Part 1

ISLAM AND HUMANITY'S NEED OF IT
BY
DR. Muhammad Youssef Moussa
 
Part 1
introduction
 Introduction 1
Preface
 Introduction 2
Chapter 1: Islam is the true Religion
Chapter 2: The Need for Islam
Chapter 3: From the charecteristics of Islam
 1- Religious  unity
  2- Political unity
 3- Social unity
 4- Religion of reason and intellect
 5- Religion of instinct and clarity

 6- Religion of Freedom and Equality
 7- Religion of mankind
 8- Religion and the state
 9- Enunciation of man's rights
Part 2
Chapter 1: Muslim Theology (Al-Tawhid or Al-Kalaam)
 1- Its criticism and value
2- Methodology
Part 3
The Oneness of  God and other Qualities of perfection
part 4
The Justice of God, his mercy, promise and threat
Part 5
Chapter 1: Prophecy and mission
Chapter 2: Resurrection and the next life
 The Islamic Legislation (Al-Shari'a)
Part 6
The Islamic legislation
Part 7
The Ends of Islam
Conclusion

STUDIES IN ISLAM
SERIES
ISLAM AND HUMANITY'S NEED OF IT
By: MUHAMMAD YOUSSEF MOUSSA, Ph. D.
Translated and PubLished under the auspices of  THE SUPREME COUNCIL FOR ISLAMIC AFFAIRS MINISTRY OF WAQES, CAIRO
Revised By: Dr. OSMAN AMIN
The translation of the Quranic verses that is cited here are a mere interpretation of the meaning.
Introduction By  MUHAMMAD YOUSSEF MOUSSA, Ph. D.
Preface By Abul Hassan Ali Al Husni Nadawy

Introduction
ISLAM IS THE TRUE RELIGION
THE NEED FOR ISLAM
ITS CHARACTERISTICS
FROM THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ISLAM
ISLAMIC MONOTHEISM GOD’S MERCY AND CLEMENCY

INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION
The first edition of this book appeared in August 1959 and its 5000 copies were sold out in a few months! This was an indication that I had been granted divine aid in writing it and that the book had appeared when it was really needed.

Connected with this book is a strange story, which I did not want to relate in the introduction to the first edition. But I feel that it is now time to tell it, as a lesson to those who understand.

Since I went to France in 1954 to specialize in the study of philosophy at the Faculty of Arts at Paris University, I have been insisting on the necessity of writing a book on Islam that would present all aspects of it - its doctrine, legislation, ethics, morals, perfect institutions, and in fact, all that Islam brought us to be adopted by society, nation and humanity at large to achieve peace, prosperity and happiness for the whole world. I also called for the translation of that book - after its completion - into the widely spoken languages, so that it could he used as an effective instrument in acquainting the Westerners with Islam, as I had noticed during my stay in their countries that they knew hardly anything about this religion.

       For this purpose, I approached some of the former Rectors of Al Azhar as well as some of the responsible officials in certain government departments. But none of those seemed to have been inspired by divine clarity to put. my proposal into execution. It even seemed that those people did not read the applications I had submitted to them to that effect!

    Having lost all hope of getting any help from those people, I said to myself as others said to me: Why should I not write the book myself, so that by writing it according to my own means - I could carry out my duty to propagate Islam, the duty which is incumbent upon every Muslim, and then leave the question of the book's translation and communication to the Western world until God decreed what He willed about it.? And that was what really happened for I did beseech God's help and wrote the book which is placed here before my readers.

The result was such more than I had ever expected or hoped .Demand for the book from Arab and Muslim countries was so great that the first edition, of which thousands of copies had been printed, was out of print in a few months. Then God willed that the book be translated to Western languages, which was the sacred objective I had for long years been yearning for.

Moreover, I came to know a few days ago that an Indian Muslim scholar had begun the translation of the book into Urdu, the language spoken by scores of millions of Indians. One part of the book has already appeared in that language in an Indian magazine of hich I have received a copy. When the translation of the book into Urdu is complete, it will come out in book through the goodness of the Almighty God.

    God willing, the writer hopes to follow this book with others tackling the same subject, namely the exposition of Islam from all its sides, in a correct and scientific way, with a view of overcoming all the arguments giving excuses to people to shun it or disregard some of the tenets, laws and moral values revealed through the last of all the divine Apostles.

    I beseech God to make the book useful and favourable to the balance of its writer at the Last Judgement, when one soul shall be powerless for another soul and when all sovereignty shall be with God.
Muhammad Youssef Moussa

PREFACE
By the well-known scholar, our brother Professor Abul Hassan Ali Al Husny Al Nadawy, who is an eminent Indian scholar and advocate of Islam, Chairman of the Islamic Academy in Lucknow, India, and member of the Arab Academy in Damascus.
 
IN THE NAME OF ALLAH, THE BENEFICENT, the MERCIFUL
The desire to study and understand Islam as a doctrine, law and system has grown and acquired universality among modern cultured Muslims and broadminded non-Muslims. All of them have taken the trouble to read small or medium sized books beautifully and clearly expounding Islam without involving any complication or unnecessary lengthy details. Such books summarize the Islamic culture in a modern style precisely and reliably.

A number of scholars have taken pains to write such books in different languages for the cultured Muslim youths who direfully need them as well as for the non-Muslims whose time and circumstances do not help them to study Islam extensively and intensively.

    Of these books, I remember the "Introduction To Islam", which was recently written by an Indian Muslim scholar.

    Then came "Islam and Humanity's Need of It" by our honourable friend Professor Dr. Muhammad Youssef Moussa. This book is one of the best on this subject I have ever seen. It combines dogmatic theology, history, doctrine, jurisprudence, exposition, teachings, intellect and sentiment.

    The best thing distinguishing it from other books tackling the same subject is its courage, candour, clarity and profound belief that Islam is the eternal religion, which is fit for all ages and places and which meets the need of humanity at any time and everywhere. The book is also distinguished by the intellectual independence characterizing its arches. It contains the gist of long reading and strenuous thinking in its useful studies, and information which is needed by scholars and professors.

    Foremost among the best parts of the book is the fourth chapter on Islamic law, which almost covers the half of it. I believe that eminent scholars cannot do without reading it. The most beautiful part of that chapter is that which is entitled: "The Characteristics and General Bases of Islamic Legislation."

    The author's faith and love of realism prompted him to add to the academic searches constituting the book a separate chapter entitled "The Future of Islamic Legislation" in which he holdly called for the adoption and application of the Islamic law in all Muslim countries.

    I have also admired in this book the author's faith and his dealing at length with the question of the other world, of Paradise and the happiness it provides for humanity. This is a subject evaded by many contemporary writers and merely touched upon by many young scholars, as they find in it strangeness and deviation from both the sentiment and the spirit of the age. It can therefore be taken as a criterion according to which the faith and courage of writers and researchers are judged.

    The writer of these lines may not be in full agreement with all that has been stated in the book, which contains a variety of subjects. The disagreement may be either on some of the thoughts contained in the book or on the way those thoughts were expressed. But this does by no means depreciate the book. It even heightens its value as it indicates that the book was not written in a thoughtless, monotonous style, void of novelty. However, the writer of this preface believes that the book has filled a big gap as regards this subject, that there is dire need of more similar books and that it deserves to be translated into the languages 6f the West as well as of the Islamic East. God is He Who ordaineth success and giveth help.
Abul Hassan Ali Al Husni Al Nadawy
Vice-Chairman, Jamiat-I-Ulama-I-Hind.
Lucknow, India.
21 Dhulhejja 1379.

INTRODUCTION
In the name of Allah, the Merciful,the Beneficent .Praise be to God,TheSustainer of the Worlds. The Merciful, the Beneficent. Lord of the Day of Judgement. Thee (alone) do we worship, and Thee (alone) do we beseech for help. Guide us on the right path,The path of those on whom thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, Not (of) those upon whom is (Thy) wrath and who have gone astray. Amen.

Prayers and peace be unto the most honoured Prophet, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, the last of all God's Apostles, who was sent to announce glad tidings, warn, be a light- giving torch and a mercy for Man after the features of truth had been effaced, media blinded and people gone astray. Through him, the Almighty saved the Arabs, guided the whole universe and immortalised His religion and law to be Man's guidance through all the ages.

This book is a study on "Islam and Humanity's Need of It." In our view, this study should be dealt with by many competent scholars who have been acquainted with conditions of the world before and after Islam and until our present time, thus enabling them to know the causes of glory, dignity and prosperity on the one hand and of perplexity, disorder and anxiety on the other, and the way leading to salvation from the troubles from which our present age is suffering.

In this study, I committed myself to precision and moderation. I resorted neither to unnecessary lengthy details nor to the extreme conciseness likely to cause the loss of part 0f the purpose of the book.

We beseech God to grant us aid, success and guidance.

CHAPTER ONE
ISLAM IS THE TRUE RELIGION
Scholars in both old and modern times have engaged themselves in studying and defining religion. Thus, we now have various definitions close at times and far-removed at others .Religion may mean the social system adopted by a group of people performing certain rites and constantly developing actions, and believing in an absolute spiritual Power superior to all human beings.When this Power is mono- theistic, it is called "Allah"

Some Westerners define religion as the collection of duties which Man has towards God, Society and Man himself.

Others say that it is the lot of beliefs and injunctions which should guide our behaviours with God, people and with ourselves.

In his book "Faiths and Creeds" Al, Shahrastany expresses the opinion that religion is obedience and resignation, and it may mean reward and reckoning .

Al -Tahanwy says in his book "Index of Technical Terms" that religion is a divine institution guiding those who have reason - on their volition - to righteousness in this world and happiness in the hereafter. It can designate the faith of any Prophet, or it may be applied specially to Islam. It is related to God, having been issued by Him, to the Prophet, having been revealed through him, and to the people who adopt it.

If religion is not taken as something revealed from the Almighty God but is considered from the linguistic point of view alone, then it will include both the true and the false creeds, except those which admit neither resurrection nor reward. This is because the Arabic term for religion (din) is derived from the root "dan", meaning "to reward." When the holy Quran says "To you be your religion, to me my religion"The Disbelievers,6 ., it indicates that the word "religion" includes the untrue creeds as well, for it has designated as a religion the pagan belief of the Arabs in the days  of ignorance .But true religion, according to the Islamic law, is that which is revealed from God for the elect among His creatures, for man's guidance along the right path. It includes doctrines and principles on which God's Apostles - prayers and peace be unto them - do not differ. This is evidenced in the Almighty's saying: "To you hath He prescribed the faith which He commanded unto Noah, and which we have revealed to thee, and which we commanded unto Ibrahim and Moses and Jesus saying "observe this faith, and be not divided into sects therein' ". The Consultation ,13 .This means that God has revealed one single religion to Muhammad and the other Prophets.

In the true religion, one must observe one's feeling and the realization of a supreme Power or an absolutely Higher Being, who has created the world and taken care of it and designed its affairs according to His own Will. One must also observe one's feeling of a sentiment inducing to the belief in that Higher Being and the establishment of a close link with Him necessitating His worship through the performance of various rites. In addition to these, the pious must have a strong belief that this Higher Being, Who is God, will reward him in the other world according to his deeds in this life.

Religion with its different definitions is as old as humanity itself. Not a single group of human beings lived in ancient times without having a religion and certain idols to which that group turned by intimidation at times and by inclination at others. Perhaps both intumdation and inclination constitute a characteristic feature distinguishing every religion, right from the earliest times until our present age. It suffices us here to point out the various religions known to humanity during the earliest ages, namely, thousands of years before Christ -in Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, the area between the two rivers, India and her environs, China and her environs, Persia and the other countries of the world.

Man is inquisitive by nature. We may even say that he is innately religious, for we have not seen a single human group living in any age without having its own way of thinking in accounting for the phenomena and events of the universe as well as for the origin and destiny of Man.

Every group has therefore its own view, whether true or false, as regards all those things. It also has its own conception of the Power dominating all those phenomena and events, and thus has fear and reverence of that Power. Such a feeling induces the group to make offerings and perform certain rites in a bid to win the favour and avoid the wrathof that Power. All this is nothing but part of the aspects and forms of religion (1).

It is true that there may be - as it is always found in every age - a minority in one nation or more, caring neither for religion nor for religious issues, and driven in its life by the sweeping current of materialism and the heavy burdens of life, while considering life merely as a game and pastime having nothing to do with religjon. But this does not deny the fact that such a minority never remained without adopting one religion or another. Or at least, there is nothing to indicate that religion came later than Man and human society.

It can fairly be said that Man may have led part of his life, whether short or long, without sciences, arts or industries. But history has never known a human group that lived without a religion.

In this connection, we find that the Twentieth Century Larousse Dictionary says that sentiment, or the religious instinct, is universal and known to all human races. It was observed in its primitive form with the most barbarian people who led a life nearer to the life of animals.

This instinct only weakens, diminishes or fades away completely when civilization becomes excessively luxurious, and this happens among a very limited number of people. The interest in divine and metaphysical aspects is one of the general and universal tendencies, which have steadily and constantly existed in Man.

Thus religion is an instinctive thing in Man, deeply rooted in his nature ."The belief in something or in a certain Being or Power, and the adoption of the religion of that Being or Power is a natural disposition in Man. It is one of the things needed for his soul and dominating him throughout his life. It must therefore be watered and nourished like any other natural matter in him.

If religious feeling is original in Man to such an extent at any time or age, and whatever the degree of his culture and civilization, emanating from his inquisitive soul which always fears the unknown and yet aspires to it, then religions will remain as long as there is humanity, although they may develop in some aspects to match the intellectual and cultural progress achieved by the human groups.

Were the religious instinct not so deeply rooted, it would have been difficult for the Prophets and Messengers of God to convey the divine revelation to those to whom they had been sent; or to be more precise, the confirmation of the revelation in the hearts of those people would have been a very difficult task.

But each one of those Prophets and Messengers of God did not find it his duty to create that religious feeling in the hearts of the people to whom the Almighty God had sent him, because this feeIing is instinctive and innate in Man as we have already known. Each one of them found that people had deviated from the path leading to the true religion and the Deity, Who deserves to be worshiped. The Prophets found some of the people at their time worshipping idols and images while others worshipped stars, planets, trees or animals. Their passion was therefore to guide those people along the right path and to show them the true religion until the belief in the oneness of the Eteriial God Who alone deserves to be worhsipped, obeyed and followed, was invoked in them.

Accordingly, we can state that the propagation of the true religion does not mean the creation of religious inclinations which did not exist before. It only means the direction of those inclinations in the right way, which leads to the true religion. Thus the divine revelation involves mercy to all creatures. It guides the souls which have gone astray, and helps the mind to reach Truth by the shortest and easiest ways.

We are in no need, after all that has been said, to point out the fact that humanity has known many unheavenly religions as it has known the divine religions conveyed through God's Messengers in various ages and different times. Judaism, Christianity and Islam are among those divine religions. But Islam is the last of messages revealed from the Almighty God to His slaves. It is the religion approved of by God for mankind at all times and in all places. Humanity urgently needs Islam.

CHAPTER TWO
THE NEED FOR ISLAM
Man, who is one of the atoms constituting the world, fails, if left to himself, to realize the cause of his existence as much as he fails to understand his goal and all that involves good for him. For this reason, God has not left him helpless, but has provided him with a mind to guide him to what is good and to show him the clear main road. Through this divine instrument, Man has tried to know the universe, his position in it and the object which he should cherish. This has resulted in the formation of the human heritage, prior to the age of prophethoods, with its institutions, views and ideas in religion, sociology, physics and the other fields of knowledge.

But the mind may go astray, and it does too excessively when Man tries to realize what is beyond his ability, particularly with regard to the sublime world and all that is connected with it. Hence came all the metaphysical philosophies left to us by the nations and generations which were deprived of the light of the divine inspiration, in Eastern countries, Greece and elsewhere. These philosophies, as a whole, are nothing but a ridiculous thing to the wholesome mind, as they deify human beings, and even animals and inanimate objects. They make gods jealous and at war with each other for the sake of the trifles of this mortal world .

But God, who is Just and Wise, is aware that man be comes nothing if left to himself and to his own mind, and in order to make man responsible for his deeds as well as for the achievement of the purpose of his existence, it will be just to make for him the right way distinct from error and to separate truth from falsehood. This happened through the elect of His creatures, whom He chose to convey His messages, which came in succession to correspond with the developing mentalities of the people or nation for which those messages were sent.

Thus we have seen religions coming, each in the wake of the one before it, and God's messengers sent one after another. Prior to the mission of the Prophet Muhammad, each religion had a limited number of followers and was confined to a certain period of time. Then Muhammad - prayers and God's peace be upon him - was sent with Islam the religion of all mankind, when absolute necessity made his mission inevitable in order to bring the world out of the darkness, error and falsehood into which it had fallen.

Had it not been for this absolute necessity, Heaven would not have communicated a new message to Earth, as such communication involves a violation of the laws of nature, and it happens only when humanity becomes in urgent and dire need of a new religion.

Surely the world was in dire need of a new religion, after the voice of the previous Messengers of God had become silent and the main features of the divine messages to God's slaves had been lost. This was witnessed in the Arab countries where the sacred House is situated, in Greece - the second homeland of Christianity, in Persia which had Manichaeism, Zoroastrianism and Mozdaism, as well as in many other countries of the world.

1) In Arabia, people worshipped the statues, idols and images which they themselves had hewed out, and they took them for lords beside God. In his book "The History of The Prophet", Ibn Hesham says that any one of those Arabs, who happened to go on a journey, had to take four pieces of stone on his arrival at his destination in order to deify one of them, which he considered the best, and to make of the remaining three porters for his cooking-pot.

Their magnification of idols was such that the dwellers of every house made an idol for their worship. And when any one of them went out on a journey, the last thing he had to do on his departure and the first on his arrival home was to touch the idol with a view of invoking blessings from it !

When the Almighty sent His Prophet Muhammad with the message of Monotheism, the people of Quraish asked surprisedly, to quote the holy Quran:" Maketh he the gods to be one god?- A strange thing forsooth is this!."Sad,5.

2) Apart from Magianism, Persia had the dual religions, whose followers, divided as they were into different sects, were unanimous as regards the saying that there are two gods light and darkness - the one for good while the other is for evil. The followers of those different sects were oblivious of the fact that there is only one God, Who has created the Heavens and the Earth and has ordained the darkness and the light.

Mozdaism was one of those misleading religions which called for absolute nihilism. Its founder Mozdak went on in his nihilism to the extent of "making women and money a public property In the possession of which all people were partners, exactly like water, fire and pasture " (1).

Side by side with this grave error in religion and creed, social injustice reached an unbearable extent in those countries. The Chosroes claimed that there was divine blood in their veins. This made their subjects consider them gods, and thus make offerings to them and suffer intolerable things.

Furthermore, the Persian society was a sectarian one based on ancestral and professional considerations. Every citizen had to be content with his social position and never covet what was above it. Thus the gap between the various sects of that society was impassable and some of its members took others for lords.

And when Al Mughira Ibn Shoaba went to meet the Persian Commander Rustom during the wars between the Muslims and the Persians, he tried to sit on the throne beside Rustom, but the people of the latter forced him to descend. He therefore said the following, according to the narrative of Ibn Garir Al Tabary in his book of history; “ We, the Arabs, are equal. None of us enslaves another except in fighting. I thought you treated your people kindly as we do. Better than this behaviour of yours would be your saying that some of you are the lords of the others and that nobody is to sit beside your lords, so that I could have refrained from doing it. However, I have come here only at your invitation, and I have now learnt that your affairs will be vanished and you will be vanquished because no kingdom can be successful when behaving in such way or having such a mentality."

Because of this, we see the English historian Thomas Arnold stressing that the deterioration of the religious and social conditions of Persia caused the success of the Arab conquest and made it appear in the light of a deliverance for the Persians from their conditions hitherto. When the Muslims achieved their purposes in that way, the Persians could breathe again and they thus welcomed the Arabs" (2).

Arnold's claim that only this caused the victory of the Arabs is a baseless claim in which he followed other orientalists. The real cause, which the author himself mentioned in other places of the same book, is that Islam is the religion of the perfect instinct. Thus it is accepted by the hearts and minds which are inspired by divine clarity. The Muslims fought their enemies wholeheartedly in order to realize one of the two best things. And there is a great difference between those who fight to exalt the Word of God and those who fight to defend a corrupt creed, a furious state and an abominable oppressive social institution!

3- In Greece as well as in the Near Eastern countries Syria and Egypt - Christianity, which was tolerant in origin, was the predominant religion.At first, it preached the worship of the one God alone and it considered the Messiah - peace be unto him - as nothing more than God's Word, Slave and Messenger. But later, it was reduced to a complicated religion impossible to understand.

The Christian Church split into two- an Orthodox in the Eastern Empire and a Catholic in the Western Empire, centered in Rome. This split had far-reaching and dangerous results, as each of the two new Churches constitued a completely independent religion rampant with strong hatred for the other. This was because the split was in principles and basic rules and not merely in minor issues.

Each of the two Churches labelled those who did not adopt its doctrine as dissenters, who must be punished and oppressed. This made people feel that the Christian life was losing its rigorous ideals. They therefore strove to break away from a world which could no longer be tolerated by them. The wastes of Egypt were peopled with solitaries seeking communion with God (3).

Such corruption in creed, split in religion and oppression of those who dissented from the State's official doctrine were obviously to be followed by licentiousness in morals, corruption in administration and oppression in society. However, the rich could evade this oppression by means of their power and money.

These aspects of corruption, of which we have mentioned some, undoubtedly had their influence over the spread of Islam in many parts of the Roman Empire, where Christian people welcomed it as they found in it their salvation from the distress and agony hitherto afflicting them.

In this connection, Thomas Arnold to whom we have already referred, said : "The African and Syrian doctors has substituted obstruse metaphysical dogmas for the religion of Christ.. The people were practically polytheists, worshipping a crowd of martyrs, saints and angels; the upper classes were effeminate and corrupt, the middle classes oppressed by taxation, the slaves without hope for the present or the future. Islam swept away this mass of corruption and superstitions."

"Islam was a revolt against empty theological polemics; It was a masculine protest against the exaltation of celibacy as a crown of piety. It brought out the fundamental dogmas of religion-the unity and greatness of God."(4).

"It showed that God is merciful and righteous and that He claimeth obedience to His will, resignation and faith. It proclaimed the responsibility of man, a future life and a day of judgment."

"It enforced the duties of prayers, amlsgiving, fasting and benevolence. It thrust aside the artificial virtues, the religious frauds and follies, the perverted moral sentiments and the verbal subtleties of theological disputants. It replaced monkishness by manliness. It gave hope to the slave, brotherhood to mankind and recognition to the fundamental facts of human nature."

Now that more than one witness, from the Christian people themselves, have given clear evidence, we believe it has become quite clear that in addition to the oppressive social conditions prevailing over the Christian countries before Islam, the religious conditions, too, needed an urgent salvation to bring people out of darkness into light and of the narrowness of oppression into the ampleness of justice. This salvation was provided in Islam.

Thus, humanity had looked forward for a long time to a new righteous and merciful religion. And this was Islam, the last of all heavenly religions. We are not, therefore, to expect another religion from Heaven nor another Messenger from God, the Wise, the Knowing, as the Prophet Muhammad was the last of the most elect Messengers of God.

What do we therefore wish for the improvement of the world in which we live, after the failure of all the political economic and social institutions and the emergence of philosophies calling for the denial of God's existence; escape from responsibility and deviation from virtuous morals ?

We wish for nothing other than to have this Islamc religion, to have the true belief and understanding of it and to make of ourselves sincere advocates and solicitors, who will devote their lives to its propagation and find great hap piness in that, and who will - in private and public - be good models and pious examples speaking for the magnitude of Islam.

The world is still in ardent need of this religion, as there is no salvation for humanity except in believing in Islam and in following it. It is this religion which enjoins what is right, forbids what is wrong, calls for truth and guides us on the right path.

1) RELIGIOUS UNITY
      Surely Islam is the religion not only of Monotheism but also of Unity. The term "Monotheism" has acquired one sole meaning beyond which it does not go, namely, the dictum that there is one God only, Who has created the Heavens and the Earth and all that is between them, and that everything shall be taken back to Him. This meaning is against the saying that there are two gods or a plurality of gods.

     Hence Islam does not merely call for the belief in the Unity of God, as it is based on "Unity" in everything and matter, and it covers the divine, political, social and all the other spheres of life in this world.

     Islam came when people all over the world were worshipping a diversity or gods. The first thing it did was to all those gods and to declare that there is one God only, Whose is the kingdom of the Heavens and of the Earth. Islam rejects the idea of the plurality of gods conceived by polytheists in general as well as the Persians' notion of the religious duality, which says that there are two gods - one for good and the other for evil  It equally rejects the belief in the trinity adopted by the Christians after their distortion of the Torah and the Gospel.

      The holy Quran stipulates the monotheistic doctrine in many verses. In some of these verses the Almighty says "Say He is God alone."The Purity,1; "It is unto God that the mosques are set apart, call not then on any other therein with God"The Jinn,18 . "And Your God is one god: there is no God but He, the compassionate, the Merciful."The Cow,163, and "Say: Verily, He is one God, and I truly am guiltless of what ye join with Him". The Cattle,19.

      Addressing the Christians who believed not in true Christianity, the Almighty says in other verses: "Say not `Three' (there is a Trinity )- Forbear -it will be better for you." The Women, 171, and "They surely are Infidels who say,`God is the third of three:' for; there is no God but one God."The Table,73.

   What is really strange, but significant of the corruption of the mind and the inability to discriminate between what is right and what is wrong is the fact that although Islam brought the monotheistic doctrine to the polytheists and proved its soundness through reasonable and sentient arguments, yet, the polytheists still said, as stated in the Quran: "Maketh he the gods to be but one god? A strange thing forsooth is this !" Sad,5.

      The polytheists said this while seeing that their alleged gods could neither see, hear, profit them anything, nor create a single fly even if they assembled and worked concertedly for that purpose. But what can be said in the face of the error of the mind, the corruption of the sense and the power of blind imitation?

      Islam did not only proclaim the unity of God, Who alone deserves to be worshipped, but it also proved that it constituted with the other divine religions preceding it one "unity" and one message granted by the Almighty God unto all mankind. These divine religions complement each other in conformity with the law of gradation in education, and all of them aim at one single goal, even if the media leading to that goal differ with time or people.

      Let us hear in this connection what the Almighty says in Surat "Al Shoura" (the Counsel). "To you hath He prescribed the faith which He commanded unto Noah, and which We have revealed to thee, and which We commanded unto Ibrahim and Moses and Jesus, saying "Observe this faith, and be not divided into sects therein." 31.

     He then enjoineth His Apostle to say: "In whatever Books God hath sent down do I believe". The reference here is to the Quran and the rest of the divine Books preceding it.

      Let us also hear the Almighty's Saying in Surat "Al Baqara" (the Cow) "Say ye: We believe in God, and that which hath been sent down to us, and that which hath been sent down to Ibrahim and Ismael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes: and that which hath been given to Moses  and to Jesus, and that which was given to the prophets from their Lord. No difference do we make between any of them: and to God are we resigned (Muslims)." 136.

     Similar to this is the Almighty's Saying near the end of the same sura: "The Apostle believeth in that which hath been sent down from his Lord, as do the faithful also. Each one believeth in God and His angels, and His Books, and His Apostles: we make no distinction between any of His Apostles."285.

     In these verses as in many others dealing with the same subject, there is a sound proof that Islam considers the messages of all Apostles as one "Unity" which cannot be divided, and that he who does not believe in any one of them can by no means be considered a Muslim. It results from this that all people are equal before these religions and rules and also before God, and that there is no discrimination between the followers of this Apostle or of the other one as long as they all believe in the mission of the last of all Prophets and Apostles, best prayers and divine peace be unto all of them.

      Islam never says what was said by the followers of Moses and Jesus - peace be unto them - "None but Jews or Christians shall enter Paradise". It refutes this statement, which discriminates between religions and both their exponents and followers, in compliance with God's saying. "But they who set their face with resignation Godward, and do what is right their reward is with their Lord; no fear shall on them, neither shall they be grieved".

      In an earlier verse, the Almighty says : "Verily, they who believe (Muslims), and they who follow the Jewish religion, and the Christians, and the Sabeites - whoever of these believeth in God and the last day, and doeth that which is right, shall have their reward with their Lord: fear shall not come upon them, neither shall they be grieved".1

      The principle included in these two verses explicitly states the unity in religion as well as in God's messages to His Prophets and Apostles, which was communicated by Islam. It also states the resulting unity in rights and duties as well as in responsibility and reward in this world and in the next one.

     Hence, we see Al Imam Al Shatby points out in his book "Al Muwafaqat" that the Meccan Suras of the holy Quran stipulate laws and rules governing universal issues, which do not concern one particular individual or group, but are rather of interest to everybody, and will remain to be so for ever. No religion differs from another as regards those issues, and it is therefore beneficial to the whole world to follow them at all times and places.

POLITICAL UNITY
      All that we have said relates to the divine religious side. As to the political side, we see the Almighty God granted Islam to the Arabs, who had hitherto been completely disintegrated tribes feeling mutual hatred and engaged in constant warfare against each other. Hence passed what is known in history as "The days of the Arabs", namely their wars in the time of ignorance before the advent of Islam.

      Some of the Arab countries were "Emirates" ruled by Princes while others were partly autonomous though politically they followed either Persia or Greece. Now what did Islam do with those disintegrated tribes and nations?

     The answer is that Islam welded all those forces into a truly united nation under one single ruler, following one unified policy and aiming at one sole goal, namely the propagation of the true religion among all human beings to be their guiding beacon to good in this world as well as in the hereafter.

     Foremost among the things done in this connection by the Prophet Muhammad - God's peace and prayers be upon him - was his elimination of the old feud constantly aflame between the Aws and the Khazraj in the city of Yathrib. The Prophet united these two tribes and constituted of them "Al Ansar" (the helpers), who helped him against his enemies, the polytheists. This fact is well known to all who have read the books dealing with the history of the dawn of Islam.

       And when he migrated to Mediana, he established an atmosphere of brotherhood between the Muhajereen (emigrants) and the Ansar, who became brothers in religion and in all other things, and who fought hand in hand for the cause of God and for His religion which He has chosen for all mankind.

      The political unity effected by Islam and preserved by the Apostle and the believers can be evidenced in the incident in which the first Caliph was elected. When the Prophet died, the Muslims convened at "Saqifat Bani Saada" to choose a successor for him. The Ansar held that it was their right that the Caliph should be elected from among them due to the help they had extended to Islam and its Apostle. But Abu Bakr and all the Muhajereen with him, though they acknowledged the support and feats of the Ansar, nevertheless maintained that the Caliph must be elected from among the Quraishites in pursuance of the Prophet's tradition.

      With that, Al Habab Ibn Al Munzer, who was from the Ansar, proposed the election of two Princes - one from the Ansar and the other from the Muhajereen. But Omar "Al Farouq" (the wise) objected to that proposal saying: "This is far from being possible, as no two Princes can come in one century ! In this way the question was setlled by the election of Abu Bakr.

      Then things went on well during the days of the gIory of Islam, and there was one sole Caliph for the whole Muslim nation, however vast or extensive its state might have been. This helped the maintenance of the political unity of the whole nation.

   For this cause, namely, the cause of preserving the political unity of the nation, Muslim jurists are of the opinion that there must be no two Caliphs for the one nation and that it is duty of all Muslims to fight any one who dares to revolt against the "Imam" of the age with the purpose of claiming unrightly the Caliphate for himself.

     How far this is our present condition in which the Muslim nation is divided into many states to the effect that each of them has one flag, one pulpit and one throne, when we are in ardent need of unity, solidarity and unanimity!

3) SOCIAL UNITY
      If we move from the political side to the social side, we shall find that the social unity inculcated by Islam has attained its zenith and become of such great magnificence that as an example challenging the whole history and all nations.

      In India, for example, which is the homeland of one of the oldest world religions, we see Brahmanism itself discriminating between its followers, by dividing the nation into four castes putting the Brabmans, or monks, on the top and the low class, or the untouchables, in the bottom.

      In order to realize the flagrant oppression and extreme cruelty of this sectionalism, it will be enough to know that Manu who was one of the legislators of this religion, said in the code of laws which bears his name that the Brahman must be respected and regarded with reverence only because of his ancestral relation, that his judgments are authentic by themselves, and that he is entitled to take ownership -when he needs it - of the property of any one belonging to the lower class on the pretext that the slave and all that in his hand are the property of his Master.

     According to this religion, none of the people belonging to this unfortunate class is allowed to learn or have connection with anything dealing with religion, and he who dares to do this will be subjected to severe torture, such as the pouring of fused lead into his ears, the cutting out of his tongue or the tearing into pieces of his body ! 1.

      If Brahmanism has thus discriminated between its followers and has set up society on such an abominable class-system, the Jews and Christians, too, who both belong to heavenly religions, interdicted others from enjoying God's ample mercy when they claimed that they alone were God's sons and beloved and when they said: "None but Jews or christians shall enter Paradise " !The Cow,111.

      The Jews also discriminated in their laws between those who belonged to them and those who were aliens. For example, they strongly prohibited usury among the Israelites, although they made it their lawful profitable trade with non-Israelites, whose treachery was deemed lawful by them. This is because they said: "We are not bound to keep faith with the ignorant (Pagan) folk", when they were aware that they were liars inventing lies concerning God. Another example is that they allow the enslavement of non-Israeli creatures while maintaining that no Israeli should - under any circumstance - enslave another Israeli, but should rather treat him kindly and should assist him in his life. 2

     In the face of these original tyrannical propensities of these peoples, which separate the one nation on the one hand from all mankind on the other, we find Islam explicitly declares with force knowing no bounds the social unity of all people, which necessitates equality in rights and duties without any discrimination between one race and another or between one individual and another.

       Right from the beginning, Islam eliminated the state of arrogance attributed to the former days of ignorance, and outlawed boastfulness in tribe or ancestry, elucidating that the people are from one origin. Its glorious Book says: "O men ! Verily-, We have created you of a male and a female; and We have divided you into peoples and tribes that ye might have knowledge one of another. Truly, the most worthy of honour in the sight of God is he Who feareth Him most".The Women,1. This same meaning is expressed by the Prophet -God's prayers and peace be upon him - in the words: " You all come from Adam, and Adam is of dust. An Arab has no merit over a non-Arab, unless he of greater-piety".

        Thus, there was no distinction on the ground of race, ancestry, wealth, dignity or any of the things used by people as criteria for the assessment of values and bases for distinction

      For this reason, Islam knows no classes established on the basis of race or ancestry for example, nor does it make laws for the Arabs and others for the non-Arabs as was the case with the Greeks and the Romans. In the sight of the Islamic religion, all the Muslims constitute one "unity" and are ruled by one single law with no discrimination between the ruler and the ruled, the noble and the commoner, the rich and the poor.

      We all remember in this connection the attitude of the Prophet - God's prayers and peace be upon him - when Zeid Ibn Haritha interceded for Al Makhzumeyya, who had committed a theft, with a view to saving her from the execution of the legal punishment stipulated for that crime!, namely the cutting off of her hand. The Prophet said: "Do you intercede to withhold one of the ordinances of Allah? By God, should Fatma, the daughter of Muhammad, commit a theft, I would surely cut her hand off".

      There is no discrimination in all this between the Muslims and the non-Muslims staying in Dar El Islam (the Muslim realm) under its banner. On this point, the Prophet says that the non-Muslims are entitled to the rights enjoyed by us and to perform the duties incumbent upon us, although they may if it pleases them - judge their own "personal status" affairs according to their own laws. The Prophet also enjoins us to leave them to their own beliefs.

      Likewise, Islam equalizes those people and the Muslims and makes it the duty of the state to assist the needy among them, whether their need arises out of their disability to work or out of their failure to find work. Omar Ibn El Khattab is reported to have enjoined his officials in a public circular to provide such needy people and their children with their requirements as long as they stayed in Dar El Islam.

       The devotions ordained by Islam have had their strong influence over the consolidation, increase of power and provision of the factors of perpetuality and immortality to this social unity. Prayers are kept up by all at fixed times, fasting is observed by all during one special month, pilgrimage is performed by all those who are able to undertake the journey to it in well-known months and at one single place, and Zakat (poor due) is paid according to one single law applicable to all.

       Relevant to this social side is what has been inculcated by Islam and urged by the ethics relating to or deriving value from it, namely,the necessity of effecting a harmony between body and soul on the one hand and between the outlook on this world and the outlook on the next world on the other.

      Thus Islam, which is the religion of the perfect instinct, has given each of the soul and the body its right. Islam has neither sided with the Epicureans and the rest of the believers in the doctrine of sensual enjoyment in saying that pleasure is the highest good one must covet, nor with the Stoics who maintain that the highest good lies in the restraint of lusts, if not in their eradication, and in the complete rejection of pleasure in general, even including what is good in it.

      Likewise Islam has neither called for the monastic life which the Christians invented and observed not as it ought to have been observed, nor for leaving this world altogether in a bid to obtain the recompense promised to be given to the believers in the next world. The Almighty says in His glorious Book: "Say Who hath prohibited God's goodly raiment, and the healthful viands which He hath provided for his servants? " ! The Heights,32.

      The whole wisdom lies in what has been inculcated by Islam on that question. Its adoption protects society from going to excess in lusts, luxury and pIeasure, or following restraint and privation. It will suffice us to point here to the fact that only a few generations after the advent of Christianity, which came with excessive monasticism and utter rejection of this world along with all its bounties, human will become so weak that they could no longer tolerat it, to quote El Sheikh Muhammad Abdou 3. And it became beyond people's power to adhere to its ordinances or follow its teachings.

       Priests themselves rose ot vie with Kings in the acquisition of power and to compete with the secular people in the accumulation of money. The majority of them deviated from the genuine teachings of the religion through capricious interpretation and the making of false accretions or deletions as it pleased them.

RELIGION OF REASON AND INTELLECT
      Undoubtedly Islam is the religion of reason and intellect. This is testified by the holy Quran, which extols reason in a great number of verses, as well as by many sayings of the great Prophet. The doctrines enunciated by it and the rules and principles on which it is based also indicate this fact.

      How great is the number of Quranic verses which strongly urge the discardment of the imitation of ancestors, fathers and the like Chiefs ! In Surat " Loqman ", the Almighty blames those who dispute of God and of that which was brought by the truthful and faithful Apostle about Him,not with knowledge, guidance or illuminating Book, but only in rigid adherence to what was followed by their ancestors. This is expressed by the Almighty's sayings: "But some are there who dispute of God without knowledge, and have no guidance and no illuminating Book" and "And when it is said to them, follow ye what God hath sent down', they say, `Nay, that religion in which we found our fathers will we follow".

      Again, in Surat Al Baqara,170, He says: " What ! though their fathers were utterly ignorant and devoid of guidance?". The meaning on this verse is: should they follow their fathers even if those fathers could understand nothing or be guided to truth ?

     How great is the number of the people, who were prevented from believing in the Truth revealed through either of God's Apostles by the rigidity they had inherited from their fathers and grandfathers or by their imitation of them ! Such people are reported to have said as stated in Surat "Al Zukhruf" ,(The Ornament of Gold) ,22: "Verily, we found our fathers of that persuasion, and verily, by their footsteps do we guide ourselves "!

      For this the Almighty God says after that verse "`And thus never before thy time did we send a warner to any city but its wealthy ones said: `Verily we found our fathers with a religion, and in their tracks we treated'. Say, such was Our command to that apostle - `What ! even if I bring you a religion more right than that ye found your fathers following?'. And they said, `Verily we believe not in your message"!

       As God finds fault with imitation and blames imitators in that way in His holy Book. He also enjoins us in many verses to resort to reason, observation and intellect, so that we can reach Truth and genuine faith in the One and only Creator and in all that was brought by His chosen Apostle.

      Let us now listen to the Almighty's saying in Surat "Al Baqara",164 :" Assuredly in the creation of Heavens and of the Earth; and in the alternation of night and day; and in the ships which pass through the sea with what is useful to man; and in the rain which God sendeth down from Heaven, giving life by it to the earth after its death, and by scattering over it all kinds of cattle; and in the change of the winds, and in the clouds that are made to do service between the Heaven and the Earth; - are signs for those who understand".

      In addition to this verse - which emphasizes the importance of observation and rational discernment for the attainment of faith in the only one God, Who has created the world from nothingness and who arranges and governs its affairs as He pleases - we find many other verses concluded with the significant clause : "That ye may understand", "That ye may take warning", "That ye may be guided aright", For a people of discernment", "For those who reflect" and "For those who understand".

     If Islam did urge people so much in its first holy Book to observe the universe with its phenomena and manifestations and to use their faculties of discernment and intellect in contemplating all that surrounds man and all the world's creatures and things created by the Almighty God, it did this only because it wants us to go in quest of knowledge, using every means, and following every way, so that we can understand the universe with all its laws and orders to our best advantage. In this way, we can become real believers and can lead happy and prosperous lives.

     Thus, we find God, the Knowing, the Wise, enjoins His Apostle to say: "O my Lord, increase knowledge unto me"Taha 114,and "Shall they who have knowledge and they who have it not, be treated alike? ".The Groups,9. We also listen in Surat Al Baqara,269 the Almighty saying: "He giveth wisdom to whom He will; and he to whom wisdom is given, hath had much good given him; but none will bear it in mind, except the wise of heart ".

       In addition to these Quranic verses, we also hear the Prophet - God's prayers and peace be unto him - says "`the acquisition of knowledge is a duty incumbent on every Muslim, male or female", and "The ink of the scholar is more holy than the blood of the martyr".

      More details about the argument that Islam is the religion of reason, intellect and learning may come in another place of this book. It will therefore suffice us here to say that Islam has carried out its mission as best as it could in connection with reason and learning and that Arab- Muslim knowledge was foremost among the strongest causes of Europe's Renaissance in the Middle Ages.

       Much of the knowledge, discoveries and inventions achieved by Muslim scientists in the various fields of science and knowledge - particularly in physics, chemistry, astronomy, pharmacology, medicine and surgery - is still the subject of admiration and pride throughout the ages. These achievements have until today been fully apprciated by Western scientists.

5) RELIGION OF INSTINCT AND CLARITY
In addition to all that we have said, Islam is also distinguished by its being the religion of instinct and clarity - the instinct which is perfect and genuine and the clarity which does not make the mind fatigued or unable to understand or realize any of the things brought by it. And through these, Islam addresses the mind, the heart and the intuition altogether.

It suffices us in this connection to point out that Islam, from the doctrinal side, enjoins us only to worship the one God, who has not begotten a son nor has a partner in the Kingdom. It rejects the notion purporting that there are two gods quarrelling with each other, which was enunciated by dualism, whose advocates claim that life is a perpetual struggle between the god of good and that of evil.

Islam contains none of the Christian mysteries 1, which none of the Christian priests themselves can realize or understand in a correct and rational way, to the extent that they ask their followers to believe in those mysteries without attempting to understand them. How far this is from being possible! The idea of "mediation" between God and His slaves in Christianity is not acceptable to the mind, which finds no need and knows no object of it. There can be no meaning in the mediation of a priest between God and any one of the people, since God knows the nature of every person and there is no screen between Him and any of His creatures.

Islam therefore believes that any creature can turn directly towards God and can make his request without any mediation from any of the men of religion. On this, the Almighty says: "And when My servants ask thee concerning Me, then will I be nigh unto them. I will answer the cry of him that crieth, when he crieth unto Me". The Cow,186.

Similar to the idea of mediation is the notion that man came to this life while being overloaded with the "original sin", from which there could be no escape for him. This notion is also enunciated by Christianity, and we know it from its books, which are available to us. Christians mean by this notion that man is born while bearing the burden of the sin which was committed by his great grand-father, Adam - peace be unto him- when he transgressed his God's command and ate from the tree forbidden to him by his Lord.

 Thus they hold man responsible for a crime which he has never committed and they make him spend all his life suffering from the heavy burdens of that alleged sin. Then they ask him to believe in the doctrine of "crucifixion and atonement", according to which the "Messiah - god" is said to have been crucified to atone for the effects of the first "sin" on mankind !

 But how could it be possible for any sane mind to believe that "God", as they alleged, could be overpowered and crucified by His enemy while He was imploring help and getting no rescuer !

     On the other hand, the Quran, which is the Holy Book of the Muslims, says about Adam-peace be unto him "And Adam disobeyed his Lord and went astray. Afterwards his Lord chose him for himself, and was turned towards him, and guided him."Taha,121 and 122. It also enunciates that nothing shall be reckoned to a man but that for which he has made efforts, and that the burdened soul shall not bear the burden of another.

 It further enunciates that man is born completely innocent, that whosoever shall have wrought an atom's weight of good shall behold it and that whosoever shall have wrought an atom's weight of evil shall behold it, and that the Almighty God is Strong and Mighty, so that nobody can affect Him.

Finally, man can become a Muslim merely by believing in the one only God, who has no partner from among His creatures, as well as in all God's apostles without making any discrimination between them. Obviously nothing is simpler or clearer than this. Also nothing prevents the ordinary mind from accepting these principles and the rest of the principles on which Islam is based !

 But, all Muslims - with the exception of a few, whose dissension is not worthy of any consideration-unanimously agree on giving preference to right discernment over the apparent meaning of the Muslim laws as communicated in the written text, when there is contradiction between the two, while admitting the truth of the communicated text leaving what is intended of it to God, the Knowing, the Wise, or interpreting it according to the rules of the language in which the text is written and in conformity with what has been proved by discernment .2

  This agrees with the conclusions reached by Al Imam Al Ghazali in his book "Maarij Al Quds" (The Ascents of Jerusalem) that discernment is like the foundations of a building while "Al Sharia" (the Muslim law) is like the construction work in that building, and that both supplement each other and are useless if taken independently.

 We may conclude our study of this point by mentioning that thanks to the fact that Islam is the religion of perfect instinct and that all its doctrines and devotions are rational, clear and easily comprehended, this true religion has never been subjected to any of the violent shocks from which Christianity has greatly suffered because of the difficult doctrines and mysteries it involves, which are beyond the realization of the mind.

     Thanks to this same characteristic, to quote the well- known Italian historian Kitani, it happened that when the news of the sudden emergence of the new divine inspiration came out of the Desert, Christianity - which had hitherto been mingled with deceits and artificialities, torn by internal divisions, stripped of its basic doctrines, and its men overwhelmed by doubts and suspicions - became no longer able to resist the new religion, which managed to dissipate with one stroke all those doubts and to provide humanity with great advantage in addition to its undisputable simple and clear principles. At that time, the East left Christianity and threw itself into the arms of the Arabs' Prophet 3

We may say then that all these things happened in the early years of Islam, thanks to that characteristic which distinguishes it over other religions. Its distinction will continue until the last days of this world, and people every where will always and for ever find Islam the only religion capable of attracting people because of its clarity in addition to its other characteristics.

RELIGION OF FREEDOM AND EQUALITY
     One of the other important characteristics of Islam is that it is also the religion of freedom, with the full meaning and implications of the word as conceived by both the Westerners and the Arabs. The well-known social philosopher Auguste Compte said that the best freedom we can have is by working as best as we can to make the good inclinations in us dominate the bad ones.

     Hemon on the other hand believes that freedom is man's self-restraint, which is achieved through the work of the operating mind and the will against lust and caprice.

     Before these two thinkers, the well-known stoic philosopher "Epictetus" said: "He who wants to be a free man must neither fear nor covet anything owned by another person, otherwise he will be definitely a slave".

     In addition to all these we know that freedom also includes the liberation of the mind from deceptions and false traditions, the liberation of the weak from the power and might of the strong, and the liberation of intellect, the will and work, as long as it does not do harm to others or to the public interests.

     These are the meanings worthy to be mentioned for the word "freedom" in both the Western and the Eastern thought. Islam came with the enunciation of this freedom in all its forms.

     It liberated man from the worship of idols and images, which neither sense nor have power over anybody either for good or for evil. It also liberated him from the errors and traditions of the fathers and ancestors, which were far from truth and which disagreed with the right thinking of the wholesome mind.

     In this connection we find Islam strongly lay the blame on those who used to say when they were invited to the true faith: "In this we found our fathers". In that way, those people fettered themselves and their minds by the false creed and misleading thought of their fathers and ancestors oblivious of the right they should have to enjoy the freedom of thought and belief and to follow Truth when guided to it.

   Then, Islam strongly directs our attention to the fact that there is no reason in our taking each others for lords beside God. This is expounded by the Almighty's injunction to His Apostle to say to the people of the Book, who gave a deaf ear to this advocacy : "O people of the Book ! come ye to a just judgment between us and you - That we worship not aught but God, and that we join no other god with Him, and that the one of us take not other for gods, beside God. Then if they turn their backs, Say `Beak ye witness that we are Muslims." The Family of Imran,64.

      On the people of the Book referred to in the above verse, who were Jews and Christians, the Almighty also says "They take their teachers, and their monks, and the Messiah, son of Mary, for Gods beside God, though bidden to worship one God only. There is no God but He ! Far from His glory be that they associate with Him !" The Repentance,13.

       After this, we find Islam liberates the weak from the strong as well as from his power. The Arabs and the other nations before Islam disinherited the weaker element in the family, namely, women and children. They even considered the wife as part of the legacy left by the dead husband.

      Justifying this conduct, the old Arabs said that inheritance was only for "those who could fight and get the booty ". They were therefore extremely surprised when they found the Quran assigning a fixed share in the inheritance for the wife, the daughter and the little son. Thus, the abolition of the habits of the dark age of Arabian history involved the liberation of the weak - whose weakness was either instinctive or on grounds of age - from the oppression of the strong.

      Leaving aside the question of inheritance, we find the strong -in general-  cherished his strength with its different causes, and was impelled by the force of his nature to wrong the weak, to the extent of humiliating and even enslaving him. This phenomenon is evidenced among individuals, groups and nations, in both the ancient and modern times.

     Islam then came as a strong factor for the liberation of the weak from the power, oppression and tyranny of the strong. This is explicitly shown in many Quranic verses, hadiths and in the tradition of the Prophet. - God's peace and prayers be upon him - as well as in his dealing with his companions.

     His first Caliph, Abu Bakr Al Seddiq - may God be gracious to him - is reported to have said in the first speech he gave following his election by the Muslims for the Caliphate: "He who is weak among you is strong in my eyes until I take for him his right, and he who is strong is weak in my eyes until I take that right from him if God Wills."

     In addition to this, we remember the ever-resounding statement "Since when have you enslaved people when they were born freemen by their mothers?". This statement was made by the second Caliph, Omar Ibn Al Khattab, to his Commissioner to Egypt, Amru Ibn Al Ass, when a weak Copt complained to the Caliph against Amru's son for having beaten him. The Caliph summoned the aggressor and punished him for his offence against the weak Egyptian.

     This statement is and will for ever be used as an example of equality between all people without any discrimination between the strong and the poor among them. We may therefore declare that humanity is indebted for the principles of "liberty, fraternity and equality" to Islam and not to the French Revolution as alleged by those who are ignorant of Islam and its history or those who are prejudiced against the religion perfected by the Master of the worlds for all mankind.

        This action by the Caliph, Omar, was not a freak not to be repeated for a second time. Equality between all people and the punishment of the aggressive strong in favour of the wronged weak were foremost among the principles on which Omar's rule was based. And there is no wonder in this since the Quran enjoins it and both the Prophet and his first Caliph exercised it.

     Whenever the wise Caliph Omar sent a Governor or Commissioner to any Muslim nation, he used to say:" O God ! I have sent them neither to take their property nor to beat their bodies. And he who is oppressed by his ruler should owe no allegiance to anyone save myself ".

     In one of his Fridays' sermons he said: "O My Master Take I Thee to witness that I have sent the Governors to their districts to teach people their religion and the traditions of their Prophet, to divide their wealth between them and to act rightly and justly. And if they find any difficulty in that task, they may refer it to me".

      In another sermon he referred to the same subject and said: "And he who is treated otherwise should report to me the wrong done to him, and I swear by Him who holdeth my soul in His hands that I will punish the wrong-doer". With that Amru Ibn Al Ass rose and said: "O Commander of the Faithful ! Do you mean that if any ruler happens to punish one of his subjects to mend him that you will make requital on that ruler?

      "Yes, answered Omar, who added : " I again swear by Him Who holdeth Omar's soul in His hands to punish such a ruler. For how can I refrain from doing so when I saw the Apostle of God making requital on himself?"

      Then, we find that Islam strongly denounces him who yields to his caprice and allows his lusts to dominate his mind, which is the most honoured element in Man. It warns such a person against the grave consequences of that course, which may lead to error and to the torment of the flame.

      Referring to such a person, the Almighty says in Surat "Al Gatheya (The Kneeling),23 : " What thinkest thou? He who hath made a God of his passions, and whom God causeth wilfully to err, and whose ears and whose heart he hath sealed up, and over whose sight He hath placed a veil - who, after his rejection by God, shall guide such a one? Will ye not then be warned?".

      To be truly free, man should not let his caprice, lusts and instincts enslave him, nor should he subject his conduct to anything but his wise discernment. This fact is emphasised by Islam in the Quran and through the sayings of the Apostle, companions and true followers.

      The Prophet, God's peace and prayers be unto him, is reported to have said : " The best mind ever acquired by a person is that which guides that person to the right way and drives him back from danger when he is exposed to it". This means that man is saved from danger if he liberates himself from his caprice and follows the voice of the wholesome mind and the righteous conscience.

      Aly Ibn Abi Taleb - may God be gracious to him - is also quoted to have said: "I fear two things for you: to follow your caprice or to have pretentious expectations, for the first prevents you from reaching Truth, while the second makes you forget the second world ."1

       Foremost among the manifestations showing the interest which Islam takes in the freedom of every creature is that it does not accredit men of religion as mediators between God and His slaves to allow and disallow things or to absolve them of their sins as is the case with Christianity. Islam enables every creature to be in communion with the supreme Creator, to confer in private with Him and to implore forgiveness for his sin from Him, if he is sincere in his repentance, for is He alone Who hears the secret and the private discourse and Who answers the oppressed when they cry to Him and takes their ills and forgives whom He will, as stated in the holy Quran.

      Another manifestation showing the interest taken by Islam in the freedom of Man, from the doctrinal side, is that God sent His Apostle merely as a guide, announcer of good tidings and warner, without empowering him to force anybody to believe in Him or in His message.

  This  is explicitly shown in the Almighty's Saying in Surat "Al Baqara" ,256: "Let there be no compulsion in Religion.. Now is the right way made distinct from error", and in Surat Younes (Jonah)99:    "But if thy Lord had pleased, verily all who are in the earth would have believed together. What ! wilt thou compel men to become believers?"

      Islam's care and appreciation of the liberty of Man is further manifested in the views of the Muslim jurists who say : If a boy, whose parentage is unknown, happened to be the subject of dispute between a Muslim and an infidel, and if the infidel said that the boy was his son while the Muslim said that he was only his slave, then the boy is to be released and be given to the infidel 2, because in that way the boy attains freedom at the moment and Islam later when he grows up and becomes able to understand the evidences proving the existence of the Al- mighty God and the mission of His Apostle who was sent with Islam, the most perfect of all religions.
 
    Now we again return to imitation and its great danger, but from another side, namely, that of jurisprudence and the knowledge of the religious canons. This imitation involves rigidity and interdiction of the mind as well as of its freedom in"Ijtihad" (analogical deduction) when man is prepared for it and is provided with all its necessary tools and when it is enjoined by Islam and urged by the Apostle, who accepted it from his Companions.

      Ijtihad has been one of the important factors contributing to the flexibility and development of Islamic Fiqh" (jurisprudence) and the establishment of the well-known jurisprudential doctrines spread all over the Muslim world today as well as of the other doctrines, which have already faded away and have no longer any followers to support them.

      But very unfortunately and painfully, we have for long centuries been afflicted with rigidity and the imitation of certain doctrines, because it has been alleged that the gate to Ijtihad has for long time been sealed up !

      Those who allege this make it incumbent upon every Muslim to imitate one of the established doctrines, although the expounders themselves of those doctrines prohibited imitation. Their prohibition was declared by Al Imam Abu Hanifa as well as by other leading jurists.

      Al Imam Al Shafei, as narrated by Al Baihaqy, said:
"He who seeks knowledge without argument is like a night wood-cutter carrying a bundle of wood in which there is a snake, which bites him without his realization" 3. Al Imam Ahmad lbn Hanbal is also reported to have said: "Do not imitate me or any of the other Imams - Malek, Al Thawry or Al Awzai - but take knowledge from the sources of their knowledge, namely, the Quran and the tradition of the Prophet.

      Ismail Al Mozani states in the early pages of his "Summary of Jurisprudence" that he epitomises in it the learning of Al Imam Al Shafei in order to simplify it for whoever wanted it, while prohibiting him who reads it from imitating it or any similar work with a view to observe his religion and taking precautions for himself 4.

      Now where is this freedom of thought, which is loved by God and His Apostle and on which the edifice of Islamic jurisprudence and learning - in general - -have been based, in the attempts made by certain people in these days to stop us within the bounds of the established doctrines and to disallow ''Ijtihad" even for those who are fit for it, when we are in dire need for analogical deduction?

RELIGION OF MANKIND
       Islam is the last of all the divine messages sent from heaven to earth, and, as such, it has to be a universal religion for all people. The nature of this message must be of a kind that makes it fit for humanity in every age, generation and time. The personality, character and nature of the prophet must be of the ideal type befitting his being the elect Apostle for all God's slaves so that every person can find in him his ideal and the light which will guide him throughout his life.

     Thus, we find the Almighty God says on His Prophet in the Holy Quran:
" For thou art of a noble nature."The Pen,4. " Hadst thou been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from thee. " The Family of Imran,159,and " Now hath an Apostle come unto you from among yourselves: your iniquities press heavily upon him He is careful over you, and towards the faithful, compassionate and merciful ."The Repentance,128.

    On the nature and extent of his message, the Almighty says:" We have not sent thee otherwise than as mercy unto all creatures ", "And We have sent thee to mankind at large to announce good news and to warn" and "Blessed be He who hath sent down Al Furqan (the illumination) on His servant, that to all creatures he may be a warner".

      The Prophet, may God's prayers and peace be upon him, is enjoined by the Almighty to address all people not only the Arabs, saying: "O men! Verily I am apostle to you all; Whose is the kingdom of the Heavens and of the Earth ! There is no God but He" and "O men ! I am only your open warner".

     Before Islam, the case was quite different. Prophets descending from Israel, for example, directed their calls only to their kinsmen or their countrymen. Thus their calls were confined to Syria, Egypt or Iraq alone.

      It is historically proved that the message of Jesus, peace be unto him, later found someone to carry it to the Romans and non-Romans, or in other words, to take it beyond its first homeland, which marked its revelation through the sons of Israel. Yet, it is also proved that its earlier prophets and advocates never thought of making it a universal message for humanity at large. Their history is a true witness testifying what I am saying.

    I think it is good in this connection to quote the good view on the same point of the scholar, Professor Suliman Al Nadawy, in which he says 1:" The sons of Israel confined the world to them alone and limited it by the boundaries of their states. They even claimed that the Lord of all the worlds was but the God of their nation only and that He was theirs rather than anybody else's.

    For this, we find the calls of the Prophets who descended from Israel, and their scriptures, did not spread among other nations. Both the Mosaic law and the Jewish religion are still confined to the Israelites alone. Their scriptures address non but the Israelites and their God is to be called only by their tribes. Still more, Jesus tended nothing but the straying sheep of the descendants of Israel, and he conveyed his message in their villages and territory and amidst those who belonged to them.

      We may add to this that the Quran emphasizes the fact historically proved that the messages of prophets and apostles before Islam were private. Every apostle was sent to his own people alone. It will suffice us here to mention, as examples, the Almighty's Saying in surat Houd " We sent Noah of old unto his people", "And unto Ad We sent their brother Houd", "And unto Themoud We sent their brother Saleh" and" And We sent to Madian their brother Shoaib."

      He also says, with more generalization, in surat "Al Roum (The Greeks) "We have sent apostles before thee to their people", which means that each apostle was sent to his own people. Again in surat "Al Ra'ad" (Thunder) "And every people hath its guide".

    But the mission of Islam as we said before is the first and last granted by God unto all people, whether they are red or yellow, white or black, Arabs or non-Arabs; for it is the last message from God to the whole world and to all human beings until the end of this life. Being thus, it is natural that it should be general and comprehensive.

      The Prophet sent with that mission was fully aware of  the great difference in that point between him and the Prophets who preceded him. He knew that he was the last of all Prophets and Apostles, as there will be no other Apostle after him until the end of this world. Thus, he said as reported by both Al Imam Al Bukhari and Al Imam Muslim:

        "The likeness of me and of the Prophets preceding me is as the example of a man, who constructed a house perfectly and beautifully, except at one angle where a brick was missing. People who saw that house toured around it appreciating its beauty and expressing the desire to have that brick put in the empty place. So, I am that brick and I am the last of all Prophets."

     The Prophet Muhammad also understood well the great mission entrusted to him by the Almighty God. He therefore spared no effort for its universalisation. We see him seizing opportunity accorded by the conclusion of the Hudaibeya Peace to convey his message to the world then known. He sent letters to the Kings and Heads of State of the neighbouring countries inviting them to Islam, which God has ordained to be His last and universal message to the whole world. Accordingly, Dehya Al Kalby was sent to the Roman Emperor Heraclius, Abdullah Ibn Huzafa Al Sahmy to Chosroes Parvis of Persia, Hateb Ibn Abi Balta'ah to the Egyptian Sovereign Al Muqawqas, Omar Ibn Umayya to the Negus of Abyssinia and Shuga' Ibn Wahab Al Assady to the Syrian King Al Harith Al Ghassany.

    He also sent Amru Ibn Al Ass to the Sovereigns of Oman, Sulait Ibn Amru to the Sovereigns of Al Yamama, Al Ala'a Ibn Al Hadramy to Al Munzir Ibn Sawy Al Abdy - the King of Bahrein and Al Muhajir lbn Abi Umayya Al Makhzurny to Al Harith Ibn Abd Kalal Al Hemiary, the King of Yemen.

    Thus, it is now clear that the Prophet sent ambassadors to the Kings and Commanders of the neighbouring countries to convey to them his comprehensive and universal message, inviting them to Islam and the guidance and light it brought for all mankind 2 .

     It can be said that the school of the Apostle -God's prayers and peace be upon him - was another example of the universality of his mission, as it included disciples and followers of different races and nationalities. There were Abu Bakr, Omar, Osman, Ali, Talha, Al Zuhair and many others from Quraish. There were also Abu Zar of the Gaffar tribe, Abu Horaira of the Yemeni Aws tribe, Abu Moussa Al Ash'ari of another Yemeni tribe, Damad Ibn Tha'alaba of the Qahtanite Uzd tribe, Khubab Ibn Al Art who was the brother of Bani Tamim, and both Munqiz Ibn Haban and Munzir Ibn A'id of Bahrain.

      Furthermore, there were Farwa lbn Ma'an from Syria, Belal from Abyssinia, Suhaib from Greece, Suliman from Persia, Firoz Al Dialmy and others. Hence, we find the Muhammadan school was ready to welcome any comer from any nation, human race or class.

        After all this, The last of all God's Prophets and Apostles - upon whom all peace be - constituted in his great person and most noble character and nature a supreme ideal combining all the ideas of goodness, righteousness and truth characterizing other Prophets.

    He had in him the strictness and resentment against the infidels and the polytheists of Noah, the rebellion and struggle to destroy idols and images characterizing Ibrahim, the inclination to enact the adequate rules and wise laws, which should be adopted by all the believers and which distinguished Moses, and the leniency, forgiveness and love known about Jesus. He used to pray to his God with the words:"O God! Guide my people as they are devoid of knowledge".

     We also find in him the patience of Ayub (Job) under misfortunes and calamities and his gratitude for the favour and strength granted unto him by God alter the trial, the patience of Youssef (Joseph) under temptation and his insistence on calling for the divine Truth revealed to him when he was suffering from the hardships of captivity and the affliction of imprisonment, and the power of Yaacoub (Jacob) to overcome despair even when it reached its highest pitch together with his confidence and trust in God.

    Hence, we find the Apostle combining in his great character and most fine and illustrious history all those ideas. He even excelled his brethren, the Prophets and Apostles who preceded him in each of those ideals. Everyone of his followers and Companions finds in him his ideal, which he eagerly yearns to approach and follow.

      There is no better evidence than this to prove that his mission was universal, that he was the last of all Prophets and Apostles as no other Prophet or Apostle was to come after him, and that his perfectly comprehensive and universal message is a beacon and guiding light for anyone seeking divine guidance anywhere and at any time.

RELIGION AND THE STATE
       Finally, as Islam is the religion of all mankind and as the Wise God willed that it should be the last divine message to the whole world until He inherits the Earth and all that is upon it, this religion has not therefore let its people adopt the laws and rules they like for governing their actions and behaviour in the various spheres of life. It has provided them with the laws and rules necessary for the establishment of the wholesome society everywhere and at anytime with no discrimination between one nation and another .

      This is because Islam is not merely a religious creed or an ethical system. It is a "religion and a state" with all the significance and implications of this term.

       Undoubtedly Islam is a perfect and comprehensive institution. It governs man and his actions in all his conditions,in connection with his own person, his relation with the Almighty God, his place in his family and his various relations with the society in which he lives. It also governs the relations between the Muslim State and all the other countries. Thus it can be said that it organizes all those conditions and relations by introducing the general rules and principles on which they should be based as well as the different regulations, laws and systems governing them.

      Yet, it is also true that the Mosaic religion, too, did introduce a few rules and regulations for the organization of human dealings. But some of them were so severe that they befitted only the severe and harsh-hearted Jews. Then, Islam came and alleviated the severity of those rules, widened those of them which had become narrow and provided those which they lacked.

      Thus, Islam has introduced what is fit to be perfect principles and laws for the establishment of the state on reasonable and acceptable bases, and to meet the needs of any society at any time or age.

     Thanks to all this, the Muslim nation has never been in need of adopting the laws of any other nation, contrary to the case with the Jews and Christians, who were in need of taking their laws from pagan nations like the Romans, due to the absence of the laws suitable for the building up of the nation and the state in their holy Books.

ENUNCIATION OF MAN'S RIGHTS
    It is Muhammad, God's prayers and peace be upon him, who explicitly and strongly proclaimed more than thirteen and a half centuries ago Man's rights to all mankind. This was in compliance with God's Command, because it was God Who sent him to liberate man and be a mercy for all people with a message destined to be universal and eternal throughout the ages and to radiate light and guidance everywhere.

    The Almighty God - Who knows all that is fit for humanity at large and Who is Wise in His enactment of laws, principles and rules - revealed to His great Prophet, who was brought up orphan, poor and illiterate, the Sayings: " Only the faithful are brethren",The Dwellings,9," O men ! verily, We have created you of a male and a female, and We divided you into people and tribes that ye might have knowlege of one another."The Women,1" Truly, the most worthy honour in the sight of God is he who feareth Him most"The Dwellingsw 13, and ''And now have We honoured the children of Adam"The Night Journey ,70. This noble meaning was emphasized by the Apostle who said: "People are as equal as the teeth of a comb." "There is no special merit of an Arab over a non-Arab except by righteousness and piety" and " You are all from Adam and Adam is of dust".

       Thus Islam came with new standards for dignity, honour, merit and noble manners, when we find the Jews and Christians say: Sons are we of God and his beloved". They also want to make God's mercy and good pleasure be confined to them alone. They therefore say: "None but Jews or Christians shall enter Paradise" !

      On the other hand, the Romans claimed that it was quite natural that they should be the rulers of the whole world as other people were but barbarians and servants for them, the Arabs before Islam were of the opinion that it was they alone who were the masters of eloquence, rhetoric and command of words, the Brahmans believed that God had created them from His noblest part and the untouchables from His lowest portions and that there was a great difference between the head and the foot ! Such was the state of affairs before the emergence of Islam with its guiding light over the whole world and all human beings. Merit and distinction were assessed on the ground of race, religion, ancestry, money and the number of children !

      Although Islam enunciated brotherhood among all believers and honoured all human beings irrespective of their difference in race, nationality or colour, it also proclaimed the freedom of creed in compliance with the Almighty's Saying: " There be no compulsion in Religion. Now is the right way made distinct from error." and "But if the Master had pleased, verily all who are in the earth would have believed together. What wilt thou compel men to become believers?"

   The result of this is the respect we know for the creeds of the people of the Book, and the command to treat them kindly, justly and benevolently and to safeguard their freedom to keep up their devotions and rites as long as they stay with us in any Muslim country.

    Likewise, Islam also enunciated the freedom of thought and opinion. The result of this freedom is the emergence of a large number of Islamic views and ideologies in the fields of intellect, knowledge and learning, and even in that of the Islamic doctrines and jurisprudence (Fiqh and Shari'a). Thus, there is no interdiction of the freedom of thought, nor oppression of the thinkers. And if such interdiction happened on very rare occasions, it was made against the rules of Islam.

METHODOLOGY
          The outline of our method in Islamic doctrine will be as follows:
1 -To follow the method used by the Quran and by the Prophet in demonstrating these doctrines through proofs that are to lead to intellectual conviction. They are to be proofs that are to give emotional and intuitive satisfaction while making use at the same time of the discoveries which modern science had made in the wonderful order of the universe. This will render inevitable the belief in the existence of a judicious, all-knowing God who has created the universe and is the organizing principle behind it. Such a belief is both an intellectual and an intuitive necessity which gains the acquiescence of the mind before that of the heart.

2 - To demonstrate the effect of this doctrine despite its multiplicity of versions, in man's soul and in the kind of deeds to which it gives rise. For the value of an all- absorbing doctrine lies in the good work to which it leads, and in the evil and bad deeds it helps man to avoid.

3 - To make a point when -occasion demands- of answering whatever doubt might arise blocking one's way towards the belief in the tenets dictated by religion, and without which a Muslim cannot be so considered. In fact, he cannot be considered a true believer except when his words and deeds emanate from these doctrines.

4 - To circumscribe one's demonstration of these doctrines to concepts which are essential, such as the existence of God, his oneness, his knowledge, will and power; his godly messages and man's need for them; the relation between God and the universe; between God and man and his deeds so that we can decide the degree of man's freedom in choosing his actions; the existence of the other world and what it holds of reward and punishment for man.

    In our research we shall avoid all discursiveness giving it a concentration that is to avoid as much as we can the elaborate arguments of controversialists and of the technicalities of logicians and philosophers.

     In these two chapters of the Quran we read:
    "Say, Consider whatever is in heaven and on earth but signs are of no avail, neither preachers, unto people who will not believe." Yunus , 101.
 
      "Or do they not contemplate the kingdom of heaven and earth, and the things that God has created ? And consider that peradventure it may be that their end draweth nigh ?" Al Araf, 185.

       In these verses we are rightly directed to where man is to look for evidence for the existence of God. Through his senses, mind and thought man is likewise to approach and understand both the animate and the inanimate worlds. Through them ,he is to ponder over the wonders of the creation of the universe and the laws that direct and render exact its motion, and to contemplate the wonderful pattern behind both ,the life of animals and plants with their various species and kinds. It is then that he is convinced that the existence of such phenomena is not incidental but is the result of a deliberate act of creation having behind it an all-powerful, judicious God.

        In this connection we should like to mention the following verses of the Quran in illustration of some of the considerations and  thoughts upon which God advised man to dwell so that he can arrive to a conviction of the existence of God.
     1-"There are signs of the divine powered goodness in the earth, unto men of sound understanding ; and also in your own selves :will ye not therefore consider .?"    The Dispersing 21-22.

     2-"We formerly created man of a finer sort  of clay, afterwards we placed him in the form of a seed in a secure receptacle: afterwards we made the seed- coagulated blood, and we formed the coagulated blood into a piece of flesh; then we formed the piece of flesh into bones; and we clothed those bones with flesh; then we produced the same by another creature. Wherefore blessed be God, the most excellent Creator." The True Believers, 12-14.

   3- "It is God Who hath raised the heavens without visible pillars; and then ascended His throne, and compelled the sun and the moon to perform their services: ,each of the heavenly bodies runneth an appointed course. He ordereth all things. He showeth his signs distinctly, that we may be assured. Ye must meet your master at the last day. It is He who hath stretched forth the earth, and placed therein steadfast mountains, and rivers; and both ordained therein of every fruit two different kinds. He causeth the night to cover the day. Herein are certain signs unto people who consider. And in the earth are tracts of land of different natures, though bordering on each other, and also vineyards, and seeds, and palm-trees springing several from the same root, and singly from distinct roots. They are watered with the same water, yet we render some of them more excellent than others to eat. Herein  are surely signs unto people who understand." The Thunder, 2- 4

     4-"Now in the creation of heaven and earth, and the vicissitudes of night and day, and in the ship which saileth in the sea, laden with what is profitable for mankind, and in the rainwater which God sendeth from heaven, quickening thereby the dead earth, and replenishing the same with all sorts of cattle, and in the change of winds, and the clouds that are compelled to do service between heaven and earth, are signs people of understanding."     The Cow, 164.

       Pondering over these words one is led to conclude that this universe - as well as man - was not created by itself. On the contrary it has a strong power behind it that created it of nothingness, giving it the shape which we see and the order which modern  science has tried to explain.

       In these verses, as in many others there is a strong invitation exacting our intellectual inspection and consideration of the entire universe which we see and know around us. For this is the one way that can lead to a belief in the existence of an all-creative God.

      The basic essence of human life lies in a "seed" from which the human body is created with all its bones, flesh, muscles, nerves and veins. They are all parts, each of which has a function of its own, finally combining with the rest in a wonderful cohesion.

        Who has caused all this to stem from that initial seed, growing into the differently shaped bones, into flesh, nerves and the rest? Who has given man all these organs and faculties, the absence of which decapacitates man, such faculties as reside in the optic and auditory systems, in the organs of smell and taste, in the blood circulatory system, in the mental and sensorial systems and so on?

    All these structures could never have come into existence of themselves, but tell of a highly creative, wise and wilful power. This power is what we designate as God the able, the knowing and the wise, God who has created all and is the best of creators.

      In this connection Imam AI-Ghazali,who is a cornerstone in Islamic studies, has said in the fourth volume of his great book "The Revival of Religious Studies", that if you look at the picture of someone that has been drawn a wall and which has become through the ability of the artist, a close reproduction of the original you will be taken by the skill and artfulness of the painter and by his deftness of hand, all of which are informed by his perfect intuitive power. Your great admiration will not be impaired even when you are made fully aware that the picture is but an artifact made through the use of paint, pencil, hand and wall. Neither will your admiration diminish if you are made aware that a particle of the creative force of these constituent elements does not proceed from the creative ability of the painter but resides in another power. The ultimate perfection of the artist lies in the harmonious unison he creates between paint and background, according to a certain order.

     If we look at the world of plants with its different kinds, fruits and uses. we shall see how,despite the fact that they all live in one and the same environment, receiving the same nourishment, each goes on reproducing its own kind, keeping its characteristics whether of colour, fruit or taste.

     And the same is true of the "seed" out of which man was created. Throughout its stages of development it develops a form that has poise and balance. Its constituent parts have been subdivided into different particles each having by itself a shape which is made to cohere with the rest, all finally creating a perfect form. Thus the very bones that go to build up the human body are made to rest both on its inner and outer aspects, on a network of nerves and veins that are so ordered as to be a means of its nourishment and a source of its existence, till they finally grow into man as we know him, with his faculties of hearing and seeing that develop into his capacity for absorbing knowledge and giving it expression.

     Thus, when one ponders over the wonders embedded in the marvellous and perfect creation of man, one is in the end led to a belief in God who has created man in a perfect form. Indeed, in all his creation God was ever perfection made real.

     The very earth which we see exploited for our own good yields what we need. It serves for us as a resting and sleeping place; we go about in its corners where we want; rain brings life to it after the waste that momentarily seems to envelop it, extracting from it wonderful plants and combining them in a well. harmonized pattern. Two trees which grow in one and the same spot and under the same weather conditions are fed by the same source of nourishment and yet despite that each tree brings forth different fruit in kind, colour and taste. Does not all that point to the hand of a wise, all-powerful creator ?

         Besides, we find around us many signs that point to the existence of God and of his being the creative force giving existence to this wonderful universe with all that it envelops both on earth, heaven and the intermediary world.

      A look at the sequence of night and day that is so harmonized to enable man to have an ordered pattern of work and rest; a look at the clouds that hang between both heaven and earth with the source of life that they contain within them, bestowing it on earth in the form of rain; a look at the air and heat, the indispensable sources of life whether human, vegetable or animal - such considerations will enable us to put our fingers on sharp proofs for the existence of God - the powerful, the willing, the knowing and the provident.

      lbn Rushd, the Spanish philosopher, realized that for one to use the creation of the universe and indeed of existence as such, as proof for the existence of God, one would follow the same method used in the Quran. He also concludes that all that exists is but the work of a power that is perfect in its creation. In his book 1 he has quoted many verses that go to illustrate his opinion; one of these verses is the following :

     "Have we not made the earth for a bed, and the mountains for stakes, to fix the same ? And have we not created you of two sexes; and appointed your sleep for test, and made the night a garment to cover you; and destined the day to the gaining of your livelihood; and built over you seven solid heavens; and placed therein a burning lamp? And do we not send down from the clouds pressing forth rain, water pouring down in abundance, that we may thereby produce corn; and herbs and gardens planted thick with trees?" The Great News,6-16.

       In using these verses as a proof to vindicate the belief in the existence and knowledge of God, and that the universe proceeds from him, Ibn Rushd says that if one considers deeply these verses one will realize how the constituent parts of the universe are so harmonized as to receive human existence.

       For in the beginning God has Himself ordered the beneficial creation of earth in a form that renders convenient and possible our existence upon it. For were it given a size, a form or a position other than its present ones, human life would not have been upon it. All this is illustrated in God's words: "Have We not made the earth for a bed?, and the word 'bed' here gathers with it a harmony in form and position, which is expressed in the peace it creates, added to it a connotation of comfort and softness - all these shades of meaning loaded with this curt statement, a thing that makes one wonder at this compressed yet forceful expression.

    In the words that follow - "and the mountains for stakes " - our attention is directed to the stability that mountains bestow upon earth; if mountains had been less high than they really are, they would have been displaced through forceful wind and water, and would have been shaken by earthquakes, both leading to the inevitable destruction of life upon them.

   Thus the harmony that earth does offer for whatever is to exist upon it has not been haphazardly placed  there, but was created through a fully intending and purposeful power. It is a necessity formed to convene with the will of God and according to the shape that he himself has estimated.

       In the words that follow - "We have made the night a garment to cover you, and destined the day to the gaining of your livelihood " our attention is drawn to the convenient atmosphere that night and day afford to the world both animal and plant. For night protects the earth from the rays of the sun just as clothes protect man's body against its burning heat; it also affords all living creatures sleep that brings them rest, the notion of which is contained in the words ''appointed your sleep for rest" (the Arabic word that is used for `rest` denotes the meaning of cessation and this is to stress complete rest that night offers because of the darkness it brings with it) 2.

     In the words that follow - "and built over you seven solid heavens " - the creation of heaven is referred to as act of building with the harmony that is to exist among its constituent parts and with the purpose for which it has been created, Both connotations are expressed in the epithet `solid`, which is further made to carry the notion of its capacity for continuous and everlasting movement.

     Through all this God points to the harmonious pattern that makes the skies, the planets and their orbits together with their number, form, place and movement cohere with all that which exists on and around earth. So that if any of the celestial bodies stopped for a single moment in its movement, it would, besides bringing to a cessation the whole system, cause disorder to that on earth.

      In the words that follow these - " and placed therein a burning lamp " - he refers us to the special uses that the sun has for all that which exists on earth, for without its light neither could man nor beast make use of the power to see. The capacity that the sun bestows upon man is here singled out because of its most noble uses for man, this of course besides its being indispensable for the life of man, beast and plant.

        In the concluding words of these verses - "And do we not send down from the clouds pressing forth rain, water pouring down in abundance, that we may thereby pro duce corn, and herbs and gardens planted thick with trees?" mention is made of the care that is taken to send down rain at, definite periods and in definite quantities to feed animals and plants; such an order which does not rest on chance, tells of the existence of a high power that looks after the good and earthly existence.

      From all this we conclude that when all existing objects, whether on earth, heaven or in the sphere beneath them, are well considered and pondered over, this points to the existence of a high power that has created that world according  to the wonderful and deliberate pattern upon which it rests.

     Since the creating of these objects _the sky, the earth, plants and animals of several different kinds _ follows upon a stage of existence when none of them was, and since every existing object that has been created out of nothingness tells of a creative power, we consequently conclude that this power must be God, the willing, the wise and the all-knowing.

     Thus the world with the wonderful and the inimitable pattern upon which it rests should be the one convincing proof for the existence of God, who has given it existence. It also should be the correct means which leads whoever succeeds in understanding it to a knowledge of God. -Such an understanding is, however, becoming all the more clear these days.

      There no longer remains any excuse for either those who disbelieve or those who doubt in the existence of God and who used to advance as a pretext for their attitude that they can believe only in things the truth of which can be validated through modern science. For science has along its long stages of development discovered many secrets of the world, thus yielding before the balanced and just view of learned men many proofs as to the existence of the Almighty God.

           In this connection we should like to refer to a valuable book written by Professor C. Morrison, 3 the book which has been translated into Arabic under the title "Science Preaches for Faith", and is worthy of reading. The author ends his introduction to the book by explaining his aim an writing as that of "throwing light upon the great mystery that now surrounds what is not evidently known to us at the moment; such a light may lead us to the statement of the existence of a more universal, sublime mind, in other words, to the existence of the Creator."

      That the purpose which has moved the author to write his book has actually been accomplished is recorded by the translator of the book in the following comment : "I fully admire the noble purpose that lies behind the writing of this book. The author aims to prove the existence of God and His oneness through evidence consolidated by proofs drawn from the materialistic modern sciences. Formerly, atheists (in order to validate their standpoint) used to advance what they thought were scientifically based proofs, to the extent that some were made to think that science and faith are two contradictory opposites - that cannot coexist.

      "Here we have one of the well-known men of science of America and who has been for some time the head of the American Institute of Science, making a clear statement that modern science goes to prove beyond any possible doubt, the existence of God and ends in the belief in His oneness. "

      His book has for its title" Man Does Not Stand Alone" and has gone to demonstrate through different proofs drawn from different branches of science, that God is the creator of the universe, his power being behind all things. It is for this sole reason that I took care to translate the book, hoping that it would spread among the Arabic reading public as it did in America, where it had a great influence in resisting the wave of atheism, thus establishing all the more the power of faith.

       The aim that the author sets out to realize in his book is illustrated by scientific proofs all along the various chapters of the book.  We shall not try to mention these here, but we should only refer to what has been said in connection with man's system of food digestion. The book states that the stomach, which is the greatest laboratory in the world, receives all the different kinds of food and drink, where they are analysed into their first chemical elements and particles, making of them a proper nourishment to support the different cells. This is done in such a way that it renders all the living matter which is essential to life present in ordered quantities so as to meet every need which all the cells of the body might present, cells that exceed in number the entire human race.

       " Here then is a chemical laboratory that produces more matter than does any other laboratory that was ever built by man's intellect; and here is a system of distribution greater than any other the world has known, where everything runs according to strict order."

      Thus if all these wonders run according to a perfect order, and order negates the possible existence of chance, it goes beyond doubt that such an organism must be the work of a perfect, wise and all-knowing creator.

       If we look at another of our physical organs and the work it performs like the lens of our eyes, for example, we come to realize the harmonious effort that accompanies such an organ. For the lens receives and refracts the light rays so that they may be clearly focussed on the retina which is a structure at the back of the eye containing rods and cones and which is especially sensitive to light rays.

        These particles that go to build the eye  into a well ordered and harmonized structure were similarly brought into existence, and were necessary to give man the capacity to see. Such a process of creation was not performed haphazardly, but was the work of God, to whom nothing is beyond the pale of his existence, and who has brought to perfection all that he has created. 4

      Besides, the world in which we live has been so well placed with the universal orbit that, had the ocean been a few feet deeper than it presently is, we would have been deprived of oxygen and of the world of plants; and were the globe to slacken in its movement, taking more than 24 hours in its daily circuit, life on it would cease to be.

      Thus, if we cast a look at the wonders of the world and nature from all sides and consider them deeply, we soon come to realize that behind every object there is a and a purpose that are well carried out according to the will of God. "Since our minds are limited we cannot grasp what is unlimited. Therefore ours must be but a belief in the highly creative power that has created and ordered all objects down to the very atoms, stars, sun and nebulae. 5

      And in conclusion one is apt to ask what is the use of a religion that believes in the existence of God, and in the faith to which religion invites us, and for the proof of which the Quran has established sharp evidence based on man's mental power and on the very nature of the universe and its perfect creation ? Is it not enough for man to believe in his own mental capacities through which he was able to master the universe, to reach that stage of knowledge, civilization, and also in his capacities which enable: him to make earth bend to his needs ?

        Man has widened the scope of his knowledge of both the known and unknown words, conquering both space and heaven. But who has bestowed on him these mental capacities through which he was able to accomplish all this ? Is it man himself or another being who is of a more sublime nature than all other beings and has a power above all other things? It is undoubtedly God, without whom no life could have come into existence, and man would not have been found on earth.

       Besides, he who believes in God is one who does not live alone, but he win always find someone to help and support, leading him to the good path, correcting his fault if he ever commits one, directing him to the right way if he falls into perversion, and who finally forgives whoever feeIs and renounces his own sins, and who helps the needy if; he is ever asked.

     The belief in the existence of God, and that he is ever near to man to help him and lend him courage, is of a great value that cannot be properly estimated except by men of knowledge and faith. Individual and social virtues, especially the latter, proceed from a belief in God and in eternity and in a better world where man is most fairly rewarded for the good he has performed.

ITS CRITCISM AND VALUE
       When Muslims came into contact with the Greeks and had their books translated into Arabic, they proved voracious readers. Some of them were able to profit from these books proved healthy for their religious creed, strengthening all the more the lines of their thought and morals; others who gave free rein to their minds, saw no limits to thought except those of logic which could lead right or astray.

       But often the deep contact that Al-Tawhid  or Al-Ka-laam made with philosophy had a bad influence upon Islamic Doctrine, which caused religious men to resent it and set them to warning the common man away from it. It was, however, to be carried by some to sheer  exaggeration.

      And in this connection we would refer to Imam Shafii as quoted by Ibn El-Gouzi (d. 597 H.)

     "Would that man be afflicted by alI that God has prohibited - except polytheism - than have a look at Al Kalaam" 1.

      The same reference quotes the words of Ahmad Ibn Hanbal:
"He who practises Al-Kalaam meets with nothing but failure; all who do so are but infidels."

      In his Book Al-Maqurizi (d. 845 H.) mentions in a chapter which he devotes to trace the development of Islamic doctrines till the spread of the creed of Abou El Hassan El-Ash'ari , that the leading figures of Islam, seeing that many had come to adopt the Mu'tazilite innovation  forbade the adoption of that creed discrediting at the same time this Kalaam and disowning all who practised it.

       At the end of the same chapter Al-Maqurizi says ''this is a summary of the basic principles of this creed (i.e. Al Ash'ari's), which has been adopted by many in the Islamic countries; whoever contradicts it, does this at the expense of his own life."

     About a century later or so, we find Tash Kubra Zada (d, 962 H.) stating that a great number of contemporary scholars were heavily criticizing those who devoted their powers to the study of Al-Kalaam. For that purpose he saw it incumbent upon him to differentiate between Al- Kalaam which came to be mingled with philosophical views that did not convene with either the Quranic precepts or with the Sunna, and AI-Kalaam which remained, in its central issues, essentially based upon the Qur'an and the Sunna. It is the first, he concludes, that should be rejected and discredited. 2

      We, however, believe that the above-mentioned scholars and their like carried too far this heavy criticism of that science, though we still believe that their attitude had some tenable ground.

       In this connection, and now that we have mentioned these different points of view, I should like to refer to one with which I am in full accord. This is the viewpoint held by Sheikh Hussein Wali, one of the great men of  Al-Azhar (d. 1936). The view is given full expression in his book entitled "Al-Tawhid". It states that to understand religious doctrine in such a way as to be able to lead and direct to it, it is more fruitful to study the Qur'an than books written on Al-Tawhid or Al-Kalaam. For those latter evolved at a time when a dire need was felt of answering attacks directed at Islam by different sects such as the Dahrites, the Zendics, the atheists and the innovationists. But now that those attacks belong to history there is no need to bring back to life a dead past while at the same time we ignore the attacks that are being directed against Islam at the present moment, attacks that can only be answered through the Qur'an itself if the advocate is but to show it in itself as it really is.

      It is equally indiscreet for one to waste one's life fighting imaginary opponents leaving untouched the real enemy who is actually blocking all ways before him. Besides, books on Al-Kalaam are filled with thick clouds blocking out all guiding light and may end in smothering a firm and rightful doctrine.

      We would also add that the proofs which were in the past effective in convincing one or in making him give in cannot be used in our present era when science has advanced so much, especially in the field of physical science which cannot believe except in what it can submit to examination and experiment .This group of sciences, however, yield to us undeniably true evidence as to the existence of a high power that has created this world and is directing it according to invariable natural laws- a power without which we can never explain, nor can we understand this wonderful world.

      Furthermore, it is not wise to face our young men who have added to this Islamic religious culture, a part of the materialist and physical education of the West, with proofs such as our forefathers used in controversies with their contemporaries at a time when religion was in its heyday and had a great influence upon them, and when the physical sciences had not yet achieved their present progress.

     It is thus surprising and illogical to spend time arguing with men of old when we feel lack of poise and stability and leave unanswered sects like the Qadianites and the Baha'ites with the activities and propaganda they make for their misleading creeds in Europe, America and  even in Eastern countries.

     Men of Al-Azhar should find a cure for the pest of atheism which its advocates suppose to be based on contemporary knowledge and which, as we see, has spread among most learned men and among young men who have received a high education.

       I know several of these young men whom I met while they were studying abroad and also here in Egypt and they are all either Muslims or Christians. They say that they could not arrive at a proof for the existence of God, and that it is within man's reach to explain existence and the universe without having to base his argument upon the assumption of the existence of God. And if you question them about the doubts that stood between them and the certainty of the existence of God, arguing with them through all that you have learnt of books of Al-Kalaam you still will not arrive anywhere with them. On the contrary, they would ask you to produce proofs that are based on facts or on the tenets of modern science.

      We do not seek through the opinion we are advancing here, to lead away from the study of Al-Tawhid, what we aim at is to point out the necessity for the development of that science in general. This we can do by bringing up-to-date its books, proofs and problems together with the opposing views which we shall set out to answer. It is then that it can become an indispensable science yielding a lot of good through establishing religious doctrine and by guiding those who were led astray. This will be made possible since it is going to fall in with the spirit of the age helping it to solve its problems.