Did you know?

[N. Truth Seeker]

 



By Jamal Badawi


1)  "An Iranian religious organization has sent Chelsea Clinton an interpretation of the Koran at her request. Officials for the Islamic Science and Religion Center in Isfahan said Chelsea Clinton, a freshman at Stanford University, wrote to the organization and asked that it send her literature on Islam. Chelsea Clinton was reportedly impressed by an Iranian Islamic delegation on a trip to China. The center sent her a three-volume set, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency."
- Religion Today


2)  Did you know that even 1400 years ago, after Islam came about, women used to discuss politics with our Prophet and they even used to go to war! How's that for dispelling the notion that Islam is a religion that oppresses women. See the section on "Women and Islam" for more information on the liberation that Islam has brought to women.

This information was taken from "Islam: The Straight Path" by John L. Esposito who is Professor of Middle East Studies, College of the Holy Cross. He also served as President of the Middle East Studies Association.

3)   During the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the AUTHENTICITY and CREDIBILITY of Islam, the Quran and the Prophet himself laid in the hands of ONE MAN in a particular case.

Abu Lahab did not believe in Islam.

When Abu Lahab was STILL ALIVE, a short chapter of the Quran was revealed to the Prophet. The chapter said that Abu Lahab will die a non-muslim and will go to hell for not believing in the unity of God.

"The power of Abu Lahab will perish, and he will perish. His wealth and gains will not exempt him. He will be plunged in flaming Fire, And his wife, the wood-carrier, Will have upon her neck a halter of palm-fibre." Al Qur'an Chpt 111.

Abu Lahab lived for many years after this prophecy was revealed!!! HE COULD HAVE DESTROYED EVERY CREDIBILITY OF ISLAM AND THE PROPHET JUST BY PRETENDING TO CONVERT!!!! But he didn't....Allah knows all. It is the will of God that is revealed in the chapter above and Abu Lahab, nor ANYONE in the world can go against the will of God.

4)  Was Islam Spread by the Sword? Was it Forced upon People?

Gandhi wrote in Young India, " I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place in Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self- affacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every trouble."

Our Prophet himself always upheld that the pen was mightier than the sword.

5)  Did you know that Allah is God in Arabic and it does not necessarily mean the Islamic God or God for Muslims only?? It is an Arabic word and even Arabs who are CHRISTIANS call God by the name - Allah.

6)  Did you know that there are 6 to 8 million Muslims and only about 5.5 million Jews in the United States of America? There are also over 600 mosques and student centres.

7)  This is an extract from a book I read.  It is written by a American woman named Carol L. Anway. She is a Christian. Her book is entitled 'Daughters of Another Path'...she writes about how her own daughter converted to Islam. Included are first hand accounts of 53 American women who converted. They filled in questionaires distributed by Carol and her book largely consists of their accounts.

One American convert wrote : "It wasn't Islam that was the issue. It was Christianity. I was a 'doubting Thomas' in everyway and the guilt was overwhelming. I began to seek all kinds of advice to rid me of this demon of doubt. Then, three events took place in the space of a week that caused me to decide to leave Christianity altogether....

First I went to a nun that i trusted deeply and poured my heart out. She responded with compassion, but she handed me the Quran as i left. I was very confused...

Then I went to my religion teacher, who was a lay person. As we talked, I grew more confused and finally said, "Look, I just want you to tell me that, undoubtedly and with full conviction, Jesus is the Son of God." He didn't look into my eyes when he said, " I can't tell you that."...

Finally I turned to God. I opened my Bible to the trial of Jesus in front of Pontius Pilate. Pilate was trying to get Jesus to say something by which he could be convicted, in order to relive his own guilt for having sentenced him to death to fulfill the wishes of the people. Pilate asked him, "Are you the Son of God?" and Jesus answered, in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, "It is you who have said it."

Suddenly I felt at peace. "

Note: If we read the Bible with an open mind, we can find, in not less than 60 verses, statements as clear as daylight, that God is one and Jesus is a human being.

8)  Puff Daddy and The Family included the 'Azan'/'Adhan' (see above) on their album - No way Out. The track - "NO WAY OUT - Introduction"  - portrays the scene of an accident with the sounds of sirens and helicopters in the background while in the foreground, a man whispers a prayer. He is presumably the accident victim and as he dies, he says a prayer......in the meanwhile, 42 seconds into the track, the 'Azan'/'Adhan' is played. It is a beautiful, haunting track that is sure to move you especially if you are a Muslim who is familiar with the significance of the 'Azan'/'Adhan'.

The track is very meaningful because, as its title speaks for itself, it asserts the fact that DEATH is inevitable - No Way Out. It will come and that will be the time when you have to leave everything and everyone behind to return to the Lord.

In Loreena McKennitt's album entitled, 'the mask and mirror', she includes diary entries during her travels to exotic places. Each one in the album reflects her experiences and feelings at a particular place.

Before the song 'Full Circle' she wrote..

"March 23, 1993 - Morocco...Ramadan; I wake up early to catch my flight hoome, and at 5.30 a.m. hear men chanting in the mosque, one of the most moving and promitive sounds I have ever heard. They are calling their God. I think, when have I heard this before?" 

What is the 'Azan'/'Adhan'? - It is a call to Prayer - to inform anyone who is listening it is time to pray  - Long ago, people did not have any watches and were totally dependant on it. Muslims pray 5 times a day and if you are near or within a mosque, you can hear the 'Azan'/'Adhan' five times a day even today. It can also be heard on TV and Radio in some countries.

Approximate translation of the words are :

Allah is Great, Allah is Great.
Allah is Great, Allah is Great.
I believe that none has the right/deserves worship other than Allah x 2
I believe that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah x 2
Come to prayer x 2
Come to do good x 2
Allah is Great, Allah is Great.
There is no god but Allah.