Why do people, including Muslims, do not really care for Syria?

by Dr. Aslam Abdullah
Why do people, including Muslims do not really care for Syria? Did they really care for fellow Muslims in Kashmir, Gujarat, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, China, Kosovo, or any other place in the world?

The most we did was to take a few dollars out of our deep or shallow pockets when we found the stench of dead bodies reached our nostrils and became unbearable. Once the dead bodies were out of our eyesight, we went back to our world and those who had suffered and still alive were forgotten. The presence of over 42 million displaced people all over the world is a living testimony of our indifference.

Why?

We tend to be divided into nations and nationalism has become our deity. Within a nation, we are divided into ethnicities and ethnicity has become our deity. We are divided into regions, races, religions, castes into clans, into classes and into parties, oligarchy, and cliques. We become concerned only when someone like us or of us suffers. For the rest, our level of sympathies depends on the volume and the style of killing. Look at the level of our sympathy for the people of Bangladesh, Bosnia, Gujarat or Iraq, Palestine or Syria and evaluate our own attitude. Syrians are the most vocal for Syrians the same way Kashmiris or Gujaratis were most vocal for their folks. We are not born with divisive nationalism. But we are taught that. We are taught that our clan, our tribe, our family, our status, our country, our nation, our religion and our ethnicity are superior or better of all. Why should we bother for those who are less than us? Is this not the logical conclusion of our upbringing?

Now the cries are coming from Syria, of women, children and disabled; cries of girls raped, elderly maimed and brutalized, and cries of children whose parents were killed in front of their own eyes. Disfigured rotting dead bodies, which could not find the grave and shrouds, offer living testimony of the inhumanity of humans to their fellows in the name of politics, security, stability, power, and whatnot.

Similar cries have been heard all over the world from time to time. Sometimes, we heard them in Germany, Bosnia, Tatarstan, and Bangladesh, and sometimes we heard them in Gujarat, Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, Vietnam, Haiti, Brazil, Mexico, China, Uganda, Somalia, and almost everywhere in the world.
Our response is and was simple. From our masajid, we are and were told to make prayers (dua) to God to help them out of the situation. But God has never listened to these prayers in human history. He did not respond to the prayers for those in Spain, who were killed by Christians conducting inquisition. God did not respond to Jews who were tortured to death in Germany by Christian Hitler and his Nazi party. God did not listen to the prayers of Muslims in the Soviet Union, China, and Albania or in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan or in Gujarat. God did not listen to the prayers of Muslims for the victims of rape in Bosnia. Nor did he save thousands and thousands butchered by Orthodox Christians in Bosnia. God does not respond to the continued sufferings of Palestinians who for the last 60 years have been forced to live a life of humiliation an indignity.

Our conclusion to all this continued violence against the creation of God is and was also very simple. God does not listen to our prayers because we do not pray properly, our women do not wear hijab properly, our children do not wear a proper dress, we do not read the Quran properly and our actions are not in line with the divine teachings. God is punishing us, we pronounce this judgment after every calamity, man-made or nature created.

Thus the killings go on, rapists roam the streets, bombs destroy homes and death occupies the streets and we Muslims keep on reminding ourselves to pray more, dress more modestly and live simply.

But this formula is not working. It will never work because the method that we are adopting to get the divine help is not what God recommended or commanded to us.

The divine formula is simple and straight forward.

“And why should you not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)? Men, women, and children, whose cry is: "Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from You one who will protect, and raise for us from You one who will help!” (The Quran: 4:75)

Muslims have refused to follow this simple divine formula. Bringing down the oppressor, the dictator, his armies, his forces, his resources would cause the collapse of his regime. Even without fighting, this could happen. When the world and the Muslim world would refuse to cooperate with dictators, would seize their bank accounts, would stop delivery of arms and material and technology to manufacture arms, would isolate the regime and would announce that their forces would act in defense of people and protect innocent lives, then only we would see an end to this violence, then only we would see the divine response to our prayers.. Only then our prayers would be answered because this is the only way God has listened to the prayers throughout human history. “(Such was) the practice (approved) of Allah among those who lived aforetime: No change will you find in the practice (approved) of Allah.” (The Quran: 32:62)

Today, in the case of Syria, we are a divided people. There are those amongst us Muslims who are supportive of the dictators, especially the oppressors in Syria for whatever reason. Those supporters of Syrian dictator are not concerned about human life or sufferings. They are concerned about the balance of power in the region, about the Shia-Sunni divide, about the impact of regime change in relations to world politics. They do not care about justice or the rule of law or the divine commandments to save human life.

 If the Muslim world really wants to stop the killings in Syria or in other places of the world, it will have to destroy the bane of nationalism and then act in unison to defend life and dignity of human beings. “On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if anyone slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our apostles with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.” (The Quran: 5:32)

Racism among Muslims

Of course, we are equal and no one is superior to the other. This is what we teach our kids and this is what we learn from our parents and scholars. But are we really equal? There are gender, class and status biases that exist in almost every walk of life in a Muslim community.  Even when people convert to Islam, you can notice that. There are louder shouts for a white man or woman than for a black or Hispanic man or woman.

Racism is rampant among people of all ethnicities. Among the south Asians, people claiming to be of north Indian origin seem to look down upon people of other regions. Those who are of fairer skins feel they are better. Those who claim to belong to the lineage of Abu Bakr Siddiqi, Umar bin Khattab, Uthman bin Affan or Ali Ibn Talib as well those who call them Syeds declare them superiors to others. The way people of lower castes are treated in the area is totally un-Islamic, yet this has been going on for centuries.

The racism that exists in religious circles is even worst. Even though the clergy, by and large, tend to be arrogant in general, a good number of Arabs have the notion that they are superior to non-Arabs because their language is the language of paradise or the Quran was revealed in their language or the Prophet was from the tribe of Quraysh. Even though this attitude is contrary to the universal teachings of Islam, yet this is commonly observed even in the United States.

I distinctly remember a few unforgettable incidents that I personally experienced. Once, I was asked to lead the Maghrib prayer in a gathering of Muslims. An Arab brother came forward and in front of everyone asked me to repeat the kalima and recite Sura Fatiha. I was shocked. I stepped back and asked him to lead the prayer. The irony was that he forgot to recite Sura Fatiha correctly. This was nothing pure bigotry and racism. Similarly, in a mosque, where I had just concluded giving the Friday sermon which was more in Arabic than in English, one of the Arab brothers asked me to step aside so that an Arab can lead the prayer. His argument was very simple. Only Arabs are qualified to lead the prayer. These are not isolated incidents. I see this arrogance in many of our masajid and Islamic centers. When some people call at the Islamic Center and Masjid where I work, the first question they ask “do you speak Arabic.” My typical response to this question, “Yes I know Arabic but I would not speak with you in Arabic now.”

In the eyes of many Arabs, the status of non-Arabs in spiritual or religious matters is lower than them. This becomes apparent in the way they express their ideas and reactions to a non-Arabic speaking person.  

In the gulf, this phenomenon is even worst. Non-Arabs are looked down upon, especially, if they are from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. However, they treat white folks as if they are their masters. In fact, in several Gulf countries, a semi-educated or ordinary clerical staff belonging to the white race earns a higher salary than a non-white non-Arab worker.   

It is humiliating to be in the company of these people. Many of them are self-righteous, arrogant and rude and insulting. In a gathering, an Arabic speaking individual once stood up to admonish the speaker to either speak Arabic or step down from the podium because Islam can only be explained in Arabic.

Both Arabs and South Asians have in general a negative attitude towards African-Americans. How many masajid invite African-American scholars or imams to give Friday sermons. Of course, exceptions are there, but that is due to the higher academic or religious excellence these people have achieved.

This attitude is not an attitude people are born with. None of us knows our lineage, race, color, language or even name when we are born. Someone tells us who we are and how should we view the other. Some of our very renowned scholars, unfortunately, have promoted racism, and culturally exclusive ideas in our Islamic vocabulary. It is shocking to see the name of very renowned scholars in this category.

A great majority of people from Arabic and non-Arabic speaking backgrounds does not believe in any of these racially motivated attitudes. It maintains a distance from such people. But, such people are often unaware of each other’s presence amongst them.

This is not going to last. As the knowledge of the Quran with translations would become common among non-Arabic speaking people, the notion of the superiority of Arabs over non-Arabs would be challenged and genuine Muslims would refer to the sayings of the Prophet that an Arab is not superior over an Ajami and an Ajami is not superior over Arabs. The honor belongs to the one who is closer to the divine teachings. The idol of racism will be crushed here in America because American is the only country in our recent history that crushed the notion of Jewish, Christian, white or black or Hispanic superiority. With the divine teachings on their side, Muslim people devoid of their racially motivated leaders can give a real Islamic identity to them and their coming generations.

The History of the Preservation of the Quran

by Dr. Aslam Abdullah
Deen or what we loosely translate religion or faith is in the realm of divinely revealed knowledge. We don’t invent deen. We receive it. We believe that it is given to us by an authority, which is higher, objective and neutral. We believe that the higher authority chooses someone to receive the message through an angel. We use the terms Prophet (nabi) and the messenger (rasul) for the person chosen to deliver the divine message to humanity. The message itself confirms that it is not made up by human beings; rather, it is given by the Supreme Creator who has the interests of all in His mind, and who does not favor a race over the other or one ethnicity or culture over the other.

The deliverance of the divine message began with the advent of humanity. Some people followed it and others rejected it. Over a period of time, the divine message got corrupted and the original was lost. Thus the message was repeated through prophets and messengers from time to ensure that people never lose sight of the original. Thus, every Prophet and messenger repeated the same divine message that was revealed originally. The Creator did not confuse people in different ages with different messages. The language, the methodology, and the issues may have been different in the community of a new prophet depending on the nature of the human evolution, yet the message in its essence remained the same. 

What was revealed upon Prophet Muhammad is, in fact, a continuation and finalization of the divine message. Thus, the Quran was revealed at a time, when all other divine messages were either lost or got corrupted due to human interference. It is in this context that the Creator declared in the Quran that it is He who revealed it and it is He who would protect it. In other words, he would enable the prophet and the messenger to create conditions ensuring that not a single word of that divine message is lost.

If we are serious in our affirmation of the fact that God does exist and He guides humanity to a better path, then we must also admit that He would ensure they are preserved properly. He would not leave it a chance to get it compiled or preserved. Because one slight mistake in recording or preserving His words could be crucial. His majesty and organization are well displayed in everything that exists in the universe. Why would he leave His words unprotected and unorganized? If the previous messages were lost or forgotten, then, we have to assume that He did not plan their preservation. He wanted to preserve the message that he would repeat for the final time through a prophet in Arabia.

Only a prophet knew what was being revealed to him. No one other than a prophet could have experienced it and no one other than a messenger had the authority or the knowledge to decide what is revealed. While none of the previously revealed books were written or preserved during the lifetime of the Prophet who received it, the Quran became the first revealed book, which was written during the life of the prophet who had received it. It was verified, checked, approved and authenticated by him because he alone had the knowledge and authority to do so. (Look for the forthcoming article on the history of the preservation of religious scriptures of faiths other than Islam)

How did he do it?

The Quran and the books of ahadith (statements attributed to Prophet Muhammad) explain the process and the outcome. Even though there are some references in the books of ahadith that contradict the divine assertion about the preservation of the Quran, yet the overwhelming evidence clearly proves that the Quran that was revealed to the Prophet is the same that we read today. The presence of these traditions does not invalidate the authenticity of the Quran. Rather, they reveal their own weaknesses.

There are several anecdotes in our Islamic literature that challenge the claim that the Quran was compiled in the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad. For instance, we are told that the Quran was first compiled at the time of Abu Bakr, the first Caliph and then at the time of Uthman bin Affan, the third caliph under the supervision of a commission. The simple fact is that none other than the prophet had the knowledge of the Quran that came to him through direct sources and he was the only one to determine the accuracy of the divine revelation. A commission might have supervised the process of copying the Quran, but how could it have performed a task it was not qualified to do so. The prophet would not have left the compilation of the Quran on the basis of witnesses of other people. It was his duty and he fulfilled it with utmost responsibility.  It is an irony that in many of the Friday sermons, the name of Uthman bin Affan is mentioned as the compiler or collector of the Quran without realizing that it is the Prophet and not Uthman bin Affan who had the duty, authority and legitimacy to compile and collect the Quran. Those who say that the compilation of the Quran began at the suggestion of Umar, the second Caliph, they ignore the simple fact that it was God who had given His word for the protection of the Quran through His messenger, Prophet Muhammad. Those who say that the Prophet did not leave a completed written copy of the Quran before he left this world, have a very shortsighted understanding of the role of Prophethood.

We are also told that several verses of the Quran were not included in the Quran as they were lost. This is also an accusation and not fact because if the verses were lost and no one knew what those verses were, then how do we know about their existence. Moreover, if the Prophet did not include them in the Quran, then, who are we to question the decision of the Prophet about their inclusion or exclusion in the Quran. Hence, to say that parts of the Quran were lost is like accusing the Prophet of not doing his work properly. No one in his right mind can ever think that.

We are also told that certain verses of the Quran were abrogated by other verses of the Quran. Scholars differ in their identification of these verses. Some say they are 500 and others say they are five. There is no authentic hadith of the Prophet that clearly informs the believers what was canceled and what was not, especially, when there are verses in the Quran that emphatically state, Behold, it is We Ourselves who have bestowed from on high, step by step, this reminder? (15:9) And convey [to the world] whatever has been revealed to thee of thy Sustainer's writ. There is nothing that could alter His words; and thou canst find no refuge other than with Him (18:27) No scholar was given the authority to declare what is abrogated and what is not. (Look for a forthcoming article on abrogation.) The whole idea of abrogation of the verses of the Quran needs to be seen in the light of the divine message. When it comes to the Quran, we cannot just dismiss the divine statement as a mere play of words. Unfortunately, in the case of deciding the issue of abrogation, many of our Islam has twisted the words of the Quran to hide their own lack of understanding of the Quran.

We are also told that the written copies of the Quran in the personal use of many of the companions were different as some had more and some had fewer verses revealed upon the prophet. First of all, none of these copies are preserved and secondly whatever has been preserved does not have any contradictions thirdly, none of the companions of the Prophet who had these copies ever made the claim that they had the authentic copy of the Quran verified by the Prophet.

We are also told that since the Quran was not compiled in its final form, and the companions of the Prophet used to carry in a sack or bag the scattered ayas (verses) of the Quran written on stones, leaves, wood and hide. This suggests that even the surahs of the Quran were not put together at the time of the Prophet as the ayas were scattered. Unless a companion knew the Quran by heart, it was almost impossible for him to put all the scattered ayas in sequence. Even a hafiz would find it hard to put together over 6,000 scattered verses in the proper sequence if they are scattered. It is these kinds of traditions that promote the idea that preservation of the Quran the was not the priority of the one whose sole responsibility was to ensure that the Quran is transmitted to people fully and rightly. The Quran says addressing the Prophet: "Your duty is to convey the message." (3:20) When the prophet addressed over 100,000 people in his final Hajj sermon, one of the questions that he asked, "did I convey the message to you and each one of them responded, yes." He did not say part of the message or the message communicated verbally only.   

The authenticity of Islam depends on the accuracy of the Quran and the integrity of the Prophet. It rests on the assertion that it is the same as was revealed to Prophet Muhammad; and that he ensured that it was preserved forever through efforts that are well documented and well known. It also rests on the fact that nothing was added or removed from the Quran. Unfortunately, our Islamic literature has a lot that suggests that the Quran is not the same as we read today. (Look for the forthcoming article on stoning to death) 

Thus, loyalty to deen rests on the simple fact that whatever has been given to us in the name of deen is divine and the scripture is not contaminated with human ideas and thoughts.

Unfortunately, a good number of books written on the subject of the Quran probably, unconsciously, promote the idea that the Quran was not compiled in its current format in the lifetime of Prophet Muhammad under his supervision and guidance. The Quran refutes this and authenticates the integrity of the Prophet in preserving the final divine message. What an irony, that in terms of the history of the compilation of the Quran, many of our scholars and writers have given more credibility to history written some 300 years after the prophet than the Quran compiled and preserved in his lifetime.

The Quran was not for Arabs even though the language was Arabic and the prophet that delivered this message was from them. The guidance of the Quran was for all people and for all time. In other words, those who did not know the Arabic language were also the addressee of the Quran. (O Muhammad) tell them: “O mankind, I am the Messenger of Allah to all of you.” (7:158)  It was for the contemporaries of the Prophet as well as for those who would come after him. And beside them, even to others who have not yet joined them, Arabic speaking and non-Arabic speaking. “It means you are the Messenger to those who are to come after them.”(62:3) 

The Quran includes everything that was revealed to all previous messengers. “And We revealed to you this Book based on truth. It will validate in real earnest all the assertions made in the previously revealed books. And it has subsumed all the teachings of those Books.” (5: 48) 

The Quran introduces itself as “Allah’s guidance based on truth and justice have been set forth in this Book in a complete form. None has the authority to make any change in these laws (15:9).  The Prophet was asked to “Present to them whatever is revealed to you O Rasool, none shall change Allah’s words (18:27). Not a single word of the Quran has been changed since the time of its revelation. “There is no doubt that it is We, Ourselves, who have bestowed this Quran step by step and it is We who shall see that it is always preserved.” (15:9) There is nothing in the Quran that is contrary to the truth. “The untruth, the wrong, the falsehood from anywhere, neither from the front nor from the back of it will ever come by it.” (41: 42). 

Thus in our world today, the Quran is the only divinely revealed book that exists in its original form word by word, even though attempts have been made to prove that the book was not compiled in the lifetime of the Prophet. The following facts are proven by the Quran and the books of ahadith.

The Quran as we read today in Arabic is the same that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad.
The Prophet compiled it under his supervision as he was the only one who received the divine revelations.
There were several copies of the entire Quran available to companions during his lifetime.
The order of surah as we find in the Quran today is the same as it was at the time of the Prophet.
There were scores of companions both men and women of the Prophet who had memorized the entire Quran under his guidance.
The Quran was the only source that the Prophet used to educate people about Allah’s guidance. 
The Quran that we read today is the same that was read by people who followed him and the succeeding generations after them. They transmitted it through the written word as well as orally. There were no differences in pronunciations of the Quran.
The Prophet ensured that every revelation is preserved in the writing as well as memory as he was fully aware of the changed people had brought in their scriptures.

The practice of writing at the time of the Prophet

The practice of writing and reading was common among the people of Arabia at the time of the Prophet. The Quran exhorts the people: “Whenever you enter into the matter pertaining to the giving of loans for a particular period, do commit it to writing.” (2: 284) The Quran explains that writing establishes the evidence. (2:282) Thus the Quran asserts: “(This revelation) is preserved in such scrolls, which are the most respect-worthy, the most exalted, the most cleansed, are of the highest grandeur, free of every inkling of any error, of any human inclination – pristine sacred. It is written by the calligraphers, who are held of high esteem and exalted prestige in the society.” (80: 13-16) 

The Quran even mentions that: It is a written Book on the spread-out parchment, (52: 2-3) or “It is the most esteemed the noblest, Quran, preserved and conserved in the form of a Book.” (56: 77-78).  There were at least 41 companions of the Prophet whose names we know who knew how to write and read. They included:

Handhala bin Rabee, Umr bin Rafey, Rafey bin Malik, Saad bin Ibadah, Usaid bin Hadheer, Munzir bin Rawah, Saad bin Ar Rabee, Abu Abas bin Jabar, Abdur Rehman, Abu Yunus Maula Ayesha, Abdur Rehman bin Hur bin Umr bin Zaid, Abdullah bin Saeed bin al Aas, Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Saad bin Abi Sarh, Abu Bakr, Umr, Uthman, Ali, Zubair bin Awwam, Khalid bin Saeed bin al Aas, Aban, Saad bin al-Aas, Handhala al Asadi, ala bin al-Hadhrami, Khalid bin Waleed, Muhammad bin Salma, Abdullah bin Abdullah bin Abi Salool, Mughera bin Shaba, Umr bin al Aas, Muawaiya bin Abi Sufiyan, Jaheem bin as Sulat, Muaqeeb bin Fatima, Abdullah bin Arqam and Sharjeel bin Hasana.
The tradition of writing was present among Arabs when the Prophet began his mission. He patronized it and improved it. For example during the battle of the Badr, 70 members of the Makkan army were taken, prisoners. Those who were unable to pay for their freedom were asked to teach at least 10 youth of Madina how to read and write. When these young people excelled in the art of reading and writing, the prisoners were released. (Tabaqat ibn Saad, Volume II, P 14)
In Medina, one of the first tasks that the Prophet assigned to Abdullah bin Saeed was to teach the people of Medina how to read and write.
It is said that Yahya Bermaki was the first one who introduced paper for writing among Arabs. (Muqaddama Ibn Khaldun) Some people suggest that it was Hujjaj bin Yusuf who introduced it first. It is also said that the Khurasan paper was manufactured with cotton during the time of Bani Ummayad, Many historians assert that it predates Ummayad period as a Chinese first introduced it in Khurasan (Sanajat-u-Tarb)
In his book Miftahul Afkar, the author records some 36 letters that were written at the instance of the Prophet to different tribes and rulers. The treaty of Hudaibiya was also written down. The famous Muallaqat is known as Saba Muallaqat and they were placed on the door of the Kaaba in writing during the Prophet’s time in Makkah.
There were two popular methods used during that time to put things in writing. People used to write on thin parchments prepared from the hides of animals and this was known as Riq. The Quran also uses this word. There was also something called Mehriq. In Lisan ul Arab, Mehriq is defined as a very fine thin hide that was produced for the purpose of writing. The Quran also uses the word Qirtas as a material used for writing. If We had sent unto thee a written (message) on parchment, so that they could touch it with their hands, the Unbelievers would have been sure to say: "This is nothing but obvious magic!" (6:7)
For, no true understanding of God have they when they say, "Never has God revealed anything unto man." Say: "Who has bestowed from on high the divine writ which Moses brought unto men as a light and guidance, [and] which you treat as [mere] leaves of paper, making a show of them the while you conceal [so] much - although you have been taught [by it] what neither you nor your forefathers had ever known?" Say: "God [has revealed that divine writ]!" - and then leave them to play at their vain talk. (6:91)
This means that the paper was in use at the time of the revelation and Allah used the word to emphasize the importance of writings.
The prophet was very particular about the availability of the means of writing to him. This was to ensure that the message of Allah can be written down instantly. For instance, during the journey to Medina, the migrating caravan carried pen, inkpot, and paper. The letter written to Suraqa, the one who was chasing him during the journey provides evidence to this fact.
Thus it is evident that at the time of the Prophet a large number of Muslims knew how to read and write. The material for writing was easily available and the community of believers under the leadership of the Prophet was aware of preserving the divine revelations in writing. The Prophet would instantly ask the available scribers to write down the revelation and would also teach the believers to memorize the portion.
Motivation to learn the Quran
The Quran was the text the prophet used to teach Allah’s revelation to people. “The best among you is the one who learns the Quran and teaches it.” (Uthman bin Affan in Bukhari)
“The one who reads the Quran is like a fruit that tastes good and whose smell is also good and the one who does not read it is like the date that is good but that does not have a good smell. (Abu Musa in Bukhari)
“On the Day of Judgment, the reciters of the Quran would be asked to read the Quran the way they used to recite in the world and climb up and wherever their recitation completes, that place would become their home.” (Abdullah ibn Umar in Ahmed, Tirmidhi, Abu Dawood, and Nasai)
The prophet said that he was commanded to sit in the company of those who recite the Quran. (Abu Saeed in Abu Dawood)
Uthman bin Abi al Aas reported that as part of the delegation of Bani Thaqif, I came to the Prophet and he taught me the Quran. (Tabaqat ibn Saad, Volume VII), page 27)
Ibn Masood reported that we used to learn ten ayas (verses) from the Prophet in one lesson and after we had memorized it we would learn the next 10. (Bukhari)
Abu Darda reported that he personally read the entire Quran from the Prophet. (Bukhari)
It is reported that the Prophet asked the people to learn the Quran from Ibn Masood, Salim Maula Abu Hudhaifa, Abi ibn Kaab, and Maaz. (Bukhari)
Ubadah bin as Samit reported that whenever any would migrate to Medina, the Prophet would connect him with one of his companions so that he could learn the Quran.
During the 10 Hijri Ramadan, 10 people from the tribe of Aamir accepted Islam and as long as they remained in Medina, they learned the Quran from Ubai ibn Kaab (Muqaddamma ibn Khaldun)
The same year, people from the tribe of Bani Hanifa accepted Islam and they also learned the Quran from Ubai ibn Kaab.
It is reported that Khubab ibn al-Arat used to teach the Quran to the sister of Umar bin Khattab and her husband on a regular basis from the written material.
During the eighth century when Makka came under the supervision of Islam, the Prophet asked Maaz bin Jabal to teach the Quran to the people. In the 10^th Hijra Maaz was sent to Yemen to start giving mass education of the Quran, When the people of Daqa and Adhal accepted Islam, the Prophet sent Marthad, Aasim, Khubaib, Khalid bin Bakr, Zaid bin Dathna and Abdullah bin Tariq to teach them the Quran.
Whenever any tribe would come to Medina to accept Islam, the Prophet would appoint a companion to teach them the Quran as well as instruct some to accompany the tribe back to their place to help them acquire the knowledge of the divine revelations.
During the fourth Hijra when one of the tribal leaders of Najad came to Medina, he requested for Quran teachers for his people. Some 70 teachers of the Quran were sent with him. If the number of instructors exceeded 70 in the initial stages of the Hijra, one does not have to guess about the importance of learning and teaching the Quran during the lifetime of the Prophet.
Thus the spirit of learning and teaching the Quran was a norm of the time. Everyone knew a part or full of what was revealed until then. The Quran was the textbook, the Quran was the curriculum and the Quran was the applied science of the time.
The Writing of the Quran
There were several companions of the Prophet who knew how to read and write. Among them were Abu Abas bin Heer, Ubai bin Kaab, Saad bin Rabee, Shahur bin Saeed, Awus in Zaid, Awus bin Khauli, al-Muzir bin Umr, Usaid bin Hudhair, Saad bin Ubadah, Rafey bin Malik, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali and many others.
Ibn Abdul Bir mentions the name of at least 24 companions who were always available to put words in writing for the Prophet. Among them were Ubai bin Kaab, Zaid bin Thabit, Abdullah bin Saad, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Zubair bin Awwam, Khalid, Aban, Saeed, Handhala, Alaa, Khalid bin Waleed, Abdullah bin Rawah, Muhammad bin Muslamah, Abdullah bin Abdullah bin Salool, Mughaira bin Shuaba, Umr bin Aas, Muwaiya bin Sufiyan, Hajam bin as Sult, Muaqeeb bin Fatima, Sharjeel bin Hasana, Abdullah bin Arqam. .
Thus the Quran not only was in the memory of hundreds of companions, male and female but also in writing form at the time of the Prophet. The Quran was memorized by hundreds of the companions of the Prophet. “These are the lucid verses, (preserved) in the hearts of the people who have been bestowed with the knowledge of (Wahi).” (29: 49).

There was a Master Copy of the Quran. It was always kept in a box near the pillar of the pulpit at Prophet’s Mosque. It was exactly the same copy which the Messenger of Allah used to ask the calligraphers to write the revealed verses.  This copy was called Imam or Umm in their own dialect, and the pillar with which this copy was placed was called “Astawaana Mashaf”. Sitting by this pillar, the companions, under the supervision of the Messenger, used to make copies.

Professor Hamidullah, a noted Islamic scholar of the last century writes: “The sources all agree in stating that whenever a fragment of the Qur’an was revealed, the Prophet called one of his literate companions and dictated it to him. The Prophet Muhammad also recommended that the faithful learn the Quran by heart. The method of doubly preserving the text both in writing and by memorization proved to be extremely precious.” 

From this copy, several copies were made and distributed in all parts of the Muslim world. Abu Bakr ® the first Caliph of Islam, asked Prophet Muhammad’s main scribe, Zaid Ibn Thabit, to make copies of the Quran. Caliph Omar bin Khattab (R), subsequently made a single volume (mushaf) that he preserved and gave on his death to his daughter Hafsa, the Prophets’ widow.”

Imam ibn Hazm has noted down in his book Kitab al Fisl: “During the period of the first caliph, there was no city where the inhabitants had not had a number of personal copies of the Quran. And during the period of Caliph Omer (R) the number of written copies of this majestic Book, the Quran, was not less than one hundred thousand.  

The third Caliph Uthman bin Affan asked a commission to prepare seven or eight copies of the Quran from the master copy. One of his authentic copies was kept in Madina. A 3rd-century researcher, Abu Ubaida Al-Qasim bin Salaam (d. 223 H.) in his Kitaab-ul-Qiraat claims to have seen that copy of the Quran. Ibn Batuta, a Muslim traveler says that one Abu Bakr al Shaashi had placed it on the shrine of Abdullah. When the Belorussian Soviet Socialist Republic was established this very copy of the Quran came to the Balschiwk’s hands. The information regarding this copy published in a Soviet Journal (Soviet Vase) in 1995 indicated that this very copy of Uthmaan (Mashaf-i-Usmaani) was in Timur’s library, which was established in 1393 AD.  After the Russian Revolution in 1917 AD, this copy of the Quran, reached Ufa through the courtesy of a meeting of the Muslim representatives of the Russian Parliament. Then it was brought to Tashkent.  (Source: Abu Mahfooz-ul-Karim Masoomi: Mashafey Usmaan key T’areekhi Nuskhey (The historical copies of the Quran of Mashaf-I-Usmaan) published in the Journal of Uloom-I-Qslamia, December 1961 printed and published by Aligarh University) 

Fakhry Pasha, the governor of Turkey, along with other sacred documents took this copy to Constantinople and now it is there.  Shibly Nomani, noted biographer of the Prophet in his writing is said to have seen a copy of the original Quran in the Damascus University in 1896. One copy of the Quran is in Paas; another copy is in the library of Khadairya (Egypt). Several copies of the Quran written by the companions of the Messenger are found in the various libraries and museums of India, Iran, Egypt, Arabia, and Turkey. 

In Istanbul Library there are copies Quran written by Uthman bin Affan (R), Ali bin Abi Talib (R) wrote in his own hand writing and this copy is in Istanbul. Other handwritten copies of the Quran including the one by Zain ul Aabedeen and Zaid bin Thabit, Usmaan, Hasan bin Ali, and Sajjad are found in the museum-archeological section of Iran. Maurice Bucaille, in his book The Bible, The Qur’an and Science writes that: “ It (The Quran) was written down at the time of the Prophet (p.126); The Qur’an (is) a book of written Revelation (p.127); As the Revelation progressed, the Prophet and the believers following him recited the text by heart and it was also written down by the scribes in his following (p.127); Long before the Prophet left Makka for Madina the Quranic text so far revealed had been written down (p.128); The Quran itself, therefore, provides indications as to the fact that it was set down in writing at the time of the Prophet. It is a known fact that there were several scribes in his following, the most famous of whom, Zaid Ibn Thabit has left his name to posterity (p.129).” 

Thus, the fact is well established that the Quran was preserved in writing in its complete form, the same form that we have today at the time of the Prophet.

Secret Marriages and Marriage Laws in the US

Should Muslim Imams in the US solemnize religious weddings if the couples have not registered their marriage with the state? The question becomes tricky when a couple approaches an Imam asking that they wanted to get married under Islamic rules and not under the state law. This happened several times to me as an Imam and director of the Islamic Society of Nevada. In general, my response is simple, get your marriage license from the state and I will solemnize the weddings. They quickly argue, we only want Islamic and not legal. I usually respond back, “legalizing your wedding is Islamic, getting it registered is Islamic and getting the marriage license from the state is Islamic. Their reaction: you must be kidding, or you are not a good Imam or you are secular.”

The fact is that such marriages take place especially when the husband is taking a second wife. This usually happens secretly and quietly and no one with the exception of the couple, imam and two witnesses knows about it. It is justified under the pretext of Islam without ever bothering to understand its real intent.

I am raising this issue for a few reasons.

1. First of all, according to Islamic rules, it is essential that the marriage is open and known to people.

2. Second, it should be recorded so that the legality of the marriage is not disputed because it involves the status of children and spouse as well as inheritance etc.

3. Third, it is important that the facts are legally verified and not just verbally accepted. 

4. Fourthly, it is Islamic that marriages are recorded for public view. 

Our Islamic institutions are not equipped to deal with any of these aspects.

I personally think that an Imam should never solemnize a secret wedding; he must never perform the marriage if he knows that the husband is taking a second wife or if he is sure that the marriage is not licensed. Should there be some exception to the rule? I cannot say anything about it. People are responsible for their actions. 

The following case reported in a newspaper highlight the dilemma that our growing community faces in the US. The report has everything that must make us think about the way we are conducting our affairs. It raises fundamental questions about our education system and our code of conduct. It shows how much we have to evolve in terms of organizing our affairs. We can only pray that this is an isolated incident. However, this is one case that has come out in open because some people had the courage to make it open. There may be several, who may be suffering silently. We must not feel bad about seeing our dirty laundry. Rather, we should clean the dirt if we find some. Here is the story. You will find the source at the end of the report.

NY Islamic School Principal Ousted over Sex Allegations...

The principal of an Islamic boarding school on Buffalo’s East Side has been forced to resign after allegations that he was sexually involved with one of his students and that he claimed to have taken her as a second wife.
Evidence suggests Mohammed Ibrahim Memon, a father of seven, persuaded Sajidah Khan, then 21, to marry under Islamic law as a pretense to sleep with her.
Memon, an Islamic scholar, and imam has agreed to leave his post at Darul-Uloom Al-Madania, 182 Sobieski St., for a minimum of seven years. The private, Islamic secondary school and institute of higher learning is located alongside Masjid Zakariya mosque in the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.
Memon also agreed to never teach in the girls school again if reinstated.
Dr. Khalid J. Qazi, president of the local chapter of the Muslim Public Affairs Council expressed disappointment over Memon’s “inappropriate and intimate relationship.”
“Parents have trusted their best assets, their children, to Imam Ibrahim, and he has broken that trust,” Qazi said.
Mixed views expressed
“We were betrayed,” said Chaudhary A. Khan of Woodbridge, Va., Sajidah’s father, who has sent four children to Madania.
“I want families to know these people are not following Islamic laws, they are not following American laws. They claim they are serving Islam, but they are just serving themselves,” he said.
At issue is Memon’s relationship with Sajidah Khan, now 23.
Khan says Memon proposed to her at school in August 2006 and proclaimed within days he had married her himself, under Islamic law, with two witnesses present. He also told her to keep their marriage secret.
Interviews with several Muslims reveal a mixed view on additional marriages under Islamic law. Some said it is not allowed under United States law and therefore is forbidden; others said it can be permissible under Islamic law anyway. Even so, there are several steps required for an Islamic marriage to be recognized, and the description of Khan and Memon’s marriage violates those tenets.
Memon denies marrying or engaging in physical contact with Khan. He claimed to The Buffalo News only to have listened to Khan’s problems over the telephone when he should have referred her to her father.
However, Qazi said Memon signed an agreement admitting “intimate, clandestine and highly inappropriate” relations with Khan from August 2006 to July 2008.
Memon did so at an Aug. 17 meeting organized by local Islamic leaders and Khan’s family. It was held in Johnson City, west of Binghamton, to accommodate three school donors.
Memon, a 40-year-old married father of seven who has helped run the school since 1991 with his father, the school’s founder Ismail Memon offered oral and written apologies along with his resignation.
The agreement also calls for the appointment of an independent board to oversee the school.
Sajidah Khan, observing strict rules of separation between the sexes, was relegated to listening from the next room.
Darul-Uloom Al-Madania consists of a complex of brick buildings, along with Masjid Zakariya, a former church cathedral.
Because interaction between the sexes is forbidden under Islam until marriage, girls and boys are not allowed to be in the same classroom or have outside contact.
When girls are taught by male teachers, they must listen in another room.
Khan attended the girls secondary school through 10th grade. She continued her studies with a five-year program leading to a certificate of Islamic scholarship in 2006.
Imam denies marriage
It was in her last year of study, Khan said, that Memon sought her out. Khan says he arranged a secret meeting on Aug. 30, 2006, in the locked basement of a heating room.
Khan said the imam flirted with her, and she had to repel him when he tried to have physical contact. That day marked the first time he talked of marriage, she said.
Until that day, Khan said, she could count the social contacts she had had with males on one hand.
“In our culture, we don’t even let girls sit with their male cousins, and this guy is a teacher. Why is this man, who has said we are not even allowed to chat with a boy, doing this?” she said.
“At the same time, I’m thinking, ‘He is a teacher, he is very famous, maybe he knows something I don’t know.’ ”
Memon persisted with marriage requests. Khan says after she agreed, Memon told her he had finalized their marriage the next day, Sept. 8, in her absence.
Memon insisted she tell no one, including her parents, Khan said.
She returned home to live with her parents in a Virginia suburb, but schemed with Memon for meetings near her home and in Buffalo.
Khan said Memon was always concerned about covering his tracks so their relationship wouldn’t be detected.
She was surprised to hear the educator make dismissive comments about the girls who studied at Madania, and “often said women were [on Earth] only to satisfy men.”
Chaudhary Khan, Sajidah’s father, said Memon eventually admitted marrying his daughter, but wouldn’t send a marriage contract to confirm it. Later, the father said Ismail Memon told him his son divorced Sajidah in a ritual involving Memon family members.
A former Madania student, who wished to remain anonymous, also told The News she had a relationship with Memon several years ago as a student. Days after accepting his marriage proposal, she said, Memon told her he married them both in front of two witnesses she came to believe never existed.
Also, like Khan, the former student said Memon told her not to tell anyone. But she did, and soon her father removed her from the school. The woman no longer believes she was married to Memon and is bitter toward the school and its teachings.
“When I talked to [the former student], we realized it was almost the same story for both of us,” Khan said.
Khan currently attends a community college in Virginia, and plans to marry, with her parents’ blessing, in October.
Meanwhile, Memon, author of “The Book of Purification,” denies being romantically involved with Khan.
“As far as marriage and divorce, that has never been there. Not even Islamically, not even from the religious point of view,” Memon said.
Later, he said, “[Marriage] is just a term that we were using, but we were never considering it a marriage, really. Even she knows.”
Apartment in question
Asked for further explanation, he said he was at fault for not referring Khan’s phone calls to her father. “If you take the Islamic perspective out, then you would see nothing really wrong there,” Memon said.
Memon also denied being involved with renting short-term apartments Khan stayed in. However, Patti Boal, manager of Corporate Manor Apartments, 303 North St., tells a different story.
Boal says she rented apartments with monthly leases twice in 2007 and once this past February under Khan’s name. She said she saw Memon during that time “at least four or five times,” and he always paid in cash.
“I remember him saying the first time, ‘I’m renting this for my wife, and she will be here at a later date to pick up the keys,’ ” Boal said.
Memon’s signature also appears on a lease dated Jan. 6, 2008. And he listed the return address for a security deposit as 40 Parker Ave., Boal said, the address of Masjid At-Taqwa, a mosque where Memon presides as imam.

Source:

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/424210.html

Marriage Laws in the US

Marriage Laws in the US vary from state to state. The following summarizes the state laws.

The Marriage License Laws for a man and a woman to marry vary from state to state. Although there are differences between the requirements in the various states, a marriage between a man and a woman performed in one state must be recognized by every other state under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution. Some requirements can include:

1. A marriage license issued by the county clerk or clerk of the court (along with payment of a fee).
   
2. Both man and woman are 18 or older, or have the consent of a parent or a judge if younger.
   
3. Proof of immunity or vaccination for certain diseases

• Many states have done away with mandatory premarital physical exams or blood tests. Some states still require for venereal diseases, and a few also test for rubella (also known as German Measles, a disease that is very dangerous to fetuses), tuberculosis, and sickle-cell anemia.

4. Proof of the termination of any prior marriages by death, the judgment of dissolution (divorce) or annulment.

• Where there is a valid marriage, termination of marital status is obtained through a dissolution or divorce the lawsuit, which results in a judgment that returns both the man and the woman to the status of an unmarried (single) persons.

5. Sufficient mental capacity (often this is determined as the ability to enter into a contract).

• Marriage requires two consenting people. If either person cannot or does not understand what it means to be married (due to mental illness, drugs, alcohol, or other factors affecting judgment), then that a person does not have the capacity to consent and the marriage is not valid.

6. The couple are not close blood relatives.

• Close blood relatives cannot marry, although, in some states, first cousins can marry. Of the states that allow first cousins to marry, a few also require that one of the cousins no longer be able to conceive children.

7. Blood test for venereal disease.

• Due to the rise in HIV and AIDS, many states now require that parties applying for a marriage license must be offered an HIV test and/or must be provided with information on AIDS and tests available. Presently, no states require a mandatory premarital HIV/AIDS test.

8. The satisfaction of waiting from the time the marriage license is issued to the time the marriage ceremony is performed.

• Most, but not all, states require a waiting period, generally one to five days, between the time the license is issued and the time of the marriage ceremony. The purpose of the waiting period is to give a short time to cool off during which the parties can change their minds if they wish. The waiting period can be waived for good reason. For example, if the groom is arriving in the bride's town only one day before the wedding, but the state has a three-day waiting period, the waiting period probably can be waived by a judge or clerk of court.

• Twenty states require couples to wait a few days after applying for a marriage license before they receive the license:
  
  1-day Waiting Period: Illinois, New York, South Carolina, Delaware.
  
  2-day Waiting Period: Maryland.
  
  3-day Waiting Period: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington.
  
  4-day Waiting Period: Delaware if both of you are nonresidents.
  
  5-day Waiting Period: District of Columbia, Minnesota.
  
  6-day Waiting Period: Wisconsin.

9. Performance of a marriage ceremony with witnesses and a person recognized by the state to have the authority to perform marriage ceremony (such as an imam, priest, rabbi or a judge).

• A religious ceremony should be conducted under the customs of the religion, or, in the case of a Native American group, under the customs of the tribe. Religious ceremonies normally are conducted by religious officials, such as imams ministers, priests, or rabbis. Native American ceremonies may be presided over by a tribal chief or other designated official.
• Civil ceremonies usually are conducted by judges. In some states, county clerks or other government officials may conduct civil ceremonies. Contrary to some popular legends, no state authorizes ship captains to perform marriages.
• Most states require one or two witnesses to sign the marriage certificate.

10. Recording of the marriage license after the marriage ceremony is performed.

• The person who performs the marriage ceremony has a duty to send a copy of the marriage certificate to the county or state agency that records marriage certificates. Failure to send the marriage certificate to the appropriate agency does not necessarily nullify the marriage, but it may make proof of the marriage more difficult.

11. Consummation of the marriage by the act of sexual relations (only a few states require this).

• Most states consider a couple to be married when the ceremony ends. Lack of subsequent sexual relations does not automatically affect the validity of the marriage, although in some states non-consummation could be a basis for having the marriage annulled.

12. A marriage performed in another jurisdiction -- even overseas -- is usually valid in any state as long as the marriage was legal in the jurisdiction where it occurred.

Knowledge: Who Defines it? God or Plato

The ideas of Socrates as explained profoundly by his student, Plato still dominates the religious world. Regardless of the distinctions that exist among world religions, the idea that knowledge is not empirical as it is based on divine insight are found in religious literature and sermons given in synagogues, churches, temples and even in Masajid.

Knowledge does not come from learning, observation or study, argued Socrates, Plato’s teacher, because knowledge is a matter of recollection. He views with contempt the idea that human beings can grasp the reality based on their senses because reality is beyond the reach of senses. Invisible world is the most intelligible and the visible world is the least knowable, he concludes. The physical world is a “shadow” of its ideal or perfect forms and would disappear like a shadow.  

This theory of metaphysics has influenced the history of Western philosophy and religions in general including Islam.

The Quran challenged this notion. The divine message as preserved in the last testament, the Quran, demolished the Socratic-Plutonian concepts when it said: “We have not created heavens and the earth and all that is between them, without any purpose. This is the surmise of only those who deny the truthfulness of Our guidance, and the result of such ideas is nothing but destruction. (38:27) or “Allah has created the heavens and the earth with truth, in order that each person may be recompensed what has earned, and they will not b wronged. (45:22) or “to Allah belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth, that He may requite those who do evil with that which they have done and reward those who do good what is best. “ (53:31)

Thus in the words of the Quran, those who held the world as unintelligible and unworthy of exploration were described as unbelievers. In contrast, believers were identified as those who make efforts to understand the world and contemplate on the creation: “Allah created the heaven and the earth with truth. Verily, therein is surely a sign for those who believe.” (29:44) “And We did not create the heavens and the earth and all that is between them, for mere play.” (44:38)

The Quran commanded believers to follow a methodology to comprehend and use the creation. “And follow not that of which you have no knowledge, verily the hearing and the sight and the heart shall have to answer in regard to the question of whether knowledge was acquired about the concerned matter. (17:36)

Those who do not use these rational faculties to acquire knowledge were described irrational beings: “And surely, We have created many of the jinn and human beings for Hell. They have hearts wherewith they understand not, and they have eyes wherewith they see not, and they have ears wherewith they hear not. They are like brutes, nay even more astray than those. They are the heedless ones.” (7:179)  

This methodology of applying rational faculties to discover the truth spread around would lead people of knowledge to find the purpose of things created by Allah. “And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and Allah has power over all things. In the creation of the earth and the heavens and the alternation of night and day, there are signs for those who understand (people of knowledge). These people keep Allah’s guidance in mind whilst standing, sitting or reclining. After reflecting upon the creation of the heavens and the earth, they cry out, “O our Sustainer! You have not created this Universe in vain. Glory to You. Grant us the respite from suffering.” “O our Sustainer! Grant that our efforts in this world are not wasted, for those whose efforts are rendered waste lead an ignoble life and these wrongdoers have no helpers.   We had heard the voice of a caller calling us to believe in You and we have believed. So, our Sustainer! If we falter, grant us protection and remove the ill-effects of our deeds. Grant us the companionship of those who have secured real freedom as a result of adhering to Your guidance. O our Sustainer! Grant us all that You have promised us through Your messenger and do not put us to disgrace on the Day of Reckoning. We have a firm belief that you do not go back on Your promises.”  (3:189-194)

This is how the true believers are advised to conduct their lives: “Verily, in the heavens and the earth are signs for the believers. And in your own nature, and in [that of] all the animals which He scatters [over the earth] there are messages for people who are endowed with inner certainty.” (45:3-4) Or,

“And in the succession of night and day, and in the means of subsistence which God sends down from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless, and in the change of the winds: [in all this] there are messages for people who use their reason. These messages of God do We convey unto thee, setting forth the truth. In what other tidings, if not in God’s messages, will they, then, believe?” (45:5-6)

This process of exploration and contemplation would lead to the understanding of the majesty, authority, grandeur and power of Allah as is explained in the following verse:  

“It is God who has raised the heavens without any support that you could see, and is established on the throne of His Almightiness; and He [it is who] has made the sun and the moon subservient [to His laws], each running its course for a term set [by Him].  He governs all that exists. Clearly, does He spell out these messages, so that you might be certain in your innermost that you are destined to meet your Sustainer.” (13:2)

The Arabic expression liqa Rabb does not only mean that one would meet Allah personally in the life hereafter. It may also mean that people develop a sound understanding of their Creator in this world because the Quran also reminds us “No human vision can encompass Him, whereas He encompasses all human vision: for He alone is unfathomable, all-aware. (6:103)

Those who do not explore, understand and reflect on His signs are the ones who are denied of His blessings as explained in the following verse: “And [thus it is:] they who are bent on denying the signs of God’s messages and of their [ultimate] meeting with Him - it is they who abandon all hope of My grace and mercy: and it is they whom grievous suffering awaits. (29:23) This could mean losing his blessings in this world as well as in the world hereafter.

Thus the Quran explains that the knowledge is gained through using one’s senses and the responsibility of human beings is to acquire the knowledge of the creation because this would ultimately lead one to develop a sound belief in the reality of the Creator. The Quran explains this in this verse “In time We shall make them fully understand Our messages [through what they perceive] in the utmost horizons [of the universe] and within them­selves so that it will become clear unto them that this [revelation] is indeed the truth. [Still,] is it not enough [for them to know] that thy Sustainer is a witness unto everything? (41:53)

Thus in Quranic terminology true scholarship develops when believers develop a true understanding of the universe, as created by Allah, through reflections and contemplation, use the knowledge gained to serve Allah’s creation and world. In Surah Fatir, the Quran explains:  “Are you not aware that God sends down water from the skies, whereby We bring forth fruits of many hues - just as in the mountains there are streaks of white and red of various shades, as well as (others) raven-black and (as) there are in men, and in crawling beasts, and in cattle, too, many hues? Of all His servants, only such as are endowed with [innate] knowledge stand [truly] in awe of God: [for they alone comprehend that] verily, God is almighty, much-forgiving.” (35:27-28)

Thus the Quran invites believers to study His universe in depth. This is called scientific inquiry. All those references in the verse are about a knowledge that we have categorized in several scientific disciplines. Their study helps true scholars realize the majesty of the Almighty. The study of all these sciences ultimately leads to the reality that there exists the knowledge, beyond all that is available in the name of knowledge that is known only to the creator.

Our dilemma is that we have divided the knowledge created by Allah into the worldly and religious sciences with the notion that religious knowledge is superior to the worldly knowledge or scientific knowledge. This is not a distinction given to us by the Quran. Knowledge is indivisible because whatever we want to know about is all created by Allah.

We discover the creation and the purpose of the creation through two distinct methods. Empiricism is one such method that helps us discover the laws our Creator implanted in our physical creations. When we study botany or human anatomy or neurosurgery or orthodontics or zoology or biology, we study those laws that were implanted in the objects by Allah because He is the source of all creation.

Revelation or Wahi is the other source of knowledge. This knowledge is given to human beings through Prophets only. Thus we believe that the Quran is the Wahi that was revealed to the prophet from Allah, the Almighty. This Wahi invites us to study the creation of the universe outlines the purpose of our creations, explains the code of conduct that we should have in our life, defines the nature of the relationship that we should have towards the universe and the fellow human beings and admonishes us to use the knowledge that we acquire through senses to serve the purpose as determined by Allah.

Thus in the divine scheme of things, there is no distinction between the worldly and religious knowledge. The confusion comes when one group gives superiority of one over the other or negates one over the other. The Quran reminds us that we should not create this false division.   As explained by the Quran:   “…. Do you, then, believe in some parts of the divine writ and deny the truth of other parts? What, then, could be the reward of those among you who do such things but ignominy in the life of this world and, on the Day of Resurrection, commitment to most grievous suffering? For God is not unmindful of what you do. (2:85)

In our religious literature and writings, while we place emphasis on the revealed knowledge, we often ignore the importance of the acquired knowledge that we are commanded to have through using our senses. Sometimes we are even told that the knowledge of social or natural sciences is contrary to our concept of knowledge because this world is a thing of play, a Platonian idea strongly challenged by the Quran.

The negligence of the knowledge of the creation of Allah spread in the universe is the reason that 56 Muslim majority of countries with about 20 percent of the world population generate less than 5 percent of the world’s scientific knowledge. In between 900 and 1200 CE, the Muslim world accounted for the hundred percent of the world’s scientific knowledge. The decline came when we conveniently ignored the totality of the divine guidance and created the false divisions between the secular and religious knowledge ignoring the fundamental belief that everything is created by Allah and we only discover whatever exists out there based on our capacity created by the divine.

Ask yourself a simple question: When was the last time you heard a sermon (khutbah) in your masjid on the importance of acquiring scientific knowledge as part of your religious obligation? When did you last read a book or article circulated in your masjid or Islamic Center focusing on the importance of scientific knowledge essential to complete your deen?

Thousands of our young men and women, sincere in their belief in Allah and committed to serving Him are constantly taught Platonian ideas within the garb of Islamic theology forcing them to change the focus that Allah wants them to have.

Who is responsible for this debacle and who is to be held accountable for this ignorance of the Quranic message. The answer is with us. Either we follow the Quranic understanding in matters of knowledge or give primacy to Socrates whose ideas were idealized by Plato.

Same-Sex Marriages

Physical intimacy is not simply a biological action and reaction. It is bigger than that. It is more about the value system that one prefers and adopts because it impacts not only the individual, family and the society but human civilizations, cultures as well as the rise and fall of nations.

On the one hand, are Freudian followers who argue that civilization is a byproduct of repressed sexuality and on the other hand, are those who in the words of J. D. Unwin believes that “in human recorded history there is no instance of a society retaining its energy after a complete new generation has inherited a tradition which does not insist on pre-nuptial and post-nuptial continence.”

Unwin, a sociologist at Cambridge University, published "Sex and Culture," in 1934. He studied 86 different societies and he found no exceptions to the rule that the cultures flourished during eras that valued sexual fidelity and discipline. He demonstrated through empirical data that whenever sexual mores loosened, the societies declined, and whenever they followed rigid sexual discipline they rose again.  

In our recent history, the fall of the Soviet society offers a recent example where Vladimir Lenin espoused a "glass of water" theory about sex explaining that sexual desire is just like a desire for food or water. The theory collapsed, and with it collapsed the Soviet society.

However, new interpretations are being offered to explain the Freudian ideas. Barbara Ehrenreich, a widely-read and award-winning author of 21 books wrote not very long ago that sex, preferably among affectionate and consenting adults, belongs squarely in the realm of play. This "de-moralization" of sex is promoting new sexual ethics that legitimizes and justifies everything in the name of pleasure and freedom.  

What was presented as his personal opinion by President Obama about same-sex marriage is an effort to legitimize the de-moralization of sex to develop a new culture where every sexual activity is fine as long as individuals engaged in the act have their consent and pleasure.  

His perspective is based on a world view, a world view that Islam does not share. Islam regards physical intimacy as an act of responsibility between a man and a woman within the confines of contractual marriage. Islam, on the basis of its value system, takes a strong stand on pre-marital, and post-marital physical relations as well as on physical relations between people of the same gender. Islam calls for sexual discipline in society and recommends restrictions on sexual behavior to help people channelize their energy in matters that are fundamental in preserving the interests of people.

However, Islam does recognize the rights of people to reject this world view and acknowledges the freedom of people to adopt an alternative perspective with the admonition that people are responsible for the consequences of their action in the eyes of God.

Marriage is an institution promoted and protected by all religions.  Islam recognizes it as part of the revealed knowledge, a knowledge that is given by the divine to help human beings find their way to a better life in this as well as in the hereafter. Obviously, those who do not believe in the idea of divine revelation would find it hard to accept this notion. But this is what Islam expects its adherents to accept.

Accepting an alternative definition of marriage is like changing the revelation and the divine guidance, an act that is not supported by Islam.

Obviously, Obama and those who want to demoralize sexuality and promote the idea of extending the term “marriage” to same-sex unions would not find support among the followers of Islam, because Muslims would view it a challenge to their own value system.

They can give whatever term they want to this type of relationship, but when they would refer to that as a marriage, it would be seen conflicting with the Islamic value system. This does not mean that people who do not view the Islamic value system should be discriminated and denied their basic rights including the rights and privileges in matters of health and education and opportunities. If Islam recognizes the right of people to reject the idea of God as the creator and master of the universe, it also recognizes the rights of people to follow an alternative value system.

We Muslims owe it to ourselves and our future generation an education that promotes the value system that we deem right for ourselves and others. We must speak out on this important issue to let the people know about what we stand for.

Our political pundits have already presented the Obama perspective as an electoral and political issue. It is much more than that. In fact, it should not be an electoral issue at all. These matters are not determined through ballots. Because it would be unfair to vote God out on matters where the choices are purely human. They matters deserve to be discussed and debated with openness so that the alternative value systems can be profoundly understood by people. We must realize that this issue is about the value system that we adopt as our guiding principle. It is our right to share our value system with others without being intimidated and trying to be politically correct. If others have a right to promote their ideas based on Freudian ideas, we Muslims also have the right to present our perspectives based on revealed knowledge.