Concept of God (Part II)

Dr. Zakir Abdul-Karim Naik - President, IRF
(http://irf.net)

Unity of God
Some polytheists argue by saying that the existence of more than one God is not illogical. Let us point out to them that if there were more than one God, they would dispute with one another, each god trying to fulfill his will against the will of the other gods. This can be seen in the mythology of the polytheistic and pantheistic religions.

If a ‘God’ is defeated or unable to defeat the others, he is surely not the one true God. Also popular among polytheistic religions is the idea of many Gods, each having different responsibilities. Each one would be responsible for a part of man’s existence e.g. a Sun-God, a Rain-God, etc. This indicates that one ‘God’ is incompetent of certain acts and moreover he is also ignorant of the other Gods’ powers, duties, functions and responsibilities. There cannot be an ignorant and incapable God.

If there were more than one God it would surely lead to confusion, disorder, chaos and destruction in the universe. But the universe is in complete harmony. The Glorious Qur’an says:

"If there were, in the heavens - And the earth, other gods - Besides Allah, there would - Have been confusion in both! - But glory to Allah, - The Lord of the Throne: - (High is He) above - What they attribute to Him!"  [Al-Qur’an 21:22]

If there were more than one God, they would have taken away what they created. The Qur’an says:

"No son did Allah beget,
Nor is there any god
Along with Him: (if there were
Many gods), behold, each god
Would have taken away
What he had created,
And some would have
Lorded it over others!
Glory to Allah! (He is free)
From the (sort of) things
They attribute to Him!"
[Al-Qur’an 23:91]

Thus the existence of one True, Unique, Supreme, Almighty God, is the only logical concept of God.

Tawheed

Definition and Categories:

Islam believes in ‘Tawheed’ which is not merely monotheism i.e. belief in one God, but much more. Tawheed literally means ‘unification’ i.e. ‘asserting oneness’ and is derived from the Arabic verb ‘Wahhada’ which means to unite, unify or consolidate.

Tawheed can be divided into three categories.

1. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah
2. Tawheed al-Asmaa-was-Sifaat
3. Tawheed al-Ibaadah.


A. Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah (maintaining the unity of Lordship)
The first category is ‘Tawheed ar-Ruboobeeyah’. ‘Ruboobeeyah’ is derived from the root verb "Rabb" meaning Lord, Sustainer and Cherisher.
Therefore ‘Tawheed-ar-Ruboobeeyah’ means maintaining the unity of Lordship. This category is based on the fundamental concept that Allah (swt) alone caused all things to exist when there was nothing. He created or originated all that exists out of nothing. He alone is the sole Creator, Cherisher, and Sustainer of the complete universe and all between it, without any need from it or for it.

B. Tawheed al-Asmaa was-Sifaat (maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes):

The second category is ‘Tawheed al Asmaa was Sifaat’ which means maintaining the unity of Allah’s name and attributes. This category is divided into five spects:

(i) Allah should be referred to as described by Him and His Prophet
Allah must be referred to according to the manner in which He and His prophet have described Him without explaining His names and attributes by giving them meanings other than their obvious meanings.

(ii) Allah must be referred to as He has referred to Himself
Allah must be referred to without giving Him any new names or attributes. For example Allah may not be given the name Al-Ghaadib (the Angry One), despite the fact that He has said that He gets angry, because neither Allah nor His messenger have used this name.

(iii) Allah is referred to without giving Him the attributes of His creation

In a reference to God, we should strictly abstain from giving Him the attributes of those whom He has created. For instance in the Bible, God is portrayed as repenting for His bad thoughts in the same way as humans do when they realise their errors. This is completely against the principle of Tawheed. God does not commit any mistakes or errors and therefore never needs to repent.

The key principle when dealing with Allah’s attributes is given in the Qur’an in Surah Ash-Shura:

"There is nothing
Whatever like unto Him,
And He is the One
That hears and sees (all things)."
[Al-Qur’an 42:11]

Hearing and seeing are human faculties. However, when attributed to the Divine Being they are without comparison, in their perfection, unlike when associated with humans who require ears, eyes, etc. and who are limited in their sight and hearing in terms of space, time, capacity, etc.

(iv) God’s creation should not be given any of His attributes   
To refer to a human with the attribute of God is also against the principle of Tawheed. For example, referring to a person as one who has no beginning or end (eternal).

(v) Allah’s name cannot be given to His creatures
Some Divine names in the indefinite form, like ‘Raoof’ or ‘Raheem’ are permissible names for men as Allah has used them for Prophets; but ‘Ar-Raoof’ (the Most Pious) and Ar-Raheem (the most Merciful) can only be used if prefixed by ‘Abd’ meaning ‘slave of’ or ‘servant of’ i.e. ’Abdur-Raoof’ or ‘Abdur-Raheem’. Similarly ‘Abdur-Rasool’ (slave of the Messenger) or ‘Abdun-Nabee’ (slave of the Prophet) are forbidden.

C. Tawheed al-Ibaadah (maintaining the unity of worship):

(i) Definition and meaning of ‘Ibadaah’:
‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ means maintaining the unity of worship or ‘Ibaadah’. Ibaadah is derived from Arabic word ‘Abd’ meaning slave or servant. Thus Ibaadah means servitude and worship.

(ii) All three categories to be followed simultaneously.
Only believing in the first two categories of Tawheed without implementing Tawheed-al-Ibaadah is useless. The Qur’an gives the examples of ‘Mushrikeens’ (idolaters) of the Prophet’s time who confirmed the first two aspects of Tawheed. It is entioned in the Qur’an:

"Say: ‘Who is it that
Sustains you (in life)
From the sky and from the earth?
Or who is it that
Has power over hearing
And sight? And who
Is it that brings out
The living from the dead
And the dead from the living?
And who is it that
Rules and regulates all affairs?’
They will soon say, ‘Allah’.
Say, ‘Will you not then
Show piety (to Him)?’ "
[Al-Qur’an 10:31]

A similar example is repeated in Surah Zukhruf of the Glorious Qur’an:

"If thou ask them, Who
Created them, they will
Certainly say,‘Allah’: how
Then are they deluded
Away (from the Truth)?"
[Al-Qur’an 43:87]

The pagan Meccans knew that Allah (swt) was their Creator, Sustainer, Lord and Master. Yet they were not Muslims because they also worshipped other gods besides Allah. Allah (swt) categorised them as ‘Kuffaar’ (disbelievers) and ‘Mushrikeen’ (idol worshippers and those who associate partners with God).

"And most of them
Believe not in Allah
Without associating (others
As partners) with Him!"
[Al-Qur’an 12:106]

Thus ‘Tawheed al-Ibaadah’ i.e. maintaining the unity of worship is the most important aspect of Tawheed. Allah (swt) alone deserves worship and He alone can grant benefit to man for his worship.

SHIRK
A. Definition:
The omission of any of the above mentioned categories of  tawheed or eficiency in the fulfillment of any criteria of  Tawheed is referred to as 'shirk'. Please note that the Arabic word 'Shirk' has the same sound as in the English word 'ship' and not as in the English word 'shirk',which means 'to evade'

‘Shirk’ literally means sharing or associating partners. In Islamic terms it means associating partners with Allah and is equivalent to idolatry.

B. Shirk is the greatest sin that Allah will never forgive:

The Qur’an describes the greatest sin in Surah Al-Nisa’:

"Allah forgives not
That partners should be set up
With Him; but He forgives
Anything else, to whom
He pleases; to set up
Partners with Allah
Is to devise a sin
Most heinous indeed."
[Al-Qur’an 4:48]

The same message is repeated in Surah Al-Nisa’:

"Allah forgives not
(The sin of) joining other gods
With Him; but He forgives
Whom He pleases other sins
Than this: one who joins
Other gods with Allah,
Has strayed far, far away
(From the Right)."
[Al-Qur’an 4:116]

C. Shirk leads to hell fire:

The Qur’an says in Surah Ma’idah:

"They do blaspheme who say:
‘Allah is Christ the son
Of Mary.’ But said Christ:
‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord
And your Lord’. Whoever joins other gods with Allah –
Allah will forbid him the Garden, and the Fire
Will be his abode. There will for the wrongdoers
Be no one to help."
[Al-Qur’an 5:72]

D. Worship and Obedience to none but Allah:

The Qur’an mentions in Surah Ali-’Imran:

Say: "O people of the Book!
Come To common terms
As between us and you:
That we worship none but Allah;
That we associate no partners with Him;
That we erect not, from among ourselves,
Lords and patrons other than Allah."
If then they turn back,
Say ye: "Bear witness that we (at least)
Are Muslims (bowing to Allah’s Will)."
[Al-Qur’an 3:64]

The Glorious Qur’an says:

"And if all the trees on earth were pens
And the Ocean (were ink), with seven Oceans behind it
To add to its (supply), yet would not the Words
Of Allah be exhausted (In the writing): for Allah
Is Exalted in power, Full of Wisdom."
[Al-Qur’an 31:27]

Our analysis of Concept of God in various Religion shows that monotheism is an integral part of every major religion of the world. However, it is unfortunate that some adherents of these religions violate the teachings of their own scriptures and have set up partners to Almighty God.

An analysis of the scriptures of various religions, reveals that all scriptures exhort mankind to believe in, and submit to One God. All these scriptures condemn the association of partners to God, or the worship of God in the form of images. The Glorious Qur’an says:

"O men! Here is
A parable set forth!
Listen to it! Those
On whom, besides Allah,
You call, cannot create
(Even) a fly, if they all
Met together for the purpose!
And if the fly should snatch
Away anything from them,
They would have no power
To release it from the fly.
Feeble are those who petition
And those whom they petition!"
[Al-Qur’an 22:73]

The basis of religion is the acceptance of Divine guidance. A rejection of this guidance has serious implications for society. While we have made great strides in science and technology, true peace still eludes us. All ‘isms’ have failed to provide the much vaunted deliverance.

The scriptures of all major religions exhort mankind to follow that which is good and eschew that which is evil. All scriptures remind mankind that good will not go unrewarded and evil will not go unpunished!

The question we need to address is, which of these scriptures provides us with the correct ‘instruction manual’ that we need to regulate our individual and collective lives?

I hope and pray that Allah guides all of us towards the Truth (Aameen).

Concept of God (Part. I)

Dr. Zakir Abdul-Karim Naik - President, IRF
The Most Concise Definition of God

"Say: He is Allah,
The One and Only.
"Allah, the Eternal, Absolute.
"He begets not, nor is He begotten.
And there is none like unto Him."
[Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]

The word ‘Assamad’ is difficult to translate. It means ‘absolute existence’, which can be attributed only to Allah (swt), all other existence being temporal or conditional. It also means that Allah (swt) is not dependent on any person or thing, but all persons and things are dependent on Him.

Surah Ikhlas - the touchstone of theology:
Surah Ikhlas (Chapter 112) of the Glorious Qur’an, is the touchstone of theology. ‘Theo’ in Greek means God and ‘logy’ means study. Thus Theology means study of God and to Muslims this four line definition of Almighty God serves as the touchstone of the study of God. Any candidate to divinity must be subjected to this ‘acid test’. Since the attributes of Allah given in this chapter are unique, false gods and pretenders to divinity can be easily dismissed using these verses.

What does Islam say about ‘god-men’?
India is often called the land of ‘god-men’. This is due to the abundance of so-called spiritual masters in India. Many of these ‘babas’ and ‘saints’ have a large following in many countries. Islam abhors deification of any human being. To understand the Islamic stand towards such pretenders to divinity, let us analyze one such ‘god-man’, Osho Rajneesh.

Let us put this candidate, ‘Bhagwan’ Rajneesh, to the test of Surah Ikhlas, the touchstone of theology:

1. The first criterion is "Say, He is Allah, one and only". Is Rajneesh one and only? No! Rajneesh was one among the multitude of ‘spiritual teachers’ produced by India. Some disciples of Rajneesh might still hold that Rajneesh is one and only.
2. The second criterion is, ‘Allah is absolute and eternal’. We know from Rajneesh’s biography that he was suffering from diabetes, asthma, and chronic backache. He alleged that the U.S. Government gave him slow poison in prison. Imagine Almighty God being poisoned! Rajneesh was thus, neither absolute nor eternal.
3. The third criterion is ‘He begets not, nor is He begotten’. We know that Rajneesh was born in Jabalpur in India and had a mother as well as a father who later became his disciples.
   
   In May 1981 he went to U.S.A. and established a town called ‘Rajneeshpuram’. He later fell foul of the West and was finally arrested and asked to leave the country. He came back to India and started a commune in Pune which is now known as the ‘Osho’ commune. He died in 1990. The followers of Osho Rajneesh believe that he is Almighty God. At the ‘Osho commune’ in Pune one can find the following epitaph on his tombstone:
   
   "Osho – never born, never died; only visited the planet Earth between 11th December 1931 to 19th January 1990."They forget to mention that he was not granted visa for 21 countries of the world. Can a person ever imagine ‘God’ visiting the earth, and requiring a visa to enter a country! The Archbishop of Greece said that if Rajneesh had not been deported, they would have burnt his house and those of his disciples.
4. The fourth test, which is the most stringent is, "There is none like unto Him". The moment you can imagine or compare ‘God’ to anything, then he (the candidate to divinity) is not God. It is not possible to conjure up a mental picture of the One True God. We know that Rajneesh was a human being, having two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth and a white flowing beard. Photographs and posters of Rajneesh are available in plenty. The moment you can imagine or draw a mental picture of an entity, then that entity is not God.
   
   Many are tempted to make anthropomorphic comparisons of God. Take for instance, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the famous body builder and Hollywood actor, who won the title of ‘Mr. Universe’, the strongest man in the world. Let us suppose that someone says that Almighty God is a thousand times stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger. The moment you can compare any entity to God, whether the comparison is to Schwarzenegger or to King Kong, whether it is a thousand times or a million times stronger, it fails the Qur’anic criterion, "There is none like unto Him".
   
   Thus, the ‘acid test’ cannot be passed by anyone except the One True God.
   The following verse of the Glorious Qur’an conveys a similar message:

"No vision can grasp Him
But His grasp is over
All vision: He is
Above all comprehension,
Yet is acquainted with all things."
[Al-Qur'an 6:103]

By what name do we call God?
The Muslims prefer calling the Supreme Creator, Allah, instead of by the English word ‘God’. The Arabic word, ‘Allah’, is pure and unique, unlike the English word ‘God’, which can be played around with.

If you add ‘s’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Gods’, that is the plural of God. Allah is one and singular, there is no plural of Allah. If you add ‘dess’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Goddess’ that is a female God. There is nothing like male Allah or female Allah. Allah has no gender. If you add the word ‘father’ to ‘God’ it becomes ‘God-father’. God-father means someone who is a guardian. There is no word like ‘Allah-Abba’ or ‘Allah-father’. If you add the word ‘mother’ to ‘God’, it becomes ‘God-mother’. There is nothing like ‘Allah-Ammi’, or ‘Allah-mother’ in Islam. Allah is a unique word. If you prefix tin before the word God, it becomes tin-God i.e., fake God. Allah is a unique word, which does not conjure up any mental picture nor can it be played around with. Therefore the Muslims prefer using the Arabic word ‘Allah’ for the Almighty. Sometimes, however, while speaking to the non-Muslims we may have to use the inappropriate word God, for Allah. Since the intended audience of this article is general in nature, consisting of both Muslims as well as non-Muslims, I have used the word God instead of Allah in several places in this article.

God does not become a human being:
God does not take human form:
Some may argue that God does not become a human being but only takes a human form. If God only takes a human form but does not become a human being, He should not possess any human qualities. We know that all the ‘God-men’, have human qualities and failings. They have all the human needs such as the need to eat, sleep, etc.

The worship of God in human form is therefore a logical fallacy and should be abhorred in all its forms and manifestations.

That is the reason why the Qur’an speaks against all forms of anthropomorphism. The Glorious Qur’an says in the following verse:

"There is nothing whatever like unto Him." [Al-Qur'an 42:11]

God does not perform ungodly acts:
The attributes of Almighty God preclude any evil since God is the source of justice, mercy and truth. God can never be thought of as doing an ungodly act. Hence we cannot imagine God telling a lie, being unjust, making a mistake, forgetting things, or having any such human failings. Similarly God can do injustice if He chooses to, but He will never do it because being unjust is an ungodly act.

The Qur’an says:
"Allah is never unjust In the least degree." [Al-Qur'an 4:40]
God can be unjust if He chooses to be so, but the moment God does injustice, He ceases to be God.
God does not make mistakes
God can make mistakes if He wants to, but He does not make mistakes because making a mistake is an ungodly act. The Qur’an says:
"…my Lord never errs." [Holy Qur'an 20:52]

The moment God makes a mistake, he ceases to be God.

God does not forget

God can forget if He wants to. But God does not forget anything because forgetting is an ungodly act, which reeks of human limitations and failings. The Qur’an says:

"…my Lord never errs, nor forgets." [Al-Qur’an 20:52]

God only performs Godly acts:

The Islamic concept of God is that God has power over all things. The Qur’an says in several places (Al -Qur’an 2:106; 2:109; 2:284; 3:29; 16:77; and 35:1):

"For verily Allah has power over all things"

Further, the Glorious Qur’an says:

"Allah is the doer of all that He intends." [Al-Qura'n 85:16]

We must keep in mind that Allah intends only Godly acts and not ungodly acts.

Philosophy of Antropomorphism
Many religions at some point believe, directly or indirectly, in the philosophy of anthropomorphism i.e. God becoming a human. Their contention is that Almighty God is so pure and holy that He is unaware of the hardships, shortcomings and feelings of human beings. In order to set the rules for human beings, He came down to earth as a human. This deceptive logic has fooled countless millions through the ages. Let us now analyze this argument and see if it stands to reason.

The Creator prepares the instruction manual
Suppose I manufacture a video cassette recorder (VCR). Do I have to become a VCR to know what is good or what is bad for the VCR? What do I do? I write an instruction manual: "In order to watch a video cassette, insert the cassette and press the play button. In order to stop, press the stop button. If you want to fast forward press the FF button. Do not drop it from a height or it will get damaged. Do not immerse it in water or it will get spoilt". I write an instruction manual that lists the various do’s and don’ts for the machine.

Holy Qur’an is the instruction manual for the human being:

Similarly, our Lord and Creator Allah (swt) need not take human form to know what is good or bad for the human being. He chooses to reveal the instruction manual. The last and final instruction manual of the human beings is the Glorious Qur’an. The ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ for the human beings are mentioned in the Qur’an.
If you allow me to compare human beings with machines, I would say humans are more complicated than the most complex machines in the world. Even the most advanced computers, which are extremely complex, are pale in comparison to the myriad physical, psychological, genetic and social factors that affect individual and collective human life.
The more advanced the machine, greater is the need for its instruction manual. By the same logic, don’t human beings require an instruction manual by which to govern their own lives?

Allah chooses Messengers:

Allah (swt) need not come down personally for giving the instruction manual. He chooses a man amongst men to deliver the message and communicates with him at a higher level through the medium of revelations. Such chosen men are called messengers and prophets of God.

Some people are ‘blind’ and ‘deaf’:
Despite the absurdity of the philosophy of anthropomorphism, followers of many religions believe in and preach it to others. Is it not an insult to human intelligence and to the Creator who gave us this intelligence? Such people are truly ‘deaf’ and ‘blind’ despite the faculty of hearing and sight given to them by Allah. The Qur’an says:

"Deaf, dumb, and blind,
They will not return (to the path)." [Al-Qur'an 2:18]

The Bible gives a similar message in the Gospel of Matthew:

"Seeing they see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand." [The Bible, Matthew 13:13]

A similar message is also given in the Hindu Scriptures in the Rigveda.

"There maybe someone who sees the words and yet indeed does not see them; may be another one who hears these words but indeed does not hear them." 1
[Rigveda 10:71:4]

All these scriptures are telling their readers that though the things are made so clear yet many people divert away from the truth.

Attributes of God:

To Allah belong the most beautiful names:

The Qur’an says:
"Say: Call upon Allah, or
Call upon Rahman:
By whatever name you call
Upon Him, (it is well):
For to Him belong
The Most Beautiful Names."
[Al-Qur'an 17:110]

A similar message regarding the beautiful names of Allah (swt) is repeated in the Qur’an in Surah Al-A’raf (7:180), in Surah Taha (20:8) and in Surah Al-Hashr (59:24).

The Qur’an gives no less than ninety-nine different attributes to Almighty Allah. The Qur’an refers to Allah as Ar-Rahman (Most Gracious), Ar-Raheem (Most Merciful) and Al-Hakeem (All Wise) among many other names. You can call Allah by any name but that name should be beautiful and should not conjure up a mental picture.

Each attribute of God is unique and possessed by Him alone:

Not only does God possess unique attributes, but also each attribute of Almighty God is sufficient to identify Him. I shall clarify this point in detail. Let us take an example of a famous personality, say Neil Armstrong. Neil Armstrong is an astronaut. The attribute of being an astronaut possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not unique to Neil Armstrong alone. So when one asks, who is an astronaut? The answer is, there are hundreds of people in the world who are astronauts. Neil Armstrong is an American. The attribute of being American possessed by Neil Armstrong is correct but not sufficient to identify him. So when one asks, who is an American? The answer is, there are millions of people who are American. To identify the person uniquely we must look for a unique attribute possessed by none except that person. For example, Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the moon. So when one asks, who was the first man to set foot on the moon, the answer is only one, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly the attribute of Almighty God should be unique. If I say God is the constructor of buildings, it is possible and true, but it is not unique. Thousands of people can construct a building. But each attribute of Allah is unique and points to none but Allah. For example, God is the creator of the universe. If someone asks who is the creator of the universe, the answer is only one, i.e. Almighty God is the Ultimate Creator. Similarly, following are some of the many unique attributes possessed by none other than the Creator of the universe, Almighty Allah:

"Ar-Raheem", the Most Merciful
"Ar-Rahman", the Most Gracious
"Al-Hakeem", the Most Wise
So when one asks, "Who is ‘Ar-Raheem’, (the Most Merciful)?", there can only be one answer: "Almighty Allah".

One attribute of God should not contradict with other attributes:

Besides the attribute being unique, it should not contradict other attributes. To continue with the earlier example, suppose somebody says that Neil Armstrong is an American astronaut who was the first human to set foot on the moon and was an Indian. The attribute possessed by Neil Armstrong of being the first man to set foot on the moon, is correct. But its associated quality of being an Indian, is false. Similarly if someone says that God is the Creator of the Universe and has one head, two hands, two feet, etc., the attribute (Creator of the Universe) is correct but the associated quality (in the form of human being) is wrong and false.

All attributes should point to the one and same God:

Since there is only one God, all the attributes should point to one and the same God. To say that Neil Armstrong was an American astronaut who first set foot on the moon, but he was born in 1971 is wrong. Both these unique qualities belong to one and the same person, i.e. Neil Armstrong. Similarly to say that the Creator of the universe is one God and the Cherisher is another God is absurd because God possesses all these attributes combined together.

Source: http://irf.net

Why 114 suras in the Quran ?

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

We all, hopefully, know by now that the Arabic word “Wahid”, which means (one) has a gematrical value of 19, where 19 is the mathematical code of the miracle of the Quran. The message of the Quran and all the scripture focus on “God is ONE.” God assigned these values to the letters as HE created all the languages, and the word “one” was given the value of 19 since the creation. See also our article "Why 19 ?". God knows the Quran will be its Final scripture and that it will be coded by 19. Also this is just a clue to the general principle that the mathematical structure of the Quran is related to the manifestations of God as expressed by His names.

The question can now be raised : WHY are there 114 suras in the Quran ? although the fact that 114 is a multiple of 19, is by itself significant, the answer that this is the reason for 114 suras is not sufficient enough since there are other multiples of 19, say 38, 57,76,95,133…etc. which could have served the same function as well. The answer to the question is found in sura 75:17

[75:17] It is we who will collect it into Quran.
[75:17] It is we who will collect it (Arabic = Jama’ahu) into Quran.

Here God says that He (using angelic forces) is responsible for the collecting of all the verses of the Quran into what is now called the Quran . The Arabic verb here for collecting or gathering is ( jama’s) and the noun corresponding to is is (Jami’u) . God is called in the Quran Jami’u .. at least twice in the Quran, 3:9 and 4:140
[3:9] "Our Lord, You will surely gather .. the people on a day that is inevitable. GOD never breaks a promise."

[4:140] He has instructed you in the scripture that: if you hear GOD's revelations being mocked and ridiculed, you shall not sit with them, unless they delve into another subject. Otherwise, you will be as guilty as they are. GOD will gather the hypocrites . and the disbelievers together in Hell.

While suras 3:9 says that God is the Gatherer of mankind for the day of Judgment and Sura 4:140 says that He is the Gatherer of al those destined for the Doom, , Sura 75:17 asserts that He is also the Gatherer (Collector) of the revelations of the Quran.

The gematrical value of the word ( Jam’u = Collector or Gatherer ) is 114.

As we know , there is NO co-incidence. God knows since creation that He will the Collector of the Quran, the Gatherer of the revelations and He assigned the value 114 to the word, J =3, A =1, M= 40 and A’in = 70 = 114
Thus Jami’u .. totals 114, the number of suras in the Quran. Besides being the Author of the Quran, He is responsible for its gathering and collection together. This explains the relationship between God’s special name Al-Jami’u and the number of suras in the Quran. God Himself gives the clue in 75:17.

This article is Modified after " a Brochure written by Dr. Cesar Majul , PhD, Former Dean, Institute of of Islamic studies, University of the Philippines. 1982
__________________


Other related issues to the number 114:

1. Sura 1, verse 1 'Basmallah', occurs in the Quran 114 times = 19 x 6 despite the absence of Basmallah from sura 9. The very first verse of the Quran gives an indication of the number of Sura's in the book.
2. Sura 110, the last chapter revealed, has three numbered verses and one un-numbered verse, i.e. Basmallah. 110 + 4 verses =114. As if sura 110 which is the last revealed sura predict the total of the suras in the Quran. 
3. The number of chapters in the Quran is 114. 114 = 6 x 19 and 619 is the 114th prime 
4. Sura 19 is the 6th initialled sura that was revealed. Note that the 619 is prime number and its index is 114 and that 114 = 6 x 19. We all know that 114 is the number of suras in the Quran. The word GOD is mentioned for the first time in this sura in verse 30. Note that 30 is the 19th composite. 19:30 is the 114th verse containing the word "Allah" in the revelation order. Number 19, the code of the miracle of the Quran is mentioned in verse 30 (sura74.) An intricate system beyond all times.
5. The chemical element number 114 has a magic nucleus. A magic nucleus is a highly stable one with all the shells closed. The magic numbers in nuclei are 2,8,20,28,50 and 82 as far as we know in the periodic table of elements. It is interesting to note that 2+8+20+28+50+82 = 190 = 19X10 
6. The name Rashad Khalifa in Arabic is made of 9 letters, R, SH, A, D, KH, L, Y, F, H. The Sequential (not the gematrical) Value of these 9 letters are, 20, 21,1,4, 24,12,10,17, and 5 and the sum of which is 114 (19X6), which is total number of suras in the Quran. The use of the name Rashad khalifa means it cannot be any Rashad or any Khalifa. God coded the name Rashad Khalifa in the Quran, otherwise we would have had thousands if not millions of people named after the expected messenger and claim they are the messenger of the covenant, Rashad khalifa. 
7. The important phrase, "Wahdahoo La Sharika lah," (GOD ALONE, HE has no partners) has a gematrical value of 619. 619 is the 114th prime number and also 6X19 =114 which is the number of suras in the Quran.

Source : http://www.submission.org

Al-Qur'an, The Miracle of Miracles

Ahmed Deedat

Chap1
Say: If the whole of mankind and jinns were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur`an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support.

What is a miracle?
I think it is necessary that we have a clear picture of what we mean by a miracle. Here are some definitions:-

"An event that appears so inexplicable by the laws of nature, that it is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God." "A person, thing or event that excites admiring awe." "An act beyond human power, an impossibility."

It is logical that greater the impossibility, greater the miracle. For example, should a person expire before our very eyes and is certified dead by a qualiified medical man, yet later on a mystic or a saint commands the corpse to 'arise!', and to everybody's astonishment the person gets up and walks away , we would label that as a miracle. But if the resurrection of the dead took place after the corpse had been in the mortuary for three days, then we would acclaim this as a greater miracle. And if the dead was made to arise from the grave, decades or centuries after the body had decomposed and rotted away, then in that case we would label it the greatest miracle of them all!

A Common Trait:
It has been a common trait of mankind since time immemorial that whenever a guide from God appeared to redirect their steps into the will and plan of God; they demanded supernatural proofs from these men of God, instead of accepting message on its merit.

For example, when Jesus Christ (PBUHh) began to preach to his people - "the children of Israel" - to mend their ways and to refrain from mere legalistic formalism and imbibe the true spirit of the laws and commandments of god, his 'people' demanded miracles from him to prove his bona fides (his authenicity , his genuineness), as recorded in the christian scriptures:

Then certain of the scribes and the phairsees answered, saying master, we would have a sign (miracle ) from thee. But he answered and said unto them, "an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign (miracle) and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas ( matthew 12:38-39 holy bible)

Though on the face of it, Jesus (PBUH) refuses to pamper the jews here, in actual fact, he did perform many miracles as we learn from the gospel narratives.

The holy bible is full of supernatural events accredited to the prophets from their lord. In reality all those 'signs' and 'wonders' and 'miracles' were acts of God, but since those miracles were worked through his human agents, we describe them as the miracles of prophets (i.e. Moses or Jesus (pbuh) by those hands they were performed).

Quirk Continues:
Some six hundred years after the birth of Jesus(pbuh), Muhammad (pbuh) the messenger of God was born in Makkah in arabia. When he proclaimed his mission at the age of forty, his fellow countrymen, the mushriks of makkah made an identical request for miracles, as had the jews, from their promised Messiah. Text book style, it was as if the arabs had taken a leaf from the christian records. History has a habit of repeating itself!

And they say: why are not signs sent down to him from his lord? (Holy Qu`ran 29:50)

SIGNS! WHAT SIGNS!!
"Miracles? Cries he, what miracles would you have? Are not you yourselves there? God made you 'shaped you out of a little clay.' Ye were small once; a few years ago ye were not at all. Ye have beauty, strength, thoughts, 'ye have compassion on one another.' Old age comes-on you, and grey hairs; your strength fades into feebleness: ye sink down, and again are not. 'Ye have compassion on one another': This struck me much: Allah might have made you having no compassion on one another, how had it been then! this is a great direct though, a glance at first-hand into the very fact of things...." "(On heroes hero-worship and the heroic in history,") by Thomas Carlyle.

"This Struck Me Much"
This, that "ye have compassion on one another", impressed thomas carlyle most from his perusal of an English translation. I persume, there verse that motivated this sentiment is:

1. And among his signs is this, that he created for you mates from amonng yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquillity with them. and he has put love and mercy between your (hearts): verily in that are signs for those who reflect. (emphasis added) Translation by A Yusuf Ali (Qu`ran 30:21)

2. And one of his signs it is, that he hath created wives for you of your own species that ye may dwell with them, and hath put love and tenderness between you. herein truly are signs for those who reflect (emphasis added) Translation by Rev. J.M. Rodwell (M.A.)

3. By another sign he gave you wives from among yourselves, that ye might live in joy with them, and planted love and kindness into your hearts. surely there are signs in this for thinking men(emphasis added) Translation by N.J. Dawood.

The first example is from the translation by Yusuf Ali, a muslim. The second is by a christian priest the rev. Rodwell and the last example is by an iraqi Jew, N.J. Dawood.

Unfortunately Thomas Carlyle had no access to any one of these because none of them had seen the light of day in his time. The only one available to him in 1840 was as he said on page 85 of his book under referance - "We also can read the Koran; our translation of it, by sale, is known to be a very fair one."

Taint Is In The Motive:
Carlyle is very charitable to his fellow countryman. The motives of george sale, who pioneered an English translation of the Holy Quran, were suspect. He makes no secret of his antagonism to the holy book of Islam. In his preface to his translation in 1734 he made it known that it was his avowed intention to expose the man Mohammad and his forgery. He records: "who can apprehend any danger from so manifest a forgery?... The protestants alone are able to attack the koran with success; and for them, I trust, providence has reserved the glory of its overthrow." George Sale, And he set to work with his prejudiced translation. You will be able to judge how 'fair' and scholarly george sale was from the very verse which 'struck' (carlyle) 'much!' Compare it with the three example already given by a muslim, a christian and a jew: And of his signs another is, that he had created you , out of yourselves, wives that ye may cohabit with them, and hath put love and compassion between you .

I dont think that george sale was a 'a male chauvinist pig' of his day to describe our mates, wives or spouses as sexual objects. He was only keeping to his promise, which carlyle overlooked. The arabic word which he (sale) perverted is 'li-tas-kunoo' which means to find peace, consolation, composure or tranquility; and not 'cohabit' meaning 'to live together in a sexual relationship when not legally married' (the reader's digest universal dictionary.)

Every word of the Quranic text is meticulously chosen, chiselled and placed by the All-Wise himself. They carry God's 'fingerprint', and are signs of God. And yet, the spirtually jaundiced....

Ask For A Sign:
What signs?? They mean some special kinds of signs or miracles such as their own foolish minds dictate. Everything is possible for God, but God is not going to humour the follies of men or listen to their false demands. He has sent his messenger to explain his signs clearly, and to warn them of the consequences of rejection. Is that not enough? The trend of their demand is generally as follows:

In specific terms they asked that he - Muhammad (pbuh) - 'Put a ladder up to heaven an bring down a book from God in their very sight' - "Then we would believe," they said. Or "ye see the mountain yonder, turn it into gold' - "then we would believe." or 'make streams to gush out in the desert' - "then we would believe."

Now listen to the soft, sweet reasoning of Muhammad(pbuh) against the unreasonable and sceptical demands of the mushriks - "Do I say to you, verily I am an angel? Do I say to you, verily in my hands are the treasures of God? Only, what is revealed to me do I follow." Listen further to the most dignified reply he is commanded by his Lord to give the unbelievers.

Say (O Muhammad): 'The signs (miracles) are indeed with Allah: And most certainly I am only a clear warner.!'

In the following ayah the holy prophet is made to point to the holy Qur`an itself as an answer to their hypocritical demand for some special kind of 'sign' of 'miracle' for which their foolish pagan mentality craved. For indeed all miracles are 'signs'; and it is their disbelief, their scepticism, their lack of faith which motivates their request for a sign. They are asked to - 'look at the Qur`an' and again, 'look at the Qur`an!'

It is not enough for them that we have sent down to thee (O Muhammad) the book (Al-Qur`an) which is rehearsed to them? Verily, in it (this perspicuous book) is a mercy and reminder to those who believe. (Qur`an 29:51).

Two Proofs:
As a proof of the divine authorship and the miraculous nature of the Qur`an, two arguments are advanced by the almighty Himself:

1. 'That We' (God Almighty) have revealed to you (O muhammed!) 'the book to you' who art absolutely an unlearned person. An 'ummi' prophet. One who cannot read or write. One who cannot sign his own name. Let thomas carlyle testify regarding the educational qualifications of Muhammad - 'one other circumstance we must not forget: that he had no school learnin; of the thing we call school-learning none at all.'Moreoever the divine author (God Almighty) himself testifies to the veracity of Muhammed's (PBUH) claim that he could never have composed the contents of the holy Qur`an; he could not have been its author: And thou (O Muhammad) was not (able) to recite a book before this (book came), nor art thou (able) to transcribe it with thy right hand:  In that case, indeed, would the talkers of vanities have doubted (Qur`an 29:48). The author of the Qur`an is reasoning with us, that had Muhammad (PBUH) been a learned man, and had he been able to read or write, then in that case the babblers in the market places might have had some justification to doubt his claim that the holy qur`an is God's word. In the event of Muhammed (PBUH) being a literate person, the accusation of his enemies that he had probably copied his book (Qur`an) from the writings of the jews and christians, or that perhaps he had been studying aristotle and plato, or that he must have browsed through the 'Torat,' the 'Zabur' and the 'Injeel' and had rehashed it all in a beautiful language, might have carried some weight. Then, 'the talkers of vanities' might have had a poiint. But even this flimsy pretence has been denied to the unbeliever and the cynic: a point hardly big enough to hang a fly upon!
2. 'The book'? Yes, the 'book' itself, carries its own evidence proving its divine authorship. Study the book from any angel. Scrutinize it. Why not take up the author's challenge if your doubts are genuine? Do they not consider the qur`an(with care) had it been from other than Allah, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy.

Consistency:
It is inconceivable that any human author would remain consistent in this teachings and his preachings for a period of over two decades. From the age of forty, when Muhammad (PBUH) recieved his first call from heaven to the age sixty-three when he breathed his last, for twenty-three years the holy prophet practised and preached Islam. In those twenty-three years, he passed through the most conflicting vicissitudes of life. Any man, during the course of such a mission, would be forced by circumstances to make 'honourable' compromises, and cannot help contradicting himself. No man can ever write the same always, as the message of the holy qur`an is: consistent with itself, throughout! Or is it that the unbelievers objections are merely argumentive, refractory, against their own better light and judgement.? Furthermore, the holy qur`an contains or mentions many matters relating to the nature of the universe which were unknown to man before but which subsequently through evolution and discoveries of Science have fully confirmed - a field where an untutored mind would have most certainly lost in wild and contradictory speculations!

Self-Evident Proof:
Again and again when miracles are demanded from the prophet of God by the cynical and frivolous few, he is made to point to the qur`an - message from high - as 'the miracle.' The miracle or miracles! And men of wisdom, people with literary and spiritual insight, who were honest enough to themselves, recognised and accepted al-qur`an as an a genuine miracle.

Says the holy Qur`an: Nay here are signs self-evident in the hearts of those endowed with knowledge: And none but the unjust reject our signs. (Qur`an 29:49).

Source : http://www.jannah.org 

Miracle In The Eye

Before you finish reading this sentence, approximately one hundred billion (100,000,000,000) operations will have been completed inside your eyes. However fantastic it may seem, you possess an example (two, in fact) of the Universe's ultimate technology. No scientist has ever come close to fully grasping it, let alone inventing anything remotely similar.

Whatever you have in your life is meaningful through your senses—vision and others. Without eyes, you could never imagine colors, forms, scenes, human faces, or what the word beauty means. But you do have eyes, and thanks to them, you can now read these printed words before you.

Nor does the act of vision cost you very much effort. To see an object, all you have to do is to turn your gaze at it.

Nor did you have to struggle to develop a pair of those wonderful instruments. At birth, your eyes came as standard equipment, with free installation and, unless you had a particular defect, in perfect working order. Since then, you’re not likely to have felt any urge to ask the kind of questions you might upon receiving an expensive, anonymous gift, such as “Why did I get this?” or, “Who sent this to me?” or, “Exactly what do they want from me in return?.” Be assured that the Creator, Who lent you this blessing, will call you to account when the contract ends—which is sooner than you imagine.

From : Harun Yahya

Prophet Noah in Holy Quran

In the Quran, the Prophet Noah as one of the five greatest prophets has a very special role to do what is commanded by God through revelation. God sent Noah to warn people to repent and stop worshiping idols, and must immediately return to the rule of God because if not, God will give the punishment as punishment for their behavior.

After all this time Noah tried constantly warned them to repent, then God ordered Noah to build an ark to save himself and his Umat (people) and each pair of animals. Those who are saved are the people who were given the correct rights through good behavior, but one of Noah's son did not get that right and left. (Photo from : AnswerInGenesis)

In confronting the various insults and contumely, prophet Noah completed building an ark on the mountain. Soon after building the, Allah created the great flood that inundated the entire country, so no one can be saved except those who have been on the ark

It happened because of Noah's generation who worship the statues that they called gods. They believed that the gods will bring good for them, protect them from evil and provide all their needs. They give names for their idols such as devout people who have died before then they perpetuate by making these sculptures.

Ibn Abbas explained: "After the death of the righteous, the devil whispered to his people to build statues in places where they used to sit They're doing this. But this does not worship the statue until the coming generations deviated from the true path from life. Then they worship them as their idols. "

Distrust Allah is a big tragedy that not only the loss of freedom, which reached a serious effect and destroy the human mind as well. Allah Almighty created man and his mind with the goals set at the most important achievement is the knowledge that God alone is the Creator and all the rest are slaves. Therefore, disbelief in Allah, or polytheism, will result in the loss of freedom, the destruction of the mind, and the absence of noble goals in life.

Remember, Allah will give punishment to rebellious people in that environment even though there are those who obey, But He (Allah) always gives warning first through his Prophet and Rosul. Now those warnings can be clearly we know through the Holy Qur'an.

Hopefully we do not include people who are rebellious. Amin

The Power of Allah

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"Oh men! Here is set forth a parable? listen to it! On those whom, besides God, ye call, can not create (even) a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! the fly, and if should Snatch away anything from them, they would have no power to release it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those whom they petition!” (Quran 22:73).

Have you studied or at least consider how an insect can flap their wings 1000 times per second?, how a flea can leap (jump) a hundred times his size?, have we noticed a butterfly flying forward while flapping their wings up and down?.

We can take a simple example of one of the animals mentioned in the Holy Quran, "A Fly" to notice the power of Allah which very large and infinite. For any human strength, height and title of any degree of human education, as much as any man possessed of knowledge, and sophisticated technology owned by any man, no one could make a fly with a variety of advantages even though they all join and work together to create the fly. Why?, Because Allah has given limited knowledge to man as a warning to the man himself that has always recognized the unity and power of Allah that they would bow and worship God as the creator of the universe and all creatures in it.

Allah has created all creatures with flawless calculating and without revision or correction. There are no insect including flies that fell due to a tangled wings when it moves it’s wing at high speed and can not be seen by human eyes directly. Are all these animals are able to think to make the leap angle, thrust and speed of flying?, Clearly God (Allah) has given to His creation of organs are equipped with various sensors and a perfect breakfast for a flight, jump, and other activities.

Everything that God created nothing in vain. Among other of God's creation that special is the bees. These insects occupy an important position in the appeal other insects. In the Qur'an: "And thy Lord taught the Bee to the build its cells in hills, on trees, and in (men's) habitations' (Quran 16:68). Bees have given many benefits and enjoyment to mankind. Privilege of honey produced by bees who delivered in the Qur'aan has been scientifically proven. "Then to eat of All the produce (of the earth), and find with skill the Spacious paths of its Lord: there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men: verily in this is a Sign for those who give though "(Qur'an 16:69). In the interpretation of al-Quran, Sayyid Qutb expresses, honey as a healing medicine disease has been scientifically proven by medical experts. This is one proof of the truth of al-Quran verses to believe the human race. There are even alternative medicine is proven to be quite potent with a bee sting.

Honey is also a part of the enjoyment of heaven as a reward for those faithful and devoted as revealed in the Quran "(Here is) a Parable Of The Garden which the righteous are promised: “...in it are rivers of water incorruptible; rivers of milk of which the taste never changes; rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink; and rivers of honey pure and clear. In it there are for them all kinds of fruits; and Grace from their Lord. (Can those in such Bliss) be compared to such as shall dwell forever in the Fire, and be given, to drink, boiling water, so that it cuts up their bowels (to pieces)? "(Quran 47:15).

Hopefully all this information can make people think clearly and positively about the weaknesses of human owned and possessed the power of God's infinite, so we as his creation can be subject to, and recognize the oneness of Allah and to perform all the tasks given by Him as a sign of obedience.

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