:14. The Arabic word mudghah means “chewed substance or chewed lump.” Towards the end of the 4th week, the human embryo looks somewhat like a chewed lump of flesh. The chewed appearance results from the somites which resemble teeth marks. The somites represent the beginnings of the vertebrae (backbone). (For a detailed discussion concerning the Qur’an and modern embryology see 1,2,4,5,6).
Lost Civilizations
In the 89th chapter of the Qur’an, the city of “Iram” is mentioned: “Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with Aad, of the city of Iram, with lofty pillars the like of which was never created in any land?” Iram has been unknown to history, so much so that it apparently became an embarrassment to some Muslim commentators of the Holy Qur’an. In 1975, in North-Western Syria the ancient city of Ebla was excavated.Ebla is over 4500 years old. In the ruins of the Palace Library they found the largest collection of cuneiform clay tablets ever discovered – around 15,000. Written in the oldest Semitic language yet identified, the tablets reveal that Ebla rivalled Egypt and Mesopotamia as a major power of the ancient world. They found in there a record of all the cities that Ebla used to do business with including one IRAM! [7,8,9]
What happened to the body of Pharaoh of the Exodus?
The Biblical version of Pharaoh’s story states that he was drowned in the pursuit of Prophet Moses (Exodus 14:28-29). Unknown to the world till only of late, the Holy Qur’an made a definite prediction about the preservation of the body of that same Pharaoh of Moses’ time 10:90-92:”This day We shall save you in your body so that you may be a sign for those that come after you”. The body was discovered in the tomb of Amenhotep II in 1898.[2,12]
The resting place of Noah’s Ark
The Bible states that “And the Ark rested… upon the mountains of Ararat.” Genesis 8:4. According to the Holy Qur’an (11:44): “The Ark came to rest upon Al-Judi.” According to recent evidence from an archaeological find in Eastern Turkey, experts believe they may have discovered the remains of an ancient vessel whose dimensions mirror those of Noah’s Ark as told in the Bible. However, the discovery was made on Al-Judi! [10,11]
The Holy Qur’an:- God’s final Guidance to Mankind
“How could a man, from being illiterate, become the most important author in terms of literary merits in the whole of Arabic literature? How could he the pronounce facts of a scientific nature that no other human being could have possibly known at that time, and all this, without once making the slightest error in his pronouncement on the subject?” (Dr. Maurice Bucaille).
You owe it to yourself to find out the TRUTH about : ISLAM, the Holy Qur’an and the Life and teachings of God’s final Messenger, Muhammad.
The message of ISLAM is simple:
There is nothing worthy of worship except GOD alone, and Muhammad is his messenger and servant.There are today, over one-thousand million followers of ISLAM. Find out the truth!

Wednesday 13 February 2013

We must SUBMITT to Allah (God) !


Modern human beings are not as simplistic as their ancestors of old. Human evolved. We are more sophisticated in this modern era with life pacing at the speed of light. Fast food. Fast cars. Fast Internet connections. We have things like instant noodles, instant tea or coffee 3 in 1 and instant messages. Everything is about speed. Busy, busy, busy. Moving around. Getting to appointments. Going to work. Working off hours and working into late at night. Working in the office, at home, anywhere and everywhere chasing the dream. We talk and chat. Talking seems to be the order of the day second to dining and eating. When we had it all full, we go for vacation and we spend money and more time spent talking, chatting and having a good time. 


After getting by all these, we still don't have that peace in our hearts. We don't know why. We have all the money. We have all the luxuries. We attend church services and listen to sermons and yet there is this deep hollow in our hearts. A very deep void. We don't seem to be getting anywhere. Everything physical in our lives, we had it. A good job. Perfect looking spouses and children. Nice family. Nice house. Nice car and good neighbours. We live in one of the best places on earth but yet, there are no peace in our hearts. As we aged , we fear death. At an instant sign of a headache we rush the aspirin down our throats with that glass of water. We fear even to look at our medical examination sheets as we fear to acknowledge how short our lives will be. We fear the reality that one day we will die. We fear  loosing everything that we accumulated thus far with our own endeavours and intelligence. For our young people they are in the in thing with in clique doing the things which only God knows what is it and having somebody like Lady Gaga or Justin (whatever) as our role model to follow and emulate. For the older generations at the end of the day everything seems to be very strange and weird as we edge nearer and closer  to our ultimate end. Death !

Herein, the Quran  advised us , that kind of life is not God centred. We are mainly living like an animal but in the body of a human. The missing link is the remembrance of our Creator. We forget to remember that after all the good things we were given, we will be held accountable for everything. We don't give thanks for all the good things that we received from the Creator.  Everything that we did, the devil (evil whisperer) made all that we used to do seems fair to all of us. For some of us, we lived a life of abundant but out of a sudden, as the Quran puts it - " We called them to account !"


When the suffering reached them from us, why then did they not learn humility? On the contrary their hearts became hardened, and Satan made their (sinful) acts seem alluring to them.
Quran : Chapter 6 verse 43 


But when they forgot the warning they had received, We opened to them the gates of all (good) things, until, in the midst of their enjoyment of Our gifts, on a sudden, We called them to account, when lo! they were plunged in despair!
Quran : Chapter 6 verse 44

It is very seldom for human in the midst of enjoying  the good times, they remember Allah (God) and give thanks. That seems to be our main problem. Naturally when we suffer any hard time or difficulties, in an instant we remember God and call out unto Him.

When we are sincere in devoting our lives to Him, only then, all of our needs will be fulfilled as we are no longer spiritually dead. We are alive physically but when there is no righteousness in our hearts, we will experience spiritual death. 

The truth is we need to fill our hearts with the remembrance of Allah (God) and must not allow our very lifestyles to deceive us as when the final curtains fall on all of us, we will be facing our Creator whether we like it or not. We must learn to teach our hearts to realise that we should not call on all those false god or gods whom we associated with the Creator. These false gods cant hear our calls as they are false in the first place. The Creator is One and He is Alone without any partners and He is Most Supreme , to Him shall be our return and we must submit ourselves to Him. 


Say: "Shall we indeed call on others besides Allah (God),- things that can do us neither good nor harm,- and turn on our heels after receiving guidance from Allah (God) ? - like one whom the evil ones have made into a fool, wandering bewildered through the earth, his friends calling, come to us', (vainly) guiding him to the path." Say: "Allah's (God's) guidance is the (only) guidance, and we have been directed to submit ourselves to the Lord of the worlds;-
Quran : Chapter 6 verse 71


Therefore be patient with what they say, and celebrate (constantly) the praises of thy Lord, before the rising of the sun, and before its setting; yea, celebrate them for part of the hours of the night, and at the sides of the day: that thou mayest have (spiritual) joy.
Quran : Chapter 20 verse 130


Nor strain thine eyes in longing for the things We have given for enjoyment to parties of them, the splendour of the life of this world, through which We test them: but the provision of thy Lord is better and more enduring.
Quran : Chapter 20 verse 131

Tuesday 12 February 2013

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) In Hindu Scriptures





Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was chosen by God to communicate his message, he was the prophet and the messenger but he was not the creator of the religion, he was not the negater of the other messengers but the updater of the message of God “to live in harmony and balance” delivered by the messengers in every, tribe, communities and nations.
Islam is not a religion of Muhammad (pbuh), it is a religion of oneness of the creator, oneness of mankind and oneness of the universe, when the whole world acts as one family, the Tauheed, then there will be synergy, one feels the joys and pains of others and focus will shift to living in harmony; the ultimate of the universe and the creation for its survival and continuation.

The advent of Prophet Muhammad is mentioned more than once in the Hindu scriptures. Hindu scriptures are divided into three basic categories: VedasUpanishads and Puranas. There are differences about the age of those scriptures; some people believe that they go back almost 4,000 years.

One of the amazing prophecies in these Hindu scriptures is the one on the tongue of Maharshi Vyasa, a Hindu saint, that states that the land of Arabs will be corrupted by the evil doers — maybe a reference to the pre-Islamic pagans; and that Mahamad — a slight adulteration of the name Muhammad — will come and guide those who went astray. He will be circumcised, bearded, eloquent; he will create a great revolution; he will announce the call for prayers; he will eat of the meat of lawful animals but not of the swine; and he will fight against irreligious nations. All these descriptions meet Prophet Muhammad (Vidyarthi).
Prophet Muhammad Mentioned in the Bhavishya Purana
Bhavishya Purana, one of the most important Puranas, includes another prophecy that states that in a foreign country a spiritual teacher whose name is Muhammad will come; he will be a dweller of Arabia; he will gather a large force to fight or kill the devil; and God will protect him from his opponents.  

Prophet Muhammad Mentioned in the Upanishad

Some Hindu scholars consider the Upanishads scripture to be superior to the Vedas, because they impart divine knowledge and teach how the human soul can get nearer to its Maker and Master. 
  
The most important  prophecy in it is the one that mentions the coming of Prophet Muhammad by name, and the Muslim testimony of faith — there is no God but Allah — is repeated more than once in it.
As a result of the clarity and explicitness of that prophecy, some Hindus actually enter into Islam, which has led some Hindu scholars to claim that perhaps this prophecy was written by a Hindu pundit who converted to Islam. But this is refuted because this prophecy was referred to in some of the ancient Hindu books that predate the advent of Islam or Muslims to India (Vidyarthi). 
In the Allo Upanishad, the following description of God is given: the name of the deity is Allah, He is one, the King of all the world, He is the Magnificent, the Greatest of all, the Best, the Most Perfect, the Holiest of all, the Nourisher of the whole world, the Manifester of the earth and the space, and the Lord of all creation. 

He created the sun, the moon, the stars, and the heavens. He is the Nourisher of all the birds, beasts, animals that live in the sea and those that are not visible to the eye. He is the remover of all evils and calamities, and Muhammad is the apostle of Allah.

Prophet Muhammad Mentioned in the Vedas
The third basic category of Hindu scriptures is called the Veda. In the Atharva Veda, it is mentioned that the praiseworthy among people shall be praised; it is known that the name Muhammad in Arabic actually means "the praiseworthy."
It also states that the promised prophet will be a camel rider, which is interesting because Indian prophets were forbidden to ride camels. Prophet Jesus, according to the New Testament, rode on an ass but not on a camel, but it is well known that Prophet Muhammad rode a camel. 

The seventh mantra also speaks about someone who is going to be a guide to all people, and Prophet Muhammad always emphasized that he was not sent to a particular people, likeIsraelites alone or Arabs alone, but to the whole world. 
The sixth mantra speaks about some of the brave people who vanquished without a battle and that the number of their opponents was 10,000, which could be a reference to the battle of the allies or the trench that took place during Prophet Muhammad's time.
The number of the people who put a siege around Madinah were indeed 10,000, and they were vanquished without a battle because God sent a hurricane that finally, after a long siege, forced them to leave. 

In the Rig Veda, it speaks about a person who is described as truthful and trustworthy, powerful and generous who will be famous with 10,000. All these are the characteristics of Prophet Muhammad, and the number 10,000 could be a possible reference to the number of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad who entered Makkah victoriously.   

Works Cited 
Vidyarthi, Abdul Haq. Muhammad in World ScripturesNew Delhi: Adam Publishers, 1990

The reality of God, Life and Peace of Heart !



I am inviting all of our brothers and sisters from all over the world, to recognise the TRUTH that is self evident in front of our very eyes. We wake up in whichever part of the world and we witness the glory of the SUN rising each day without any delay or flaw. As the SUN sets, we witness at appointed times, the MOON in its splendour and grandeur. We witness the beating of our hearts through this magnificent muscle which never stop as long as we are living. Each baby that was born into this world is a miracle in itself and we used to be babies and if we just take a look at our belly buttons, that is a sign for each of us that we were once physically connected to our mothers. The fact that we see with our fantastic eyes and hear with our ears shows that not by chance we were created and all that surround us were once design and created by the Great Designer whom most of us call GOD. 


Mankind created by GOD, for the sole purpose of submitting to Him. During our course of life, we focus purely  on our SELF and PERSON. Everything is about US and ME. Than it slowly dawn on to us that the SELF is not something that could provide us with PEACE within our SELF. The SELF is dependent. We started to try to use other people to make us happy. We go into relationship and fell in love and fell out of love after sometime. We tried wealth and how many people who are wealthy and still they are not happy. Than we look at careers as though that becoming that pilot, doctor, lawyer or the president will make us happy but yet, that only increases our misery. How many doctors, lawyers, pilots, presidents even judges committed suicide in the pages of historical news ? Than we seek those who professes to give inner peace and we seek the Gurus and Self Help Mentors and it only bring us more emptiness as we realise these GURUS and MENTORS  are just like us looking for happiness. Than we started to go down the path of rejecting everything around us and we became ATHEIST. We don't believe in GOD anymore but we forget to ask which GOD or GODS we don't believe in ? 


Than as we grew older we see calamities starting to strike our families, friends and loved ones. Some died because of diseases. Some died due to old age. Some died during infancy. Some died during childhood. Some live long only to suffer degenerating diseases. Than we see others who are happy and gay. They are rich and famous but suddenly we hear of their sudden death. Drugs and substance abuse and behind that happy and gay curtain of life, we hear stories of deep sorrow and emptiness despite all that wealth and riches. 

At times we saw in the news, people from other parts of the world suffered due to geographical calamities in the form of extreme weathers, tsunami, tornado, typhoon, earthquake and sudden explosion of volcanic eruptions. 

Then we also saw in the news, people from other parts of the world suffered because of WAR, FAMINE, OUTBREAK and news of people going crazy and without any hesitation started shooting their families, friends, children in houses, churches and schools. 

We are sadden. Terrified. We felt helpless. Why all these are happening ? Where are we heading ? At the funeral of our friends as we mourn their losses, we started to question the very life we are living. This is how I felt many years ago. 

All these doubts, started to change when I found the Quran and started to live according to how my Creator wants me to live this life. I surrendered my will of living into putting GOD as the centre of my life guided by the Quran.

We only need to believe in God sincerely, fear Him as He is supposed to be feared , and lead the life our Creator wants us to. Only sincerity in God's way and with clear deep conviction that we will meet Him  will  provide humans with wisdom and clarity of faith  as how we ought to live as servants of God. 

The Quran urges us to ponder over life and God within our existence when we were asked this question -

How can you disbelieve in God when you were lifeless and He brought you to life; then He will cause you to die, then He will bring you [back] to life, and then to Him you will be returned.
Quran : Chapter 2 verse 28


How true is this fact that if we were to look at our origin, we all could conclude that we were NOTHING. LIFELESS. Than something brought us into existence and we knew that we  were not responsible for our existence and we recognised that our CREATOR, provide us with this gift of life will definitely cause us to DIE and the truth is we will be brought back to LIFE again. 

The reality of this life and its temporary nature is simplified by God in the Quran as like the physical phenomenon of rain and the effects of rain. Rain is liquid water in the form of droplets that have condensed from atmospeheric water vapour and then precipitated—that is, become heavy enough to fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides suitable conditions for many types of ecosystem, as well as water for hydroelectric water plants and crop irrigation. How simple is this parable for us to understand and witness for ourselves. The temporal nature of this life likewise which give life and as time goes by again death occurred and revitalise back with the next rain droplets and the cycle continues. That is how we are suppose to understand life and death.


Set forth to them the similitude of the life of this world: It is like the rain which we send down from the skies: the earth's vegetation absorbs it, but soon it becomes dry stubble, which the winds do scatter: it is (only) Allah who prevails over all things.
Quran : Chapter  18 verse 45

Than the Quran continues to explain about all that we have around us which we take much delight. These temporal matters which we give so much focus are not the object of live as they are just adornments.


Wealth and children are an adornment of the life of this world; and the ever-abiding, the good works, are better with your Lord in reward and better in expectation.
Quran : Chapter  18 verse 46


Upon undersatnding the temporary nature of life, we are than given the reality that evrything else will perish at a point of time and we will be upgraded to another level of higher life in the hereafter.


And the day on which We will cause the mountains to pass away and you will see the earth a levelled plain and We will gather them and leave not any one of them behind.
Quran : Chapter  18 verse 47


Afterwhich in this higher life, we will face the CREATOR to be questioned for the very life He had given us -

And they shall be brought before your Lord, standing in ranks: Now certainly you have come to Us as We created you at first. Nay, you thought that We had not appointed to you a time of the fulfillment of the promise.
Quran : Chapter  18 verse 48



Within the Quran, at various places we will be exposed with verses that will guide us  to understand the true nature of our existence. More than once we were  asked to believe the existence of God who gives us this very life which is temporary in nature. As we were created, we were than persuaded to believe that we need to confirm our life to the purpose we are being created that is to be a humble servant of God. At intervals within our lives we witnessed calamities in the form of setbacks, sickness or something that came in through nature just as a reminder that we need to humble ourselves before our Lord and make God as the centre of our lives as we are helpless - Even before our times, calamities were being sent to nations as to make them humble and realised the existence of God with many of these nations visited by messengers from God among men -


And certainly We sent (messengers) to nations before you then We seized them with distress and affliction in order that they might humble themselves
Quran : Chapter  6  verse 42


The acceptance of GOD in our lives will put to rest the beating of doubts that are ever pounding in our hearts and minds as we go aimlessly living our lives of waking up, doing our chores, going to work, attending to our families and back to sleep without even pondering the very breath that we are taking is due to the fact that our  CREATOR design it in a way that would enable us to inhale the very air which we cant even see with our eyes. This acceptance of GOD, will slowly bring PEACE in our hearts as we develop this relationship with GOD and live our lives according to His design and pattern. God in His Infinite Mercy, revealed to us a BOOK, The Quran as a source of guidance so that within it, we may find guidance and answers to all our questions as we read the Book in silence and seeking for clarity of means to the aims we wish to achieve in our lives. 


God has sent down the best statement, a Book (this Quran), its parts resembling each other in goodness and truth, oft-repeated. The skins of those who fear their Lord shiver from it (when they recite it or hear it). Then their skin and their heart soften to the remembrance of God. That is the guidance of God. He Guides therewith whom He pleases and whomever God sends astray, for him there is no guide.
Quran : Chapter 39 verse 23

I am inviting openly all of our brothers and sisters from all over the world, to allow GOD to be the centre of our very lives and make the remembrance of GOD as the source of peace in our hearts before comes a day where nothing will avails  us as we face our CREATOR. I warn all of you to believe in GOD and submit to His will in ISLAM as there is no salvation except through submission to God.


Those who believe in God and whose hearts are set at peace by the remembrance of God; now surely by God's remembrance are the hearts set at peace.
Quran : Chapter 13 verse 28