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In the name of GOD The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful
ENDEAVOR PEACE:
The humanity in general and all the claimants of legacy of great Patriarch and Prophet ABRAHAM should ‘ENDEAVOUR PEACE’ for the overall benefit of mankind. One of the ways is, sharing knowledge to clear concepts & removing misunderstandings. The books & articles by Aftab Ahmad Khan and collection of selected writings of renowned scholaars, at this web site is an endeavour in this ambiance.
SALAM- PEACE
Every year September 21st is celebrated as international day for PEACE, so scare in 21st Century! It is irony of fate that the very religion wich is rooted in ‘peace’ is labeled as a threat to the world peace. Word ‘ ’ “Salaam” in Arabic, “Shalom in Hebrew and ‘Shel-awm’ in Aramaic literally means "PEACE" and are cognates of each other, derived from the Semitic Triconsonantal of Ś-L-M (realized in Hebrew as Š-L-M and in Arabic as S-L-M). In Greek ‘eirene’ i-ray'-nay means peace. The word ‘ISLAM’, derived from Arabic root ‘S-L-M,’ means 'PEACE' or ‘submission’. There is a very common misconception that ‘Islam’ (or Muslims, the adherents of Islam) are ONLY the people who believe in Qur’an and follow the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), though true in a restricted sense, the word has larger connotation, for God says:“In matters of faith, He has ordained for you that (Din-way of life) which He had enjoined upon Noah - and into which We gave thee [O Muhammad] insight through revelation - as well as that which We had enjoined upon Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus: Steadfastly uphold the [true] faith, and do not break up your unity therein. [And even though] that [unity of faith] to which thou callest them appears oppressive to those who are wont to ascribe to other beings or forces a share in His divinity, God draws unto Himself everyone who is willing, and guides unto Himself everyone who turns unto Him” (Qur’a n;42:13) ”
PEACE THROUGH SELF SURRENDER TO GOD:
In religious context ‘Islam’ means ; ‘Attainment of peace through complete submission to the will of God or his laws’; correspondingly, Islam denotes “self-surrender to God”: “Say: It is only inspired in me that your God is One God. Will ye then surrender (unto Him)!”(Qur’an;21:108); “And who is better in speech than him who prays unto his Lord and does right, and says: Lo! I am of those who surrender (unto Him) [Muslim"].”(Qur’an;41:33). Thus the term Muslim signifies “one who surrenders himself to God”: “..your God is the One and Only God: hence, surrender yourselves un to Him (in Islam)…(Qur’an;22:34). Both these terms are applied in the Qur’an to all who believe in the One God and affirm this belief by an unequivocal acceptance of his revealed messages preached by all the messengers of God: “..He has chosen you and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the creed of your forefather Abraham. He has named you in bygone times as well as in this (Scripture) “those who surrender themselves to God” (Muslims).....(Qur’an;22:78); “Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian but he was true in faith and bowed his will to God’s (which is Islam) and he was not of the idolaters.(Qur’an:3:67); “And who, unless he be weak of mind, would want to abandon Abraham's creed, seeing that We have indeed raised him high in this world, and that, verily, in the life to come he shall be among the righteous? When his Sustainer said to him, "Surrender thyself unto Me!"-he answered, "I have surrendered myself unto [Thee,] the Sustainer of all the worlds." And this very thing did Abraham bequeath unto his children, and [so did] Jacob: when he said: "O my sons! God has chosen for you this way of life (Deen), therefore, die not unless you have surrendered yourself un to Him. “Nay, but you [yourselves, O children of Israel,] bear witness that when death was approaching Jacob, he said unto his sons: "Whom will you worship after I am gone?" They answered: "We will worship thy God, the God of thy forefathers Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac, the One God; and unto Him w1ll we surrender ourselves.”(Qur’an;2:130-133).
The Qur’an has over 6000 verses; out of which hardly 40 verses are about warfare (qital) [less than one percent], while 99% verses are designed to awaken man’s intellectual faculties & guidance to attain ultimate peace and salvation. God says:
“O people of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Now Our Messenger (Muhammad) has come to you to reveal much of what you have concealed from the Holy Books and to pass over much which is no longer necessary. There has come to you from GOD a new Light and a clear Book (Qur’an), with which GOD will guide to the ways of peace all those who seek His good pleasure and bring them out of the depth of darkness into the light of His grace and guide them to the Right Way.”(Qur’an;5:15-16); “Say: "Praise be to GOD and peace be on His servants whom He has chosen to deliver His message. Ask them: " Who is better? GOD or the deities they associate with Him?”(Qur’an;27:59); “If the enemy is inclined towards peace, do make peace with them, and put your trust in GOD. He is the One Who hears all, knows all.”(Qur’an;8:61); “The believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers: And fear Allah that ye may receive Mercy.”(Qur’an;49:10)
ISLAM IN BIBLE:
It is mentioned in Bible: “Moreover I (GOD) will make a ‘Covenant of Peace [shaw-lome, Salaam in Arabic] with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them:…”. (Ezekiel;37:26); “And the work of righteousness shall be ׁ, shaw-lome (peace); and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever” (Isaiah;32:17); “You shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy;4:2, 12:32);“These are the statutes and judgments, which you shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of your fathers gives you to possess, all the days that you live upon the earth” (Deuteronomy;12:1). Obedience to God, His commandments and covenant has also been emphasized at Deuteronomy;13:4 and Exodus;19:5. “Depart from evil, and do good; Seek peace, and pursue it” (Psalms;34:14). Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was the last Hebrew prophet, who was sent by God to preach the implementation of the Law of Moses to the Jews (Mathew;5:17-20), he said; “I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is righteous; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me.”(John;5:30), “Thy will be done” (Mathew;6:10,26:42). Hence Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) like all the other prophets from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Isaac, Ishmael - - - Muhammad (peace be upon them all) being a true Muslim, surrendered to the will of God. The religion from God has always been ‘submission to His will’ (Islam) (Qur’an;3:19). God says; “If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to God) never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost (all spiritual good).”(Qur’an;3:85); “Mankind was once just one nation; later on they became divided through inventing different creeds. If your Lord had not already given His word (specified time for the life of mankind on Earth), the matters in which they differ would have certainly been decided.”(Qur’an;10:19).
COMMON SALUTATIONS AND GREETINGS:
‘Salam & Sholam is frequently used to express greetings, salutation by Hebrews and Muslims. It is evident from the Bible (Genesis;43:23, Exodus;4:18) that the Israelites used to greet as Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is reported to have greeted in Hebrew ‘Sholam alay kum’ (Luke;24:36, John;20:21 & 26), this is similar to the Islamic greeting in Arabic: “Salaamu alai kum”, both meaning ‘Peace be on you’. The word ‘peace’ occures at about 400 places in the Bible (Old Testament:296, New Testament:104). “There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked” (Isaiah;57:21). Jesus said: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God (figuratively– closer to God)” (Matthew; 5:9). While Christians have discarded, the Muslims strictly adhere to this salutation, as God says: “When those who believe in Our revelations, come to you, say ‘Salaamu alai kum’ (Peace be upon you). Your Lord has decreed mercy upon Himself…”(Qura’n;6:54, also emphasized at 24:27, 61 & 37:181). This salutation has a spiritual connotation comprising the concepts of ethical soundness, security from all that is evil and, therefore, freedom from all moral conflict and disquiet by seeking the Mercy of God. The greeting of dwellers of paradise (righteous believers) therein will be: ‘ ’ “Salaam” (Qura’n;10:10, 14:23,19:62). ‘As-Salam’ ‘The Giver of Peace’ is one of the Holy names of GOD (Qur’an;59:23).
CONCEPT OF PEACE & METHODOLOGY BY THE LAST PROPHET (PEACE BE UPON HIM):
The teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his exemplary way of living show that he not only projected the concept of peace, but that he was also able to develop a complete methodology of peaceful activism. The successful revolution he brought about was a practical one based on the ideology of peace. It would not be an overstatement that the Prophet of Islam was the greatest pacifist in history. He exploited peace as an unconquerable force. He is reported to have said; “God grants to peace, what he does not grant o violence”(Sahih Muslim). The study of the life of the Prophet reveal that he discovered peace both as a complete ideology and methodology which were productive of the most effective strategy in all matters. But this aspect of the Prophet was over shadowed by the political history of Islam. Now, if there is to be rediscovery of the Prophet of Islam as he actually was, this veil of politics needs to be removed. Narrated Um Kulthum bint Uqba, that she heard Allah's Apostle saying: "He who makes peace between the people by inventing good information or saying good things, is not a liar."(Sahih Bukhari Hadith No.3.857).During the battle of Badar, Angel came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and said; “God has sent you a message of peace.” On hearing this the, the Prophet of Islam said; “God is peace, peace is from Him and peace returns to Him”(Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah, vol.3, page 267).[Excerpts from ‘The Prophet of Peace by Maulana Waheed-uddin Khan, Tazkeer, Dec 2008’]
CONCLUSION:
Combination of Arabic ‘Salam’, Hebrew ‘Shalom’ and English ‘PEACE’ is being used as a “SYMBOL OF PEACE”, the spirit of Islam, in broader perspective. Hence humanity in general and all claimants of legacy of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) should ‘Endeavour Peace’ for the overall benefit of mankind. One of the ways is, acquiring and sharing knowledge to clear concepts & remove misunderstandings. Aftab Ahmad Khan has made a non commercial endeavor in the form of books.
http://endeavour-peace.page.tl
https://sites.google.com/site/endeavourpeace
http://peace-fourm.blogspot.com
E Mail: endeavour.peace@gmail.com
WHAT IS ISLAM?
WHAT MUSLIMS BELIEVE IN?
[Source: Sheikh Ali Al-Tantawi]
Islam is attainment of ‘peace’ through total surrender to the ‘Will and Commandments of God’. It is the faith preached by all the prophets from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Issac, Jacob, Moses, David, Jesus Christ and lastly by Muhammad(peace be upon them all). It is essential, in order to be accepted in the fold of Islam, that a man/woman declares his faith by pronouncing (Shahadah): “I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah (God) and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Prophet of God." Then he performs the worship, in four forms; daily five times prayers, Charity (Zakat) annually, Fasting (Soum one month in a year), Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca once in life if can afford).The perfect Muslim believes in the basic; principles of the Islamic faith which are:
ü Iman (Faith) in God (ALLAH)
ü The Oneness of God
ü Manifestation of Faith
· The marks of perfect faith are displayed clearly in the actions and behavior of the believer.
· The Islamic law (Shari’a) has ordained that man should first adopt all possible means and methods and should , then pray to Allah for positive results of his efforts.
· Reliance (Tawakkul) does not consist in sitting idle and setting aside the use of all methods and the laws of nature fashioned by Allah.
· The believer’s point of view is that religious ties are stronger than the blood ties and the bond of creed is more vital than the bond of lineage.
ü Faith in the Day of Judgment
ü Faith in Predestination
ü Faith in the Unseen
ü Faith in the Prophets
ü Faith in the Scriptures
More over the Muslims believe in what is stated in the Holy Qur’an regarding the creation of the paradise, earth and man.His behaviour and conduct in everyday life should reflect such a belief. A Muslim will therefore accept and abide by the Holy Qur’an, the authenticity of which he has no doubt. He will not be satisfied with reading it unless he can understand it, nor by reciting it melodiously without grasping its meaning. In fact he adopts it as a book of codes with which he can govern his daily life. He accepts what is declared to be lawful and refrains from what is forbidden. He acts on what it instructs, and abstains from what is not permitted. Other religions may be confined to their respective places of worship. Islam however is not confined to s the mosque. In fact its impact and influence pervades all places— the mosque, the home, the streets and government offices. It is a religion to be observed at times of war as well as peace. Islam is an unalienable factor in the life of every Muslim. He is guided by its teachings on every aspect of life. It informs him of what is lawful and what is forbidden.
All actions of a Muslim can be classified under one of the following five categories: Lawful, Recommended, Obligatory, Forbidden and Reprehensible. Whereas other religions may only include forms of worship and may not include politics and acquisition of knowledge that is not the case with Islam. Besides being a religion of worship, Islam also contains a set of civil and criminal codes of law; it includes international law, rules and regulations of administration, principles of ethics and the science of politics. You can open any book on Islamic Jurisprudence and you will find these topics discussed.
Worship in some religions may only take the form of prayer. But Islam includes every action done for the good of the people, with the intention of dedication to God in addition to prayer and fasting. If religion is thought to be separate from the realm of knowledge, then Islam can be described as a religion of learning - because the very first word of Divine Revelation was "Read" (Recite). It did not say, "Fight" nor did it say, "Accumulate money and possessions" or, "Renounce the world". "Read" was the first word revealed in the Holy Qur’an, followed by a discourse on knowledge. The biggest gift God has granted to mankind is the gift of knowledge, knowledge of what man did not know. No other blessing can match it - be it in the form of wealth, physical strength or fame and glory.
It is necessary for every member of an Islamic society, with in his capability to acquire every area of knowledge needed.No other religion on earth except Islam considers the acquisition of knowledge as a religious duty. It therefore exhorts its followers to learn the sciences of chemistry, medicine, aviation, etc. Islam is also the religion of' ‘riches'. God has described wealth as khair - 'good'. But man's attachment to wealth is described as follows: “And violent is he in his love of wealth.”(Qur’an;100:7). Muslims should therefore seek to be rich, but they should acquire their wealth lawfully, and this wealth should not become an obsession. Every Muslim should understand that wealth and everything else in this universe are at his disposal. He may seek to derive good from everything he finds around him. However, he should not become attached to what he finds and seek to glorify himself through it. If he does so, he will become a slave of wealth and consequently he will worship it besides God. God has made wealth as a means of benefit. But if you hoard your wealth, you become a slave and a captive of it, Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says, "miserable is the slave of money."
As for clothes, Islam considers all garments as a means of covering the body to protect it from different weather conditions. But, as with wealth, if you glorify your clothes and hoard them without wearing them, you become their slave. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) says, "Miserable is the person who is obsessed with his clothing." Islam is also a religion of might and splendor but it does not permit cruelty to anybody. It is also a religion of this world and the life hereafter: “Our Lord! Give us good in this world and good in the hereafter.”(Qur’an;2:201). Islam enjoins on its followers to be true to their faith and follow Divine guidance, while, at the same time, being the most advanced, sophisticated, strong, rich and well informed people in the world.
Besides all this, every Muslim should be aware of another duty he should perform: to convey the Message of Islam to others, and to call others to the path of God with wisdom and beautiful preaching. He should not compel or force anyone to accept Islam: “Let there be no compulsion in religion.”(Qur’an;2:256). He should present the salient features of Islam in a way that appeals to both the head and the heart. Muslims should be living examples of the glorious principles of Islam.They should not present a perverted and distorted picture of Islam. The Muslim missionary should be a man or woman of intellectual qualities and one who understands the needs and response, mood and wavelength of those to whom he is talking.
It must be kept in mind that Islam is not afraid of debate on any issue and it does not avoid discussions on intellectual plane. Islam has arguments and proofs for all matters. It also demands proof and argument form its opponents: “Say, "Bring forth your argument if you are telling the truth.”(Qur’an;2:111); “Whoever invokes another god besides Allah - about whose divinity he has no proof thereof..”Qur’an;23:117). It is impossible to give proof against the Oneness of God.
If such Muslim missionaries take up the task, the whole world will accept the religion of God. For God has revealed this religion and He will preserve it: “We have without doubt, sent down the message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption).”(Qur’an;15:9). Islam will continue to exist, the future is for Islam (presently Islam is the fastest growing religion in Europe and North America, women are leading the men). However, it is now up to us Muslims to seek the privilege of spreading the Message of Islam and thus attain reward in this world and in the life hereafter. If we fail to do so God may assign this task to others who will come into the fold of Islam and take up the mission of preaching (dawah). May God the Almighty make us worthy of our religion and grant us success in our task. And may He pardon us and grant mercy to us. In conclusion our prayer is; ‘All praise be to God, Lord of all the Worlds!’
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CONTENTS:
The is site is alternative/standy to the mother site: http://endeavour-peace.page.tl/
Which has follwoing major topics, which may be accesed by cliking here or in the top left coulomn.
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