If we had created ourselves, we would have made it complete, lacked nothing, strong, and did not need the universe's contents. We could then sustain ourselves and our loved ones and eliminate death because preservation is easier than creation.
The point here is that man should look at himself first before he becomes conceited away from the truth. Despite how technology developed around us, we still cannot develop ourselves into mortal creatures or even be independent creatures who don't need food, drink, air, or even not going to the restroom.
Man tries hard to search the whole universe for happiness and continuance in life, although he knows that he cannot travel to the moon without special suits and in special spacecraft for fear of death.
Say, "Be you stones or iron. Or [any] creation of that which is great within your breasts." And they will say, "Who will restore us?" Say, "He who brought you forth the first time." Then they will nod their heads toward you and say, "When is that?" Say, "Perhaps it will be soon"108.
When a father gets a call from the emergency room of a particular hospital telling him that his only son had a terrible accident and his life is in danger, they ask the father to donate part of his body to save his son's life. The father will go quickly, without hesitation, and without doubting the doctor's experience, not even at the efficiency of the equipment, the nurses' competence, or the accuracy of the construction of the hospital building. A father does not go to study organic biology until he has donated part of his body to his son.
If a person is concerned with knowing the source of his existence and the place to which he will return after death with this level of danger, he himself will be saved.
What is the value of this life compared to infinity?
The atheist doesn't know who his Creator is. He doesn't know His mercy. He doesn't know that, in any case, God did not make this world permanent. This world is temporary, and everything in this life is limited by time; when its time finishes, it dies, or it ends.
Neither are the good things of this world everlasting nor the bad things eternal. We are here for a short time, and we are being tested. Those who pass this test will find an unlimited world that is perfect and permanent, and those who fail this test shall see there are consequences for their sins and corruption.
108 (Qur'an. Sura Al-Isra. 17:50-51).
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According to mathematics, any number compared to infinity is zero. So, this life is zero; we live in the zero because if I lived 100 or 90 or 200 years, eventually, I will leave this life. So actually, compared to the eternal life with the Creator, we are here in the zero.
We have to understand the wisdom behind natural disasters and the suffering that the natural disasters bring out the best in some people by displaying elevated human values and charity. The suffering of the righteous comes with promises of a great reward and blessings from God.
Let us say you knew God and believed in His existence; you realized that He is more merciful than your parents, and you acknowledged that God Almighty Has a Paradise that extends over the skies and the earth. Do you prefer losing faith in Him, His mercy, and His everlasting Paradise over this worldly life? Would you choose zero over infinity?
It is not logical to judge a play without continuing it to the end or to reject a book because you did not like the first page.
We either live longer than others and lose what we have (children, money, and parents), or we die before them and leave everything behind.
Although an atheist knows for sure that he may suddenly die anywhere and anytime, when some ask him:
● Where do you come from?
● Where are you going?
● Why are you here?
He still answers:
We came from nothing, and we are nothing, and we will become nothing.
● I do not know.
● I'm not interested.
● Maybe I'll know later.
● I don't care.
Why don't we apply the universe's most straightforward law and the axiom of life to realize the source of our existence: "Nothing comes from nothing"?
Dr. Abdel-Wahab El-Messiri says109: "The world today is experiencing a crisis of forgetting the essence of the matter, so the world stands without a fundamental pillar, which is the reference. Humans lost their memory, and human memory is what makes a person human. Through memory,
109 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dw9Y4awv0Go
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we learn and become history. We know good and evil through memory, and we know truth and falsehood; therefore, we base our lives on this basis and choose between good and evil. If we forgot the essence of life, our lives would be suspended between heaven and earth."
Dr. El -Messiri also says110: "God (the Creator) is the basic foundation for everything, the basic foundation for communication between people, to ensure that the truth is true. If humans forget God - Who is the foundation of the universe - everything ends."
And do not be like those who forgot Allah, so He made them forget themselves. It is they who are ˹truly˺ rebellious111.
The Creator’s Right
During my travels around the world, I noticed that everyone was interested in demanding human rights, animal rights, and women's rights until they ended up with homosexuals' rights, who have nothing but abnormal tendencies that transcend the laws of the universe. Does my inclination to travel and roam, for example, give me a right over the state to support me financially and morally to achieve my desires and tendencies, even if they are natural?
Regardless of the apparent contradiction in human behavior in this regard, they have forgotten the fundamental right, which is the right of the Creator Who created them, formed them, and gave them freedom of choice. They also ignored to claim their right to communicate with the Creator directly.
Say, Come, I will recite what your Lord has prohibited to you. [He commands] that you not associate anything with Him, and to parents, good treatment, and do not kill your children out of poverty; We will provide for you and them. And do not approach immoralities – what is apparent of them and what is concealed. And do not kill the soul which God has forbidden [to be killed] except by [legal] right. This has He instructed you that you may use reason 112.
And do not approach the orphan's property except in a way that is best until he reaches maturity. And give full measure and weight in justice. We do not charge any soul except [with that within] its capacity. And when you testify, be just, even if [it concerns] a near relative. And the covenant of God fulfill. This has He instructed you that you may remember 113.
110 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiECSuQHpQg
111 (Qur’an. Sura Al-Hashir. 59:19).
112 (Qur’an. Sura Al-An'am.6:151).
113 (Qur’an. Sura Al-An'am.6:152).
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Religion is a set of relations, ethics, and values that bind a human with his Creator and the community around him.
First: Concerning the relationship with the Lord of the universe (the Creator).
Second: Concerning organizing human relationships.
The previous God’s commandments stressed preserving rights, especially the Creator's right, by devoting bondage to Him. This point covers the relationship between a human and his Creator. God also commanded that the right of parents remains preserved by being benevolent to them and protecting the rights of children to have a decent life.
He prohibited getting near evil deeds and killing a human soul for no legal right. Also, God commanded us to preserve the money of orphans, be just when weighing, just when talking and acting, and fulfill commitments, primarily the commitment with the Lord of the universe.
These commandments exist in other religions worldwide, but through my conversations with non-Muslims, I surprisingly found out that they remember all commandments except the first one. When I ask them to mention these commandments, they often begin from the third commandment. Their excuse is that they always forget the first and second commandments. The first and second commandments state the importance of worshiping God alone (Monotheism) and staying away from polytheism. This situation is proof that ignoring these commandments is done intentionally through religious scholars and foundations to gain mundane and political benefits.
A Buddhist from Thailand once asked me:The teachings of Buddhism urge a person to be responsible for his actions and act according to his conscience. At the same time, Islam says that a person's actions are preordained since he was in his mother's womb, making the Muslim indifferent, set back, and rely on God.
No misfortune can happen, either in the earth or in yourselves, that was not set down in writing before We brought it into being- that is easy for God114 .
I said: Our deeds are foreknown to God in His Record, but they are not preordained for us against our will. They are only preordained in His Prescience. In the same way, we may foresee in the light of the knowledge of our children's characters that they will make a wrong choice before they actually make it. We did not impose their choice upon them against their will, even though we may have expected that choice. God preordains the intentions and hearts of man; if these are evil,
114 (Qur’an. Sura Al-Hadid.57:22).
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man will come to evil; if good, good will be his fate. Predestination does not contradict freedom of choice, as God predestines us based on His complete knowledge of our choices and intentions.
Man, in his freedom, may act contrary to what satisfies God, but he cannot do anything in contradiction to His Will. God granted us the freedom to transgress against His wishes (we disobey Him), but He gave no one the freedom to transcend His Will. Our experience further affirms this freedom that it is impossible under any pressure to compel the heart to accept anything it does not want to. We can force anyone through threats and force them to stay with us, but no pressure can make them love us. God has safeguarded our hearts from all forms of compulsion and coercion. This is why God judges according to what is in the heart and rewards according to the intention, which is visible to no one but Him.
Man has freedom of choice in relation to what he knows and controls; he is preordained with regard to what he does not know or control. The judgment follows responsibility.
Thus, God will not judge us for our physical appearance, our social status, or tribal affiliations, nor will He punish us for what is beyond our capacity.
Belief in the existence of the Creator is a commitment and responsibility. Faith makes the conscience vigil and urges the believer to hold himself accountable in every minor and major. The believer is responsible for himself, his family, neighbors, and even passersby.
He takes reasons and puts his trust in God. I do not think that these are the characteristics of opium addicts that are stigmatized by believers today. Atheism calls its followers to materialism, marginalizing their relationship with their Creator by rejecting religion, abandoning responsibilities and duties, and urging them to enjoy the moment they live regardless of the consequences. Hence, they do what they like in a state of safety from worldly punishment, believing that there is no divine account. There is no resurrection or judgment.
Human Rights
I remember having an arduous debate with an Arab secular:
where he said: It is the human being who has the right to determine natural rights.
I said: Imagine that you were a guest of someone who owns a massive house with nicely furnished rooms, dining table, kitchen utensils, etc.
The question here: Do you have the right to eat at his dining table, use his kitchen utensils, or break any furniture without his permission?
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Of course, this act will be reprehensible for every sane person because you acted on someone else's property without his permission.
The question now: If the house owner allows you to control the house's assets, do you have the right in this case?
Of course, the answer according to the mind is different here. The mind will answer with acceptance.
But why is the answer different here?
The answer differed because the concept of "right" is completely linked to "ownership."
The wise and just owner (man) is the only one who has the right to control his assets. In addition, the owner is the only one who has the authority to give others the right to manage his property. Without the owner's permission, any act of the home's assets is considered an act reprehensible for sane people. The mind builds on the fact that this universe has a Creator who created it from nothingness, and the attributes of perfection characterize this Creator.
The question here: Does the mind tell us that this universe was created only by this Creator? Or is it also owned by this Creator?
The Creator is also the Owner.
for example: When I make something by myself, people will immediately understand that I am the owner of this invention.
If the mind judges man-made inventions to their inventors with ownership, what about the creation of the universe? In this case, the creation will be greater because God created it from nothingness, so the ownership of the Creator is the Absolute Ownership.
Since the Creator is the Owner of what He created, then the Creator of this world is the only one Who has the authority to establish the rights regarding His property.
We understand from the preceding that rights must be based on what the Creator defines for humans through communicating with them through the Messengers.
An old British once asked me: What is the evidence that the Creator communicated with His creation through the Messengers?
I said: Each human being has a strong instinct to know his/her origin and the reason for their existence. Instincts always drive the human being toward knowing their founder. When someone is born, and he/she doesn't find their parents, they get this intense need to see them as if they were the reason for their existence.
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If a person built a building, then abandoned it without making it appropriate for accommodation, we would undoubtedly judge this person as unwise and unstable, as God is ideal. There must be wisdom behind creating the heavens and the earth and exploiting them for human service.
We understand from this that the declaration of human rights without considering the existence of the Creator is control of others' property. Therefore, it is reprehensible, incomplete, and lacks logical, rational value and wisdom.
From what I read and caught my attention:
In Paris, on the tenth of December 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard that all peoples and nations should work for. (Freedom of expression, the right to education, property ownership, etc.).
These rights seem rational and logical but are mentioned without any clear evidence.
While it is validated according to them in two ways.
The first way is: Alert on their usefulness and impact. For example, it was mentioned in the Human Rights document: "The common people aspire to the emergence of a world in which the individual enjoys the freedom of speech and belief, and to be free from fear and poverty, along with its compatibility with the nature of human beings, their inclination, and their necessity for it.”
The French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one of the theorists of the idea of natural rights, says: "Freedom is a part of the nature of man, and man cannot give up his nature."
But are these methods of deriving a conclusion correct and logical?
What is meant by right? The right is the fixed and active principle, which is abhorrent not to be observed by everyone without exception, such as dealing with justice, fulfilling the covenant, keeping the trust, etc.
Accordingly, the first way to infer rights through the statement of their benefits is not rationally correct. Just because human interests are beneficial to a particular person or group does not mean that it is one of his rights, and others must admit it.
Just because an idea is in my favor does not mean it is correct.
And not just because I have some interests; they should be considered natural rights binding on others.
Concerning the second method, which is inferring rights through their compatibility with the tendency of human beings, here we ask an important question:
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Is mere psychological inclination to something considered a justification for claiming it and considering it a right?
I found during my travels that in some African countries, people tend to urinate in public. Does this tendency give them the right over others to support them and defend their movement?
Is the thief's tendency to steal one of his rights?
The human inclination to a particular idea does not make it correct. Instead, it is always and forever needed to provide rational and logical proof that accurately explains an answer to this question. Why does a person have a right over others that they must respect?
It is not sufficient to answer this question by saying that it corresponds to his nature and inclination, so everyone must observe it.
An American lady once asked me: Why don't you Muslims recognize gay rights?
I told her: Do you recognize the right to practice incest?
She said: No, I do not. This behavior is disgraceful and affects the mental integrity and sanity of the community. I told her:
Why? Are you the one who decides what kind of rights are allowed and affect mental integrity or not?
More than a hundred years ago, the death penalty was the penalty for homosexuality. They reduced the penalty later to a life sentence. The reduction reached a few years in prison until it reached a small fine, then allowed to the extent that it is considered a legitimate and supported right, then defend it and punish those who attack it.
Who would later prevent humans from following the same policy with incest?
I have recently seen a video of a brother and sister claiming their right to establish a marital relationship and officially register their marriage.
We need a stable system that does not succumb to the whims of humans, from the Creator of human beings Himself, who knows their nature and what works for them and what is not.
There are philosophical problems regarding the concept of human rights and natural rights.
What is the concept of a" human being"?
Is it the creature in his mother's womb before birth?
Or is it a newborn child? Is the madman a human? What about the disabled?
Why are rights restricted to human beings only?
For if there is a natural right for every being, then these rights must include the rights of all creatures without exception.
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Animals' rights, insects, plants, and even bacteria and germs, must be considered.
And if we accept that some vegetarians abstain from eating animal meat on the pretext of animal rights, why not demand the right of animals trapped in gardens, insects that are exterminated with pesticides, and even germs that are killed with toothpaste.
Failure to observe these being's rights violates the basic rule on which the theory of "natural rights” was built and is even considered a crime.
The Creator, the owner of this universe, is the one who determines the type of animal we can eat and the animal we cannot eat. What is not helpful is that we must get rid of it, and what is useful is that we must take advantage of it.
So, back to the main question:
Who gave man the right?
Is man the one who gave the right to man?
Where does this right come from? If it is proven that he has no right to establish rights, then what is the alternative?
The religion of Islam established human rights 14 centuries ago:
O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of God is the most righteous among you. God is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware 115.
Religion says that we have to have a direct connection with the Creator.
● There is no god except The Only God, the Creator, and Sustainer of the whole universe and its contents.
● Pray only to Him and no others (not through priests, saints, Idols, etc.).
● Believe and follow the messengers (of that period, including Jesus and Moses). (The messengers prophesied the coming of the last Prophet- Muhammad, and urged their followers to believe in him and follow him if they reach his time).
● Do good and avoid evil.
Equality between human beings is a moral peculiarity. It is not a natural, material, or mental truth. People from a physical, natural, or mental perspective are undoubtedly unequal. Some are tall, and others are short, including white and black. It is only based on the belief in the Creator that humans can claim equality. Human beings are equal only if the man is a creature of God.
115 (Qur’an. Sura Al-Hujurat.49:13).
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God says:
O humanity! Be mindful of your Lord, Who created you from a single soul, and from it, He created its mate, and through both, He spread countless men and women. And be mindful of Allah—in Whose Name you appeal to one another—and ˹honour˺ family ties. Surely Allah is ever Watchful over you116.
Ali Izetbegovic says117:
"Ethics, as a natural phenomenon in human life, cannot be explained rationally, and perhaps this is the first and practical argument of religion.
Either the ethical behavior is meaningless, or it has meaning through faith in the existence of God. There is no third choice. Either we drop morals as a heap of fanaticism or include in the equation a value that we can call "immorality.”
If we include the condition of immortal life, there is a world other than this world, and God exists. The moral behavior of man has meaning and is justified".
What I read and liked to share118:
"When an atheist denies the existence of God because of the existence of evil, he is contradicting himself. Atheists admit that they do not believe in the existence of God, claiming that they believe only in what is material and tangible. Therefore, they deny the unseen world (angels, jinn, heavenly messages, prophets, and miracles). On the other hand, they recognize the substance "nature."
By their admission, nature or matter (environment) is entirely neutral. Nature is not subject to evil's inevitability or the inevitability of good. Let alone be subject to or a source of morality. So, if the man is the son of nature, he is purely materialistic. He who lacks something does not give it to others.
Why was a man not also neutral about good, evil, and morals?
How can an atheist be proud of his morals while nature, by his admission, does not know morals, according to his claim?
The moral concepts that an atheist is proud of are a gift from the Creator, Who the atheist denies His existence, the gift which was planted in us to make us able to receive His message through the messengers.
116 (Qur’an. Sura An-Nisa .4: 1).
117 Between East and West. Ali Izzat Begovic.
118 Healing to what in the chests. Dr. Haytham Tala’at.
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As for the mind, we communicate by it with the unseen world and the material world:
● Metaphysical – an essential part of the mind is abstract – so we understand the heavenly messages.
● Materialistic: To reconstruct it according to the dictates of the heavenly moral message119.
The British atheist "Richard Dawkins" say120:
"Nature is not evil, but unfortunately, it is indifferent. This fact is one of the most difficult lessons for man to comprehend. It is difficult for us to admit that all things are neither good nor evil, neither merciful nor fierce, it is indifferent to all human sufferings, for nature has no Goal."
Some religions explicitly adopt the caste system in terms of religiosity.
The system divides Hindus into rigid hierarchical groups based on their karma (work) and dharma (the Hindi word for religion, but here it means duty). (Brahmins,Kshatriyas,Vaishyas, Shudras).
All the religions of India believe in "karma" (the condition of a man of wealth and poverty depends on the work that he did in his previous life). Therefore, the caste system is adopted by them. Castes are rigid social groups characterized by hereditary transmission of lifestyle, occupation, and social status.
In addition, Judaism is based on ethnicity: The children of Israel (Prophet Jacub) are: "God's Chosen People."
Islam is distinguished from other religions by the absolute equality between the children of Adam.
A Jew once asked me: Did God not say about you in the Qur'an: You were the best nation ever raised for humankind?
Therefore, you believe in ethnicity just like the Jews.
I said to him: This verse was revealed based on God's prior knowledge that Muslims will preserve His message, enjoin good and forbid evil. It is not based on racial discrimination, as the number of Muslims increases daily from all races and nations.
for example: The principal of a particular school can nominate a student from the school for a scholarship and recommend him by saying: He is the best student I have.
This praise and nomination are based on the principal's prior knowledge of the student's excellence and diligence, not on ethnicity. Considering the difference between the Creator's absolute knowledge and limited human knowledge.
119 Healing to what in the chests. Dr. Haytham Tala’at.
120 The River Out of the Garden of Eden. Richard Dawkins.
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You are the best community ever raised for humanity—you encourage good, forbid evil, and believe in Allah. Had the People of the Book believed, it would have been better for them. Some of them are faithful, but most are rebellious 121.
The Messenger of God said in his farewell sermon:
O people, your Lord is one, and your father Adam is one. There is no favor of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab, and neither white skin over black skin nor black skin over white skin, except by righteousness. Have I not delivered the message? 122.
…Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord and that he will indeed reckon your deeds 123.
Truth: What Matches Reality
While traveling around the world, some people's strange use of some terms to identify themselves or others always caught my attention.
I remember facing funny situations because of the housemaid's definition of her friends, cousins, and people from her village as her brothers. One day I jokingly told her: What an enormous number of brothers and sisters you have, you are fit to form a soccer team.
I do not, of course, deny human brotherhood, but the Islamic religion taught me that clarity and putting things straight in their correct positions is the base for a healthy life that is based on the truth that Islam came to establish on earth.
That is because Allah (God the Creator) is the Truth, and that which they call upon other than Him is falsehood, and because God is the Most High, the Grand124 .
Islam came to establish the truth regarding the Creator of the universe first, and then establish the truth regarding the creatures.
Believing in God (the Creator), He has no partner or son. He does not incarnate in any of His creations or any idol. Also, humans need to connect with Him, not through any priest or saint.
Say, 'Tell me about your partners [you ascribe to God] whom you invoke besides God? Show me what [part] of the earth have they created. Do they have any share in the heavens?' Have
121 (Qur’an. Sura Al-Imran. .3:110). 122 (Musnad Aḥmad.Sahih). 123 (Musnad Aḥmad.Sahih).
124 (Qur’an. Sura Al-Hajj.22:62).
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we given them a scripture so that they stand on a manifest proof thereof? Rather the wrongdoers do not promise one another [anything] except delusion125.
The verse here indicates that worshiping someone else apart from God includes claiming that they are deities, while God must be a creator. The proof that He is the Creator is either witnessed by what He created in the universe or by witnessing God's inspiration, Who proved to be the Creator.
So, if this claim does not have evidence from the creation of the universe, nor have proof from the Creator's words, then the claim is necessarily null.
Some Arabs believed that the smart man had two hearts. If one of the Arabs got angry at his wife, he would tell her, " You are like my mother.”
Other Arabs adopted a son from another family and attributed him to themselves as their biological son, similar to what people do in the West nowadays.
So, Almighty God judged all these claims as mere words of the tongue, and it is against the truth.
God did not place two hearts inside any man's body. Nor did He make your wives whom you equate with your mothers, your actual mothers. Nor did He make your adopted sons, your actual sons. These are your words coming out of your mouths. God speaks the truth, and guides to the path126 .
The previous examples show the difference between truth and falsehood, for truth reflects actual knowledge that matches reality, and falsehood is an illusion.
Islam urges to sponsor of an orphan and encourages the sponsor of the orphan to treat the orphan as he treats his children. Still, it preserves the right of the orphan to get to know his biological family, preserve his right to his father's inheritance, and avoid the mixing of lineages.
The story of the Western girl, who accidentally learned after thirty years that she was an adoptive daughter and committed suicide, is the most significant evidence of the corruption of the adoption law. If her adoptive parents had told her the truth from childhood, they would have had mercy on her and allowed her to search for her family.
That is why it was necessary to define each member of society correctly, whether they were brothers, cousins, friends, strangers, etc.
Today, homosexuals are demanding to abolish the so-called language bias. They claim that language contains pronouns that refer to the male differently from females.
125 (Qur’an. Sura Fatir. 35:40).
126 (Qur’an. Sura Al- Ahzab.33:4).
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They prefer to unify pronouns to facilitate their abnormal life matters, which is a violation of the laws of nature.
We, as Muslims, are forced to open the door to discussion to convince the corruptors that the language is not unjust, but has put things in perspective, that God created males and females in this life who have different physiological natures.
Homosexuals demand the unification of pronouns, gender, and identity so that a person finds himself one day not knowing whether he is being treated by a male doctor or a female, or what's the person's identity that's speaking to him, or the gender of the person sitting next to him. So, we find ourselves defending the cosmic constants created by the Creator, which are initially from the axioms.
Justice of Religion
I remember the story of the French language teacher. She was an African from Benin, adjacent to Lagos, where we stayed. After the lecture, I told her that I needed a housemaid who could speak French for my kids, and I could practice the French language with her. I was surprised when she replied: I am ready to work for you!
I told her: You are my teacher, and you have my all respect!
She said: You are very kind, but I need this job. You know that I come from Benin, adjacent to this city, and I need a place to stay. I will clean the house for you in the morning and work in the center in the evening. Also, I noticed that you are very friendly even though your Holy Book (Qur'an) never talked about love, nor even about the love of the Creator to His servants. How can He love them while He tests them and restricts His provision?!
I replied to her: Regarding the place you need to stay, you are welcome with no job and free. We already have an annex for the workers, and you can share the dorms with them. Regarding what you've said about the Qur'an, have you ever read the Qur'an?
She replied: No, but I have heard about it.
I told her: If you read the Qur'an, you will see what is mentioned in it about the mercy and love God has for His servants. But God's love for His servants is different from the love humans have. Love, in humans' case, is a need that the loving person seeks and finds in the beloved, but God does not need us, humans. He is the source of love and generosity, kindness, and mercy. The love comes from the Powerful to the powerless, comes from the Free of need to the needy. The love comes from the
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Competent and Mighty to the helpless, from the Most Great to the humble. The love which comes with sagacity and wisdom.
She asked: How come?
I replied: Wouldn't you bring your child to the operation room to have his/her stomach opened? Wouldn't you fully trust the doctor's insight, his love for your baby, and his consideration to save him/her from the illness?
She replied: How come He loves His creations while He limits their freedom and doesn't permit them to do whatever they like? Have you never heard about individualism? Have you ever heard about this evolving concept, which means that individuals' decisions should be based on their benefits and pleasures?
The individual is the focus of attention, so the individual's interests should be above the nation's considerations and the society's and religion's effects. Besides, people should not be prohibited from gender transition; they should be able to do whatever they like and wear and behave in public the way they want to, as the street is everyone's.
I said: Do you allow your children to do whatever they wish because you love them? Would you let your little son jump out of the window or play with an electric cord?
I also told her: Your statement that the street is everyone's is correct, but your understanding of it is wrong. If you were living with a group of people in the same house, would you ever accept one of the house members to urinate in the hall on the same concept that the house belongs to everyone? Would you ever accept living in this house with no laws and rules to govern it?
A human who has complete freedom becomes an ugly being, as it has been unquestionably proven that the human cannot handle this kind of freedom.
Individualism can never take the place of collectivism regardless of the individual's power or influence. Community members are classes that cannot survive without each other and can never be independent. Some of them are soldiers, doctors, nurses, and judges.
How can any of them outweigh their benefit and personal interest over others to achieve their happiness and be the focus of attention?
She said: How can we achieve happiness then?
I replied: The meaning of happiness in individualism is victory, domination, and the possession of technology. But in Islam, true happiness is a content heart, a successful marriage, a spacious house, a good neighbor, and a comfortable vehicle with sharing and cooperation.
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Although the Islamic Civilization was formed by a mixture of different people and tribes, it produced accountability and reward systems and duties and rights. The person is punished for his crimes, but he is also rewarded in other cases. Islam liberated the individual from his previous prejudices and led him to his pure inner-self to live like an honest, social civil who lives in a community, respects its laws, and appreciates his intellectual potential and ability to coexist beautifully with others.
A nation that aspires to progress and builds a higher goal emerges from the concept of a single identity. Everyone has ideas and capabilities, but applying these ideas requires teamwork, and thus everyone is equal with whatever they present. So, Islam has offered the perfect relationship of the individual with his society.
I proceeded: The individual is only a tiny and integral part of society; this makes a peaceful and secure society. If the balance between classes is disturbed, conflicts will arise, leading to dissatisfaction in society. Money is no longer the highest standard that distinguishes its owner from others, nor the power or leadership of the world is recognized because of money.
The leader in the Islamic government is not evaluated by the money he possesses. Still, by the knowledge, morals, and justice he has, these were the qualities with which they were able to advance and achieve victories one after the other.
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:
The example of the believers regarding mutual love, affection, and fellow-feeling, consists of one body; when any limb of it aches, the whole-body aches, because of sleeplessness and fever 127.
She said: Individuality is directly related to homosexuality, so why do you not like homosexuals? Their tendencies are a natural genetic issue and tendency, and we must respect them. As I know, it is a genuine genetic issue, and we must respect it.
I asked her: Would you respect a thief's tendency to steal? It is an inclination too, but it is an abnormal inclination in both cases. It's against the human instinct and aggression against nature; it should be rectified.
God created humans and guided them on the right path. He also gave him free will to choose between the path of righteousness and the way of evil.
And shown them the two ways ˹of right and wrong˺128?
127 ( Sahih Al-Bukhari).
128 (Qur’an. Sura Al-Balad. 90:10).
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So, we find that homosexuality was rarely seen in the societies which prohibit it. At the same time, the percentage of homosexuals is high in the ambient, which permits and encourages such behavior. The surrounding ambient and teachings determine the probability of one being homosexual129.
God glory be to Him said about the people of Prophet Lot peace be upon him:
And Lot, when he said to his people, "Do you commit lewdness no people anywhere have ever committed before you?" "You lust after men rather than women. You are an excessive people." And his people's only answer was to say, "Expel them from your town; they are purist people"130 .
This verse assures that homosexuality is neither inherited nor relates to genetic code composition, for the people of Prophet Lot were the first to innovate such an obscenity; this is in line with an eminent scientific study that ensures that homosexuality has nothing to do with inherited genes.
The identity of a human being is continually changing. For example, it could vary according to their watched channels, used technologies, or liking for a soccer team, as globalization made them so complicated.
A betrayer is now portrayed as someone with a point of view. A homosexual is described as a normal-behaving person who thoroughly enjoys legal rights that enable them to participate in public debates. Also, it is assumed that we must advocate for them and strengthen ties.
Superiority now is for the technology holder. Hence, if a homosexual has the power sources (technology), he or she will surely pass his convictions; this causes spoilage in the relation of the human being, society, and the Creator.
With a direct correlation between individualism and homosexuality, human nature, to which human beings belong, is dispersed, and the Family's concepts were dropped.
Then, the Westerns started setting up resolutions to get rid of individualism; keeping this perception will undoubtedly cause the loss of modern man's accomplishments. It will cause the failure of the notion of Family.
So, till now, the Westerns have been suffering from a population decrease. This population decrease has led to the attraction of immigrants.
129 https://kaheel7.net/?p=15851
130 (Qur’an. Sura Al-A'raf.7: 80-82).
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Believing in God and respecting the laws created for us, and the determination to follow His instructions and avoid wrong deeds is the way to happiness in the worldly life and the hereafter.
Justice, not Equality
Muslims have recognized the equality between women and men in terms of humanity, along with the innate rights based on religious teachings in talking about the language injustice, and global demands for gender unification, male and female denoting nouns. Muslims as human beings, also oppose this equality in terms of physical and morals.
As realistic individuals, we believe in the existence of physical differences that require the division of labor in a manner consistent with the difference according to creation.
Otherwise, if we look at equality in everything, the result will inevitably deteriorate women's psychological and moral condition. The distinction between men and women elevates women and preserves their dignity.
I remember here a conversation I had with a Buddhist visitor who had asked me, saying: Can a Muslim woman wear short clothes?
I told her: Muslim women are human beings, they are not different from your women, but they are clever, and they can distinguish between rights and duties and give priorities, and strike a balance in applying these terms, which women all over the world have been unable to do.
She said: What do you mean?
I told her: The Muslim woman understood "privacy" well. When she loved her father, brother, son, and husband, she understood that their love had privacy, so her love for her husband and her love for her father or brother required her to give everyone his right. Her father's right, such as respect, for example, is not the same as her son's right, such as care and education, and so on. She understands well when, how, and to whom she displays her adornment, for she does not dress in her encounter with a stranger as she does with a relative and does not appear in the same manner to everyone.
I also said: A Muslim woman is a free woman; she refuses to be captive to the whims of others and fashion. She wears what she sees as appropriate for her, makes her happy, and satisfies her Creator. Can't you see how the western woman has become a captive of fashion?! Suppose style came out this season for women to wear tight pants. In that case, all women will automatically wear them even if the pants aren't suitable for their figure or they aren't comfortable wearing them.
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I told her: Isn’t it scary to you how the woman was turned into a commodity?! There is almost no commercial without a half-naked woman; this gives an indirect message of the deteriorating value of the woman in this age.
The woman sends a message to the world by covering up her beauty. A statement that she is a human with value honored by God. By dealing with her people must judge her according to her knowledge, beliefs, and ideas, not her physical appearance.
In the United States of America, the American (he/she) have to submit their applications free of a personal photo while applying for a job, so that the committee can judge the person according to his/her experience and competence.
I also told her: The Muslim woman has understood human nature and that she needs to cover up her body from strangers to keep herself and society from getting hurt. I don't think you could deny that all women who are used to showing off their bodies wish that all women wear the headcover when they get old.
She said: That's right.
I asked her: Have you read about women's death and distortion rates during plastic surgeries? What do you think forced the woman to go through this suffering? This beauty competition has been imposed upon her instead of an intellectual one. This situation has made her lose her actual value in society and her life.
She said: Well, has Islam given women equality with men?
I told her: The Muslim woman is looking for justice, not equality.
Equality with the man has made her lose much of her power and value.
She said: How is that?
I told her: Suppose you have two sons, one of them is four years old and the other is 12 years old. And you wanted to buy pants for each of them, for equality here is achieved in that you buy them two pants of the same size, which causes the suffering of one of them, but justice is to buy each one of them the appropriate size, and thus happiness is achieved for all.
I told her, continuing: Women are trying at this time to prove that they can do everything that a man does. However, the woman loses her uniqueness and privilege in this case, as God created her to do what a man cannot do.
It has been proven that the pain of pregnancy and childbirth is one of the most severe pains. Religion came to give the woman the required honor as compensation for this fatigue, giving her the right not to bear the responsibility of alimony and work. She does not have to share her private
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money with her husband, as is the West. While God did not give the man the strength to bear the pain of childbirth, he gave him the ability to work hard, for example.
She said: But I like to work hard to prove my worth, and I can do it just like a man.
I said to her: Well, you can work and toil, but in the end, you are the one who will also put the babies, take care of them and nurse them because the man, in any case, cannot do this, and this is a double effort on you, you could have avoided it.
She said: Did Islam give her the right to education?
I told her: Islam made education an obligation and not just a right.
Islam also gave the woman the right to divorce, the freedom to dispose of her money and keep her family name after marriage, and this right is what many women in the world lack.
Many do not know that if a Muslim woman wants to claim her rights through the United Nations and give up her rights in Islam, it will be a loss because she has more rights in Islam. Islam achieves the integration for which men and women were created, which provides happiness for all.
A young German woman asked me about the status of a Muslim woman, and I told her:
A British study that the Starch Center for Scientific Research recently conducted confirmed the classification of Saudi women as the third most beautiful women after Hungarian and Polish women131.
In announcing this result, the study relied on the Saudi girl's tenderness while maintaining an enormous amount of modesty evident in her behavior and her superior ability to interact with fashion without losing any of her modesty. In this regard, all her requests are met. There is always someone who serves her. She has her own allocated money provided by her parents without her having to work, and she gains attention from her family members. This attention remains even after she moves to her husband's house.
The researcher described the Saudi girls, who represent the status of women in Islam, as "queens of the world," proving this by saying, "The queen does not drive the car, but there is someone who takes care of that." The study added that Saudi girls take great care of their beauty, good looks, and grace.
"Christopher Gulayel," who prepared the research, points out that Saudi women are veiled, and the sun cannot affect their skin, which keeps it fresh.
It is noteworthy that this research study came under "The World's Most Beautiful Girls."
131 https://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012%2F04%2F17%2F208336
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Regardless of the adherence of the Saudi girl in particular or the Muslim girl in general to this beautiful image of decency and dignity that the report describes or not, her adherence to the religion's teachings remains the most appropriate choice for her. The Creator knows women's nature and what suits them, exalts their status, or lowers their position.
In addition, I want to add that the Muslim woman also achieved balance in her relationship with her Creator by worshiping Him alone without associating anyone with Him; this means she prays and supplicates directly to him, not through a priest, saint, or any other intermediary.
We find that many nations and civilizations have failed to achieve this balance.
While the nation of Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, raised his status and his mother, Mary, to the point of divinity, the followers of Moses, peace be upon him, refused to recognize Christ as a messenger of God.
The Muslim achieved the required balance. He believed in, respected, and valued Christ by believing his valid message and worshiping God as all previous prophets worshiped Him.
Several news sites recently reported the tragedy of a 31-year-old Australian girl who works as a women's swimwear designer132.
This girl used her so-called freedom by posting pictures of her in a bikini swimsuit.
However, her Instagram photos were met with ridicule and severe attack for her apparent increase in weight, which does not match Western standards for the ideal female figure.
The English Daily Star newspaper published the news under the headline:
A social media activist defied the abusers who demanded her to cover her body by posting her real photos in a bikini, which was described by the abusers as disgusting pictures.
This behavior is a clear message that the West sends to a woman: When we give you the freedom to show your body, we want to see a beautiful sight with specifications and standards that we set for our enjoyment.
The same news made it clear that the Australian girl "Kareena," the heroine of our story, believes that people have a distorted idea of what real women look like, and this is due to the unnatural standards of beauty found on storefronts and in pornographic films.
The British newspaper "The Independent" also recently published about the tragedy of a 27-year-old American girl133. She had an embarrassing experience when she was banned from riding a party
132 Daily Star English news paper. .Influencer defies trolls who tell her to cover up.
133 woman shares ‘embarrassing’ experience being denied entry onto a party bus because of her weight. independent news.
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bus because of her weight. She tells her story, saying that she was deeply offended when she received a message from the party organizers that they had strict appearance standards.
It becomes clear to us now that the racism of the West – claimed to be urbanization- sends an indirect message to women of their low value to the West.
This incident reveals the truth of the myth of the free Western woman. It explains that the freedom of the Western woman is linked to the pleasure of the Western man, who sets it up for women to walk under different names such as fashion, slim body, sexy body, etc.
We can all read about statistics of death and disfigurement rates that occur from plastic surgeries.
What urged the woman to go through all this torment? They forced her to get involved into beauty contests instead of intellectual ones, making her lose her actual value and even her life.
I'll mention here a comment made by a German older adult when I spoke to him about the importance of a woman's veil, where he said:
You want to deprive us men of the pleasure of looking at beautiful women.
I said to him: So you are not calling for a woman's freedom, but for the privilege of accessing her body.
History has not known a nation that honored women and raised their status like the Islamic nation.
Islam: Life and Religion
A questioner from Mexico asked me about the importance of the Muslim woman's head covering.
I told him: The head covering is like what the nuns of your churches wear.
He said: No, the situation is different. Nuns do not marry.
I told him: It's amazing. Can't a woman be religious and married at the same time? It is these ideas that alienate people from religion.
The presence of contradictions in some religious concepts in other religions is one of the reasons that lead to an aversion to religion and drives people towards science alone.
One of the main features that drive people towards religion is its balance and moderation, which are apparent in Islam.
The problem with other religions which have been distorted from the correct religion is that they are either:
● Purely spiritual and call their followers to monasticism and isolation. As it is found in the teachings of Gautama Buddha and the scholars of Christianity and Hinduism today.
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● Totally materialistic.
Which lead to the aversion to religion in general in previous nations. Extremism, fanaticism, and inflexibility are mere features that have been forbidden in the true religion. In various verses, the Qur’an has called for kindness, tolerance in treatment, mercy, and forgiveness.
God said:
So, by mercy from God,[O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude[in speech]and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So, pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon God. Indeed, God loves those who rely[upon Him]134 .
And said:
Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly]guided135.
The fact that everything is permissible is a principle in religion, though there are some enumerated prohibitions that are clearly mentioned in the Holy Qur’an which no one disputes.
God said:
O children of Adam, take your adornment [i.e., wear your clothing]at every mosque, and eat and drink, but be not excessive. Indeed, He likes not those who commit excess, Say,“Who has forbidden the adornment of [i.e., from]God which He has produced for His servants and the good[lawful]things of provision?”Say,“They are for those who believed during the life of this world, exclusively[for them]on the Day of Resurrection.”Thus, do We detail the verses for a people who know, Say, “My Lord has only forbidden immoralities - what is apparent of them and what is concealed - and sin, and oppression without right, and that you associate with God that for which He has not sent down authority, and that you say about God that which you do not know 136.
The religion has considered radicalism and inflexibility without authentic proof as a satanic action that the religion revolts.
God said:
134( Qur’an. Sura Al-Imran.3:159).
135 (Qur’an. Sura Al-Nahl.16:125).
136 (Qur’an. Sura Al-A’raf.7: 31-33).
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O mankind! Eat of that which is lawful and good on the earth, and follow not the footsteps of Satan. Verily, he is to you an open enemy, He (Satan) commands you only what is evil and sinful, and that you should say against God what you know not137.
And said:
Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse in them false desires; and certainly, I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by God. And whoever takes Satan as a protector instead of God, has surely suffered a manifest loss138.
Originally, religion comes to ease a lot of restrictions that people impose on themselves. During pre-Islam ignorance, there were some highly detested practices such as female infanticide, permitting certain types of foods for males while forbidding them on females, and prohibiting females from the inheritance. Also, fornication, drinking alcoholic beverages, eating the money of orphans, eating the dead, usury, etc.
We find as well in some people’s legislation and rules that have been falsely related to religion to force them upon people. This has deviated people from differentiating between the correct religion that meets their innate needs, and the traditions and customs inherited from ancestors, leading people to replace religion with science. The correct religion relieves people's suffering and puts rules and legislation that aims to ease their lives.
God said:
...God intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you…139.
God wishes to lighten (the burden) for you and man was created weak140.
...and do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, God is Most Merciful to you141.
...and do not throw yourselves into destruction, and do good. Truly, God loves the good-doers142.
137 ( Qur’an. Sura Al-Baqara.2:168-169).
138 (Qur’an. Sura An-Nisa. 4:119).
139 (Qur’an. Sura Al- Baqara.2: 185).
140(Qur’an. Sura An-Nisa.4: 28).
141 (Qur’an. Sura An-Nisa.4: 29).
142 (Qur’an. Sura Al- Baqara.2: 195).
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...,who enjoins upon them what is right and prohibits them from what is wrong and makes lawful for them what is good and forbids them from what is evil and relieves them of their burden and the shackles which were upon them,...143.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
Facilitate things to people (concerning religious matters), and do not make it hard for them and give them good tidings and do not make them run away 144.
During the Prophet's time, three men talked about worship, and one of them said: I will offer the prayer throughout the night forever. The other said: I will fast throughout the year. The third said: I will keep away from women and will not marry forever. Prophet Muhammad came to them and said:
Are you the same people who said, so-and-so? By God, I am more submissive to God and more afraid of Him than you; yet I fast and break my fast, I do sleep, and I also marry women. So, he who does not follow my religious tradition is not from me (not one of my followers)145.
And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds146.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to Abdullah Ibn Amr:
O, Abdullah! I have been informed that you fast during the day and offer prayers all night. Abdullah replied: Yes, O Allah's messenger! The Prophet said: Don't do that; fast for a few days and then give it up for a few days, offer prayers and sleep at night, as your body has a right on you, and your wife has a right on you, and your guest has a right on you147.
Islam: An Eternal Civilization
The world's civilization was based on the sciences and culture of Muslims. At the beginning of the Renaissance, Europeans and others transferred everything that fell under their hands of Islamic sciences and knowledge into their languages. There were centers of civilizational radiation, such as Andalusia and Sicily, where Europeans used to receive knowledge at the hands of Arab and Muslim scholars.
143 (Qur’an. Sura Al-A’raf.7:157).
144 (Sahih Al-Bukhari).
145 (Sahih Al-Bukhari).
146(Qur’an. Sura Al-Anbia’.21:107).
147 (Sahih Al-Bukhari).
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