إجازة الأستاذ أحمد لبن مدير المنتدى بقراءة الإمام عاصم الكوفي

The Concentrated Answers for the Most
Popular Misconceptions about Islam
Arranged and compiled by
Omar A. Al-Khalidy
Revised by
Eng. Mahmoud Hijazi
Conveying Islamic Message Society

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Preface
All Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the [One Who] Sustains the Heavens and Earths, Director of all that is created, who sent the Messengers (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of them) to rational beings, to guide them and explain the religious laws to them with clear proofs. I praise Him for all of His bounties. I ask Him to increase His Grace and Generosity. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah alone, who has no partner, the One, the Generous, the Forgiving. I bear witness that our leader Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, the other Prophets and Messengers, and the rest of the righteous.

      It is known to many people that there are many suspicions raised about Islam, including those developed by non-Muslims intentionally in order to distort the image of Islam in front of others, some of which is caused by a misunderstanding of the Islamic law, and the other are the result of the lack of knowledge of the Islamic religion.

     Most of the people today who hear these suspicions and slanders against Islam, their source of receiving them is the non-Islamic media or persons who maybe anti- Islam or the suspicions transferred to them by people who are not aware of Islam.

     Thus, these erroneous informations transfer from person to person and from group to group, which led to its dramatical spread in Western societies especially, and the non-Muslims, in general.

     It's of the fairness, that the person's judgment on others be taken of themselves, their writings, their constitution or the approach that they put for themselves whether they are religions, groups, institutions, associations, or even members. So it 's also fair to judge the religion of Islam through its Holy Book (Qur'an ) and Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad peace and blessings be upon him , through clarification and statements of the followers of this religion themselves, not others.

    Therefore, it was important to arrange and compile a book that depends on its approach on Qur'an and the Sunnah - the commandments of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him - and collects the most common misconceptions on Islam, then reply in an easy and concentrated manner without boring prolonging or breach shortening. So the reader of this book can be able to judge fairly, and by himself, on this religion and its followers by themselves, not others, and from their book and teachings of their Prophet. Fairness is the ethics of decents, the owners of the high intellect, the proper approach and common sense.

     I did this book at the request of the administration of Islam port website. for doing a book to respond to the most popular twenty misconceptions about Islam, with short answers ,good selection of misconceptions, and with clear ,correct and concise statements.

     I've been collecting this book on the basis of the selection of the most common and prevalent suspicions about Islam from several sources , books , and Internet websites which focused on this matter before.

This book is a compendium of information and reconcile of these sources , so that the answer to be clear , comprehensive and as short as possible.

Due to time constraints, and the need for the book to serve the advocacy work; it was limited to twenty misconceptions only - a number that administration of the site has requested me to do –. However, I had intended during the compiling of this book to make it comprehensive and contain most of the suspicions raised about Islam in future editions - God willing - so as the right seeker does not require to navigatesbetween literatures.

     I ask God to accept this work purely for his sake and reward whoever contributed in doing it, prepairing it, lead people to it, and publishing it , and forgive him and his parents that He exalted listens and responds.
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Omar A. Al-Khalidy
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A-ISLAM AND EXTREMISM
1-Islam Spread by Sword.
Many non-Muslims when they think about Islam, they evoke the idea of "Islam Is a Brutal Religion That Spread by Sword"!

This misconception can be easily removed by knowing that one of the most important principles of Islam is Freedom of religion, The Qur'an says:
“There is no compulsion (or coercion) in the religion (Islam). The right direction is distinctly clear from error". (2:256).

In addition to this, Islam teaches that a person's faith must be pure and sincere, so it is certainly not something that can be forced on someone, The Qur'an says:

"Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve" (18:29)

Mark Glenn a Christian Activist says in (Junk History):

"Christians and Muslims were not "converted by the sword" as is commonly taught and believed. Christians and Jews were allowed to keep and practice their religion within those areas where the Muslims had gained hegemony.

Also, Islam decided the approach to spread Islam and to invite people to it in all places and all times in the Qur’anic verse:
” invite (mankind, O Muhammad) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Devine Revelation and wisdom and Quraa'n) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better". (16:125)

It is a function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world. History provides many examples of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths: when the caliph Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship to all religious communities in the city.

Proclaiming to the inhabitants that their lives, and property were safe, and that their places of worship would never be taken from them, he asked the Christian patriarch Sophronius to accompany him on a visit to all the holy places.

Islamic law also permits non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts, which implement family laws drawn up by the minorities themselves. The life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered sacred whether the person is Muslim or not.

It should also be known that Muslims ruled Spain for roughly 800 years. The non- Muslims there, were alive and flourishing. Additionally, Christians and Jewish minorities have survived in the Muslim lands of the Middle East for centuries. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Jordan all have Christians and/or Jewish populations. If Islam taught that all people are supposed to be killed or forced to become Muslims, how did all theses non-Muslims survive for so long in the middle of the Islamic Empire! it is also interesting to note that when the Mongols invaded and concurred large portions of the Islamic Empire, instead of destroying the religion, they adopted it! This is a unique occurrence in history – the conquerors adopting the religion of the conquered! Since they were the victors, they certainly could not have been forced to become Muslims! Ask any of the over one billion Muslims alive in the world today weather they forced! The largest Muslim country in the world today is Indonesia- and there were never any battles fought there! So where was the sword? How could someone be forced to adhere to spiritually rewarding and demanding religion like Islam?

2-Most Muslims are Fundamentalists and Terrorists:
A fundamentalist is a person who follows and adheres to the fundamentals of the doctrine or theory he is following. For a person to be a good doctor, he should know, follow, and practice the fundamentals of medicine. In other words, he should be a fundamentalist in the field of medicine. For a person to be a good mathematician, he should know, follow and practice the fundamentals of mathematics. He should be a fundamentalist in the field of mathematics. For a person to be a good scientist, he should know, follow and practice the fundamentals of science. He should be a fundamentalist in the field of science.

One cannot paint all fundamentalists with the same brush. One cannot categorize all fundamentalists as either good or bad. Such a categorization of any fundamentalist will depend upon the field or activity in which he is a fundamentalist. A fundamentalist robber or thief causes harm to society and is therefore undesirable. A fundamentalist doctor, on the other hand, benefits society and earns much respect.

Islam has five meanings: surrender, submission, obedience, sincerity to Allah, and peace. In fact, Islam is derived from the word ‘salaam’ which means peace.
It is a religion of peace whose fundamentals teach its followers to maintain and promote peace throughout the world.

Therefore, Islam is the religion of mercy and tolerance, it calls for justice and peace it also protect the freedom and dignity of mankind.

The Quraa'n says:
"And We have sent you (O Muhammad) not but as a mercy for the [Alamin] (mankind, Jinn and all that exsists.)" (21:107).

3-Jihad is the "Holy War" against Non-Muslims:
While Islam in general is misunderstood in the western world, perhaps no other Islamic term evokes such strong reactions as the word" Jihad". The term "Jihad" has been much abused.

The word Jihad comes from the root word "Jahada", which means to struggle. So Jihad is an act of struggling.

There are many types of Jihad like:
Jihad of someone to his own soul: The prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be Upon Him) said: that the greatest jihad is to struggle with the evil suggestions of one's own soul. Secondly, Jihad by word for leading people to the righteousness, right guidance and good morals, Jihad by sword is Jihad of those who oppress us, our community, and our country; to defend our religion, our lives, and property. This kind of Jihad -by sword- is against Muslims and Non-Muslims it instinct in the human being and even in the animals.

4-Kafir:
"Kafir" is derived from the word "kufr", which means to conceal or to reject. In Islamic terminology, "Kafir" means one who conceals or rejects the truth of Islam and a person who rejects Islam is in English called a "non-Muslim". If a non-Muslim considers being called a "non-Muslim" or "Kafir", which are one and the same, an abuse, it is due to his misunderstanding about Islam. He or she needs to reach out to proper sources of understanding Islam and Islamic terminology, and not only will he not feel abused but appreciate Islam in the proper perspective.

A Muslim also has to do Kufr, not with Allah but with all that is worshipped other than, or along with Allah.

"Whoever disbelieves in taghoot (yakfur bialtaghooti) and believes in Allah alone, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break". (2: 256).

So a Muslim also has to do Kufr, He has to be a Kafir of Taghoot. Taghoot means all that is worshipped other than, or along with, Allah. If Kafir was an insulting word Allah would not have used it for Muslims.

Also, I am a "Kafir" in your religion's terminology cause i reject your doctrine and i don't mind but that doesn’t mean I will not treat you well or I want to kill you since Allah exalted says in Qur'an: "Allah doesn't forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion nor drove you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity". (60:8).

The Concentrated Answers for the Most Popular Misconceptions about Islam 2013_110

B-ISLAM AND WOMEN
1- Polygamy (A man can marry up to 4 wives):
Polygamy is a very ancient practice found in many human societies. The Bible did not condemn polygamy. To the contrary, the Old Testament and Rabbinic writings frequently attest to the legality of polygamy. King Solomon is said to have had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kings 11:3) Also, King David is said to have had many wives and concubines (2 Samuel 5:13).The Old Testament does have some injunctions on how to distribute the property of a man among his sons from different wives (Deut. 22:7).

As for the New Testament, According to Father Eugene Hillman in his insightful book, Polygamy reconsidered, "Nowhere in the New Testament is there any explicit commandment that marriage should be monogamous or any explicit commandment forbidding polygamy."

The monogamy that the Christians, the Hindus, and Jews practice today, is not from their religion, but from their government. So the issue of monogamy has no religious significance; it is a man-made rule. Monogamy is the result of an act of parliament, not their faith.

Therefore, we can say that before the Qur’an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygamy and many men had scores of wives, some even hundreds. Islam put an upper limit of four wives. Islam gives a man permission to marry two, three or four women, only on the condition that he deals justly with them.

Surah Nisa of the Glorious Qur’an:
Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one.” (4:3).

In most human societies, females outnumber males. In the U.S. there are, at least, eight million more women than men. New York alone has one million more females as compared to the number of males, and of the male population of New York one-third are gays i.e sodomites. The U.S.A as a whole has more than twenty-five million gays. This means that these people do not wish to marry women. Great Britain has four million more females as compared to males. Germany has five million more females as compared to males. Russia has nine million more females than males.

In Guinea there are 122 females for every 100 males. In Tanzania, there are 95.1 males per 100 females.

God alone knows how many million more females there are in the whole world as compared to males.

Thus, the only two options before a woman who cannot find a husband is to marry a married man or to become "public property". Islam prefers giving women the honorable position by permitting the first option and disallowing the second. There are several reasons, why Islam has permitted limited polygamy, but it is mainly to protect the modesty of women.

It has to be added that polygamy in Islam is a matter of mutual consent. No one can force a woman to marry a married man. Besides, the wife has the right to stipulate that her husband must not marry any other woman as a second wife.

Billy Graham, the eminent Christian evangelist says:
"Christianity cannot compromise on the question of polygamy. If present day Christianity cannot do so, it is to its own detriment. Islam has permitted polygamy as a solution to social ills and has allowed a certain degree of latitude to human nature but only within the strictly defined framework of the law.
Christian countries make a great show of monogamy, but actually they practice polygamy. No one is unaware of the part mistresses play in Western society. In this respect Islam is fundamentally honest religion, and permits a Muslim to marry a second wife if he must, but strictly forbids all clandestine amatory associations in order to safeguard the moral probity of the community."

It is of interest to note that many, non-Muslim as well as Muslim, countries in the world today have outlawed polygamy. Taking a second wife, even with the free consent of the first wife, is a violation of the law.

On the other hand, cheating on the wife, without her knowledge or consent, is perfectly legitimate as far as the law is concerned! What is the legal wisdom behind such a contradiction? Is the law designed to reward deception and punish honesty? It is one of the unfathomable paradoxes of our modern "civilized" world.

2-Veil (Head Cover):
The status of women in Islam is often the target of attacks in the secular media.

The Veil or head Cover (Hijab) is cited by many as an example of the oppression and servitude of women under Islamic law.

Let us first study the status of women in societies before the advent of Islam if you look at history, to ancient civilizations you will find that women were the oppressed people:

-Babylonian Civilization:
The women were degraded and were denied all rights under the Babylonian law. If a man murdered a woman, instead of him being punished, his wife was put to death.

-Greek Civilization:
Greek Civilization is considered the most glorious of all ancient civilizations.
Under this very ‘glorious’ system, women were deprived of all rights and were looked down upon. In Greek mythology, an ‘imaginary woman’ called “Pandora” is the root cause of misfortune of human beings. The Greeks considered women to be subhuman and inferior to men. Though chastity of women was precious, and women were held in high esteem, the Greeks were later overwhelmed by ego and sexual perversions. Prostitution became a regular practice amongst all classes of Greek society.

-Roman Civilization:
When Roman Civilization was at the zenith of its ‘glory’, a man even had the right to take the life of his wife. Prostitution and nudity were common amongst the Romans.

-Egyptian Civilization:
The Egyptian considered women evil and as a sign of a devil.

-Pre-Islamic Arabia:
Before Islam spread in Arabia, the Arabs looked down upon women and very often when a female child was born, she was buried alive.

Now let us see the veil status in religions before Islam:
According to Rabbi Dr. Menachem M. Brayer (Professor of Biblical Literature at Yeshiva University) in his book, The Jewish woman in Rabbinic literature, it was the custom of Jewish women to go out in public with a head covering which, sometimes, even covered the whole face leaving one eye free. He quotes some famous ancient Rabbis saying," It is not like the daughters of Israel to walk out with heads uncovered" and "Cursed be the man who lets the hair of his wife be seen... a woman who exposes her hair for self adornment brings poverty."

Jewish women in Europe continued to wear veils until the nineteenth century when their lives became more intermingled with the surrounding secular culture.

According to the Christian traditions, It is well known that Catholic Nuns have been covering their heads for hundreds of years, but that is not all. St. Paul in the New Testament made some very interesting statements about the veil: "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head - it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or shaved off, she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head" (I Corinthians 11:3-10).

Therefore, Veil is one of the Islamic virtues like in Christianity; proof of this is that the Christian Nuns still wear the head cover up to the present days.

From what we stated above, we can say that Islam did not invent the Head Cover. The Qur'an urges the believing men and women to lower their gaze and guard their modesty and then urges the believing women to extend their head covers to cover the neck and the bosom: "Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty......And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what ordinarily appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms...." (24:30,31).

The Qur'an is quite clear that the veil is essential for modesty, but why is modesty important?

The Qur'an is still clear:
"O Prophet, tell your wives and daughters and the believing women that they should cast their outer garments over their bodies (when abroad) so that they should be known and not molested" (33:59).

This is the whole point, modesty is prescribed to protect women from molestation or simply, modesty is protection.

3-Female Inheritance:
Among the pagan Arabs before Islam, inheritance rights were confined exclusively to the male relatives.

The Qur'an abolished all these unjust customs and gave all the female relatives inheritance shares:
"From what is left by parents and those nearest related there is a share for men and a share for women, whether the property be small or large --a determinate share". (4:7).

Muslim mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters had received inheritance rights thirteen hundred years before Europe recognized that these rights even existed. The division of inheritance is a vast subject with an enormous amount of details (4:7,11,12,176).

In most of the cases, a woman inherits half of what her male counterpart inherits. However, this is not always the case. In case the deceased has left no ascendant or descendent but has left the uterine brother and sister, each of the two inherit one sixth.

If the deceased has left children, both the parents that is mother and father get an equal share and inherit one sixth each.

In certain cases, a woman can also inherit a share that is double that of the male. If the deceased is a woman who has left no children, brothers or sisters and is survived only by her husband, mother and father, the husband inherits half the property while the mother inherits one third and the father the remaining one sixth. In this particular case, the mother inherits a share that is double that of the father.

    As we mentioned above, that as a general rule, in most cases, the female inherits a share that is half that of the male.

In order to understand the rationale behind this rule, let us take this example first: If someone asked me to do four responsibilites for a specific amount of money, each responsibility takes one hour; that means I have to work four hours. If the same person asked my female mate to do one responsibility for the same amount of money which takes one hour, for sure I would feel injustice, since I work three hours more yet with the same amount of money!.

The same matter can be drawn to the Islamic law of inheritance, In Islam a woman has no financial obligation and the economical responsibility lies on the shoulders of the man. Before a woman is married it is the duty of the father or brother to look after the lodging, boarding, clothing and other financial requirements of the woman. After she is married it is the duty of the husband or the son. Islam holds the man financially responsible for fulfilling the needs of his family. The son also has to spend on his mother and father if there was no source of income for them, and sisters if she does not have a breadwinner. In order to be able to fulfill the responsibility the men get double the share of the inheritance.

4-Female's Witness:
It is not true that two female witnesses are always considered as equal to only one male witness. It is true only in certain cases. There are about five verses in the Qur’an that mention witnesses, without specifying male or female. There is only one verse in the Qur’an, that says two female witnesses are equal to one male witness.

This is the longest verse in the Qur’an and deals with financial transactions. It says:
"Oh! ye who believe! When ye deal with each other, in transactions involving future obligation in a fixed period of time reduce them to writing and get two witnesses out of your own men and if there are not two men, then a man and two women, such as ye choose, for witnesses so that if one of them errs the other can remind her." (2:282)

    This verse of the Qur’an deals only with financial transactions. In such cases, it is advised to make an agreement in writing between the parties and take two witnesses, preferably both of which should be men only. In case you cannot find two men, then one man and two women would suffice.

For instance, suppose a person wants to undergo an operation for a particular ailment. To confirm the treatment, he would prefer taking references from two qualified surgeons. In case he is unable to find two surgeons, his second option would be one surgeon and two general practitioners who are plain MBBS doctors.

Similarly in financial transactions, two men are preferred. Islam expects men to be the breadwinners of their families. Since financial responsibility is shouldered by men, they are expected to be well versed in financial transactions as compared to women.

Ayesha (May Allah be pleased with her) the wife of the beloved Prophet has narrated no less than 2220 Ahadith which are considered authentic only on her solitary evidence. This is sufficient proof that one witness of a women can also be accepted.

Many jurists agree that even one witness of a woman is sufficient for the sighting of the crescent of the moon. Imagine one woman witness is sufficient for one of the pillars of Islam, i.e. fasting and the whole Muslim community of men and women agree and accept her witness! Some jurists say that one witness is required at the beginning of Ramadaan and two witnesses at the end of Ramadaan. It makes no difference whether the witnesses are men or women.

Some incidents require only female witness and that of a male cannot be accepted. For instance, in dealing with the problems of women, while giving the burial bath i.e. ‘ghusl’ to a woman, the witness has to be a woman.

    The seeming inequality of male and female witnesses in financial transactions is not due to any inequality of the sexes in Islam. It is only due to the different natures and roles of men and women in society as envisaged by Islam.

5-Women Education:
Some people claim that Islam does not encourage women to be educated and that it prefers women to be ignorant or close to it. This is a biased, unfounded allegation against Islam. Indeed, there is no religion or doctrine on earth that encourages human to seek knowledge as much as Islam. Islam strongly encourages humans, both men and women, to acquire knowledge in all fields of life, as well as to research and reach the facts.

Islam is very keen on teaching woman all that makes her an element of goodness and reform in a secure, happy Islamic society that develops towards perfectionand advances towards power and glory.

A look at the reality of life shows us how important it is for a woman to be upright, knowledgeable, and well-mannered, for the sake of her family and then for the good of the entire society. The extent of a woman's uprightness or corruption within her family determines the extent of the uprightness or corruption of her children.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him), would dedicate specific days for women to gather, in addition to the days when they would attend with men, so that he would be able to teach them the divine knowledge which Allaah The Almighty taught and are related to women only, particularly due to their physical and psychological formation. They had the courage to request that from the Prophet (Peace be upon him); a request that he responded positively to.

Abu Sa‘eed Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, said:
"A woman came to the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and said, “O Messenger of Allah, the men get all your speech, so devote to us a day on which we may come to you so that you would teach us of what Allah has taught you." The Prophet, (Peace be upon him), said: “Gather on such-and-such a day.” They gathered and the Prophet, (Peace be upon him), came to them and taught them of what Allah had taught him. He then said: “No woman of you gives three children [i.e., loses them to death] except that they will screen her from the Fire.” A woman said, “O Messenger of Allah, and two [of her children]?” The Prophet, (Peace be upon him), replied: “And two!” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]

This was a woman from the Companions who politely and courageously went to the Prophet (Peace be upon him), and confidently addressed him, saying, "Men get all your speech, so devote to us a day on which we may come to you so that you would teach us of what Allah The Almighty has taught you.”

The men obtained their share of knowing the rulings that are specific to them because they could easily and directly speak to the Prophet, (Peace be upon him); they were also bold enough to ask about every matter in their religion. They could ask the Prophet, (Peace be upon him), at any time, whereas women could not always ask about the religious rulings that were specific to women or the solutions to their problems.

Even if they could attend the sessions of the Prophet, (Peace be upon him), without intermixing with men, they might have felt too shy to ask about their specific matters in the presence of men. Therefore, teaching them the rulings that were specific to them and solving their problems entailed dedicating special sessions for them to discuss their issues and give them the rulings and provide them with the teachings in accordance with their psychological, intellectual, moral, and social characteristics as well as in accordance with their responsibility in their life inside and outside their families. For all these reasons, this woman demanded that a specific time be allocated for women to be taught the matters of religion that were specific to them, and for the same reasons the Prophet (Peace be upon him), accepted and answered her demand.

C-ISLAMIC DOCTRINE
1-Islam is for Arabs Only!
The reason for this misconception is that, some say: most Muslims are Arabs and the Qur'an is in Arabic.

To clarify these two misconceptions we will discuss them one by one:
a) Most Muslims are Arabs:
The first reason for this is far from the truth. Of the more than one billion Muslims country in the world, only 18% are Arab. The most populous Muslim country in the world is Indonesia. The second most populous Muslim country is Bangladesh. Neither of these countries is Arab.

Islam is the fastest growing major religion in the world (Encyclopedia Britanica). It has adherents on all the populated continents, and is accessible to Arabs and non-Arabs alike.

     Allah states in the Qur'an that Islam is for all mankind, "And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds. "(21:107).

"We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not. "(34:28).

b)The Qur'an is in Arabic:
We must first say that the human race does not possess a single universal language that everyone shares as a medium of understandig and comprehension. Therefore, it is completely natural that Qur'an must be in one of those languages by which human beigs communicate. Also it is only be fitting that the Qur'an be reveal in the language of the prophet that received it and in the language of those being addressed by it.

Allah says:
"And We did not send any messenger except [speaking] in the language of his people to state clearly for them,…" (14:4).

2-Hereafter - Life After Death
Actually God has given man besides perceptual consciousness rational aesthetic and moral consciousness too. It is this consciousness that guide man regarding realities that can’t be verified through sensory data. That is why all the prophets of God and life after death appeal to the aesthetic, moral and rational consciousness of man.

For example when the idolaters of Makkah denied even the possibility of their stand by advancing very logical and rational arguments in support of it:
"And he makes comparisons for us and forgets his own (origin and) Creation: He says Who can give life to (dry) bones and decomposed ones (at that)?" Say, "He will give them life who created them for the first time! For He frilly knows all creation.

"The same Who produces for you fire out of the green tree, when behold! Ye kindle there with (your own fires)! "Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth able to create the like thereof?" Yea, indeed! For He is the Creator Supreme, skill and knowledge (infinite)." (36:78-81)

At another occasion the Qur'an very clearly says that the disbelievers have no sound basis for their denial of life after death. It is based on pure conjectures:
"And they say: "What is there but our life in this world? We shall die and we live, and nothing but time can destroy us." But of that they have no knowledge: they merely conjecture: And when Our Clear Signs are rehearsed to them, their argument is nothing but this:they say, "Bring (back) our forefathers, if what ye say true!" (45:24-25)

Surely God will raise all the dead. But God has His own plan of things. A day will come when the whole universe will be destroyed and then again the dead will be resurrected to stand before God. That day will be the beginning of the life that will never end, and that day every person will be accounted by God according to his her good or evil deed.

The explanation that the Qur'an gives about the necessity of life after death is what moral consciousness of man demands .Actually, if there is no life after death, the very belief in God becomes irrelevant or even if one believes In God: having once created man not concerned with his fate. Surely, God is just. He will punish the tyrants whose crimes are beyond count: having killed hundreds of innocent persons, created great corruption in the society, enslaved numerous persons to serve their whims, etc. Man having a very short span of life in this world, and this physical world too being not eternal, punishments or rewards equal to the evil or noble deeds of persons are not possible here.

The Qur'an very emphatically states that the day of judgment must come and God will decide about the fate of each soul according to his or her record of deeds: "Tire Unbelievers say, "Never to us will come the Hour": say, "Nay! But must surely, by My Lord, it will come upon you" (34:3)

The day of Resurrection will be the Day when God's attributes of Justice and Mercy will be in full manifestation. God will shower His mercy on those who suffered for His sake in the worldly life, believing that an eternal bliss was awaiting them. But those who abused the bounties of God, caring nothing for the life to come, will be in the most miserable state.

Drawing a comparison between them, the Qur'an says:
"Are (these two) alike? One to whom We have made a goodly promise, and who is going to reach its fulfillment), and one to whom We have given the good things of this lift, but who, on the Day of Judgment, is to be among those brought up for punishment)?" (28:61)

The Qur'an also states that this worldly life is a preparation for the eternal life after death. But those who deny it become slaves of their passions and desires, make fun of virtuous and God-conscious persons. Such persons realize their folly only at the time of their death and wish to be given a further chance in the world but in vain.

The belief in the life after death not only guarantees success in the hereafter but also mikes this world full of peace and happiness by making individuals most responsible and dutiful in their activities.

Think of the people of Arabia Gambling, Wine, tribal feuds, plundering and murdering were their main traits when they had no belief in life after death. But as soon as they accepted the belief in the One God and life after death they became the most disciplined nation of the world. They gave up their vices, helped each other in hours of need, and settled all their disputes on the basis of justice and equality. Similarly the denial of life after death has its consequences not only in the Hereafter but also in this world. When a nation as a whole denies it, all kinds of evils and corruption become rampant in that society and ultimately it is destroyed.

Thus there are very convincing reasons to believe in life after death.

Firstly, all the prophets of Allah have called their people to believe in it.

Secondly, Whenever a human society is built on the basis of this belief, it has been the most ideal and peaceful society, free of social and moral evils.

Thirdly, history bears witness that whenever this belief is rejected collectively by a group of people in spite of the repeated warning of the prophet, the group as a whole has been punished by Allah even in this world.

Fourthly, Moral, aesthetic arid rational faculties of man endorse the possibility of life after death.

Fifthly, Allah's attributes of Justice and Mercy have no meaning if there is no life after death.

3-Muslims Worship The Kaaba:
No religion is more vocal in condemning idol worship than Islam, therefore; Muslims do not worship and bow down to the Kaaba in their prayers.

Kaaba is the Qibla i.e. the direction Muslims face during their prayers. It is important to note that though Muslims face the Kaaba during prayers, they do not worship the Kaaba. Muslims worship and bow to none but Allah.

It is mentioned in Surah Baqarah:
"We see the turning of thy face (for guidance) to the heavens: now shall We turn thee to a Qiblah that shall please thee. Turn then thy face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque: wherever ye are, turn your faces in that direction".(2:144)

On the other hand, if Muslims want to offer Salaah (Prayer), it is possible that some may wish to face north, while some may wish to face south. In order to unite Muslims in their worship of the One True God, Muslims, wherever they may be, are asked to face in only one direction i.e. towards the Kaaba. If some Muslims live towards the west of the Kaaba they face the east. Similarly if they live towards the east of the Kaaba they face the west.

     Some accused Muslims to be idol worshippers because they kiss the black rock at Kabah. In fact, they do this because they are following the prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) do this. The black stone has no power to benefit or harm us since it is only a stone.

4-Muslims Divided Into Sects:
It is a fact that Muslims today, are divided amongst themselves. The tragedy is that such divisions are not endorsed by Islam at all. Islam believes in fostering unity amongst its followers.

The Glorious Qur’an says:
"And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves." (3:103)

Which is the rope of Allah that is being referred to in this verse? It is the Islam.
The Islam is the rope of Allah, which all Muslims should hold fast together.

There is double emphasis in this verse. Besides saying "hold fast all together" it also says: "be not divided".

Qur’an further says:
"Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger" (4:59).

All the Muslim should follow the Qur’an and authentic ahadith -speeches of Muhammad (Peace be upon him) - and be not divided among themselves.

All in all, this can be considered as a phase in Muslim's history, that doesn't mean they will stay this way forever. As European nations were able to overcome the Factors of disunity and conflict among themselves, the Islamic nation will be able to overcome that in the future.

In fact, there were many reasons for the disunity and conflict amongst the Islamic nation, the major reason was the foreign occupation for the Islamic countries and the conflict factors they left behind them when they left outside these countries.

5-Muslims Do Not Believe in Prophets:
It is alleged that Muslims don't believe in Jesus or any other prophets!

Muslims respect and revere Jesus, upon him be peace, and await his Second Coming. They consider him one of the greatest of God's messengers to mankind. A Muslim never refers to him simply as Jesus, but always adds the phrase (upon him be peace). The Qur'an confirms his virgin birth (a chapter of the Qur'an is entitled 'Mary'), and Mary is considered the purest woman in all creation.

The Qur'an describes the Annunciation as follows:
"Behold!" the Angel said, "God has chosen you, and purified you, and chosen you above the women of all nations. O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near to God. He shall speak to the people from his cradle and in maturity, and shall be of the righteous." She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?" He said: "Even so; God creates what He will. When He decrees a thing, He says to it, "Be!" and it is". (3:42-47)

Jesus (upon him be peace) was born miraculously through the same power, which had brought Adam (upon him be peace) into being without a father:
"Truly, the likeness of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then said to him, 'Be!' and he was." (3:59).

During his prophetic mission Jesus (upon him be peace) performed many miracles.

The Qur'an tells us that he said:
"I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make for you out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breath into it and it becomes a bird by God's leave. And I heal the blind, and the lepers, and I raise the dead by God's leave." (3:49)

Neither Muhammad (Peace be upon him) not Jesus (upon him be peace) came to change the basic doctrine of the brief in One God brought by earlier prophets, but to confirm and renew it.

     In the Qur'an Jesus (upon him be peace) is reported as saying that he came:
"To attest the law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden you; I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear God and obey Me" (3:50).

The Prophet Muhamma (Peace be upon him) said:
"Whoever believes there is no god but God, alone without partner, that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is His messenger, that Jesus is the servant and messenger of God, His word breathed into Mary and a spirit emanating from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, shall be received by God into Heaven. "(Hadith related by Bukhari).

D-THE TEACHINGS OF ISLAM
1-Non- Muslims not Allowed in Makkah:
It is true that non-Muslims are not allowed in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, by the Islamic Law. The following points will serve to explain the possible reasoning behind such a restriction.

In every country, there are certain areas where a common citizen of that country cannot enter. Only a citizen who is enrolled in the military or those who are connected with the defence of the country are allowed in the cantonment area. Similarly Islam is a Universal Religion for the entire world and for all human beings. The cantonment areas of Islam are the two holy cites of Makkah and Madinah. Here only those who believe in Islam and are involved in the defence of Islam i.e. the Muslims are allowed. It would be illogical for a common citizen to object against the restriction on entering a cantonment area. Similarly it is not appropriate for non-Muslims to object against the restriction on non-Muslims against entering Makkah and Madinah.

In addition, whenever a person travels to a foreign country he has to first apply for a visa i.e. the permission to enter that country. Every country has its own rules, regulations and requirements for issuing a visa. Unless their critera are satisfied they will not issue a visa.

Singapore, mentioned on their immigration form "death to drug traffickers". If I want to visit Singapore I have to abide by the rules. I cannot say that death penalty is a barbaric punishment. Only if I agree with their requirements and conditions will I be permitted to enter the country.

The Visa – The primary condition required for any human being to enter Makkah or Madina is to say with his lips, "La ila ha illallah Muhammad ur Rasulullah meaning that ", that means: "there is no God but Allah and Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is His Messenger."

2-Islam is not The Best Religion Because Many of The Muslims Dishonest, Unreliable, and Involved in Activities Such as Cheating, Bribing, Dealing in Drugs, etc.

a) Media Abuse Islam:
Islam is without doubt the best religion but the media is in the hands of the westerners who are afraid of Islam. The media is continuously broadcasting and printing information against Islam. They either provide misinformation about Islam, misquote Islam or project a point out of proportion, if any.

When any bomb blasts take place anywhere, the first people to be accused without proof are invariably the Muslims. This appears as headlines in the news. Later, when they find that non-Muslims were responsible, it appears as an insignificant news’ item.

If a 50 year old Muslim marries a 15 year old girl after taking her permission, it appears on the front page but when a 50 year old non-Muslim rapes a 6 year old girl, it may appear in the news in the inside pages as ‘Newsbriefs’.

Everyday in America on an average 2,713 cases of rape take place but it doesn’t appear in the news, since it has become a way of life for the Americans.

b) Black Sheep in Every Community:
I am aware that there are some Muslims who are dishonest, unreliable, who cheat, etc. but the media projects this as though only Muslims are involved in such activities. There are black sheep in every community. I know Muslims who are alcoholics and who can drink most of the non-Muslims under the table.

c) Muslims Best as a Whole:
Inspite of all the black sheep in the Muslim community, Muslims taken on the whole, yet form the best community in the world. We are the biggest community of tee-totallers as a whole, i.e. those who don’t imbibe alcohol.

Collectively, we are a community which gives the maximum charity in the world. There is no community as a whole in the world which can show even a candle to the Muslims where modesty is concerned; where sobriety is concerned; where human values and ethics are concerned.

d) Don’t judge a Car by its Driver:
If you want to judge how good is the latest model of the “Mercedes” car and a person who does not know how to drive sits at the steering wheel and bangs up the car, who will you blame? The car or the driver? But naturally, the driver. To analyze how good the car is, a person should not look at the driver but see the ability and features of the car. How fast is it, what is its average fuel consumption, what are the safety measures, etc. Even if I agree for the sake of argument that the Muslims are bad, we can’t judge Islam by its followers? If you want to judge how good Islam is then judge it according to its authentic sources, i.e. the Glorious Qur’an and the Sahih Hadith.

e) Judge Islam by its Best Follower i.e. Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) and its book the Holy Qur'an:
If you practically want to check how good a car is put an expert driver behind the steering wheel. Similarly the best and the most exemplary follower of Islam by whom you can check how good Islam is, is the last and final messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him). Besides Muslims, there are several honest and unbiased non-Muslim historians who have acclaimed that prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was the best human being.

According to Michael H. Hart who wrote the book, "The Hundred Most Influential Men in History", the topmost position, i.e. the number one position goes to the beloved prophet of Islam, Muhammad (Peace be upon him). There are several such examples of non-Muslims paying great tributes to the prophet, like Thomas Carlyle, La-Martine, etc.

Besides, Islam can be judged by its Holy Book, which is the Qur'an, since the individuals of any sect, organization or a group can not ever represent the whole group or organization but we have to refer to its constitution, rules and legislations, that if we want to be just in judging the others. The same for Islam, we can not judge it unless we look at its constitution (Qur'an and Sunnah - the prophetic commandments-).

3- Why is Alcohol Prohibited:
Alcohol has been the scourge of human society since time immemorial. It continues to cost countless human lives, and causes terrible misery to millions throughout the world. Alcohol is the root cause of several problems facing society. The statistics of soaring crime rates, increasing instances of mental illnesses and millions of broken homes throughout the world bear mute testimony to the destructive power of alcohol.

It is not only Islam that forbid the Alcohol but also Christianity, The Bible prohibits the consumption of alcohol in the following verses:
"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." [Proverbs 20:1].

"And be not drunk with wine." [Ephesians 5:18].

a) Illusions and Facts:
Alcohol and Appetite:
It was believed that alcoholic drink function as appetizers, but this is against confirmed scientific facts. Alcoholic drinks function as appetizers for the first week or month only, then soon the stomach and other parts of the digestive system become inflamed. Infections and ulcer begin to show up; vomiting starts; all appetite is lost.

Alcohol and False Warmth:
It was also believed that alcoholic drinks cause warmth in the human body. However, facts approved that it is only a false warmth caused by the widening of the outer blood vessels. But if the drunkard is exposed to cold weather, he loses all his warmth and energy and may die of cold thinking he is enjoying warmth!

Alcohol and Sexual Desire:
Alcoholic drinks increase the sexual desire and thus may lead the drunkard to commit strange crimes under the influence of alcohol because his brain cannot function normally and in this case social values are trespassed. However, continuous drinking of alcoholic drinks ends up with sexual impotency. This shows us the wisdom of prohibiting of alcohol in Islam.

b) Alcohol and Health:
Alcoholic drinks, which are prohibited by Islam, have a destructive effect on the nervous system through the direct toxic effect. Besides, alcohol may lead to alcoholism with its psychological and mental troubles such as convulsions and hallucination. Further, alcohol leads to malnutrition caused by inflammation caused by the digestive system, repeated vomiting, loss of appetite, and bad absorption in the digestive system. To add, some alcohols may cause complete blindness and heat failure owing to their sever toxicity.

An alcoholic becomes careless, selfish, easily provoked, and suspicious. Hemay suffer paranoia. He becomes sexually impotent. He is hated by his wife and children. He suffers from melancholy. He may end up committing suicide. An alcoholic may suffer from hallucinations: he may think he sees unreal ghosts or hear unreal voices or smell unreal sents.

Alcohol causes decay in the cells of the brain and the cortex. This may cause alcoholic psychosis and loss of memory. In this stage, an alcoholic loses the ability to distinguish the concrete from the abstract and the real from the unreal. He cannot even know the day or the place. An alcoholic loses the ability to calculate, to add or subtract the easiest numbers. An alcoholic cannot remember the most recent incidents in his life.

An alcoholic may become unable to stand up without losing his balance. When he walks, he staggers. When he speaks, he slurs. He may suffer from the clubbing and swelling of his fingers, and many other diseases.

4- Why is Pork Prohibited:
Pork is not forbidden in Islam only, but also in the Bible! For the Christian who is likely to be convinced by his religious scriptures. The Bible prohibits the consumption of pork, in the book of Leviticus "And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you".

"Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch, they are unclean to you."[Leviticus 11:7-8]

Pork is also prohibited in the Bible in the book of Deuteronomy "And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you. Ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass."[Deuteronomy 14:8]

A similar prohibition is repeated in the Bible in the book of Isaiah chapter 65 verse 4 "which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abomiable things is in their vessels".

Consumption of Pork Causes Several Diseases:
Non-Muslims and atheists will agree only if convinced through reason, logic and science. Eating of pork can cause no less than seventy different types of diseases. A person can have various helminthes like roundworm, pinworm, hookworm, etc. One of the most dangerous is Taenia Solium, which is in lay man’s terminology called tapeworm. It harbors in the intestine and is very long. Its ova i.e. eggs, enter the blood stream and can reach almost all the organs of the body. If it enters the brain, it can cause memory loss. If it enters the heart, it can cause heart attack, if it enters the eye it can cause blindness, if it enters the liver it can cause liver damage. It can damage almost all the organs of the body.

A common misconception about pork is that if it is cooked well, these ova die.
In a research project undertaken in America, it was found that out of twenty-four people suffering from Trichura Tichurasis, twenty two had cooked the pork very well. This indicates that the ova present in the pork do not die under normal cooking temperature.

Pork has over 90% fat building material:
Pork has very little muscle building material and contains excess of fat. This fat gets deposited in the vessels and can cause hypertension and heart attack. It is not surprising that over 50% of Americans suffer from hypertension.

Pig is one of the filthiest animals on earth
It lives and thrives on muck, faeces and dirt. It is the best scavenger that I know that God has produced. In the villages, they don’t have modern toilets and the villagers excrete in the open air. Very often, excreta are cleared by pigs.

Some may argue that in advanced countries like Australia, pigs are bred in very clean and hygienic conditions. Even in these hygienic conditions the pigs are kept together in sties. No matter how hard you try to keep them clean they are filthy by nature. They eat and enjoy their own as well as their neighbor’s excreta.

5-When a Muslim is Allowed to Marry A Maximum of Four Wives, Why Did Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) Marry Eleven Wives?

In Surah Nisa, chapter 4 verse 3, The Qur’an states that a Muslim is allowed to marry a maximum of only four wives. Another verse in the Qur’an makes Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) an exception to this rule.

In Surah Ahzab chapter 33 verse 52:
"It is not lawful for thee (to marry more) women after this, nor to change them for (other) wives, even though their beauty attract thee, except any thy right hand should possess (as hand maidens) and Allah doth watch over all things" (33:52)

This verse clearly gives Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) the permission to keep all his previous wives but prohibits him to marry any more women except those which his right hand possessed i.e. slave girls.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was allowed to keep all his previous wives because no one was allowed to marry the Prophet’s wives (ra) after they were divorced or widowed as they were ummul-momineen (mother of the believers) People falsely accuse the Prophet (Peace be upon him) of being hypersexual, because he had eleven wives. If you read the life history of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), only two of his marriages one with Khadija (ra), and the other, with Ayesha (ra) were marriages in the normal course. All his other marriages were contracted as a necessity and were based on various considerations.

The first marriage of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) took place when he was 25 years of age and he married Khadija (ra) who was twice widowed, and was 40 years old. If the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was hypersexual, why would he marry a woman who was 15 years older than him and already twice widowed?

Until his first wife, Khadija (ra) was alive, he never took a second wife. Khadija (ra) expired when the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was 50 years old and only after this, he did marry the others. If he married eleven wives for sexual reasons, he should have had multiple wives during his youth. Contrary to this, history tells us that all his marriages with his remaining ten wives took place when he was between the age of 53 and 59 years.

All his wives (ra) were between the ages of 36 to 50 years, except for two wives (ra). His reputation had spread everywhere, not only in Arabia, but also in the neighboring countries. Could he not have easily got younger and lovelier girls to marry? Most of his marriages were for political gain and for the spread of Islam.

In Arabia, no one could carry on the work of reform and upliftment unless he belonged to, or was related to some specific and respectable tribe. Thus, in the interest of his mission, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) needed inter-tribal relationships.

He wanted to weld the quarreling tribal and clannish factions into one Muslim ummah, as brethren in faith (Ikhwan fi’d-din).

For instance, his wife Juwayreeyah (ra) belonged to the Banu Mustaliq clan, which was very powerful. The entire clan was a bitter enemy of Islam from the start, and they were finally suppressed by military action. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) married Juwayreeyah (ra), the Muslims released all their prisoners, saying that they could not keep the prophet’s relatives in bondage. It was due to this marriage that the whole clan of Banu Mustaliq accepted Islam and became peaceful and obedient to the laws of the new Islaamic state.

Maymunah (ra) also came from a very powerful and recalcitrant clan from Najd and was the sister of the wife of the chief of the clan in those days. It was this clan, which had brutally murdered seventy members of an Islamic missionary deputation. The Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) marriage with Maymunah (ra) changed the whole atmosphere and Najd accepted Madinah’s authority under the leadership of the Prophet (Peace be upon him).

Umm Habibah (ra) was the daughter of the Quraysh chief, Abu Sufyan. It was after the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) marriage to Umm Habibah, that Abu Sufyan never fought against the Prophet (Peace be upon him). This marriage was largely responsible for the conquest of Makkah. Furthermore, Umm Habibah was first married to a certain Ubaydullah and emigrated with him to Abyssinia, where Ubaydullah became a Christian and a drunkard.

Excessive consumption of wine killed him since it was a double shock to her that her husband had become a Christian and later died, she was badly in need of solace.

Safiyyah (ra) was the daughter of a very prominent Jewish chief, Huyyah ibn Aktab. In consideration of her family status, she could not be merged into an ordinary household. So the Prophet (Peace be upon him) himself married her. After this marriage, the Jews did not dare to revive their opposition to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and his mission.

In the case of Hafsah (ra), it was the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) desire to bind in relationship with those of his great companions (sahabah) who were his advisers and who were trained for future leadership. He had married Abu Bakr’s (ra) daughter, married two of his own daughters to Uthman (ra) and one to ‘Ali (ra). ‘Umar (ra) could not be kept outside this wide circle of relationship. By marrying Umar’s daughter Hafsah (ra), the Prophet (Peace be upon him) forged a strong bond of relationship within the Islamic movement thus strengthening the pillars of the ummah.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) had married his first cousin, Zaynab (ra), to his freed slave, Zayd ibn Haritha (ra), whom he had adopted as his son. This marriage of Zaynab (ra) with Zayd (ra) was intended to break the family and social barriers, but the marriage did not prove to be successful and ended in divorce. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) saw that Zaynab (ra) was left alone, he felt his responsibility in the matter. He also had to break another convention, according to which an adopted son became a real son.

This difficult problem was solved by the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) marriage to Zaynab (ra) (as mentioned in the Qur’an, in Surah Ahzab, chapter no 33 verse 37) to annul that pre-Islamic conception and promulgate an Islamic law instead.

Another lady Zaynab (ra), Umm al Masakin (mother of the poor and helpless), daughter of Khuzayma ibn Al-Haith, belonged to the Hawazin clan. Her husband was killed in the battle of Uhud. To rescue her from widowhood, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) took her as his wife.

After the revelation of the verse in Surah Ahzab, chapter 33 verse 52, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) only married Mary the Copt who was a slave girl sent as a present by the Christian Muqauqas of Egypt. Since the Christian Chieftain of Egypt sent Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) a slave girl as a present, he could not refuse this gift, as a refusal would have disturbed the political alliance. He could not keep her as a slave girl, since Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) preached that slaves should be freed. The only option left with him was to marry her, since the Qur’an gave him the permission to do so. Later on, she became the mother of Ibrahim (ra) who died in his infancy.

6-Why the Islamic Code of Punishment is Brutal?
a) Islam is not a religion that advocates brutality. On the contrary, it calls for mercy, clemency, and toleration. Nevertheless, it insists on establishing law and order in the community so as to safeguard the freedom and the rights of its members, and to protect their lives, belief, wealth possessions, and families.

When Islam imposes a certain punishment for a specific sin, it takes into consideration two factors.

1) Man is not infallible, but is constantly exposed in temptation. Thus the door of repentance is always open In those who regret having committed sins and repent and desire in atone.

2) Every member of the community is en it led to live a life of safety and to feel that he, his family, and his properly are not exposed to any kind of danger.

Thus, the depraved or corrupted behavior of criminals should be dealt with accordingly, so that the peace-loving members of the community would not live in a state of fear and apprehension.

Although Islam has made laws to punish crimes, it requires decisive proof of the guilt of the accused person bel40 passing a sentence on him and does not enforce the punishment if there is any doubt concerning his guilt. In addition, if any guilty person repents sincerely of his sin, the sentence can be suspended if the judge is convinced of the sincerity of the accused.

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
"Try to prevent enforcing the penalty on Muslims wherever it is possible to do so, and should there be the slightest doubt as to the guilt of the accused person, set him free. It is far better that a judge errs in remitting the penalty than erring in enforcing it." Such an authentic Saying from the Traditions of the Prophet is the essence of mercy and tolerance.

c) The penalty of adultery in Islam depends on a certain condition that makes it almost impossible to enforce. The condition is that the act of adultery must be witnessed by four people who must swear that they saw the act committed. Accordingly, the two incidents in the history of Islam when this penalty was enforced were the result of the confession of the guilty parties and not of the evidence of witness. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) did his best to try to persuade the guilty person to change their statements in which they confessed their guilt but they confirmed them and the Prophet was accordingly compelled to order enforcing the penalty, in spite of his profound grief. In view of condition stipulated and the extreme difficulty of fulfilling it, such a punishment never occurred again in the history of Islam.

d) Islam does not cut off the hand of a starving person who steals to feed himself or to feed his starving children. Islam punishes the thief Nvho steals the money or possessions of hard-working people who earn their living honestly.

Such a thief spreads evil in the community and deserves no sympathy and mercy from anybody for he himself had no mercy or sympathy for the people he robbed. In fact, the victim might have been in dire need of the money stolen from him, and every community is entitled to have laws that are enforced to ensure its safety and stability.

When this penalty was imposed in Islamic communities, the crime of theft occurred so infrequently that, merchants left their goods unguarded and people did not lock the doors of their houses. On the other hand, theft is widespread and rampant in communities where lenient measures are taken against it, with the result that theft has become a serious problem in many communities {Al-Ghazali, Muhammad. One Hundred Questions about Islam. Vol. 2. P.41}.

e) The reason for imposing the penalty for theft is to ensure social justice and to abolish poverty, which would prevent people from resorting to theft. It is significant to note that the second Rightly-Guided Caliph, 'Omar Ibn Al-Khattab, suspended the penalty incurred by theft in the year that famine struck the Islamic states.

During the last years of 'Omar Ibn Al-Khattab's reign, the penalty for theft was justly enforced with the result that the crime of theft and highway robbery were so rare that the people who traveled from Makkah to Syria were perfectly safe and feared no one but God Almighty, and the possibility that their sheep might be attacked by wolves. The state of stability existed because every thief knew that the punishment would be and thought a thousand times before committing the crime of theft or any other aim I with the result that punishment for theft was rarely enforced.

Which then is preferable, a law-abiding community that lives in peace without fear even if a few criminals are punished, or a community that lives in fear while its prisons are crowded with criminals? With whom should we sympathize? The criminals, or the members of the community?

REFRENCES
•    Abu Isaa Al-Shamy, 2010, What is The Purpose of Our Life?, 2nd Edition, Conveying Islamic Message Socity,www.Islamic-message.Net.
•    Al-Mehri A. B., 2010 , The Qur’?n With S?rah Introductions And Appendices , 2010 Maktabah Booksellers And Publishers, Saheeh International Translation, ISBN: 978-0-9548665-4-9
•    Bilal Philips, 2010, Is There A True Religioun?, www.Islam-Guide.Com
•    Saheeh International , 2004, Translation of The Meaning of The Qur’an, Translated by Saheeh International – Jeddah,Abul-Qasim Publishing House, 1997al-Muntada Al-Islami, , ISBN: 9960-792-63-3
•    Sherif Abdel Azim, Woman in Islam The Myth and The Reality, Conveying Islamic Message Socity, www.Islamic-Message.Net.
•    Zagzug, Mahmud H., 2003, Islamic Facts against The Doubts Campaigns, No.71, 3rd Edition, Egyptian Ministry of Awqaf.
•    Zakir A. Naik, Answers To Non – Muslims' Common Questions about Islam, Islamic Research Foundation, www.irf.net.
•    Zakir A. Naik, 2006, Is The Qur’an God’s Word?
•    http://www.irf.net/irf/dtp/dawah_tech/ques20.htm 2006

Web Sites:
http://islamstory.com/en/response-to-false-allegations
http://islamstory.com/ar/
http://www.islamtomorrow.com/islam.asp

Table of Contents
Preface
A-ISLAM AND EXTREMISM:
1- Islam Spread by Sword
2- Most Muslims are Fundamentalists and Terrorists
3- Jihad is the "Holy War" against Non-Muslims
4-Kafir
B-ISLAM AND WOMEN:
1-Polygamy (A man can marry up to 4 wives)
2-Veil (Head Cover)
3-Female Inheritance
4-Female's Witness
5-Women Education
C-ISLAMIC DOCTRINE:
1-Islam is for Arabs Only!
2-Hereafter - Life after Death
3-Muslims Worship the Kaaba
4-Muslims Divided Into Sects
5-Muslims Do Not Believe in Prophets
THE TEACHINGS OF ISLAM:
1-Non- Muslims not Allowed in Makkah
2-Islam is not The Best Religion Because Many of The Muslims Dishonest, Unreliable, and Involved in Activities Such as Cheating, Bribing, Dealing in Drugs, etc
3-Why is Alcohol Prohibited
4-Why is Pork Prohibited
5-When a Muslim is allowed to marry a Maximum of Four Wives, Why Did Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) Marry Eleven Wives?
6-Why The Islamic Code of Punishment is Brutal?
REFERENCES

IZHAR UL-HAQ

إجازة الأستاذ أحمد لبن مدير المنتدى بقراءة الإمام عاصم الكوفي

The Concentrated Answers for the Most Popular Misconceptions about Islam