Page 7 The Islamic Bulletin Volume XXV No. 29 How did Muhammad (S) know that the sun, the moon, and the planets are all swimming in an orbit that had been ordered for them? These things were just discovered 25 or 35 years ago. How did Muhammad (S), an uneducated shepherd who was raised in the desert, how could he know something like this? How could he produce something like this? How could a man who never left the Arabian Peninsula, a man who never sailed on a ship, who lived more than 1500 years ago -- make such clear and astounding descriptions that were just recently discovered in this half of the twentieth century? Also, let me mention that the Quran has a hundred and fourteen chapters, over six thousand verses. And there were hundreds of people in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (S) who memorized this book entirely. There are millions of Muslims today who have memorized this entire book. This is the ambition of every Muslim. You’ve never met any Christian that memorized the whole Bible, because you’ve never met a Christian who even knew what the whole Bible consisted of. Because Christians have over 700 denominations, and there are approximately 39 versions of the Bible--with different books and different versions. So how could they memorize what they don’t agree about? I’m not speaking in a condemning manner. I was a Christian. I learned these things by my own investigation. Here are some more facts about the Quran. The Quran has been universally preserved without the slightest alteration of any kind in fifteen centuries. Would you agree that the Quran is profound? Many other non-Muslims came to the same conclusion. People such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Winston Churchill. Whether they accepted Islam openly, or not, they concluded there is no other literature as profound as the Quran. Now let us turn to another subject matter: the basic themes of the Quran. The supreme oneness of Almighty God, which includes His names, His attributes, the relationship between God Almighty and His creation, and how human beings should maintain that relationship. The continuity of prophets and messengers, their lives, their messages, and their overall mission. The insistence upon following the final and universal example of Muhammad (S), the Seal of the Prophets and Messengers. The Quran reminds us of the shortness of this life and calls us toward the hereafter. Life hereafter, meaning after here. After you die and you leave this earth, you are going somewhere; and you are responsible, because you have been told-- even if you have rejected it. Because the object of this life is not for you to read and discover, and after this do nothing and have no effect. You came into this life for a cause and a purpose, and it must have an effect! You cannot live without expecting to die! You cannot die without the expectancy of the grave! And you cannot expect that the grave is the end. The Quran goes to great lengths to expound upon the oceans and rivers, the trees and plants, the birds and insects, the animals, the mountains, the expansion of the heavens, the celestial bodies and the universe. And how could a shepherd boy, born in the desert, expound upon things that he was never exposed to? The most unique aspect of the Quran, however, is that it serves to confirm all the previously revealed scriptures. If, after examining the religion of Islam, you should decide to become a Muslim, you do not have to change your religion! Likewise, with your belief, your honor, your virtue, your love of Jesus Christ, your dedication to Almighty God - you don’t change that! You hold on to that! But, you make alterations where you know that the truth has been revealed to you! Islam is simple: to bear witness that there’s none to be worshiped except Almighty God. Islam is to bear witness that Almighty God is God, the only God, the only One without any partners. Islam is to acknowledge the existence of the Angels who were sent with the duty of revealing the revelations to the prophets. Islam is to acknowledge that all the prophets and messengers of Almighty God were righteous men. And that they were all sent by Almighty God acknowledging the fact that there will be a final day of judgment. Islam is to acknowledge that all good and evil has been predestined by Almighty God. Finally, Islam is to acknowledge that there will be a resurrection after death. The fundamental duties incumbent upon every Muslim are simple. In fact, there are just 5 simple rules, the so-called Five Pillars of Islam: Belief, Worship, Fasting, Alms giving, and Pilgrimage. The most important rule of Islam is to uphold the strict code of monotheism. Not to worship anything along with God. Not to say anything about God that you have no right to say. Not to say, “He has a father, a son, a daughter, a mother, an uncle, an aunt, a board of trustees.” When you bear witness, you sentence yourself to peace and paradise, or you sentence yourself to punishment. So ask yourself, “Do I bear witness that there is only one God?” Then ask yourself the next question. Do I bear witness that Muhammad is a messenger of Almighty God? If you bear witness to that, then you are a Muslim. And you don’t have to change what you were. You just have to make alterations in your thinking and practice. If you are ready to enter Islam and ready to become a Muslim, you must first declare the Shahada, which is the declaration of faith. This testimony is to declare the belief in the Oneness of God and the acceptance of Muhammad as God’s final prophet. Ash-hadu anlaa ilaaha ill-Allah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan rasulu llah “Which means that you believe that there isn’t any God except the one and only true God who created everything “Allah” This is an excerpt from a lecture given by Shaykh Khalid Yasin which resulted in 43 people accepting Islam that evening. (If you would like to become Muslim or need more information on Islam, please email us at info@islamicbulletin.org The audio version and others are also available in several languages in our website at www.islamicbulletin.org. http://www.islamicbulletin.org/services/all_ebooks_p1.aspx#link2 http://www.islamicbulletin.org/services/new_muslims.htm http://www.islamicbulletin.org/services/new_muslims/carla.html
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