This is probably one of the most pertinent questions for every Muslim family in the 21st century. It is based on the fact that in many Muslim families, younger generations are getting disillusioned from their religion and turning either as an atheist or becoming indifferent towards their faith. In order to understand the dynamics of this phenomenon, we need to classify Muslim families into three groups, the orthodox, the moderates and the liberals. Empirical evidence suggests that the rate of disillusionment is highest amongst the younger generations of orthodox and liberal Muslim families, followed by the moderate group. The primary reason for this disillusionment is the contradiction between principles of Islam as they are enunciated in the glorious Koran and the practices of Muslims. This contradiction leads many younger generation Muslims to believe that something is wrong with the faith of Islam as they see it through the practical actions of Muslims. Very few will find time to read the glorious Koran to understand the follies of Muslim ummah. Instead, they blame Islam as a defective religion because in their sight Islam is what is practiced by majority of Muslims and not what is written in the glorious Koran. It could be a long list of contradictions but for simplicity and easy comprehension, I have divided them into the following five categories. 1-Polytheistic Practices: The 1st reason is the polytheistic practices that are in vogue amongst many Muslim sects. This may include worshipping and praising the Prophet, the Imams, the saints, and graves of dead persons through various means. Believing that saints and prophet can intercede on their behalf on the judgment day and protect them from hellfire and so on. When younger generation see all this in Islam that claim to be a monotheistic religion, they get disillusioned that how Islam is different from Christianity, Hinduism, and other polytheistic religions on this account. About polytheism, the clear message of the glorious Koran is provided in verse 48 of chapter 4 in the following words. ‘’Allah does not forgive the joining of partners with Him: anything less than that He forgives to whoever He will, but anyone who joins partners with Allah has concocted a tremendous sin.’’ (4:48) This message is reinforced in a different style in verse 102 of chapter 18 in the following words. ‘’Did they think that they could take My servants as masters instead of Me? We have prepared Hell as the disbelievers’ resting place.’’ (18:102) Then in verse 19 of chapter 39 Allah asks Muhammad PBUH that if Allah has decreed someone to hell fire can you protect him. ‘’What about someone who has deserved the sentence of punishment? Is it you who can save those in the Fire?’’ (39:19) This is a challenge from Allah Almighty that when Allah has decreed someone to hell fire then even a messenger cannot save that person. It is an eye opener for those persons who believe that prophet Muhammad PBUH will save them from hellfire against Allah’s wish. So, any type of a polytheistic practice through which servants of Allah are glorified and revered like a god is an unpardonable sin in the sight of Allah and the abode of such polytheists is hell where they will be confined forever. 2-Ignoring Koran and preferring hadith: The second factor is ignoring the glorious Koran and giving preference to hadith over it. Unfortunately, majority of the Muslims of almost every sect blindly follow hadith developed by the propagandists of their sect. It will not be wrong to say that there is a proliferation of hadith during the 21st century through the social media. When young persons see the apparent contradictions in the message of hadith and the verses of the glorious Koran, many of them get disillusioned from the Islamic faith. I will upload another monologue highlighting the contradictions in hadith and the message of the glorious Koran. The glorious Koran confirms that its message is comprehensive from all perspectives, leaving no room for any hadith, yet majority of Muslims prefer manmade hadith over the glorious Koran. For example, verse 89 of chapter 17 reads: ‘’In this Quran, We have set out all kinds of examples for mankind, yet most of them persist in disbelieving.’’ (17:89) The glorious Koran condemns all manmade hadith attributed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH in categoric words. For example, verse 6 of chapter 31 reads: ‘’Among the people is he who trades in distracting hadith; intending, without knowledge, to lead away from God’s way, and to make a mockery of it. These will have a humiliating punishment. (31:6) This warning is reiterated in verses 6 to 8 of chapter 45 in the following words. “These are God’s Verses which We recite to you in truth. In which HADITH, after God and His revelations, will they believe? Woe to every sinful liar. Who hears God's revelations being recited to him, yet he persists arrogantly, as though he did not hear them? Announce to him a painful punishment.” (45:6-8) On the judgment day when Allah Almighty will inform Prophet Muhammad PBUH that majority of your people deserted the Koran in their lives, he will agree with this truth revealed by Allah Almighty as verse 30 of chapter 25 reads: ‘’And the messenger will say: O my Lord! certainly my people deserted this Koran’’. (25:30) So, it is an eye-opener for followers of hadith. 3-Sectarianism: Another factor is the division of Muslims into different sects, killing and condemning each other. These sects are the outcome of politically motivated literature also called hadith that has been developed over a period of centuries by the propagandists of each sect. Each sect is condemning the other sect, and, in many cases, they have fought bloody battles and wars to promote their political ideology. Even in the 21st century, more Muslims have killed each other on sectarian basis than the number of Muslims being killed by the non-Muslims. This tug of war between different sects of Muslims have disillusioned a large number of young members of these sects. The glorious Koran clearly commands that after receiving message of scriptures like the Koran, there is no room for any sect based or politically motivated man-made literature or hadith. Verse 105 of chapter 3 confirms it in the following words. ‘’Do not be like those who, after they have been given clear revelation, split into factions and fall into disputes: a terrible punishment awaits such people.’’ (3:105) So, if all Muslims only follow and seek guidance from the glorious Koran and reject all man-made hadith falsely attributed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH, there will be no sects in Islam and Muslims will become a true Muslim Ummah as it is envisaged in the glorious Koran. 4-Religious leaders as Traders: Another factor is the greedy and negative role of the religious leaders who amass wealth through unfair means by dividing Muslims into different sects, pleading that their followers will go into the Paradise. However, while being amassing wealth, they preach a simple lifestyle to their poor followers. These double standards disillusion many young Muslims. Regarding the fate of these greedy religious leaders the glorious Koran cite examples of rabbis of Judaism in verse 34 and 35 of chapter 9 in the following words. ‘’Believers, many rabbis and monks wrongfully consume people’s possessions and turn people away from God’s path, tell those who hoard gold and silver instead of giving in God’s cause that they will have a grievous punishment: on the Day it is heated up in Hell’s Fire and used to brand their foreheads, sides, and backs, they will be told, ‘This is what you hoarded up for yourselves! Now feel the pain of what you hoarded!’’ (9:34-35) I will upload a separate monologue on the negative role of religious leaders and how they have tarnished the image of Islam, lured people towards polytheism, and promoted sectarianism to amass wealth and divide the society. 5-Ignoring education and knowledge: The final factor is lack of interest of Muslims in learning and acquiring knowledge. When the younger generation of Muslims compare growth of education and learning amongst non-Muslims and its complete absence amongst the Muslims, they get frustrated and disillusioned. Besides, they also see that ignorant Muslims condemn the western culture but prefer to use all inventions of the western culture without any remorse or shame. However, the very first revelation from Allah Almighty highlighted the importance of knowledge and learning in verse 3 to 5 of chapter 96 in the following words. ‘’Read: And your Lord is the Most Generous. He who taught by the pen. Taught man what he never knew.’’ (96:3-5) So, why did Muslims forget this message of the glorious Koran. The answer is blind following or prevalence of theory of Taqlid amongst a large segment of Muslim community. Conclusion: Therefore, the contradictions amongst the Muslim Society are the most potent factor that have disillusioned a large number of young Muslims who cannot live with these double standards. However, instead of reading the glorious Koran and finding an honorable way for them, they prefer to leave religion aside and enjoy life to its full extent. One final question may be what the fate of both categories of Muslims will be, that is the instigators and the rebellious. The glorious Koran confirms on numerous occasions that a person who leads someone towards an evil act will also share part of the sin of the evil doer. So, both categories of Muslims those whose wrong actions disillusioned other Muslims from Islam and those who get disillusioned will suffer on this account.

A26-This question has remained most popular and debateable throughout the annals of history, and it has gained prominence in the 21st century when an open clash between supporters of each school of thought is becoming more potent. So, it is pertinent to examine the glorious Koran on this subject and see how Allah Almighty (the Creator of both the sexes) address this issue based on His eternal wisdom. I will try to provide a holistic perspective on this matter to comprehend the essence of this question. Besides, I will restrict to the fundamentals to keep the monologue focussed and summarised for better understanding. Before proceeding further we must understand that both males and females are the same specie that is called Homo Sapiens or mankind. Generic Sense The first comparison is based on generics of a male and a female. This difference is highlighted in the glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, as God has given some of them an advantage over others, and because they spend out of their wealth.’’ (4:34) This verse highlights the following facts. 1 Men or males are the protectors and maintainers of women or females because Allah Almighty has given an advantage to them in physical terms. This truth is evident in our day to day lives. Females who are a physically delicate and a timid sex cannot protect itself without the help of a male member (whether a father, brother, husband or a son). Besides, as a member of the household male members are physically stronger to perform certain tasks that require more physical strength. 2 Men or males generally spend their wealth on females that is their spouses. By and large this is the truth, and it rarely happens that a male member is financially dependent upon his spouse. This truth is reinforced in verse 4 of chapter 4 in the following words: ‘’Give women their dowries graciously. But if they willingly forego some of it, then consume it with enjoyment and pleasure.’’ (4:4), So even in a marriage it is the male’s responsibility to offer a marriage gift to the wife and not vice versa. History bears witness to this fact that due to physical advantage of a male person all prophets, messengers, conquerors, warriors, and, leaders, were men. Even in the modern world when a lot of argument is going on about gender equality, the natural distinction between men and women is clear in different roles and job categories. So, the truth is that male and females are two distinct subspecies of mankind in terms of their physical appearances, their reproductive organs, their physical strength, their emotional behavior, and so on. Therefore, if we take into account the physical and financial roles as the parameters, then by and large males have an advantage over the females. As members of the proliferation process The history of mankind starts with the creation of Adam PBUH who was a male. However, since in Allah’s eternal wisdom Adam PBUH alone could not serve the larger purpose of human life and its growth on earth, therefore, the mate (who was a female) was also created to make the couple a unified part of the household. This fact is highlighted in verse 189 of chapter 7 of the glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’It is He who created you from a single person, and made from it its mate, that he may find comfort with her. Then, when he has covered her, she conceives a light load, and she carries it around. But when she has grown heavy, they pray to God their Lord, “if You give us a good child, we will be among the thankful.” (7:189) This verse proves the following points. 1 The origin of mankind started from a single person who was a male and his name was Adam PBUH. The name Adam is mentioned in the glorious Koran in 17:61, 18:50 and 20:116. 2 The mate (who was a female) was created out of Adam PBUH, and her title was ZOJA or wife as mentioned in 2:35, 7:19 and 20:117. I may add that the name Hawa or Eve is never mentioned in the glorious Koran, and it is an imported name from biblical stories. 3 The purpose of creating the female mate was that Adam PBUH may find comfort in her company and produce offspring. Male and female at par to produce offspring Therefore, male and female are two integral parts of a household, and their union is a must for the birth of an offspring and proliferation of the family. So, from this perspective both male and female are at par with each other because singlehandedly neither of them can produce an offspring (even for artificial insemination the sperm of a male is required). Spiritual Realm We also need to keep in mind that the primary purpose for the creation of mankind is that they might worship Allah Almighty as explained in verse 56 of chapter 5 in the following words. ‘’I did not create the jinn and the humans except to worship Me. (51:56) So, the most pertinent question will be whether Allah Almighty distinguish between males and females based on their sexes while granting His favors in this life and in the hereafter. The answer to this question is beautifully explained in verse 97 of chapter 16 in the following words. ‘’Whoever works righteousness, whether male or female, while being a believer, We will grant him a good life—and We will reward them according to the best of what they used to do.’’ (16:97) This verse confirms the following facts. 1 Allah Almighty does not discriminate between sexes when it comes to rewarding a soul. 2 This reward is based on strict monotheism and good deeds alone. So, in spiritual terms whether somebody is a male or a female, his or her sex does not give an advantage before Allah Almighty. The reward from Allah Almighty is based on leading a life as a strict monotheist and striving to do good deeds and avoiding bad deeds. Testimony in Financial matters The financial matters are complicated, and they generally fall within the domain of male members of the society. So, when it comes to be a witness in a financial matter the glorious Koran gives an advantage to a male member over a female member as explained in verse 282 of chapter 2 of the glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’But if the debtor is mentally deficient, or weak, or unable to dictate, then let his guardian dictate with honesty. And call to witness two men from among you. If two men are not available, then one man and two women whose testimony is acceptable to all—if one of them fails to remember, the other would remind her. (2:282) This verse only confirms the fact that since contents of a financial deed is a complex matter and females may be less interested in it, therefore, the testimony of two female witnesses may equate with a male’s testimony. This verse has got nothing to do with the intelligence level of a male or a female in day-to-day life because there are several matters where females may be more interested and knowledgeable while there are several matters where male members may be interested and knowledgeable. This is common observation that humans (whether a male or a female) rarely ignore matters of personal interest. Morality and ethics Glorious Koran puts great emphasis on morality and ethics because it is the binding force of a society. A society that is devoid of morality and ethics is bound to disintegrate and degenerate into an anarchy. Therefore, the glorious Koran proclaims similar standards of morality and ethics for both male and female members of the society as explained in the following verses of the glorious Koran. The punishment for theft and adultery is the same for both male and a female. Verse 38 of chapter 5 reads: ‘’As for the thief, whether male or female, cut their hands as a penalty for what they reaped—a deterrent from God. God is Mighty and Wise. (5:38) Similarly verse 2 of chapter 24 reads: ‘’The adulteress and the adulterer—whip each one of them a hundred lashes and let no pity towards them overcome you regarding God’s Law, if you believe in God and the Last Day. (24:2) Similarly same standards are proclaimed for males and females regarding modesty in life. Verses 30 and 31 of chapter 24 read: ‘’Tell the believing men to restrain their looks, and to guard their privates.’’ (24:30) ‘’And tell the believing women to restrain their looks, and to guard their privates.’’ (24:31) Finally, same commands for both males and females about human behavior as explained in verse 11 of chapter 49 in the following words. ‘’O you who believe! No people shall ridicule other people, for they may be better than they. Nor shall any women ridicule other women, for they may be better than they. Nor shall you slander one another, or insult one another with names.’’ (49:11) So, in the realm of morality and ethics, the glorious Koran does not distinguish between a male and a female. Both are treated equally without any advantage or a disadvantage. Inheritance Inheritance is a very matter as described in the glorious Koran because it results in distribution of wealth between members of the household on the death of a parent. Verse 11 of chapter 4 reads: ‘’God instructs you regarding your children: The male receives the equivalent of the share of two females.’’ (4:11) So, in the distribution of inheritance wealth a male member is given a double share that of a female member. This advantage to a male member is presumably based on the fact that ultimately, he is responsible for running the family, while a female member will club her wealth with her husband who in turn has got a double share from his family. So, ultimately, the family as a unit will have the proportion of collective wealth. Conclusion So in the light of the wisdom provided by the glorious Koran the following facts may be concluded. 1 Male and a female are two integral parts of the same household. 2 Their union is a precondition for the growth and proliferation of mankind. 3 Males have certain advantages over the females in physical and emotional terms. 4 Spiritually, morally, and ethically both are treated at par before Allah Almighty. 5 Finally, they both complement each other and individually they are devoid of the essence of life.

Many Muslim theologians under the influence of women empowerment hold the view that a wife is not bound to share her income and wealth with her husband. Consequently, no husband can ask her wife to contribute towards household expenses if she possesses personal wealth or she is earning income from a trade or employment. However, this view is neither practical nor supported by the wisdom provided by the glorious Koran. From a practical perspective we know that in the majority of cases, whether it is western society or eastern society, both husband and wife contribute towards household expenses as well as household chores to enjoy a good quality of life. The following practical example will corroborate this fact. Practical Implications The primary duty of a wife is to manage household affairs while a husband is responsible to earn income to manage the household expenses. Now suppose that the wife starts earning something either voluntarily or to improve her quality of life. Naturally she will be doing some business activity or employment whether from home or going outside. Now when wife is also involved in some business activity or a job to earn, it is natural that she cannot focus on household activities like a housewife who is staying at home. Naturally, then some of the household activities will be compromised. In this situation either the husband has to perform those household chores, or they have to hire somebody to do it. Now if the wife earns money and insists that neither she is going to share her income as a contribution towards household expenses to improve quality of life nor she will look after the home like a homemaker, it will be an unequitable and unjust demand and no prudent husband will allow it. Rather, the husband will stop her from working. So, those guys who insist that a wife’s income or wealth is exclusively for her, and husband has no right to ask for contribution, are misguiding people both from religious and worldly perspectives. We know that even after their death each husband and wife share inheritance from each other. So propogandists of this viewpoint that a wife is not bound to share her income or wealth towards household expenses are in sheer ignorance. Husband and wife are two wheels of the same household, so they must divide their responsibilities equitably, whether it is income or management of the household affairs. The glorious Koran is full of wisdom, and it provides answers to all human questions so that believers can live in harmony and without discord. Now I am going to quote a few verses of the glorious Koran to corroborate this fact that both husband and wife are responsible for managing household expenses if they both decide to work and earn money to improve their quality of life. Men as protectors of women Interestingly, many Muslim scholars out of ignorance quote verse 34 of chapter 4 to justify that men are primarily responsible for maintaining household expenses and a wife should not share her income towards household expenses. The verse reads: ‘’Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, as God has given some of them an advantage over others, and because they spend out of their wealth.’’ (4:34) This verse compares men and women as two distinct forms of human beings with unique features. 1-Firstly it is declared that by design Allah Almighty has made men as protectors and maintainers of women due to the fact that Allah Almighty has given certain advantages to men over women, such as physical strength, emotional stability, and providing protection to their women. 2-Second the men by default spend their wealth over their women to foster them and make them comfortable. So, this verse highlights a general principle because in majority of the cases, it is the man who earns and spend it on the household members, including women of the house because Allah Almighty has embedded this thing in the personality of the man. This is a common practice amongst men from times immemorial and it is not specific to the faith of Islam. However, this verse never commands that women are not allowed to do work and contribute towards household expenses. Because this will be contrary to ground realities of life. At the same time this verse does not command that men must spend their wealth on women. It only highlights a trait or characteristic of men that they love to spend their wealth on women, whether a wife, a daughter, a sister, or a mother. Even if we have to believe the historians, the 1st wife of Prophet of Islam was a merchant and a wealthy lady, while prophet of Islam was her employee before marrying her. Then how can we assume that the rich lady who preferred to marry Muhammad PBUH would deny him her wealth after marriage. So, common sense does not support this viewpoint. Even verse 8 of chapter 93 of the glorious Koran confirms this fact in the following words. ‘’We found you in poverty and made you rich or bountiful’’. (93:8) This verse is directly addressed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH who was an orphan and dependent upon his uncle Abu Talib. However, when he grew up and married Hazrat Khadija, he became financially well off because his wife was a rich lady and jointly they must have started a prosperous life. Marriage gift We know that the glorious Koran commands that all believers must give a marriage gift to the wife at the time of marriage. The glorious Koran also commands that this marriage gift must be according to the wealth of the husband, implying that a rich husband may give an expensive gift, while a poor husband may give a gift according to his means. So, this marriage gift is the most important essential of marriage in the light of wisdom provided by the glorious Koran. Marriage is not complete without Haq Mehr or marriage gift. Even the glorious Koran commands that after divorce the husband must not forcibly take back this gift from wife. However, verse 4 of chapter 4 provides an exception to this rule based on ground realities of life. It reads: ‘’Give women their marriage gifts graciously. But if they willingly forego some of it, then consume it with enjoyment and pleasure. (4:4) This verse commands two important things or actions. 1-The husbands are commanded to give dower or marriage gift to their wives graciously that is not being a miser. 2-However, if the wife willingly forgo some of it for any reason, the husband can enjoy it without being a sinner. Why do Allah Almighty elaborated this principle? There are two important reasons for it. Firstly, marriage gift is the most important essential of marriage and no Muslim marriage is complete without it. So, a husband is not allowed to ask for its return. Secondly, it is possible that a loving wife may feel that the marriage gift is too expensive, and it may impact the financial circumstances of the husband. Since now I am his wife and we have to live together and manage our lives, so why should I push my husband into a financial crisis. Thus, the glorious Koran provides solution to individual circumstances of husband and wife, so that there is no confusion in the minds of each party. Hence, even sharing of the marriage gift (that is the exclusive domain of a wife) is allowed by the glorious Koran if the wife is willing to do it out of love and practicalities of life. Inheritance Even the inheritance laws of Islam as explained in the glorious Koran acknowledge this fact that both husband and a wife are entitled to share each other’s inheritance and wealth. Verse 12 of chapter 4 reads: ‘’You get one-half of what your wives leave behind if they had no children. If they had children, you get one-fourth of what they leave. After fulfilling any bequest and paying off debts. They get one fourth of what you leave behind if you have no children. If you have children, they get one-eighth of what you leave. After fulfilling any bequest and paying off debts. This is a commandment from Allah, and Allah is Ever all-knowing and most Forbearing.’’ (4:12) This verse leaves no ambiguity that both husband and wife will share each other’s wealth after the death of one of them. Even the husbands share is double to that of the wife. So, if husband and wife are commanded to share each other’s wealth after death, who stops them from sharing their wealth and income when they are alive? Does it make sense? Only a fool may uphold such a view that a wife must not share her income or wealth with her husband, even if the family is in financial crises or sharing can improve the quality of life of the household members. Keep in mind that husband and wife are two wheels of the same household. If they don’t cooperate with each other in financial and non-financial matters, the relationship cannot be sustainable, and the household will become a mess. Conclusion The general principle is that it is the responsibility of the husband to earn and spend on his household including his wife, and it is the responsibility of the wife to maintain the household. However, if both of them decide to work and earn to make their life financially better off, then both of them can share towards their common household expense as it may deem appropriate. At the same time there is no harm if the husband helps her wife in household chores. Similarly, both of them can retain some portion of their income for their personal expenses, depending upon the financial space available. We need to keep in mind that Islam is a pragmatic religion. It does not uphold idealism that can only lead to confusion, anarchy, and destruction in relationships.

A35- Many Muslims are confused about the fact whether they can donate their organs or not. Some hold the view that it is permissible, while others believe that it is forbidden in Islam. Both schools of thought advance their own arguments in support of their claims. However, we need to analyse this question in the light of wisdom provided by the glorious Koran. Before we examine the relevant verses of the glorious Koran on this topic, the foremost question is why people donate their organs and on what occasions. Well there could be varied reasons and separate occasions for this act. Reasons for donating an organ First, we look into the reasons for donating an organ. Broadly speaking there are three probable reasons for which a person may donate his or her organs. 1-Donating an organ to save a family member’s life, such as, a spouse or a child. 2-Donating an organ to save a stranger’s life on humanitarian grounds. 2-Donating an organ to get money from this transaction, although, the final recipient is always a human being who is in need of this organ, and he or she can pay for it. The Intermediary However, the role of an intermediary may become questionable and condemnable if the intermediary is buying an organ at a lower price and selling it at an inflated price to earn super normal profits. This intermediary is definitely a sinner in the sight of Allah because he or she is indulging in the sin of RIBA that is multiplying his wealth many times over from a trading activity. However, if the price charged to the recipient only includes an element of reasonable service fee for finding a donor and administering the whole process, then it may be permissible, provided the whole process is clearly explained to both the donor and the recipient of the organ. Since it is a trading activity, therefore, it must be free from RIBA and exploitation of all types. As the glorious Koran states ‘’You who believe, do not wrongfully consume each other’s wealth but trade by mutual consent.’’ (4:29) Occasions when an organ may be donated Broadly speaking there can be two occasions when somebody may donate his or her organ. 1-During one’s lifetime when a person may donate his or her organ to save somebody’s life, such as, donating one kidney or portion of a liver to save a person’s life. 2-Making a will during one’s lifetime that after his or her death, certain organs like heart, liver, kidneys, or lungs may be donated. So, it is clear that the purpose of donating a human organ is primarily to save a human life whether donation is free of cost, or somebody charges a price for it. It is also a commonsense observation that the donor should be a healthy person and donating an organ may not pose any risk to his or her life. Now let us examine the glorious Koran to understand whether the act of donating a human organ is permissible or not. The glorious Koran in verse 32 of chapter 5 highlights the importance of saving a human life in the following words. ‘’And if anyone saved a person, it is as if he saved the whole of mankind.’’ (5:32) So, in the sight of Allah Almighty saving a human being’s life is tantamount to saving the whole mankind. The obvious reason may be that one human being may be a source of a long lineage in the years and centuries to come as a parent, grandparent, and great grandparent and so on. This becomes more pronounced if the recipient of the organ is a young person and he or she is going to bear children after receiving the organ and getting a healthy life. Consequently, we can say with certainty that if a human being donates his or her organ to save a human life, it is a commendable act in the sight of Allah Almighty. Let me explain it further. Suppose a person does not donate his organs then after his death his organs will decompose in a fairly short span of time, and they will become part of the earth. On the contrary, if he or she donates a healthy organ that will save a human life for many years to come. So, from logical point of view, donating a healthy organ whether through a will or during one’s lifetime is a noble act. However, the critics of this approach, cite another verse of the glorious Koran to prove that donating a human organ is a Satanic act. This verse is 119 of chapter 4 that reads: “And I will prompt them to alter the creation of God.” Whoever takes Satan as a lord, instead of God, has surely suffered a profound loss.’’ (4:119) This verse has an entirely different context. It highlights the fact that if human beings alter creation of God under the influence of Satan for an evil purpose, then it is a great sin. There could be numerous examples of it, such as, changing one’s sex for pleasure-seeking, or changing the size and shape of physical organs of a human being for fun and lust, etc. Such alterations always have negative physical consequences upon a person’s health. To cut it short, it is the intention that will determine whether the act is Satanic or pious. Since donating an organ is to save a human life, therefore, it cannot be construed as a Satanic act, because the glorious Koran has confirmed in verse 119 of chapter 4 that saving a human life is a commendable act in the sight of Allah Almighty.

The concept of fasting is elaborately explained in verses 183, 184, 185 and 187 of chapter 2 of glorious Koran. For example, verse 183 explains that fasting is prescribed to make believers mindful of God, while verse 185 informs us that the believers should observe fasting in the whole month of Ramadan because glorious Koran was revealed in this month. Similarly, verse 187 tells us that fasting in the sight of God is to avoid intercourse, eating and drinking from dawn to evening. The concept of atonement for not observing fasting during the month of Ramadan is explained in verses 184 and 185 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘’Fast for a specific number of days, but if one of you is ill, or on a journey, the same number from other days. For those who can fast only with extreme difficulty, there is a way to compensate– feed a needy person. But if anyone does good of his own accord, it is better for him, and fasting is better for you, if only you knew.’’ (2:184) ‘’It was in the month of Ramadan that the Quran was revealed as guidance for mankind, clear messages giving guidance and distinguishing between right and wrong. So, any one of you who is present that month should fast, and anyone who is ill or on a journey should make up for the lost days by fasting on other days later. God wants ease for you, not hardship. He wants you to complete the prescribed period and to glorify Him for having guided you, so that you may be thankful.’’ (2:185) These two verses of glorious Koran elaborately explain the conditions under which a believer may observe fasting during the month of Ramadan. Fasting is prescribed for the month of Ramadan only. Fasting is prescribed for a healthy person who is not undertaking a journey. If one is sick or on a journey during the month of Ramadan, that person should complete the number of days of fasting in other months of the year as per his or her convenience. Those persons who can fast with extreme difficult due to any reason, such a person may feed a needy person during the month of Ramadan as an atonement. However, if he or she can try to observe fasting that would be better. By making these flexible rules Allah wants ease for believers and not hardship. Atonement: In the light of wisdom provided by verses 184 and 185 of chapter 2 of glorious Koran the atonement for not observing a fast or breaking a fast is as follows. If a person was not healthy during the month of Ramadan that person must complete the leftover days of fasting in other months of the year as an atonement. If a person was on a journey during the month of Ramadan and it was not possible for him to observe fast, that person must complete the leftover days of fasting in other months of the year as an atonement. If a person can observe fasts but only with extreme difficulty for any reason, such as old age or perpetual medical condition or physiological limitations, that person may instead feed a needy person during the month of Ramadan as an atonement. Because it would not be possible for such a person to observe fast in any other day of the year due to his personal limitations. It may be noted that every human being has a unique physiological profile and it may be possible that some persons cannot observe fasting without severe hardship, such as acute headaches and acute cramps due to empty stomach, or unbearable thirst and so on. Since Allah Almighty knows limitations of his creations, therefore, He has allowed that there is no hardship for such a person and instead of observing the fast such a person should feed a needy person during the month of Ramadan as an atonement. The command that God wants ease for you, not hardship in verse 185 of chapter 2 is a manifestation to this fact. The person who breaks his fast due to illness or physical hardship should either complete that fast in other months of the year or feed a needy person as an atonement. This atonement is in conformity with the spirit of verses 184 and 185 of chapter 2 of glorious Koran. Finally, a person who breaks a fast without any reason should seek forgiveness from God, abstain from such an act in the future and also either feed a needy person or observe one fast in lieu of the broken fast on some other day of a month. This atonement is also in conformity with the wisdom provided by the glorious Koran that tells us how a sinner should mend his way of life by seeking forgiveness from God.

The concept of shortening the prayer also called Namaz Qasr is derived from verse 101 of chapter 4 of the glorious Koran. It reads: ‘’and when you travel in the land it is no offence for you to shorten your prayer/salah if you fear that the disbelievers may harm you. The disbelievers are your sworn enemies.’’ (4:101) This verse of glorious Koran sets all the parameters that must be present if a Muslim must shorten the prayer. The Muslim must be travelling when the time for prayer has come. It does not apply once the Muslim has reached his safe destination. During the travel there is a reasonable fear that while the Muslim may be offering the prayer, enemies of Islam may be in the ambush to attack him or her. There is no condition how far and for how many days one must travel to observe Namaz Qasr. The only condition is fear of attack from the disbeliever. Even if one fears an attack form his enemies during travel (whether the enemies are believers or disbelievers) shortening of prayer will be covered from the spirit of this verse that is meant to protect the life of a human being. Due to the apprehension of an attack, the Muslim may shorten his prayer either by reciting short verses or by reducing the number of units of each prayer comprising three elements of prayer, that is, standing, bowing and prostration. In a nutshell, the intention should be to perform the prayer in a short time when compared with normal circumstances. This is solely done to reduce the probability of attack from a disbeliever who may be around. Exclusions: This verse categorically excludes all such situations in which Muslims normally observe Namaz Qasr during peace times under some false assumptions. These exclusions are When you travel in peaceful times and there is no fear of attack from the enemies, shortening of prayer is not covered by this command of the glorious Koran. Some people observe Namaz Qasr as a matter of routine when they are away from home city for few days. This practice is not supported by this verse of Koran. Distance of travel from one’s home or number of days of journey are not relevant in shortening the prayer (Namaz Qasr). The only element is fear of attack from the disbelievers or one’s enemy.

The elements or essentials of ablution or Wudu are described in verse 6 of chapter 5 of the glorious Koran. It reads: ‘’Believers, when you rise to pray, wash your faces and your hands as far as elbow, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankle. And if you are unclean, purify yourselves. And if you are sick or on a journey or you have just relieved yourselves or had intercourse with women, and you find not water, then go to clean high ground and rub your faces and your hands with some of it. God would not place a burden on you, but He would purify you and would perfect His grace upon you, that you may give thanks.’’ (5:6) This verse of the glorious Koran is the cornerstone that clearly describes elements of ablution in all circumstances. These elements are Ablution or Wudu has only four distinct elements. These include 1-washing one’s face, 2-washing one’s hands up to elbow, 3-wiping one’s head and 4-wiping one’s feet to the ankle. Anything beyond these four distinct acts is man-made concoction that has no place in the sight of God. Ablution must be performed before offering each prayer. The clear command in this verse ‘’when you rise to pray’’ is a manifestation to this fact. The followers of man-made traditions have improvised to offer several prayers with one ablution only. However, this is negation of a clear command of the glorious Koran. If someone is unclean for any reason (such as after intercourse with a woman, profuse sweating that is giving a bad smell, filth on the body, etc.) he or she must take a bath with water to clean themselves before offering a prayer. This bath is a substitute for ablution. However, if someone has just relieved or had intercourse with women or if someone is on a journey or sick and they find no water, then they may rub their faces and hands with clean sand or earth (also called tayumum or dry ablution) to purify them before offering prayer. Exclusions: This verse categorically excludes all such acts that some Muslims perform as part of ablution or wudu. These acts are Many people simply offer ablution to offer prayer without taking bath even when they are stinking with profuse sweating, their bodies are filthy and so on. In such a condition bath is obligatory when water is available. Ablution would not absolve them from the condition of taking a bath. Allah is pure and He expects that when we offer prayer before Him, we must observe reasonable standards of hygiene and cleanliness. Putting water in your mouth and nostrils is not an element of ablution or wudu. Those who insist on performing such acts as part of wudu may be asked to put sand or dry earth in their mouths and nostrils while performing tayumum or dry ablution. However, as clever persons they will never put dry earth or sand in their mouths and nostrils. Then why do they make things as part of faith that Allah Almighty has never ordained in the glorious Koran. All such innovations were added later by people out of ignorance against the clear commands given in the glorious Koran. May Allah protect us from the evil path of ignorant people. Amen.

A12-Many Muslims believe that Friday may be declared as a holiday in a Muslim country because it is a special day when God may only be remembered at the exclusion of all worldly activities. Following this tradition blindly many Muslim countries observe Friday as a holiday instead of some other day like Sunday or Saturday. The question is ‘’Is this belief of Muslims in line with the message of the glorious Koran or it contradicts that message?’’ The clear answer whether Friday may be a holiday or not for Muslims is provided by God in Chapter 62 verses 9 and 10 of the glorious Koran so that no confusion may be allowed in this matter. Chapter 62, verse 9 of glorious Koran reads: ‘’Believers! When the call to prayer is made on the day of congregation, hurry towards the reminder of God and leave off your trading––that is better for you, if only you knew’’. (62:9) This verse categorically highlights the fact that when the call to prayer for Jumma or congregation is made, the Muslims must leave off their trading, jobs, and businesses for some time so that they may offer Jumma prayer and remember God for His mercy. God declares Jumma prayer better than trading or doing business. The command ‘’leave off trading’’ is a clear manifestation to the fact that even during the lifetimes of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) when these verses were revealed, the Muslims used to observe Friday as a working day, and they were commanded to leave their businesses or jobs temporarily to offer the Jumma prayer. So, there is no concept of observing Friday as a holiday from the very inception of Islam as a faith or religion. This fact is reinforced in verse 10 of chapter 62 in the following words: ‘’then when the prayer has ended, disperse in the land, and seek out God’s bounty. Remember God often so that you may prosper.’’ (62:10) The clear command in this verse is that once the Jumma prayer has ended, the Muslims must disperse in the land and seek out bounty of God (through a trade, business, or employment). So, Allah Almighty has declared Friday as a working day in clear terms so that no skeptical person may try to press for declaring Friday as a holiday for the Muslims. One may wonder why God commands Muslims to seek bounty of God after offering the Jumma prayer. One possibility may be that Jumma is a special day in the sight of God, and He has commanded the believers to offer the Jumma or the congregation prayer on this day alone. So, if Friday is declared a special day for the Muslims in terms of a special Salah or prayer, then the possibility of earning special bounty of God on the Friday cannot be ruled out. So, working on this special day may be more advantageous for many Muslims rather than staying at home. The phrase ‘’remember God often so that you may prosper’’ is the manifestation to the fact that after offering the salah the Muslims may indulge in the business and trade remembering God for their prosperity. Remembrance of God also implies conducting your business, job or duty with honesty knowing that Allah Almighty is watching you. Whatever is the wisdom in commanding people to work on Friday is only known to Allah Almighty. However, no verse of the glorious Koran commands that Friday must be observed as a holiday. So, if Muslims must observe holiday, they must choose some other day like Sunday to take rest from their business or jobs, but no holiday on Friday as it will be a disobedience to the clear commands of God. The wisdom provided in these verses of the glorious Koran must be an eye-opener for those skeptical Muslims who insist on observing Friday as a holiday, merely to distinguish them from the rest of the world.

A8: Many Christians, Muslims and people of other faiths hold the view that Jesus Son of Mary is alive in the heaven and he will return to earth before the doomsday. The Christians believe that Jesus will come to rule and judge, while Muslims believe that Jesus will follow Mehdi to fight against Dijjal. However, a critical study of the glorious Koran confirms that all such beliefs are severely flawed and devoid of substance. First, we examine verses related to death of Jesus PBUH. In chapter 4 verse 157 God denounce that Jesus was crucified, rather it appeared to his enemies that they had killed Jesus that way. Then Chapter 4, verse 158 highlights the fact that Jesus PBUH died a natural death. It reads ‘’Rather, God raised him up to Himself. God is Mighty and Wise.’’ (4:158) Now, there is no doubt that Jesus died a natural death. The phrase ‘’God raised him up to Himself’’ is a testimony to this fact because every human being once dead is raised and brought to God. There are numerous verses in the glorious Koran that confirms this fact. For example, chapter 29 verse 57 reads:’’Every soul will taste death. Then to Us you will be returned.’’ (29:57) This verse proves that every soul will taste death and after death we are brought back to God. To substantiate this fact, I share verse 116 and 117 of chapter 5 of glorious Koran. These two verses highlight the contents of dialogue between God and Jesus PBUH on the judgment day in the following words: VERSE 116 reads ‘’And God will say, “O Jesus son of Mary, did you say to the people, `Take me and my mother as gods rather than God?'“ He will say, “Glory be to You! It is not for me to say what I have no right to. Had I said it, You would have known it. You know what is in my soul, and I do not know what is in yours. You are the Knower of the hidden. (5:116) Then the dialogue is continued in verse 117 in the following words: ‘’I only told them what You commanded me: that you shall worship God, my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I was among them, but when You took me to Yourself, you became the Watcher over them; for You are Witness over everything. (5:117) These two verses prove the following facts. Jesus never preached his followers to worship him besides God. The Christians started worshipping Jesus as son of God after his death as part of a polytheistic movement started by some of their religious scholars. After death of Jesus, he never came back to earth to advise his followers to stop worshipping him and taking him as son of God. The wording ‘’I was a witness over them while I was among them, but when You took me to yourself, You became the Watcher over them’’ is a clear manifestation to this fact. Now suppose that Jesus was given a second birth by God as falsely assumed by certain group of people. Then the dialogue between God and Jesus on the judgement day may look like this. And God will say, O Jesus son of Mary, I sent you twice to earth as my messenger, how come that people started calling you son of God on both occasions after your two deaths. Jesus will say, Glory be to You, after my first death people fabricated this lie that became known to me on my rebirth. The moment I got second life I tried my level best to stop people calling me son of God and some people did follow my advice. However, once I died second time, they might have reverted to the idea of calling me son of God which only you know. However, the two verses of glorious Koran do not mention or hint about second coming or life of Jesus and his efforts to stop people calling him son of God after second birth. Rather, these verses only highlight one fact, and it relates to complete ignorance of Jesus about polytheism practiced by his followers after his single death, for nobody gets a second life before the day of resurrection. So, those who fabricate false stories related to second coming of Jesus, birth of Mehdi and fight with an imaginary figure like Dijjal should seek forgiveness of God and avoid imputing lies to God and His prophet.

A6: Majority of the Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the most exalted messenger of Allah. Therefore, the Lord of the universe in chapter 33 verse 56 commands that Allah and His angles send peace upon the Prophet, so believers must also send peace upon the prophet. In this verse the reference of prophet is directed at Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the last messenger of Allah. However, a critical study of the glorious Koran reveals the fact that Allah sends His peace or blessings upon all messengers, some of them are being specifically named while all others are included as a class of messengers. Few verses of the glorious Koran where prophets’ names are mentioned while sending blessings of Allah include. ‘’Peace be upon Noah among all worlds or Alaimeen’’. (37:79) ‘’Peace be upon Abraham’’. (37:109) ‘’Peace be upon Moses and Aaron’’. (37:120) ‘’Peace be upon the house of Elijah’’. (37:130) While verse 187 of chapter 33 reads ‘’And peace be upon the messengers’’. (37:181) These verses make it clear that Allah sends His blessings upon all the messengers. The believers also send blessings upon all messengers while reading these verses of the glorious Koran. However, they are also commanded to send blessings upon Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as his followers. The wisdom drawn from these verses is that believers are not allowed to discriminate between any messenger of Allah based on one’s personal preference and instead he or she must hold all of them in equal reverence. This fact is reinforced in chapter 2, verse 285 in the following words: ‘’The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, as do the faithful. They all believe in God, His angels, His scriptures, and His messengers. ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers,’ they say, ‘We hear and obey. Grant us Your forgiveness, our Lord. To You we all return!’ (2:285) This verse is the cornerstone of faith that commands all believers that they should not make any distinction between any of Allah’s messengers. There is a wisdom behind this command. If a person starts ranking the prophets based upon his liking, sooner or later that person will indulge in the heinous sin of polytheism believing that the exalted status of his messenger also implies that the messenger can intervene in God’s system of retribution in some way. The reason being that ranking of messengers will give a false hope to the person that since his messenger is the most exalted one, therefore, his messenger can mediate with God and will redeem his followers’ sins on the judgment day. So, he or she will pin false hope of redemption upon a creation of God rather than the Creator and Lord of the Universe. For example, the Christians believe that Jesus PBUH is the most exalted prophet and this belief indulged them in the false hope that as followers of Jesus PBUH they will get complete redemption on the judgment day. While the Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad PBUH is the most exalted prophet and this belief indulged them in the false hope that as followers of Prophet Muhammad PBUH, they will enjoy a special redemption on the judgment day. However, the glorious Koran refutes all such false notions of mankind on numerous occasions. For example, chapter 82, verses 18 and 19 read ‘’ Then again, what will convey to you what the Day of recompense is? The Day when no soul will avail another soul anything; and the decision on that Day is God’s.’’ (82:18-19) These verses make it clear that redemption on the judgment day will come through mercy of the Lord of the Universe rather than any messenger’s intervention. Therefore, we should not discriminate between messengers of God in the false hope of any redemption coming through a messenger. I conclude my monologue on ‘’Blessings and peace be upon messengers’’ with the prayer that Allah Almighty may bless this effort and enable us to apply reason and seek guidance only from the glorious Koran in all matters of life. Please subscribe and share my channel for promoting teachings of glorious Koran to the mankind. May Allah reward your effort. Amen.

Answer 36-All believers are aware of the fact that Prophet Muhammad PBUH is declared as rahmat alil alameen by the glorious Koran in verse 107 of chapter 21 in the following words. ‘’We have not sent you except as a mercy to alameen’’. (21:107) This verse raises two questions that must be understood in the right context. Meaning of Alameen: The first question is that what is the true meaning of the word ‘’alameen’’ in the context of verse 107 of chapter 21. The word Alameen in Arabic may have three distinct meanings, mankind, world, and the universe. In the context of Prophet Muhammad PBUH the term universe is not applicable because he was sent as a messenger on earth for the guidance of mankind and not for the entire universe as it is narrated in verse 94 and 95 of chapter 17 of the glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’Nothing prevented the people from believing, when guidance has come to them, except that they said, “Did God send a human messenger?” Say, “If there were angels on earth, walking around in peace, We would have sent down to them from heaven an angel messenger.” (17:94-95) This verse makes it clear that when contemporaries of Muhammad PBUH questioned his prophethood based on the argument that he was a human being like them, then Allah Almighty revealed these verses to make it clear that earth is a dwelling place for the human beings, so only a human being will be chosen as a messenger for their guidance. If, however, earth was a dwelling place for the angles then Allah Almighty would have sent an angel as a messenger. So, these verses also prove the fact that Muhammad PBUH was a messenger of mankind and not the entire universe. Therefore, the correct meaning of the phrase ‘’rahmat alil alameen’’ in verse 107 of chapter 21 is ‘’mercy to mankind’’ and not ‘’mercy to the universe’’. To prove this point we need to understand that the word ‘’alameen’’ is also used for other messengers in the glorious Koran, such as, Noah PBUH as ‘’Nuhin Fil alameen’’ in verse 79 of chapter 37 that reads: ‘’Peace be upon Noah among all mankind’’ (37:79). Similarly, for Mary mother of Jesus the phrase used is ‘’Nisa-Al-alameen’’ in verse 42 of chapter that reads: ‘’The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the Nisa Al Alameen or women of the world.’’ (3:42) Therefore, for creations like a human being the word alameen has a relative meaning implying the world or mankind, while for Allah Almighty (who is the Creator and Lord of the entire universe) it has an absolute meaning. Therefore, Rabul Alameen will imply Lord of the Universe and not Lord of mankind alone because Allah Almighty is the Lord and Creator of the Entire Universe, and everything contained in it. While Noah, Marry and Muhammad PBUT were human beings, therefore, the word alameen in phrases like Nuh-in-Alameen, Nisa-Al-Alameen and rahmat-alil-Alameen implies mankind or world. Why declared as a mercy for mankind? The second question is why Muhammad PBUH is declared as a mercy for mankind? The answer to this question is based on two additional facts. The first fact is that Muhammad PBUH was the last of the messengers and after him no other messenger or prophet will come for the guidance of mankind till the doomsday. This fact is confirmed in verse 40 of chapter 33 in the following words. ‘’Muhammad is not the father of any of your men; but he is the Messenger of God, and the last of the prophets.’’ (33:40) The second fact is that Allah Almighty revealed the glorious Koran to Prophet Muhammad PBUH as a guidance and mercy for him and for the mankind. This fact is explained in verse 86 of chapter 28 in the following words. ‘’You did not expect the Book to be transmitted to you, except as mercy from your Lord. Therefore, do not be a supporter of the disbelievers.’’ (28:86) This verse confirms the fact that Prophet Muhammad PBUH as a human being never expected that he would be chosen as the last messenger of Allah and the merciful message of glorious Koran will be revealed to him for the guidance of mankind. So, he is warned not to support the disbelievers after receiving the merciful message of the glorious Koran. The fact that the glorious Koran is a mercy from Allah Almighty is mentioned in numerous other verses of the glorious Koran, such as, verse 52 of chapter 7 that reads: ‘’We have given them a Scripture, which We detailed with knowledge—guidance and mercy for people who believe.’’ (7:52) Verse 82 of chapter 17 reads: ‘’We send down in the Quran healing and mercy for the believers.’’ (17:82) So, all these verses prove one core point that the glorious Koran is a mercy from Allah Almighty that was revealed to Muhammad PBUH for his guidance and the guidance of the mankind. Wrong Attribution I may add that some people falsely claim that Prophet Muhammad PBUH is called Rehmat Alil Alameen because he will be source of intercession on the judgment day. In order to prove their false claim they quote man-made hadith that Prophet Muhammad PBUH said that on the judgment day people will approach other notable messengers like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus PBUT seeking intercession. However, these messengers would advise that today only Prophet Muhammad PBUH is the source of intercession. However, the glorious Koran refutes all such false claims. There is not a single verse in the glorious Koran that claims intercession of Prophet Muhammad or any other messenger by name on the judgment day. Besides, there are numerous verses in the glorious Koran that confirm that on the judgment day no soul shall be able to help another soul, and all power will belong to Allah. For example, verse 19 of chapter 82 confirms this fact in the following words. ‘’The Day when no soul will avail another soul anything; and the decision on that Day is God’s.’’ (82:19) Conclusion Therefore, the glorious Koran confirms the true meaning of the phrase ‘’Rahmat alil Alameen’’ for Muhammad PBUH in the following sense. 1 Muhammad PBUH was the last messenger of Allah till the doomsday. So, Allah’s guidance to mankind in the form of a revelation or a scripture was discontinued after Muhammad’s death. 2 Muhammad PBUH was sent for the guidance of mankind through the message of the glorious Koran that is a mercy from Allah Almighty as enumerated in several verses of the glorious Koran. 3 Since Koran is the merciful message of Allah for the guidance of mankind and it was revealed to Muhmmad PBUH, therefore, Muhammad PBUH is declared as a mercy to mankind for spreading the merciful message of the glorious Koran. To sum up, since the message contained in the glorious Koran is a mercy for mankind from Allah Almighty, therefore, the messenger who was chosen to spread the merciful message of the glorious Koran is also a mercy for the mankind.

A.11-We all know that Prophet Solomon (In Arabic Sulaiman PBUH) was a mighty King who had authority over the winds, sprites, birds, and mankind. No other prophet or man was ever granted such tremendous powers and grandeur by the Lord of the Universe. The glorious Koran narrates important incidents of his life in numerous verses, especially the incident when Prophet Solomon PBUH used to praise beauty of his horses rather than remembrance of God and then He was warned by God. Prophet Solomon sought forgiveness of God and implored that he should be given a kingdom never to be attained by anyone after him. This fact is narrated in verses 30 to 40 of chapter 38 of glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’And We granted David, Solomon, an excellent servant. He was penitent. When the beautiful horses were paraded before him in the evening. He said, “I have preferred the love of niceties to the remembrance of my Lord— until it disappeared behind the veil. Bring them back to me.” And he began caressing their legs and necks.’’ (38:30-33) ‘’We tested Solomon and placed a skeleton on his throne; then he repented. He said, “My Lord, forgive me, and grant me a kingdom never to be attained by anyone after me. You are the Giver. So, We placed the wind at his service, blowing gently by his command, wherever he directed. And the demons—every builder and diver. And others fettered in chains. “This is Our gift; so, give generously, or withhold; without account.” For him is nearness to Us, and a beautiful resort. (38:34-40) These verses highlight the fact that how Prophet Solomon was rewarded by Lord of the Universe in such a magnificent manner that many skeptical persons may take Solomon as god because of his extraordinary powers. However, Lord of the Universe and the living God knew this fact that people may start worshipping Prophet Solomon as a god so He bestowed death upon Solomon in such a manner that skeptical people and sprites may not misjudge Solomon PBUH as a god. This fact is narrated in verse 14 of chapter 34 of glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’Then, when We decreed death for him (i.e., Solomon), nothing indicated his death to them except an earthworm eating at his staff. Then, when he fell down, it became clear to the sprites that, had they known the unseen, they would not have remained in the demeaning torment. (34:14) The death of mighty Prophet Solomon PBUH has many lessons for mankind. The sprites and Jinn have no knowledge of the unseen otherwise they should have known about death of Prophet Solomon beforehand and disobeyed his orders knowing that he was about to die. Prophet Solomon himself had no knowledge of the unseen, otherwise he should not be sitting with his staff, knowing that he was about to die, and his body would remain in that position after his death for a long time till the time the earthworms ate his staff and it fell on the ground. The knowledge of the unseen is only with the Lord of the Universe as stated in verse 59 of chapter 6 in the following words. ‘’With Him are the keys of the unseen. None knows them except He.’’ (6:59) Whether any human being is granted a mighty kingdom or an ordinary life, he or she must die one day. Therefore, he is never worthy of praise like a god. There is only one living God, Allah who is worthy of worship of all kinds as highlighted in Chapter 0 verse 65 in the following words. ‘’He is the Living One. There is no god except Him. So, pray to Him, devoting your religion to Him. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds.’’ (0:65)

A34-This question may look strange to many Muslims. However, this is an intelligent and prudent question that must be analyzed in the light of wisdom provided by the glorious Koran due to the following reasons. 1 Darood-e-Ebrahimi is not mentioned in the glorious Koran and there is no evincible evidence that it was practiced and recited by Muslims during the life of Prophet of Islam. So, in any case, it is a later invention. 2 Part of the contents of Darood-e-Ebrahimi conflicts with the commands of the glorious Koran as I will explain later. Before moving forward let’s analyze the contents of Darood-e-Ebrahimi. It reads: Darood-e-Ebrahimi: “O Allah send peace on Prophet Muhammad and to the lineage of Prophet Muhammad as you sent peace on Prophet Ibrahim and the lineage of Prophet Ibrahim. Indeed, you are praiseworthy and glorious. O Allah, bless Prophet Muhammad and the lineage of Prophet Muhammad as you blessed Prophet Ibrahim and the lineage of Prophet Ibrahim. Indeed, you are praiseworthy and glorious.” So, the wordings of this Darood confirms that Muslims pray for the salvation of Prophets Muhammad and Abraham (PBUT) and their family and lineage. It includes all family members and lineage whether righteous or evil doers that shows a per se contradiction in it. Family and descendants of Abraham PBUH: Who is the family or lineage of Prophet Ibrahim? It is Prophet Ismail and Prophet Isaac (PBUT) and their progeny. The progeny of Prophet Isaac (PBUH) includes all Jews who are called Bani Israel in the glorious Koran with reference to Prophet Jacob (PBUH), their father. So, whosoever, invented Darood Ebrahimi must be under the influence of Jewish faith that proclaims Bani Israel as a clan and lineage of Prophet Jacob (PBUH). This cannot be ruled out because many neo-Muslims during the expansionary period of Islam were Jews, Christians, Sabeans, Zoroastrians, and so on. So, the influence of new converts on Muslim theology and culture cannot be ruled out. Anyway, Darood-e-Ebrahimi is a clear manifestation of the paradoxical behavior of Muslims. On the one hand they pray for the salvation of Jews day and night in the form of Darood-e-Ebrahimi, while on the other hand they hate Jews as enemies of Muslims. Message of Glorious Koran: Now, let us examine the glorious Koran to understand to what extant Darood Ebrahimi is in line with the message and teachings of the glorious Koran. Interestingly, the glorious Koran only commands the believers to send blessings upon Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and other messengers as mentioned in verse 56 of chapter 33 in the following words. ‘’God and His angels give blessings to the Prophet. O you who believe, call for blessings on him, and greet him with a prayer of peace.’’ (33:56) This is the only verse in the entire glorious Koran that commands the believers to send blessings upon Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). This verse does not command the believers to send blessings upon the family and lineage of Muhammad (PBUH). Similarly, verse 109 of chapter 33 reads: ‘’Peace be upon Abraham’’. (33:109) There are other verses in the glorious Koran that specifically mentions the names of Prophets and Allah’s blessings and peace upon them, such as, Prophet Noah, Moses, Aron, and Elijah (PBUT). Finally, in verse 187 of chapter 33 Allah Almighty sends His blessings and peace upon all messengers. It reads: ‘’Peace be upon the messengers’’. (33:187) So, the message of glorious Koran is that Allah sends His blessings and Peace upon all messengers as a class because they are the chosen-one human beings who were selected for the most honorable task of spreading the message of Tauheed and Judgment Day. Why does Koran not include family members of a Prophet for blessings of Allah? The question may arise that why does Allah Almighty not command the believers to send blessings upon the family and descendants of all messengers? The simple answer is that 1 All the family members of a messenger and his lineage are not messengers, and since Allah Almighty has reserved this blessing only for His messengers, therefore, no question may arise that anybody may plead before Allah that He must shower his blessings upon all family members merely because of their lineage. 2 In every messenger’s family, there were good and bad family members and descendants that glorious Koran confirms by narrating stories of various prophets. For example 124 of chapter 2 reads: ‘’And when his Lord tested Abraham with certain words, and he fulfilled them. He said, “I am making you a leader of humanity.” He said, “And my descendants?” He said, “My pledge does not include the wrongdoers.” (2:124) This verse makes it clear that although Allah Almighty made Prophet Abraham PBUH a leader of righteous men. However, Allah Almighty did not guarantee that all descendants of Prophet Abraham (PBUH) will be given the same status because if any of his descendants were wrong doers, Allah would not pardon them merely because they were in the lineage of prophet Abraham PBUH. This is the sunnah of Allah and there is no change in it for anyone. Therefore, it is clear that Allah Almighty does not favor the wicked persons even if they are the family members and descendants of an honorable prophet like Abraham (PBUH). In the case of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) there is an additional factor to confirm this truth. This is based on the fact that Prophet Muhammad PBUH had no son from which the lineage runs towards the progeny. This fact is pronounced in categoric terms in the glorious Koran in verse 40 of chapter 56 in the following words. ‘’Muhammad is not the father of any of your men; but he is the Messenger of God, and the last of the prophets.’’ (33:40) This verse confirms that Muhammad PBUH was not the father of any of the men and so Allah Almighty wants to make it clear that no lineage may be attributed to messenger of Allah because all lineage runs from the male member of a family. So, the inclusion of words like Allah may bless family and descendants of Muhammad PBUH in Darood Ebrahimi is a denial of this verse of the glorious Koran. Counterargument: There may be a counterargument from the supporters of Darood-e-Ebrahimi that in our day to day lives believers greet each other with the narration of ‘’Aslamoalikum’’ that implies ‘’peace be unto you’’. So why not to send peace upon the family members of a messenger. This is a naïve argument for the following reasons. 1 Peace be unto you is a general expression of greeting that does not confirm that Allah Almighty has blessed a person that is being addressed. 2 In Darood-e-Ebrahimi the reciter confirms that Allah Almighty had blessed the whole lineage of Prophet Abraham PBUH that is a denial of verse 124 of chapter 2 as explained earlier. 3 Besides, why did Allah Almighty not include family members of a messenger while blessing them. The reason is obvious that messengers have a special status before Allah and this status cannot be conferred upon any other person. Conclusion: So, it is evident that whosoever invented Darood Ebrahimi, made it out of sheer ignorance and blind love that on the one hand contradicts the clear commands of the glorious Koran, and on the other hand promotes a paradoxical behavior amongst the Muslims towards the Jews. The following facts may confirm this truth. 1 Blessings for Messenger alone: The glorious Koran only commands the believers to send blessings upon Prophet Muhammad PBUH categorically excluding his family and descendants. So, a true believer should strictly follow this command of Allah Almighty. 2 No Son: Prophet Muhammad PBUH had no son, so there is no lineage that may be linked with Prophet Muhammad PBUH. This is part of grand design of Allah Almighty. 3 All Descendants are not righteous: Even if Prophet Muhammad PBUH had a lineage, there was no guarantee that all his descendants would be righteous. As the glorious Koran confirms in the case of Prophet Abraham PBUH who was categorically told by Allah Almighty that all descendants of Abraham PBUH would not be righteous. 4 Not Permissible: So no question may arise to send blessings upon all family members and descendants of Prophet Muhammad and Prophet Abraham PBUT as it is done in Darood Ebrahimi. This will be a denial of wisdom provided by the glorious Koran. 5 Historical evidence: The historical evidence about the origin of Darood-e-Ebrahimi is misleading and it is in direct conflict with the wisdom provided by the glorious Koran. 6 Real Blessing: The only blessing commanded by the glorious Koran may be summed up as ‘’Blessings be upon the messenger of Allah’’ or as we may recite ‘’ASLAMOALIKA YA RASOOL ALLAH’’.

A17: There is a general perception amongst many Muslims that a prophet or a saint after his death remains spiritually alive in a manner that he can influence the day-to-day life of other living human beings. Based on this notion many people visit graves and tombs of dead prophets and saints and seek their help through invocations. This invocation may be sought for all worldly and spiritual matters, such as, desire for wealth, success of children, good health, redemption on the judgment day and so on. Interestingly, when any such person gets some benefit in this world, he attributes it towards his saint or prophet rather than towards one living God. However, all such practices are worst forms of polytheism, and the glorious Koran categorically refutes this unpardonable sin. There are numerous verses in the glorious Koran that highlight this type of polytheism. For example, verses 5 and 6 of chapter 46 read: ‘’Who is more wrong than him who invokes, besides God, those who will not answer him until the Day of Resurrection, and are heedless of their invocations? And when humanity is gathered, they will be enemies to them, and will renounce their worship of them.’’ (46:5-6) These verses make it clear that invoking a dead prophet or saint for any help is the worst form of polytheism, and on the day of resurrection the prophets and saints will renounce the worship of such disbelievers before God. This fact is reiterated in verses 20 and 21 of chapter 16 in the following words. ‘’Those they invoke beside God create nothing; they are themselves created. They are dead, not living. They do not know when they will be raised up.’’ (16:20-21) These verses explicitly highlight the fact that God alone is the Creator, and all others are mere creations. Even the most pious dead human being can never be a source of redemption for any living human being. He is dead and completely unaware of what is happening in the living world. Even he does not know when he will be raised up. So how could he influence somebody’s fate in the world or in hereafter? In the light of this commonsense wisdom God commands all human beings to put their trust in the one living God alone. The fact is commanded in Chapter 25, verse 58 of Koran in the following words. ‘’Put your trust in the Living who never dies and celebrate His praise. He knows the sins of His servants well enough:’’ (25:58) As for those human beings who persist in invoking the help of a dead prophet or a saint verse 28 and 29 of chapter 16 of the glorious Koran announce the following dreadful fate. ‘’Those wronging their souls while the angels are taking them away—they will propose peace: We did no wrong. Yes, you did. God is aware of what you used to do. Enter the gates of Hell, to dwell therein forever. Miserable is the residence of the arrogant.’’ (16:28-29) These verses of glorious Koran prove that persons who practice polytheism by invoking help of dead prophets and saints will have a permanent abode in the hell. May Allah Almighty protect us from the curse of all forms of polytheism. Amen.

The glorious Koran mentions the names and references of few women in different contexts to explain their status in the sight of God. For example, the wives of Prophet Noah and Lot (PBUT) are mentioned as wicked women, while wife of Pharaoh and Hazrat Marium, also called Marry-mother of Jesus (PBUH) are mentioned as pious women. However, chapter 3, verse 42 of the glorious Koran specifically highlights the fact that Hazrat Marium (PBUH) was the most exalted woman in the sight of God in all the worlds or Alaimeen. It reads: The angels said, “O Mary, God has chosen you, and has purified you. He has chosen you over all the women of the alameen or worlds. (3:42) The clear words that God has purified and chosen you over all the women of the alameen in this verse are a manifestation to the fact that Hazrat Marium (PBUH) holds the most exalted status in the sight of God amongst all women from Eve to doomsday. The glorious Koran does not use such words for any other woman of the world. There are several reasons that testifies to the fact that Hazrat Marium (PBUH) was the most exalted woman in the sight of God in all the worlds or alameen. All these facts are narrated in various verses of the glorious Koran. She was spiritually purified by God to become mother of Jesus (PBUH). No other woman was purified by God like this. As mentioned in chapter 3, verses 42 and 43 of glorious Koran, God revealed his messages to Hazrat Marium (PBUH) through angels as God revealed His messages to other male Prophets. No other woman of the world received any such revelation from God. That is why many scholars believe that probably Hazrat Marium (PBUH) was a Prophet of God. She gave birth to Jesus without the union of a male as Jesus’s father that implies the greatest test for a pious woman from worldly perspective. How difficult it would be for her to defend her chastity after giving birth to Jesus (PBUH)? She bore the greatest sufferings with her son, but she remained steadfast throughout her life without the support of a husband. As mentioned in chapter 66, verse 12 of glorious Koran, she guarded her womb and God breathed His spirit into her to give life to Jesus (PBUH). Besides Hazrat Marium the glorious Koran only mentions the name of Prophet Adam (PBUH) in whose body God breathed His spirit to give life to him. So, this unique event was reserved for two human beings only Prophet Adam and Marium (PBUT). That is why the glorious Koran compares the birth of Prophet Adam and Jesus as two unique but identical events in the history of mankind. Finally, she is the only woman whose name is admiringly mentioned more than 30 times in the glorious Koran in different contexts.

A16: There is a general perception amongst Muslims that the stories of earlier generations that have been explained in the glorious Koran highlight one specific sin of the people of the community because of which Allah Almighty destroyed the whole nation. For example, the story of Prophets Saleh and the incident of She-camel, story of Prophet Shoaib and the practice of short measures by his people, and story of Prophet Lot and his people committing sodomy. However, a critical study of the glorious Koran proves that no nation on earth was destroyed for any specific sin unless Allah Almighty sent a messenger to that nation and invited them to worship one God and stop evil practices. Now let us examine the factors for which people of Lot were destroyed by Allah Almighty. There are numerous verses in various chapters of glorious Koran that narrate the whole story, such as, chapters 11, 15, 21, 26, 27, 29, and 37. For example, chapter 21 verse 74 reads: ‘’And Lot—We gave him judgment and knowledge, and We delivered him from the town that practiced the abominations. They were wicked and perverted people.’’ (21:74) This verse makes it clear that people of Sodom were indulged in numerous types of abominations and not just sodomy. This was since they were disbelievers in God and his messenger Lot. Some people wrongfully assert that Prophet Lot (pbuh) was not a prophet but a cousin of Prophet Abraham (PBUH). However, chapter 37 verse 133 refutes this claim in the following words. ‘’And Lot was one of the messengers.’’ (37:133) So, there is no doubt that Prophet Lot (PBUH) was one of the messengers of God and he was specifically sent to the city of Sodom to preach unity of God and faith of Islam. Now I read verses 160 to 174 of chapter 26 that narrate the full story of Prophet Lot (PBUH) so that mankind may take heed. It read: ‘’The people of Lot disbelieved the messengers. When their brother Lot said to them, “Do you not fear? I am to you a faithful messenger. So, fear God, and obey me. I ask of you no payment for it. My payment is only from the Lord of the Worlds. Do you approach the males of the world? And forsake the wives that your Lord has created for you? Indeed, you are intrusive people.” They said, “Unless you refrain, O Lot, you will be expelled.” He said, “I certainly deplore your conduct.” “My Lord, save me and my family from what they do.” So, We saved him and his family, altogether. Except for an old woman (i.e. Lot’s wife) among those who tarried. Then We destroyed the others. And We rained down on them a rain. Dreadful is the rain of those forewarned. Surely in this is a sign, but most of them are not believers. (26:160-174) These verses highlight the following sins of the people of Lot. They disbelieved in all messengers sent to them before Prophet Lot (PBUH). They also disbelieved in Prophet Lot as a messenger of God. They were polytheists and denied God, His messengers, life after death and the judgment day. They were indulged in committing all sort of sins. Besides disbelief in God, there prominent sin during the times of Prophet Lot was act of sodomy, that is anal intercourse and perversion between man and man. God destroyed all of them because of their disbelief in God, His messenger Lot and commission of various sins and abominations including the sin of sodomy. The wife of Lot was also destroyed because she was a disbeliever in God and His messenger Lot. Although she could not commit the sin of sodomy, yet God destroyed her because the people of Sodom were primarily destroyed for disbelief in God and His messenger, and Lot’s wife was a partner in this sin with people of Sodom. These facts make it clear that people of Lot were not destroyed for sodomy alone, rather they were destroyed primarily for polytheism, disbelief in God and His messenger Lot, and many other abominations that they were indulged in. However, the sin of sodomy proved to be the last straw on camel’s back, that is why it is highlighted in the glorious Koran.

A5: Many people claim that once a person dies, he or she is put to life in the grave and asked a few questions about faith. Based on the replies of the deceased person the grave is either turned into part of paradise or hell where the dead person enjoys or suffers agony and punishment till the day of resurrection. A critical study of the glorious Koran reveals that all such beliefs are false and based on ignorance and superstitions. For example, verses 51 and 52 of Chapter 36 of glorious Koran read: ’’The Trumpet will be sounded and– lo and behold!– they will rush out to their Lord from their graves. They will say, ‘Alas for us! Who has resurrected us from our place of sleep?’ ‘This is what the Lord of Mercy promised, and the messengers told the truth.’’ (36:51,52) These verses highlight the following facts. On the day of resurrection when the trumpet will be blown all dead persons will wake up from the deep slumber in their graves and will say Who has resurrected us from our place of sleep? And then they will rush out to their Lord from their graves or wherever on earth the remains of their dead bodies are lying. It may be noted that if people were being punished in the graves or where ever the remains of their dead bodies were lying, they would not utter the words who has resurrected us from our place of sleep, instead they would be yelling with joy since they escape that punishment at least for some time. Similarly, if some persons’ graves were part of Paradise and they were enjoying life over there, they would not utter the world who has resurrected us from our place of sleep? Rather, they would utter the words who has interrupted our joys of Paradise. However, all human beings will utter the same words that who has resurrected us from our place of sleep. This clearly proves that all human beings are in state of deep sleep when they die. This fact is told in Chapter 39, verse 42 of glorious Koran that explains how Allah Almighty retains NAFS or Soul of those human beings who die, and this NAFS remains detached from human body till the day of resurrection. Permanent detachment of NAFS from human body is described as death in the glorious Koran. Similarly, chapter 10 verse 45 of glorious Koran confirms that on the resurrection day once NAFS is infused into human body a second phase of life will start. All human beings will recognize their acquaintances. However, since they would awake from a deep sleep spanning hundred and thousands of years in the graves or wherever the remains of their human bodies were lying, they would feel as if they have awakened after about an hour of the day. We all know that length of time is never felt when we are asleep. This verse proves this fact that death is a deep sleep and human beings cannot remember or feel the length of time of their death. These verses clearly prove that there is no punishment or reward in the grave. Allah Almighty has reserved reward and retribution for the judgment day as reiterated in numerous verses of the glorious Koran. May Allah keep us steadfast to believe and follow the glorious Koran and shun all beliefs and practices that are outcome of sheer ignorance and disbelief. Amen.

A30- A related critical question with reference to my earlier question about claim to Paradise is ‘’who will enjoy a higher status in Paradise-Muslims, Christians, or the Jews?’’ Again, there is a lot of controversy about this aspect of success on the judgment day. Adherents of three Abrahamic faiths, the Muslims, the Christians and the Jews, all claim that they will enjoy the most exalted status in the Paradise. As usual, without much ado let’s examine the relevant verses of the glorious Koran to determine whether a higher status in the Paradise is related to the nomenclature of one’s faith or some other factors. Three Classes or groups The glorious Koran tells us that on the judgment day Allah Almighty will segregate mankind into three classes or groups based on their worldly deeds. This segregation will not be based on the sect of an individual. Rather this will be based on deeds of the individuals. These classes may be called (1)-the foremost, (2)-those on the right, and (3)-those on the left. This segregation into three distinct classes will be done to reward and punish each class as a distinct group of people based on their worldly deeds. This process of segregation is explained in verses 7 to 10 of chapter 56 in the following words: ‘’And you become three classes. Those on the Right—what of those on the Right? And those on the Left—what of those on the Left? And those foremost will be foremost. (56:7-10) These verses make it clear that the best class will be the foremost, followed by the class on the right, and the worst class will be people on the left. So people in the foremost and on the right groups will enjoy a blissful life in the Paradise, while people in the left group will be the stock of the hellfire as explained in subsequent verses of chapter 56 of the glorious Koran. The foremost The numerical strength and rewards of the foremost class are explained in verses 11 to 16 of chapter 56 in the following words. ‘’Those are the nearest. In the Gardens of Bliss. Many from the earlier generations and a small band from the later generations. On luxurious furnishings. Reclining on them, facing one another.’’ (56:11-16) These verses highlight the following facts. 1 In terms of rewards, the foremost will be nearest to Allah Almighty, and they will enjoy a blissful life in Paradise unmatched by any other class or group of people. 2 In terms of numerical strength majority of foremost will be from earlier generations of each faith (that is Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), while fewer will be from the later generations of each faith. This appears to be logical because earlier generations of each faith were the contemporaries of prophets and messengers so majority of them must have experienced more ordeals and challenges than most successors in later generations. Besides, they must have understood and practiced the faith of each messenger in letter and spirit because of physical presence of the messengers amongst them. As we know that majority of the members of later generations of each faith are prone to worldly comforts with an uninterested attitude towards their religion, therefore, fewer of them will reach this exalted status on the judgment day. Besides, since Allah’s mercy is always based upon equity, therefore, a higher reward for many people from earlier generations and fewer people from later generations is logical to match efforts, ordeals, and good deeds of each group of people. 3 It also appears to be logical because Allah Almighty sent a series of Prophets and messengers in succession to preach Islam till the arrival of last prophet Muhammad PBUH. This was since after death of each prophet, later generations of his followers started indulging in disbelief and wrong deeds. This is the most common human behavior. So, another prophet or messenger was sent to reinstate some of the disbelievers into the fold of faith. This process continued till the arrival of last messenger of Allah (Prophet Muhammad PBUH). Since then, even many followers of last prophet have degenerated into weak believers in Islam and the glorious Koran. So, it is logical that majority of people in the foremost category will be from earlier generations of prophets and messengers and fewer will be from the later generations. On the Right Similarly, the numerical strength and rewards for the people on the right are explained in verses 27 to 32 and verses 38 to 40 of chapter 56 in the following words. ‘’And those on the Right—what of those on the Right? In lush orchards. And sweet-smelling plants. And extended shade. And outpouring water. And abundant fruit.’’ (56:27-32) ‘’For those on the Right. Many from the past and many from the later generations. (56:38-40) These verses highlight the following facts. 1 People on the right will also enjoy a blissful life in the Paradise. However, they will not be as close to Allah Almighty as the forerunners. 2 In terms of numerical strength majority of people on the right will be from the past as well as from later generations of each faith. So, the percentage of people on the right will be almost equal for people of both generations. This appears to be logical because many adherents of each faith in all times follow at least the fundamentals of their faith and this practice make them eligible to enjoy Allah’s mercy and become eligible for the right class on the judgment day. On the Left People on the left will be great sinners and disbelievers. This definitely includes polytheist, atheists, henotheists, and many followers of Abrahamic faiths who do not even follow the fundamentals of their faith. So they will burn in the hell fire as ordained in verses 41 to 47 of chapter 56 in the following words. ‘’And those on the Left—what of those on the Left? Amid searing wind and boiling water. And a shadow of thick smoke. Neither cool, nor refreshing. They had lived before that in luxury. And they used to persist in immense wrongdoing. And they used to say, “When we are dead and turned into dust and bones, are we to be resurrected?’’ (56:41-47) This group of people from all generations will include the following categories of persons. 1 Those who enjoyed a luxurious life on earth with or without faith. 2 Those who deny the judgment day through their actions and deeds, that is, committing all sorts of sins as if they would never be made accountable on the judgment day. 3 All people who follow polytheism in any form even if they lead an honest and humanitarian life from worldly perspective. This is because without faith in One God, and on the judgment day, no good deeds from any human being are acceptable to Allah Almighty. (I will explain it another monologue). Conclusion Based on the wisdom provided by these verses of chapter 56 of the glorious Koran, it is evident that a higher or lower status in Paradise is dependent upon deeds of each person coupled with Allah’s mercy on that individual. It has got nothing to do with the nomenclature adopted by a person in this world. Similarly, punishment of hellfire is reserved for great sinners and disbelievers regardless of their nomenclature in their worldly life. So, whether somebody is a Muslim, a Christian or a Jew, if they believe in one God, and on the judgment day and strive to do good deeds and avoid bad deeds, they will have their reward from the Lord of the Universe. On the contrary, if members of these faiths enjoy a luxurious life that make them ignore commands of Allah Almighty, they will burn in the hell fire.

A29- A critical question that baffles the minds of people belonging to different faiths is who is at the right path or what belief and worldly actions will ensure their salvation on the judgment day? Especially amongst the followers of three Abrahamic faiths, i.e., Islam, Christianity and Judaism, this debate has become fierce over the centuries, resulting into negating each other’s belief and claims that Paradise is reserved for a particular faith. This conflict has also resulted because from times immemorial the religious scholars of different faiths have improvised their unique beliefs that claim a guaranteed success on the judgment day and a blissful life in the Paradise. Anyway, without much ado let’s examine the relevant verses of the glorious Koran to determine which Abrahamic faith will enjoy a blissful life in the Paradise. The litmus test for salvation of mankind on the judgment day is beautifully explained in verse 62 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘’The believers, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians – all those who believe in One God and the Last Day and do good deeds– will have their rewards with their Lord. No fear for them, nor will they grieve.’’ (2:62) These three pre-requisites of faith for mankind have been reiterated in chapter 5, verse 69 of Koran in the following words: ‘’For the believers, the Jews, the Sabians, and the Christians– those who believe in One God and the Last Day and do good deeds– there is no fear: they will not grieve.’’ (5:69) This reiteration confirms that mankind must adhere to at least these three pre-requisites to qualify to be successful on the judgment day and become eligible for a blissful life in the Paradise. These three pre-requisites are 1. Belief in one God 2. Belief on the judgment day, and 3. Doing the righteous acts (1)-Strict Monotheism Belief in one God is the cornerstone of faith. All the prophets from Adam to Muhammad (PBUT) preached this core message that may be summed up in the following words: ‘’there is only one God who is exclusively worthy of all worship and praise’’. The two other essentials of faith, i.e., belief on the judgment day and doing the righteous acts emanate from the first essential belief of strict monotheism. Anyone who does not believe in God or holds the view that somebody other than God can redeem his sins will never put his trust exclusively in ONE God. Koran tells us that monotheism in pure form is the sole criterion for human beings’ redemption on the judgment day. All forms of polytheism, henotheism, agnosticism, and atheism have been strongly condemned in the Koran. Chapter 4, verse 48 of Koran reads: ‘’God does not forgive the joining of partners with Him: anything less than that He forgives to whoever He will, but anyone who joins partners with God has concocted a tremendous sin.’’ (4:48) So, joining of partners with God is the gravest sin in the sight of God? A critical appraisal will reveal the truth that except pure monotheism all other forms of faith adhere to joining of partners with God in one way or the other. For example, polytheists believe in more than one god, henotheists believe in one supreme god and many subordinate gods, agnostics are confused whether there is any god or no-god, i.e., the nature as God’s rival, while the atheists take personal passion as the rival god. However, the core message revealed by Koran is that ascribing partners to God is an unpardonable sin. (2)-Belief on the judgment day The second pre-requisite of faith is belief on the last day when all human beings will be resurrected and made accountable before God for their worldly actions. Adherents of many faiths either do not believe on the judgment day or hold the view that redemption will come from sources other than God. The glorious Koran refutes all these false claims in the following words. Chapter 2, verse 281 of Koran reads: ‘’Beware of a Day when you will be returned to God: every soul will be paid in full for what it has earned, and no one will be wronged.’’ (2:281) On another occasion chapter 82, verse 19 of Koran tells us about the last day in the following words: ‘’The Day when no soul will be able to do anything for another; on that Day, command will belong to God’’. (82:19) Thus, all those human beings who deny the last day or look for other sources of redemption other than God may revisit their beliefs for their own benefit. (3)-Doing the Righteous Deeds The third pre-requisite of faith is doing the righteous acts. The distinction between right and wrong actions or virtues and vices has always been a point of concern for human beings from the inception of mankind. The 21st century human being is more enlightened on this issue than his predecessors due to greater awareness and access to knowledge accumulated from all sources over a period of centuries. There is a consensus amongst rational human beings that virtues are beneficial for the society while vices are detrimental to it. However, the types of actions associated with virtues and vices may vary between different communities based on societal experiences and freedom postulates. Koran throws ample light on righteous acts in numerous verses to educate rational human beings. Two verses are quoted in this context. Chapter 2, verse 148 reads: ‘’Each community has its own direction to which it turns: race to do good deeds and wherever you are, God will bring you together. God has power to do everything.’’ (2:148) Some of the good deeds are listed in chapter 4 verse 36. It reads: ‘’Worship God; join nothing with Him. Be good to your parents, to relatives, to orphans, to the needy, to neighbors near and far, to travelers in need, and to your slaves. God does not like arrogant, boastful people.’’ (4:36) A little reflection at this point will confirm that many of these virtues are advocated by civilized societies of 21st century, while Koran expounded them almost fifteen hundred years ago to bring tranquility and harmony in human society. Now the question arises who meets the pre-requisites of faith set by the glorious Koran? The answer to this question does not lie in adhering to any religious grouping or nomenclature. Rather it hinges on factual belief in one God, the last day and performing righteous acts. There is a false belief amongst human beings that by associating themselves with a particular religious group or sect, they automatically qualify to be on the straight path. This is not approved by God. The litmus test of faith and a claim to Paradise is associated with three essentials 1 Strict Monotheism, i.e., belief in one living God who is the sole protector, benefactor, redeemer of mankind and worthy of worship and praise. 2 Belief on the judgment day, i.e., a day when mankind will become accountable for their worldly deeds before Lord of the Universe. 3 Striving to do good deeds and avoiding bad deeds as they are ordained in various scriptures revealed to adherents of three Abrahamic faiths. So, anyone who follows these three essentials will go to Paradise regardless of the nomenclature of his or her faith.

A7: Many people hold the belief that on the judgment day prophets and saints will intercede on their behalf before God to protect them from the hellfire. This belief is the cornerstone amongst many sects of Islam. The followers of such a belief are asked to join a particular sect led by a chain of saints leading to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Then it is advocated that since a person has joined a sect, this association binds him with earlier spiritual leaders of the same clan and now the follower should relax because the saints and prophet Muhammad PBUH will plead his or her case on the judgment day, implying a sort of intervention on behalf of the sinner to protect him from wrath of God and taking him to the paradise instead. However, a critical study of the glorious Koran refutes all such claims in an unequivocal manner. Let us explore the glorious Koran to find out the role and importance of intercession on the judgment day. With reference to intercession the fundamental question that may come into the mind is that the person who can intercede on one’s behalf should be the one who is most knowledgeable about the deeds and actions of the person he is trying to defend. So, if a prophet or a saint must intercede on the judgment day then he should be omniscient like God. The glorious Koran highlights this fact in chapter 5, verse 109 in the following words. ‘’On the Day when God assembles all the messengers and asks, ‘What response did you receive?’ they will say, ‘We do not have that knowledge: You alone know things that cannot be seen.’ (5:109) This verse proves the fact that since prophets will be unaware of the deeds of their followers (their contemporaries and later), they would decline before God that they know about the deeds of men. This is natural because all actions are judged by their motives and it is impossible for a man to exactly judge the intention of even his contemporaries’ actions, what to talk of those who were born after a prophet’s death. So, when you do not know about the deeds of someone how can you intercede on their behalf? This truth is reinforced This truth is reinforced in a different manner in verse 51 of chapter 6 in the following words. ‘’Tell those who dread the judgment of their Lord that they have no guardian or intercessor besides God, so that they may guard themselves against evil.’’ (6:51) This is a clear warning to the mankind that there is no guardian or intercessor that can plead on behalf of mankind, except the Merciful God Himself. So, this verse also negates all false notions that on the judgment day some creation (saints, angels, or jinn) may intercede on behalf of a sinner and rescue him from the hell fire. God clearly tells all human beings that there will be no intercession from any mortal being before God on the judgment day, and the litmus test for success or failure will be worldly deeds of the person. On another occasion verse 111 of chapter 16 reads: ‘’On the Day when every soul will come pleading for itself, and every soul will be paid in full for what it has done, and they will not be wronged.’’ (16:111) This verse proves that on the judgment day every soul whether a prophet, a saint or an ordinary person will plead for himself alone, rather than for anybody else. Such will be the fear and anxiety of the judgment day upon every human being. So, no body will care for pleading or interceding on behalf of other human beings. Similarly, chapter 6 verses 15 and 16 highlight the fact that how God’s mercy alone will be the source of intercession on the judgment day. It read: ‘’Say, “I fear, should I defy my Lord, the punishment of a tremendous Day.” Whoever is spared on that Day—He had mercy on him. That is the clear victory. (6:15,16) These verses prove the fact that anyone who will have mercy of the Lord of the Universe on the judgment day will be spared and indeed this will be a great triumph. In the light of wisdom provided by the glorious Koran it is clear that the exclusive source of intercession on the judgment day will be God’s mercy on a person, rather than a prophet or a saint pleading mercy for his followers against the wish of Lord of the Universe. If the Lord of the Universe decides to pardon someone no one in the universe can reverse this decision. Similarly, if the Lord of the Universe decides to punish someone on the judgment day, no creation in the universe can intervene to protect that person from the punishment. Therefore, those persons who falsely hope for the salvation on the judgment day based on some mortal’s intervention should find time to read the glorious Koran and strive to do good deeds in their worldly lives and only hope for God’s mercy on the judgment day. The best way to hope for God’s mercy is to strive for good deeds, seek forgiveness of Lord of the Universe and implore day and night for Lord’s mercy alone.

A9: Well, if you ask this question to any member of the clergy belonging to any faith, he or she will vehemently refute this charge. Instead, the argument put forward by the religious leader is that for worldly knowledge you go to schools, colleges and universities and seek guidance from those teachers and professors who are experts in their field of learning. So, what is wrong in it if you seek guidance from the clergymen in religious matters. Apparently, this argument appears logical. However, when we analyze the two situations, we notice significant differences between the position of a religious leader and a school or university professor. To keep the discussion focused I will analyze the main differences between the domain of a Muslim religious leader and an expert in worldly knowledge. Universal nature of worldly disciplines: The subjects taught in a school or university and the fundamental principles upon which each discipline is based are universal in nature. These principles have been tested and applied successfully worldwide at a given point in time. For example, the law of demand works in the same manner in all economies, while the gravitational laws operate in the same manner in all parts of the world. While the glorious Koran declares Islam as the only true religion with God, for example chapter 3 verse 9 of glorious Koran reads: ‘’Religion with God is Islam.’’ (3:9), the Mullahs, peers and religious scholars have divided faith into different groups and sects to divide Muslim ummah into multiple segments. To achieve this objective, they persuade ignorant mankind to leave glorious Koran and instead rely on the man-made literature prepared by the sect leaders. The propagandist of each sect upholds his sect and condemn all other sects. So, unlike worldly knowledge the religion of Islam as being observed and practiced by the Muslims has multiple forms. There are fundamental differences in religious beliefs, practices, and rituals of each sect. So, it is exceedingly difficult to pick and choose a particular sect to learn Islam. Worldly disciplines are pragmatic in nature: Professors or mentors who teach a particular subject in a school or university have first qualified the exam and then applied and analyzed the knowledge in a successful manner in their worldly lives. So, there is a pragmatic dimension to each worldly discipline. However, the religious scholars in majority of the cases preach and rely on blind faith without any practical evidence of their postulates. Worldly disciplines are tested: The success or failure of the principles of a worldly subject like economics or mathematics can be tested in the world with precise accuracy and then modified based on this experience. So, the professor or the trainer who teaches these subjects in a school or university has the assurance that the principles being taught have proved to be successful in the worldly life. However, the success or failure of the beliefs of a particular sect can only be known on the judgment day when Allah Almighty will judge mankind for their deeds. In this world, there is no proof about the truthfulness of any particular sect. Worldly Rewards: The worldly reward for a school or university professor is his or her salary and other perks that are paid based on one’s knowledge and experience in the related subject. While religion may only be preached for salvation in the hereafter, majority of the religious leaders prefer the worldly reward in the form of a strong political clout that is determined by the number of their followers, charity, donations, and a luxurious lifestyle for the religious leader. Consequently, every religious leader strives to promote his brand of Islam relying on false hadith, false stories of saints, and self-styled rituals to impress upon his followers that all other sects are wrong and only his followers will obtain salvation on the judgment day. This trait of mullahs and religious leaders is explained in chapter 9, verse 3 of glorious Koran in the following words ‘’O you who believe! Many of the rabbis and priests consume people's wealth illicitly and hinder from God’s path. (9:3). So, the purpose of dividing people into different sects is to deviate people from the glorious Koran by relying on specific literature of the sect. In this manner many followers of the sect also become financial supporters of the leader of the sect, enabling him to lead a luxurious life contrary to the teachings of the glorious Koran. These facts prove that the argument put forward by religious leaders and mullahs that people should come to them for religious guidance is naïve and devoid of substance. Majority of the religious leaders exploit religion for their worldly gains and misguide mankind by deviating them from the glorious Koran. The glorious Koran highlights this fact in chapter 45, verse 6 and 7 in the following words: ‘’These are God’s Verses which We recite to you in truth. In which hadith, after God and His revelations, will they believe? Woe to every sinful liar.’’ (45:6-7) This verse of the glorious Koran is the cornerstone of faith. It refutes all hadith and stories attributed to prophet Muhammad PBUH other than what is given in the glorious Koran. So, if someone must learn the religion of Islam, the only source is the glorious Koran that Allah Almighty has revealed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH for the guidance of whole mankind. If you feel difficulty in understanding something from the glorious Koran, then ask a person who can explain to you the spirit of glorious Koran from the Koran itself instead of adding man-made stories of any past saint or prophet or a religious leader. Allah Almighty declares the glorious Koran as Kitab-ul-Furqan or a criterion. So, it provides answer to every question ever raised in the past or any question that may ever be raised in the future, provided we read Koran for learning and not as a pastime, and apply reason to learn the spirit of the verses of glorious Koran.

This question may disturb many Muslims, especially those who believe and follow manmade hadith. I will directly come to the point that how do manmade hadith make a person a polytheist. We need to understand that polytheism arises from blind love and affection for a creation of Allah. When Satan refused prostrating before Adam PBUH and sought reprieve from Allah till the judgment day, his claim was that majority of mankind would be disbelievers in Allah. A claim that was endorsed by Allah too. Now the greatest disbelief in Allah is shirk or polytheism implying that we make some creation as a co-sharer with Allah even in the slightest manner. This co-sharing or partaking will only be possible if Satan commands us to believe that certain creation is very close to Allah and so he or she can influence the decisions of Allah in one way or the other. In order to make it happen Satan misguides mankind by arousing blind love for certain creations of Allah in the minds of ignorant mankind. This is due to the fact that polytheism cannot take place without blind love for a creation of Allah. This type of shirk or polytheism and its consequences are beautifully explained in verses 106 to 107 of chapter 12 in the following words. ‘’And most of them do not believe in Allah unless they associate others with Him (Mushrakoon). Do they feel secure that a covering of Allah’s punishment will not come upon them, or that the Hour will not come upon them suddenly, while they are unaware? (12:106-107) These verses make it clear that such people who associate messengers and saints with Allah are confirmed Mushriks or polytheists and fuel of hellfire where they shall abide forever. As explained earlier polytheism can only take place when there is blind love for a creation of Allah. Blind love implies love without reason, logic or common sense. A related question may be which creation amongst mankind of Allah is most fit for inducing blind love in the minds of ignorant mushriks or polytheists. The answer is messenger of Allah and saints because most of the believers love the messenger of Allah and the saints blindly. This blind love for a messenger or a saint is always based on manmade stories and beliefs falsely attributed to that messenger or saint. This is not common amongst Muslims alone, the Christians crafted stories to present Jesus PBUH as son of God out of blind love for him, and the Muslims crafted hadith or stories to declare Muhammad PBUH as Imam-Ul-Ambia. For example, the hadith says that on the night journey mentioned in the glorious Koran the messenger of Allah also led prayer to all dead messengers at Masjid Al Aqsa. Therefore, he is the imam or leader of the messengers. However, the glorious Koran does not mention any such incident and besides the glorious Koran categorically declares that messengers are human beings, and they are bound to die and will not be raised before the day of resurrection like other human beings. So question does not arise that dead prophets of the past were resurrected before the day of resurrection to make them subordinate to Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Finally, the glorious Koran commands the believers to respect and believe in all messengers without any discrimination. So the question of any messenger’s superiority over other messengers never arise in strict monotheism. Because if Allah Almighty had commanded people to rank messengers in order of their closeness to Allah, then this command would be the seed of polytheism on earth for the simple reason that the messenger declared to be closest to Allah would be worshipped more vigorously on this false pretext. Therefore, Allah Almighty confirmed that he has ranked prophets, but it is a secret that is only known to Allah Almighty. Besides, the glorious Koran clearly commands that all messengers are ABD or slaves or servants of Allah. So, no question arises that any messenger can be a co-sharer with Allah based on his closeness. Similarly an other hadith to prove superiority of Prophet Muhammad PBUH over other messengers declare that on the judgment day people will go to all messengers one by one and all messengers will say we cannot help you today except Muhammad PBUH. However, the glorious Koran categorically refutes all such beliefs. For example, verse 109 of chapter 5 reads: ‘’On the Day when God assembles all the messengers and asks, ‘What response did you receive?’ they will say, ‘We do not have that knowledge: You alone know things that cannot be seen.’’ (5:109) This verse clearly proves the fact that since prophets will be unaware of the deeds of their followers (their contemporaries and later), they would decline before God that they know about the deeds of men. This is natural because all actions are judged by their motives and it is impossible for a man to exactly judge the intention of even his contemporaries’ actions, what to talk of those who were born after a prophet’s death. So, when you don’t know about the deeds of someone how can you intercede on their behalf? This verse applies to all messengers including Muhammad PBUH. This fact is confirmed in verse 19 of chapter 39 in the following words. ‘’What about someone who has deserved the sentence of punishment? Is it you (Muhammad) who can save those in the Fire? (39:19) In this verse Allah Almighty is confronting his messenger Muhammad PBUH that can you save someone who Allah Almighty has destined for hell? This is an eye-opener for those polytheists who take Muhammad PBUH as deputy God out of blind love for him and disrespect for Allah. The important point to bear in mind is that Satan will always induce mankind towards love of a creation of Allah to make mankind polytheists. This is the boobytrap that Satan has laid so cleverly that majority of mankind belonging to any faith or religion will become a victim of it. You explore any religion whether the three Abrahamic faiths or non-Abrahamic faiths, you will find the characters of superhuman beings in all those faiths openly or clandestinely preaching partaking or co-sharing with Allah by those superhuman beings. In Islam the Satanic institute of hadith was introduced to introduce polytheism in a professional manner. The propagandists of hadith knew that Christians through the institution of Christianity hadith had made Jesus PBUH as son of God, therefore, Muslims should not openly declare Muhammad PBUH as son of God rather he should be declared as Imam ul Anbia for whom the whole universe was created. In this way, nobody will object to it and worship of Prophet Muhammad PBUH can be practiced through Naats and praise of him with impunity. However, the glorious Koran refutes all such claims. The purpose of creation is not prophethood of Muhammad PBUH but Tauheed of Allah and testing of mankind. This fact is beautifully explained in verse 7 of chapter 11 reads: ‘’It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days—and His Throne was upon the waters—in order to test you—which of you is best in deeds.’’ (11:7) This verse refutes the claim of propagandists of hadith that universe was created for the sake of Muhammad PBUH. Another rebuttal to the polytheistic claims of hadith-mongers. The glorious Koran also confirms the countdown between the polytheists and their false gods on the judgment day. Chapter 2, verses 165 to 167 of Koran read. ‘’Even so, there are some who choose to worship others besides Allah as rivals to Him, loving them with the love due to Allah, but the believers have greater love for Allah. If only those who do wrong could see– as they will see when they face the torment– that all power belongs to Allah, and that Allah punishes severely. When those who have been followed disown their followers, when they all see the suffering, when all bonds between them are severed, the followers will say, ‘If only we had one last chance, we would disown them as they now disown us.’ In this way, Allah will make them see their deeds as a source of bitter regret: they shall not leave the Fire.’’ (2:165-167) These verses make it clear that the rival gods (messengers and saints) will forsake their followers on the judgment day and the followers will curse their fate pleading before God that they should be given one last chance to forsake their false gods (messengers and saints) as they have forsaken them. But no such plea will be accepted by Allah from these polytheists, and they will be thrown into the hellfire for the commission of the unpardonable sin of polytheism. One final rebuttal to hadith-mongers claim that Muhammad PBUH has a unique status amongst the messengers and, therefore, he will intercede on behalf of mankind on the judgment day is provided in verse 9 of chapter 46 in the following words. ‘’Say, “I am not different from the other messengers; and I do not know what will be done with me, or with you. I only follow what is inspired in me, and I am only a clear warner.” (46:9) This verse makes it clear that Muhammad PBUH was one of the messengers of Allah and he did not know what would happen to him or others on the judgement day. Therefore, any false hadith that says Muhammad PBUH promised to intercede on the judgement day is negating this verse of the glorious Koran, and it is a disbelief.

This question may startle many Muslims because a large segment of Muslims believes in hadith, and the most important book on the compilation of hadith for Sunni Muslims is Sahi Bukhari. This book was written by Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari in the 9th-century, about 250 years after prophet’s demise. This book contains about 7,500 hadith, and after eliminating the repetitions, the exact number of hadith is reduced to 2,600. For your information Bukhari shortlisted these 2600 hadith from a collection of about 600,000 hadith that were in circulation during his times. This implies that he rejected almost 95.5% of the hadith stock based on his criterion. There are six main books on hadith including Sahi Bukhari, collectively called the six canonical books. Shiite Muslims have their own books of hadith. However, the focus of this monologue is Sahi Bukhari, and the arguments put forward in this monologue will hold good for all hadith books. What is a hadith? From Koranic perspective hadith is a story or a narrative explained in the glorious Koran. These hadith or stories relate to past nations, messengers, and people. There are about 26 verses in the glorious Koran that mention the word hadith in different contexts. Out of these contexts, the fundamental context is the difference between a manmade hadith and the hadith as it is told in the glorious Koran. The following verses highlight manmade hadith as a rival to the glorious Koran. Verse 6 of chapter 31 reads: ‘’Among the people is he who trades in distracting HADITH; intending, without knowledge, to lead away from Allah’s way, and to make a mockery of it. These will have a humiliating punishment. (31:6) This verse highlights the fact that manmade hadith related to a prophet, or a saint is a distraction from the path of Allah. This is true because in most of the cases such manmade hadith are full of controversies, biases and falsehood of the narrator, the compiler, and the follower who take these hadith as part of the faith in spite of a clear warning from Allah Almighty as given in this verse of the glorious Koran. Verse 6 and 7 of chapter 45 read: ‘’These are Allah’s Verses which We recite to you in truth. In which HADITH, after Allah and His revelations, will they believe? Woe to every sinful liar. (45:6-7). These verses warn that followers of manmade hadith are liars and they will meet a terrible punishment on the judgment day because they reject verses of the glorious Koran and take manmade hadith as part of faith. Rejecting verses of the glorious Koran may be implicit or explicit. Verse 49 and 50 of chapter 77 read: ‘’Woe on that Day to the deniers. In what HADITH, beyond this, will they believe? (77:49-50). These verses confirm the truth that on the judgment day, the followers of manmade hadith will face curse of Allah Almighty for rejecting verses of the glorious Koran and acting upon manmade hadith. So, these verses of the glorious Koran make it clear beyond an iota of doubt that manmade hadith is despised by Allah Almighty to such an extent that He casts His curse upon the narrators, compilers, and followers of manmade hadith by declaring them as liars, and fuel of hellfire on the judgment day. In the presence of this clear declaration by Allah Almighty, only a disbeliever will follow a manmade hadith. May Allah protect us from the curse of manmade hadith. Amen. Hadith Mongers Claim: The hadith mongers in support of their claim that whatever messenger of Islam said in day-to-day life was a revelation quote these verses of the glorious Koran. These are verses 3 to 5 of Chapter 53, that read: ‘’Nor does he speak out of desire. It is but a revelation revealed. Taught to him by the extremely powerful’’. (53:3-5) These verses do not support any hadith or story attributed to the messenger of Islam. Instead, these verses confirm that when messenger of Islam declared that certain verses had been revealed to him, it was based on the truth. These verses constitute the glorious Koran that is a revealed book from Allah sent through the mighty Gabriel (PBUH). These verses do not apply to daily acts and sayings of the messenger of Islam that he made in the ordinary course of life. If all sayings of the messenger of Islam were revelations, then why did messenger of Islam was warned on several occasions by Allah Almighty through verses of the glorious Koran. For instance, verse 1 of chapter 66 read: ‘’O prophet, why do you prohibit what Allah has permitted for you, seeking to please your wives? Allah is forgiving and Merciful’’. (66:1) This verse proves that messenger of Islam made some promise to his wives to abstain from an act or an eatable to please them. However, Allah Almighty did not like this act of the messenger of Islam and immediately warned him to desist from this act and seek Allah’s mercy. The glorious Koran is full of such verses where messenger of Islam was warned for various acts that he performed in error as a human being. Besides, the glorious Koran on numerous occasions advise the messenger of Islam to warn mankind only through verses of the glorious Koran and nothing else. For example, verse 2 of chapter 7 reads: ‘’A Scripture was revealed to you, so let there be no anxiety in your heart because of it. You are to warn with it—and a reminder for the believers. (7:2) So, this verse forecloses all room for a manmade hadith attributed to the messenger of Islam to be used as part of the Islamic faith. Meaning of Sahi Bukhari: Many of you may be wondering that why the hadith book written by Bukhari is called Sahi Bukhari, that literally means authentic Bukhari. Well, the answer to this question is that according to the advocates of Sahi Bukhari all the hadith narrated in this book were thoroughly examined by the author with reference to strict criteria. Bukhari imposed four conditions or criteria the narrators of a hadith must meet, for the narration to be included in his Sahih Bukhari: · The narrator must be just. This is a highly subjective condition. To be just or unjust is very subjective. A person who may appear to be just to a group of people may look unjust to the other group of people based on their experience and perceptions. So, who is just as a narrator, Abu Huraira, Ali, Abu Bakr, or Fatima? Definitely, a tricky question to answer, keeping in view the political divide amongst the Muslims since the demise of messenger of Islam. · The narrator must possess strong memory and all the scholars who possess great knowledge of hadith must agree upon the narrators' ability to learn and memorize, along with their reporting techniques, again a problematic condition. Strong memory diminishes with age, a common observation. So, when the narrator of hadith recorded his statement, what was his age? Besides, Bukhari started collecting hadith almost 250 years after prophet’s demise. By that time most of the three or four generations of narrators must have died too. So, there was a yawning gap between the messenger of Islam and the living narrator who was telling these stories to Bukhari. Besides, it is a common observation that successive narrators in a chain cannot repeat a story or hadith exactly in the same words. Certain degree of entropy or variation is inevitable in such a situation. · There should be no missing narrators in the chain, again a controversial issue because 250 years after prophet’s death, this chain may have many missing links. · Finally, consecutive narrators in the chain must meet each other. Again, who will decide whether all the dead narrators met each other and exchanged these hadith for sure. These four conditions set by Bukhari clearly prove that he did not do his job in a professional manner. All the four conditions are subjective and skewed, as I have just demonstrated. Bukhari should have known that he was attributing stories to messenger of Islam that were to be regarded as part of the faith for a large segment of Muslims. Therefore, he should have realised that the most important criterion was that these hadith or stories must not copy, conflict, or supplement the verses of the glorious Koran resulting in a different faith for the Muslims. If, these hadith do it, then they tend to become a rival to the glorious Koran, as it happened over a period of centuries. There are political, economic, and social reasons for this to happen and any good student of history can figure out that the plethora of manmade hadith that started spreading after messenger’s death were not directed towards Islamic faith, especially in the presence of the glorious Koran that is the magnum opus of Islam authored by Allah Almighty and preached by the messenger of Islam. These hadith were spread to gain a political and a theological advantage by a certain group of people. Motive of Hadith Mongers: So, hadith mongers had ulterior motives to make people disillusion from the path of the glorious Koran that is declared as the straightest path for salvation of mankind in verse 9 of chapter 17. ’This Koran does indeed show the straightest way. It gives the faithful who do right the good news that they will have a great reward.’’ (17:9) So, followers of manmade hadith prefer to leave the straightest path of the glorious Koran and instead follow the twisted path of manmade hadith that has been cursed by Allah Almighty. Rival Meaning: The term rival in this context must be understood from a pragmatic perspective. Rivalry may take many forms. However, all forms of rivalry have one single motive. This motive is to lower the prestige or status of the opponent. Looking from this perspective, rivalry may take the following forms. 1 Duplicate- Copying or stealing somebody’s invention or statement to make a duplicate, a type of plagiarism. In this way verses of the glorious Koran are quoted as hadith so that people may not resort to the glorious Koran and be content with a book of manmade hadith. 2 Contradictory- Contradicting a stance taken by an authority to disprove it. In this case, the verses of the glorious Koran are contradicted by promoting a hadith that negates the very message of a particular verse of the glorious Koran. 3 Supplementary- Adding something to a stance or principle proclaimed by an authority that is popular amongst the followers. In this situation, the hadith mongers add additional statements to verses of the glorious Koran insisting that certain verses of the glorious Koran were God forbids incomplete and hadith was going to complete it. Now, I am going to provide few examples from each category to prove that all hadith collected by Bukhari meet the definition of a rival to the glorious Koran. Any interested person may read hadith in Sahi Bukhari and compare them with verses of the glorious Koran, a clear message of rivalry will be noticed in all those hadith, implicitly or explicitly. Duplicate: Verse 10 of chapter 49 of the glorious Koran reads: ‘’The believers are brother, so reconcile between your brothers’’. (49:10). This same verse is quoted as a hadith in Bukhari and Muslim, implying that Muslims should learn hadith and forget the verse of the glorious Koran. These hadith mongers are charging the messenger of Allah with plagiarism, Nauzubillah (I seek refuge with Allah). As a messenger his statement should be that Allah Almighty has commanded in the glorious Koran that the believers are brothers, so reconcile between your brothers, instead that he claims title for this statement. Contradictory: Verse 60 of chapter 9 highlights the purposes of Sadaqat or voluntary charity. However, Hadith mongers insist that in this verse the word Sadaqat means zakat. Again, they are attributing an error towards the author of the glorious Koran, that is, Lord of the Universe. The glorious Koran repeatedly use the term Sadaqat and zakat as two distinct forms of charity. However, the hadith mongers insist that messenger of Islam Nauzubillah said that in verse 60 of chapter 9 of the glorious Koran, the word Sadaqat used by Allah Almighty in fact means Zakat. So, you can imagine the level of disbelief of hadith mongers about Koran. Sahi Bukhari and other hadith books have achieved their purpose to disillusion Muslims from the glorious Koran and trap them in the man-made hadith, falsely attributed to messenger of Islam. Supplementary: Verse 101 of chapter 4 is about Namaze Qasr (or Salah during a journey) that categorically states that Muslims may shorten their prayer or Salah while travelling on the land if they fear an attack from the enemies of Islam. However, hadith mongers insist that shortening of prayers is permissible in peace times also because messenger of Allah said that it was a gift from Allah for Muslims. What a paradoxical statement? The glorious Koran prescribes condition of enemy attack for Namaze Qasr, while hadith mongers insist that Namazi Qasr is permissible during peace times also. This has led to other controversies about the distance travelled, number of days of journey, etc. Similarly, Verse 6 of chapter 5 of the glorious Koran commands believers to perform ablution before offering salah. There are four distinct acts prescribed for ablution in this verse. These include washing faces, washing arms up to elbow, rubbing water over the head, and washing feet up to the ankles. However, hadith mongers have added additional features of ablution based on hadith, these include putting water in your mouth, putting water in your nostrils, etc. Again, the motive is to prove that Nauzubillah the glorious Koran is incomplete, and hadith supplements it. I have just quoted few examples to prove that how manmade hadith whether in Sahi Bukhari or other hadith books contradict, add, or copy the message of the glorious Koran to disillusion Muslims from the glorious Koran clandestinely so that they may rely on Hadith and never read the glorious Koran thoroughly to understand its message and vastness of the wisdom explained in the glorious Koran.

A10: The Arabic word of hadith is used in the glorious Koran on several occasions implying a story, a narrative, or a tale. The glorious Koran also commands that all hadith or stories narrated in the glorious Koran are based on truth and facts that have happened in the past, and every believer must firmly trust in all such hadith. For example, the glorious Koran tells us about stories of past prophets and rulers to inform us how did God treat noble and wicked people differently. However, at the same time the glorious Koran commands all believers to shun and abstain from believing in all other hadith that have been improvised and fabricated by human beings as part of the Islamic faith. This warning is since glorious Koran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH as a guidance for mankind that he exclusively preached and disseminated throughout his years of prophethood till his death. If God had allowed prophet Muhammad PBUH or his followers to narrate manmade hadith there was a 100% chance that teachings of the glorious Koran would be forgotten or mixed up with the falsehood of manmade hadith, as it happened after prophet’s death and now. So, Allah Almighty sternly admonished believers to reject all types of hadith other than what is described in the glorious Koran by God Himself. Let us explore some of the verses of the glorious Koran that commands believers to reject all manmade hadith and exclusively rely on the glorious Koran for guidance in all matters of life. Chapter 7, verses 185 and 186 of Koran read: “Have they not observed the government of the heavens and the earth, and all the things that God created, and that their time may have drawn near? Which HADITH, besides this, will they believe in? Whomever God misguides has no guide. And He leaves them blundering in their transgression.” (7:185-186) The phrase ‘’which hadith, besides this’’ clearly demonstrates that the glorious Koran declines all manmade hadith as part of faith other than the glorious Koran. These verses also confirm that followers of hadith are blundering in their transgression as a way of punishment from God. This warning is reiterated on another occasion in Chapter 31, verse 6 and 7 in the following words. “Among the people is he who trades in distracting HADITH; intending, without knowledge, to lead away from God’s way, and to make a mockery of it. These will have a humiliating punishment. And when Our Verses are recited to him, he turns away in pride, as though he did not hear them, as though there is deafness in his ears. So, inform him of a painful punishment.” (31:6-7) These verses further confirm that when people fabricate a misleading hadith attributable to a prophet or a saint, their intention is to lead people away from God’s path as ordained in the glorious Koran. Such narrators of hadith and their followers will have a humiliating punishment on the judgment day because they prefer manmade hadith over noble verses of the glorious Koran. We know that followers of hadith make mockery of glorious Koran by preferring manmade hadith over noble verses of the glorious Koran under different pretexts. Sever hadith books have been written and compiled after prophet’s death during the past several hundred years to misguide Muslims from the straight path of the glorious Koran. On another occasion the glorious Koran condemns all manmade hadith in the following words. Chapter 45, verses 6, 7 and 8 read. “These are God’s Verses which We recite to you in truth. In which HADITH, after God and His revelations, will they believe? Woe to every sinful liar. Who hears God's revelations being recited to him, yet he persists arrogantly, as though he did not hear them? Announce to him a painful punishment.” (45:6-8) These verses compare God’s message as ordained in the glorious Koran with manmade hadith and declare followers of manmade hadith as sinful liars. God also cast His curse on followers of manmade hadith and proclaims a painful punishment for them. The phrase ‘’yet he persists arrogantly’’ implies rejecting a verse of glorious Koran and accepting a hadith that contradicts the glorious Koran. We know that these propagandists of manmade hadith tacitly reject verses of glorious Koran based on false hadith. Such hadith includes a long list that may include topics like punishment for adultery, performance of ablution, offering of prayer, intercession on the judgment day, ranking amongst prophets, permissible and forbidden food and so on and so on. The propagandists of manmade hadith also misguide mankind by stating that Koran does not provide answer to all human questions and problems, therefore, hadith is required to fill those gaps. However, this sinful aspersion of hadith propagandists is fervently refuted by the glorious Koran in the following words. Chapter 18, verse 54 reads: ‘’We have elaborated in this Koran for the people every kind of example, but the human being is a most contentious creature.’’ (18:54) This verse proves that the glorious Koran provides every sort of example to enable mankind to stay on the right path. However, wicked people still argue that Koran is not complete without hadith. May Allah Almighty protect mankind from the mischief of hadith propagandists. Amen.

The word hadith is used in the glorious Koran in several verses, implying a story or a narrative. For example, the glorious Koran confirms that it is full of hadith of earlier prophets and nations for the guidance of mankind. These hadith are part of the faith because these are the noble verses of the glorious Koran authored by Allah Almighty who has knowledge of everything, past, present and the future. However, manmade hadith is a story related to Prophet of Islam based on hearsay accounts. Prudence demands that such a story may be treated as an historical account of the prophet’s life and that too after proper investigation. Implying that the history of prophet’s life may be sifted based on the strict criteria set for other historical events, especially, the approach adopted by scholars like Ibn-Khaldun. However, the propagandists of hadith have turned hadith from a mere historical narrative to a second source of faith after the glorious Koran. This belief was inculcated in the minds of Muslims over a period of centuries based on a culture that promoted the practice of storytelling or hadith after Prophet’s demise. This practice also served the political interests of different sects in Islam, especially, the Shia and Sunni schools of thought. The 1st incident of this political rivalry arose immediately after Prophet’s death to decide the question of inheritance of caliphate. Then over a period of next 150 years or so, the political rivalry between these two dominant sects in Islam gave birth to a culture where proliferation of hadith became a lucrative business. A large number of false stories were attributed to Prophet Muhammad pbuh to promote the cause of each sect of Islam. Since then, majority of the Muslims were diverted into the path of Taqlid, or blind following based on false hadith and stories attributed to Prophet Muhmmad PBUH. The role of the Hejazi school of thought in the promotion of hadith remained quite significant for centuries. Besides, a critical study of such hadith may provide a strong clue that these have been derived from Jewish scriptures and practices because a large number of neo-Muslims were people of the book who left a strong influence on the contents of hadith in its formative phase. Interestingly, the glorious Koran refutes the practice of taking manmade hadith as part of a believer’s faith in the strongest possible manner. For example, verses 6 and 7 of chapter 31 read: “Among the people is he who trades in distracting HADITH; intending, without knowledge, to lead away from God’s way, and to make a mockery of it. These will have a humiliating punishment. And when Our Verses are recited to him, he turns away in pride, as though he did not hear them, as though there is deafness in his ears. So, inform him of a painful punishment.” (31:6-7) These verses further confirm that when people fabricate a misleading hadith attributable to a prophet or a saint, their intention is to lead people away from God’s path as ordained in the glorious Koran. Such narrators of hadith and their followers will have a humiliating punishment on the judgment day because they prefer manmade hadith over noble verses of the glorious Koran. We know that followers of hadith make mockery of glorious Koran by preferring manmade hadith over noble verses of the glorious Koran under different pretexts. Sever hadith books have been written and compiled after prophet’s death during the past several hundred years to misguide Muslims from the straight path of the glorious Koran. On another occasion the glorious Koran condemns all manmade hadith in the following words. Chapter 45, verses 6, 7 and 8 read. “These are God’s Verses which We recite to you in truth. In which HADITH, after God and His revelations, will they believe? Woe to every sinful liar. Who hears God's revelations being recited to him, yet he persists arrogantly, as though he did not hear them? Announce to him a painful punishment.” (45:6-8) In these verses Allah Almighty is challenging mankind that after this Koran which manmade hadith will you believe, and then Allah calls all such followers of hadith as sinful liars. Why Allah Almighty is comparing verses of the glorious Koran with hadith is due to the fact that Koran is replete with examples and stories or hadith of the past nations, messengers and cultures to guide mankind that how did Allah Almighty reward his righteous people and how did he punish the rebellious people. All hadith or stories in the glorious Koran are based on eternal knowledge of Allah Almighty and no believer can doubt it. Therefore, Allah Almighty pronounce that followers of manmade hadith will have a painful punishment on the judgment day. After reciting these verses a prudent believer will immediately seek forgiveness of Allah Almighty if he or she had ever believed on a manmade hadith attributed to messenger of Allah. Classification of hadith The proponents of hadith have divided all hadith into three categories: ṣaḥīḥ (sound), those with a reliable and uninterrupted chain of transmission and a matn (text) that does not contradict orthodox belief; ḥasan (good), those with an incomplete sanad or with transmitters of questionable authority; ḍaʿīf (weak), those whose matn or transmitters are subject to serious criticism. It is important to note that the classification of hadith has never been done based on the fact whether contents of hadith are in line with the message of the glorious Koran or not. Instead, the focus is on who is the narrator, and whether the chain of narrators is intact or not. This principle has brought hadith of different sects of Islam in direct conflict with each other because the narrator of each sect is not acceptable to the other sect. Besides, even the advocates of hadith acknowledge this fact that all hadith are not reliable. Then how can a prudent believer rely on hadith as a source of faith. Who will decide which hadith is authentic or weak. Different sects in Islam have their own hadith books, and they condemn hadith narrated by other sects in Islam. From the discussion so far, and the two verses of the glorious Koran that I have quoted, it is clear that followers of hadith are liars and disbelievers in the sight of Allah Almighty. Based on my personal experience I believe that the proponents of hadith try to distort the message of the glorious Koran by adopting a three-pronged strategy, a sort of triad. 1 The 1st category is when verses of Koran are narrated as hadith to neutralize the role of the glorious Koran in the day to day lives of Muslims, a type of plagiarism. For example, verse 10 of chapter 49 commands that ‘’The believers are brothers, so reconcile between your brothers’’ (49:10). However, the propagandist of hadith have contrived a hadith with similar words, insisting that the prophet of Islam said so. Why should prophet of Islam attribute a verse of the Koran to himself. This is the worst form of plagiarism. Instead, the prophet should have said I have been commanded by Allah Almighty in the glorious Koran that Muslims are a band of brothers. 2 Adding things to a verse of Koran to make it hadith. Again, negating the message of the glorious Koran by insisting that Prophet of Islam could change the meaning and command of a verse of the glorious Koran through his actions. For example, verse 6 of chapter 5 highlights the elements of ablution or wadhu in the following words: ‘’Believers, when you rise to pray, wash your faces and your hands as far as elbow, and wipe your heads and your feet to the ankle.’’ However, in hadith putting water in the nostrils and mouth is made part of ablution, being good acts. Not realizing that if messenger of Allah had done any such thing, the polytheists of Arabia would be the first to criticize him for not following the Koran that was revealed to him. Besides, if putting water in the nostrils and the mouth was essential then why did Allah Almighty ignore it in the verse. Finally, the glorious Koran itself confirms that Prophet Muhammad PBUH could not change the glorious Koran. For example, verse 15 of chapter 10 reads: ‘’And when Our clear revelations are recited to them, those who do not hope to meet Us say, “Bring a Quran other than this, or change it.” Say, “It is not for me to change it of my own accord. I only follow what is revealed to me. I fear the torment of the terrible Day if I disobeyed my Lord.” 3 Contradicting the meaning of a verse of the glorious Koran based on hadith. All reciters of the glorious Koran know that in numerous verses of the glorious Koran Allah Almighty has used the terms Sadaqat and Zakat as two distinct concepts of charity. However, through a false hadith, blind followers are told that in verse 60 of chapter 9 Sadaqat implies Zakat. The verse reads: ‘’Charities (Sadaqat) are for the poor, and the destitute, and those who administer them, and for reconciling hearts, and for freeing slaves, and for those in debt, and in the path of God, and for the traveler in need—an obligation from God. God is All- Knowing, Most Wise.’’ (9:60). However, the propagandists of hadith insist that in this verse Sadaqat implies Zakat. This is analogous to a situation where two persons, Mr. A, and Ms. B are working in an office, and everyone knows that they are two different persons. However, one day the manager is shouting Mr. A, Mr. A, Mr. A, and when Mr. A comes, the manager says today Mr. A implies Ms. B. What a mockery and low IQ? See how proponents of manmade hadith make fun of verses of the glorious Koran. Do they mean that, God forbid, Allah Almighty made a mistake in the glorious Koran that prophet of Islam rectified. May Allah’s curse be upon such a liar. Amen. I can keep on quoting such examples which prove beyond reasonable doubt that all manmade hadith are a satanic act that have plagued the fabric of Muslim Ummah over a period of centuries, and in the 21st century this satanic practice is proliferating at an exceptional pace through social media. However, I will deal with many such hadith in my subsequent monologues. It must be understood that manmade hadith is simply an historical account of Prophet’s life, and like any other historical record, it must be read with caution. Because all historical accounts reflect the biases of the historian or the narrator of that history. However, in no way, a manmade hadith can be given the status of a source of faith in Islam. Prophet Muhammad PBUH never preached any manmade hadith, instead he only preached the glorious Koran that was revealed to him from Allah Almighty.

Allah Almighty has used the term Sadaqat and Zakat on several occasions in the glorious Koran as two distinct forms of charity. A critical study of the glorious Koran confirms that Zakat is an obligatory charity that every believer must pay in the cause of Allah, while Sadaqat is another form of charity that is voluntary in nature and its purpose is to ward off evils by imploring before Allah Almighty that in lieu of Sadaqat, if there is any evil going to happen to a believer, it may be warded off. That is why when a believer is in distress, whether physical or spiritual, he or she spends money as Sadaqat to hope for Allah’s mercy against that evil. This fact is confirmed in verses 12 and 13 of Chapter 58 in the following words. ‘’O you who believe! When you converse privately with the Messenger, offer something in SADAQAT before your conversation. That is better for you, and purer. But if you do not find the means—Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.’’ ‘’Are you reluctant to offer SADAQAT before your conversation? If you do not do so, and Allah pardons you, then perform the prayer, and give ZAKAT, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Allah is Aware of what you do.’’ (58:12-13) Verse 12 of chapter 58 confirms that companions of messenger of Allah were commanded to spend something in the form of Sadaqat when they used to consult messenger of Allah in private to discuss their individual problems so that messenger of Allah may advise them and pray for the resolution of their problems before Allah Almighty. Based on this clear command of the glorious Koran, all believers in the present times also spend something as Sadaqat when they are in distress or facing some worldly problem to ward off that agony. So Sadaqat may be construed as an atonement for the misdeeds of a person. This fact is confirmed in verse 271 of chapter 2 that I will discuss later. While verse 13 of chapter 58 questions the behavior of some companions of the messenger who were reluctant to spend something as Sadaqat before consulting with the messenger of Allah, and commands that if they could not spend money as Sadaqat then at least they must pay Zakat that is an obligation imposed by Allah Almighty on the believers. So, it is clear from these verses of the glorious Koran that Sadaqat and zakat are two distinct forms of charity and Sadaqat are voluntary while Zakat is obligatory in nature. The glorious Koran in numerous verses has mentioned the obligatory charity Zakat in conjunction with obligatory salat to reinforce this fact in the minds of true believers. For example, verse 4 of chapter 31 reads. ‘’Those who observe the prayer, and pay the Zakat, and are certain of the Hereafter.’’ (31:4-5) These verses confirm the fact that zakat is an obligatory charity like salat that is also obligatory in nature. Both forms of the worship are the duty enjoined by Allah Almighty upon the believers for which there will be a reward on the judgment day. The fact that Sadaqat are voluntary in nature and believers are commanded to pay Sadaqat as an atonement for their sins is reinforced in verse 271 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘’If you give Sadaqat openly, that is good. But if you keep it secret, and give it to the needy in private, that is better for you. It will atone for some of your misdeeds. Allah is cognizant of what you do.’’ (2:271) So, this verse confirms the fact that Sadaqat are voluntary in nature, and they are designed to work as an atonement for the sins of a believer. That is why when a believer is in distress or sick, he or she apprehends that this agony may be due to his or her sins, so he or she offers Sadaqat as an atonement to ward off the negative consequences of the sins. The voluntary nature of Sadaqat is also confirmed in verse 276 of chapter 2 of the glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’God condemns usury, and He blesses Sadaqat. Allah does not love any sinful ingrate.’’ (2:276) In this verse Sadaqat are compared with usury to confirm the truth that usury is the way of Satan while Sadaqat have the blessing of Allah Almighty. To thoroughly understand the context of this verse it must be understood that a person may practice usury in numerous forms, because usury is essentially an act of accumulation of wealth in an unfair manner. Suppose you lend a personal loan to a needy person asking him to pay back the loan along with a premium that is over and above the normal rate of inflation. This premium is then usury in the sight of Allah Almighty. On the contrary if you forgive that loan and usury as Sadaqat Allah Almighty will bless it and forgive you some of your sins out of His mercy. Based on the discussion so far, it is evident that Sadaqat and Zakat are two distinct forms of charity and Allah Almighty is fully aware of this distinction as enumerated in the several verses of the glorious Koran. Now coming back to today’s question to prove that how hadith mongers try to obliterate the message of the glorious Koran based on manmade false hadith, verse 60 of chapter 9 is quoted. It reads. ‘’Sadaqat are for the poor, and the destitute, and those who administer them, and for reconciling hearts, and for freeing slaves, and for those in debt, and in the path of Allah, and for the traveler in need— an obligation from Allah. Allah is All- Knowing, Most Wise.’’ (9:60) This verse highlights eight distinct ways to spend money collected as Sadaqat. These are. 1-Sadaqat may be spent on the poor, that is a person who lives below the poverty line. 2-Sadaqat may be spent on the destitute, that is a person without the basic necessities of life. 3-Sadaqat may be spent on those who administer them, that is persons who collect Sadaqat from the people, organize those Sadaqat and then distribute Sadaqat amongst the needy persons. This is important where Sadaqat are collected by an honest charity for the welfare of the poor and needy persons. Then salaries of the employees of the charity may be paid out of these Sadaqat so that the system may work smoothly. 4-Sadaqat may be spent for reconciling hearts that is spending Sadaqat on the non-Muslims who may then be attracted towards Islam because of its ameliorative character. 5-Sadaqat may be spent for freeing the slaves. This is another noble cause where a human being is given freedom from serfdom. 6-Sadaqat may be spent to pay the debt of a needy person. 7-Sadaqat may be spent in the path of Allah. This will cover all situations where the intention is to please Allah Almighty, such as feeding the poor, helping an orphan, helping a needy relative, providing money for a war to protect Islam, and so on. 8-Sadaqat may also be spent for the traveller in need, that is a traveller who has run out of money, and he needs financial help to go back to his home. A critical study of these purposes of Sadaqat confirms the fact that Allah Almighty has not left any situation which cannot be addressed with Sadaqat. The phrase ‘’an obligation from Allah’’ means that these purposes are designed by Allah Almighty to guide you about spending your Sadaqat to work as an atonement for your sins. Now the hadith mongers while reading this verse of the glorious Koran claim that in the verse the word Sadaqat means Zakat. Therefore, these are the purposes of Zakat and not Sadaqat. What a monstrous lie these hadith mongers spread? Are they suggesting that NB Allah Almighty who is the author of the glorious Koran committed an error in this verse that instead of using the word zakat, He used the word Sadaqat. As already explained that a critical study of the glorious Koran confirms this fact that Zakat is an obligatory charity while Sadaqat is a voluntary charity as mentioned in numerous verses of the glorious Koran. Throughout in the glorious Koran Allah Almighty is using these two terms as distinct forms of charity. However, according to these hadith mongers, in verse 60 of chapter 9, Allah Almighty NB erroneously used the term Sadaqat instead of Zakat which these disbeliever hadith mongers have corrected. What a monstrous lie these hadith mongers are making against Allah Almighty just to prove their false hadith. I wonder what a disastrous punishment these hadith mongers and their followers will face on the judgment day for imputing a lie against Allah Almighty and His messenger.

A21: Many Muslims erroneously believe that interest earned on bank deposits is a form of RIBA. This false belief is derived from the fact that religious scholars and clergymen out of sheer ignorance about the concept of RIBA (as enunciated in the glorious Koran) and interest as an economic concept misguide mankind. Before we look into the relevant verses of the glorious Koran on this subject, let us first understand the institution of banking and its role in modern economic environment. Commercial Banks primarily serve as a bridge between borrowers and lenders. Lenders are the people who have surplus funds to deposit in a bank account, while borrowers are those individuals who need those funds for personal and business consumption. The important point to bear in the mind is that banks are business entities who operate as a bridge between the borrowers and the lenders to earn profits in the form of interest rate differentials. Interest rate differentials imply that banks offer a lower rate of interest to the depositors also called lenders on their deposits, while they charge a higher rate of interest to the borrowers. Suppose the bank may offer 5% annual interest on a particular deposit account, while the same bank may charge an annual interest of 12% to the borrower. In this case the difference of 7% between 5% interest on deposits and 12% interest on borrowings or loans is the income of the bank. So, banks are not poor people or needy persons who may be given money in the form of charity to please Allah Almighty. Rather, the modern banking system is so robust and business oriented that it charges exorbitant interest rates on its various products, such as, credit cards, lines of credit, personal loans, and mortgages to meet its business expenses. That is why most of the commercial banks in an economy exert considerable influence and the central bank of a country is entrusted with the task of regulating the behavior of commercial banks, so that they may not exploit the public. Now let us examine the concept of RIBA in the context of a banking relationship. There are numerous verses in the glorious Koran that highlight the concept of RIBA and compare it with trading, charity or Sadaqat. So, let us start with the definition of RIBA and then proceed to other verses that may be relevant in the context of banking relationship. The concept of Riba is beautifully explained in Chapter 3, verse 130 of Koran in the following words: ‘’You who believe, do not consume Riba, doubled and redoubled. Be mindful of God so that you may prosper.’’ (3:130) This verse of Koran is the cornerstone about Riba. It explicitly defines Riba as a means of multiplying one’s wealth many times over (i.e., doubled and redoubled). The phrase ‘’be mindful of God’’ in this context also highlights the fact that doubling and redoubling one’s wealth by whatever means is a repulsive act in the sight of God. Let us examine the relevance of RIBA in the context of interest earned on a bank deposit. We all know that banks offer almost negligible annual interest on simple deposits. It is less than 1% per annum that may not be sufficient to compensate for erosion in the purchasing power of money caused by inflation during the tenure of deposit. Even for long term deposits, the real interest rate (i.e., net of inflation) is less than 5% in most economies. So, the annual interest earned on a bank deposit never results in doubling or redoubling one’s wealth in the account. Therefore, since it does not meet the criterion set by Lord of the Universe for RIBA, it cannot be termed as RIBA by any prudent believer in God. Now let us examine verse 39 of chapter 30 of glorious Koran. It reads: ‘’Whatever you lend out in Riba to gain value through other people’s wealth will not increase in God’s eyes, but whatever you give in charity, in your desire for God’s approval, will earn multiple rewards.’’ (30:39) In the light of wisdom provided by this verse of glorious Koran, when we lend money to a needy person, we should never ask for RIBA over it and either forgive it as a charity or stick to principal amount only. This is because we are helping a needy person for his necessities of life and charity is the most commendable act in the sight of God. Now, when we lend money to the bank, even if the bank subsequently lends it to somebody for any purpose, can it be called charity on our part. The answer is in the negative because the bank is a commercial institution and not a needy person that is asking for Sadaqat or charity to meet its day-to-day needs. So, this verse does not apply to a banking relationship. Now look at verse 280 of chapter 2 of the glorious Koran to further explore this concept. It reads. ‘’If your debtor be in straits, grant him a delay until he can discharge his debt; but if you waive the sum as alms, it will be better for you, if you but knew it.’’ (2:280) The wording of this verse clearly tells us that it relates to a situation where the needy borrower is unable to pay back the loan so he must be granted reprieve either in the form of delay in repayment of loan or waiving the loan as a charity. However, a commercial bank with billion dollars of net assets is not a needy person who may be offered charity or waiver of interest. Therefore, the wisdom provided by these verses of the glorious Koran confirms that interest earned on a bank deposit account is not RIBA in the sight of Lord of the Universe. Some people may argue that the owners of a bank should act upon these verses and offer reprieve to their borrowers, in case of need. It may be noted that banks are commercial entities and not charities. So, they cannot offer Sadaqat to needy people. The maximum they can do is to reschedule the loan repayment to facilitate a borrower. And this is what most banks do under normal circumstances. One who borrows money from the bank for personal or business consumption should bear this fact in mind, to avoid any disappointment. In some Muslim countries, under the influence of religious scholars and the clergy, they have come up with the idea of Islamic banking that is exactly the replica of modern commercial banking, except with the change in the name. Metaphorically this relates to a situation where a Muslim and an atheist are wearing cotton shirts. However, the Muslim insists that his shirt is Islamic while that of the atheist is un-Islamic, although both are made from cotton yarn. So, a prudent understating of the glorious Koran can relieve many Muslims from this anxiety where they try to develop an economic system that is devoid of spirit of the glorious Koran. May Allah guide the Muslim brothers and sisters to ponder over the wisdom provided in the glorious Koran to avoid such traps.

A24: I may reiterate that the general understanding about the concept of RIBA amongst majority of Muslims is the outcome of blind following. Over a period of centuries no serious effort was made by majority of Muslim scholars to understand the spirit of the concept of RIBA as it is enunciated in the glorious Koran. This was primarily due to a poor understanding about the subject of economics and absence of reason while analysing the relevant verses of the glorious Koran on the subject of RIBA. The fundamental problem of scarcity Scarcity is the fundamental economic problem implying that all factors of production or resources are always in limited supply vis-à-vis their demand at any given point in time. This fact is beautifully explained in Chapter 42, verse 27 of the glorious Koran in the following words: ‘’If God were to grant His plentiful provision to His creatures, they would act insolently on earth, but He sends down in due measure whatever He will, for He is cognizant of His servants and watchful over them:’’ (42:27) Therefore, God commands in Chapter 7, verse 31: ‘’Eat and drink, but avoid excess. He does not love the intemperate’’ Since the four factors of production are always limited in supply, they command a price for their use. For example, the price for factor land or natural resources is called ‘rent’, for labor it is called ‘wage’, for capital it is called ‘interest’, and for enterprise it is called ‘profit’. Since God is the ultimate heir to all resources in the universe, therefore, men as trustees (holders of resources) must utilize these resources for the benefits of all beneficiaries (including weaker segments of the society) in an equitable manner. Excess in all forms is always short-term and devoid of morality. It is also not sustainable due to built-in rectification mechanism in the laws of nature. Therefore, RIBA i.e., excess in the accumulation of economic wealth is forbidden in the sight of God. There are numerous verses in the glorious Koran that warns mankind from accumulating wealth because it is always the outcome of RIBA-based practices. Therefore, in this monologue I will rebut some of the key arguments that are offered by conventional Muslim scholars to equate RIBA with interest. So, let us proceed with the topic. Definition of RIBA in the glorious Koran The only verse in the glorious Koran that defines RIBA is verse 130 of chapter 3 that reads: ‘’You who believe, do not consume Riba, doubled and redoubled. Be mindful of God so that you may prosper.’’ (3:130) This verse highlights the fact that RIBA is any monetary transaction that results in doubling and redoubling one’s wealth. Now two related questions are (1) What is the period during which doubling of wealth is deemed to be RIBA, and (2) How may inflation impact the real growth in wealth? I will explain these two questions with reference to a loan and a sale transaction to resolve all ambiguity in this matter. Loan Transaction We all understand from our day to day lives that when we make a loan investment our first question is about the growth rate of that investment so that we may precisely know in what time horizon the investment will yield a certain amount of interest or increase. Suppose if a person makes an investment in the form of a loan of, say, $10,000 for one year and after one year his investment is worth $12,000, then his interest or premium is 20% during the tenure of this contract or loan transaction. Since 20% is only 1/5th of 100%, therefore, going by the definition of RIBA, this 20% return or increase is not RIBA. However, if the same investment is worth $20,000 in one year, then the return is 100% or double of the size of investment, then it will be RIBA in the light of wisdom provided by the glorious Koran. The second question may be the impact of inflation on the real value of that investment. Suppose the inflation was 10% during the tenure of the investment period, then in this case the first investment will be worth only (12000 x .90) $10,800 after one year, this implies a real growth of 8% only. For the second investment after adjustment for inflation the real growth will be (20000 x 0.90) $18,000, that implies a real growth rate of 80%. So, after adjustment for inflation the growth in both loan investments do not fall within the definition of RIBA. Sale Transaction Suppose a merchant or trader has bought certain merchandise for $100 and then he sells it for $200 after one month. We assume that he has additional business expenses of $50 to sell that merchandise. So his net increase in wealth will be (200-100-50) $50. In this case the rate of return is (50/150) 33.33% that is below 100% or double of his cost to buy and run the business. This transaction is not RIBA. Now if the same merchant has sold the same item for $250, then his increase in wealth will be (250-100-50) $100, that implies a growth rate of 100% or double of his total cost. In this case this sale will fall within the definition of RIBA. Now assume that the rate of inflation for one month period was 1%, then the real growth in merchant’s wealth will be (50 x 0.99) $49.50 in the first case and (100 x 0.99) $99 in the second case, implying that first transaction is not RIBA, while the second transaction is almost RIBA because it is equal to almost doubling merchant’s wealth. So, RIBA must meet the definition of an exploitative monetary gain that may result in doubling one’s real wealth during the tenure of a monetary transaction, regardless of the fact whether it is a loan transaction or a trading transaction. Rebuttal to conventional scholars In this segment I am going to rebut some additional arguments put forward by conventional Muslim scholars who try to equate all forms of interest with RIBA. Confusion between interest on physical and financial capital Since all factors of production are limited in supply vis-à-vis their demand at any given point in time (the scarcity problem mentioned earlier), therefore, they command a price. This is called the cost or reward of a factor of production. As it is explained earlier the cost of using factor capital (both physical and financial capital) is called interest. However, majority of the Muslim scholars confuse the very concept of interest as it is used in economics (as demonstrated in the following illustration). Illustration 01: Assume that A and B are two individuals living in a community. A possesses his wealth in the form of a building (worth $150,000), while B possess wealth in the form of money or cash ($150,000). Suppose that A lets out his building to a business venture at an annual rental of 10% ($15,000) of the current market value of the building for one year, while B advances commercial loan of $150,000 to the same business at an annual interest of 10% for one year. We assume that at the end of year 1 the market value of the building has risen by 8% due to inflation (as a normal phenomenon) while the purchasing power of money has fallen by the same percentage. This situation can be tabulated as below. A's building (Physical Capital): Opening value of building as rental property $150,000 interest income @15% $15000 (150000 x 10%) Increase in value of building due to inflation@8% $12,000 (150000 x 8%) Decrease in the purchasing power due to inflation @8% -$1,200 (15000 x 8%) Closing value of physical capital (building) after 1 year $175,800 Real increase in the value of physical capital (building) $25,800 (175800-150000) B’s Cash (Financial Capital): Opening value of cash as a loan $150,000 Interest income @15% $15,000 (150000 x 15%) Decrease in the purchasing power due to inflation @8% -$13,200 (165,000 x 8%) Closing value of financial capital (cash) $151,800 Real increase in the value of financial capital (cash) $1,800 (151800-150000) The above figures reveal that due to inflation A has benefitted by $25,800 by lending his building (physical capital), while B has a net benefit of $1,800 by lending his money (financial capital). It may be noted that if A lets out his building to somebody for a commercial purpose, he will charge economic interest (also called building rental in day-to-day life) on it as a cost of using building (the physical capital), while if B lends his money to somebody for commercial purpose, he will also charge economic interest on his financial capital. However, the orthodox scholars will allow A to charge interest as a rental income, while they will condemn B for charging interest on his financial capital as Riba, although both forms of income are in the form of interest. Besides, the real gain on physical capital is normally on the higher side due to inflation ($25,800) compared with real gain of ($1,800) on financial capital. This simple illustration highlights the fact that a poor understanding of the subject of economics destroys the true meanings of a verse of the Koran because of out of context interpretation. Fixed and variable interest rates Some theologians relate interest to Riba because of fixed nature of interest. Their argument is that since interest rate is fixed in nature, while profit rates are variable in nature therefore interest and Riba are akin to each other. This argument is not supported by any relevant verse of the Koran because no verse refers to the fixed or variable nature of Riba. To understand the true nature of interest it is important to have a thorough understanding of nominal and real interest rates in an economy. The nominal rate of interest is the rate which includes an element of inflation, while a real interest rate is always net of inflation rate. Since the inflation rate, due to multiple factors, is variable in nature, therefore, the real interest rate (that measures the purchasing power of money earned in the form of interest) is always variable at different points in times. Illustration 02 Suppose A has borrowed $1000 from B for three months at a nominal interest rate of 1% per month. The inflation rate during this period is 0.3%, 0.4% and 0.5% for months 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Therefore, the real interest rate income for B will be In month 1 0.7% (1-0.3) In month 2 0.6% (1-0.4) and In month 3 0.5% (1-0.5) The important point to bear in mind is that the purchasing power of fiat money i.e. currency notes (as opposed to commodity money such as gold and silver coins) is always eroded with inflation and the nominal rates of interest (that includes element of inflation) are never a true measure of the purchasing power of money. Therefore, interest as a source of income in real terms is always dependent upon the interaction between nominal interest rates and the inflation rates during the tenure of the loan transaction. In any case, the real rate of interest is always variable because of variable inflation rate, therefore interest should not be conceived as a fixed rate income. It is as much variable as any other source of income (like profits of a trade), because of inflation on the purchasing power of money. Interest whether a double-edged sword? Some Muslim scholars condemn interest as a double-edged sword because when real interest rates are falling during the tenure of loan it is the lender who will suffer, while in case of rising interest rates it is the borrower who will suffer. But this argument is naïve because changes in real interest rates are influenced by the monetary policy of the government (central bank) for better economic growth that may be beneficial for all stakeholders including lenders and the borrowers. Besides, even in equity mode of transactions possibility of a profit or a loss is always present which means possibility of benefit or loss to the equity-holder in either case. Therefore, any business transaction (whether interest-based or equity-based) will never guarantee a fixed return (either to the lender or the investor) with reference to the purchasing power of money during the tenure of an economic transaction. Interest whether a reward without effort? It is also argued that interest is a reward without any effort on the part of the creditor, so morally it is not justified. But what about rental income of a property, which is paid to the owner of a property, who is also earning rental stream of income without any current effort because the property must have been constructed based on past efforts? What about wealth acquired through inheritance? It is permissible in Islam (Koran supports enjoying inheritance share without any effort). Therefore, based on above analogy, present effort is not a pre-condition to enjoy present benefits of any type. The creditor should not be denied a fair return in the form of normal interest on his capital (physical as well as financial) lent for commercial purposes. This would be contrary to the principles of fairness and hence not tenable in the sight of God. Is Interest a risk-free reward? Some theologians argue that interest is Riba because it is a risk-free reward, while profit of a trade is a risk-based reward. Therefore, absence of risk is another reason to classify interest as Riba. This argument is again naïve for obvious reasons. Firstly, interest in a business loan transaction is never a risk-free reward. The risk of a creditor or a debenture-holder is relatively less when compared with the risk of an equity holder because the creditor is entitled to the right of a prior claim on the return on his investment (including the repayment of principal amount in case of liquidation) over equity investment. But at the same time his return (interest income) is significantly less when compared with the return on equity in the form of dividend income and share price growth. It may also be noted that in modern businesses major chunk of loan capital is borrowed by large corporations who have limited liability, implying that in case of a loss the creditor can only get back his principal amount of loan that is payable from the net business assets of the corporation. If the net assets fall short of the loan capital, the creditor must write off the loss as a bad debt. Therefore, risk of loss for a creditor is also present even in a business loan transaction. This is in line with the financial theory principle that states ‘’risk and reward go hand in hand’’, implying ‘’higher the risk, the greater the reward and vice versa’’. Secondly, Koran never insists that risk-taking is an essential element to justify permissible income (in any form), otherwise gambling where the risk is the highest (due to unexpected outcomes) would never be condemned in the Koran. Illustration 3: Suppose A, B and C are three individuals living in a community. They plan to start a business by investing $50,000 each. We assume that A and B have the expertise and the time to fully participate in the day-to-day affairs of the business, while C doesn’t have such abilities. Therefore, it is agreed that C will provide his share of $50,000 as a loan at an annual interest rate of 10% with a prior claim of repayment of loan amount in case of liquidation of the business, while A and B will share profits of the business equally as equity-holders. It is further assumed that after one year the total profit earned by the business is $45,000. The division of profit and payment of interest is tabulated as below. Annual profit $45,000 Less C’s interest income @ 10% -$5,000 (50000 x 10%) & as % of profit 11% Profit after interest payment $40,000 (45000-5000) A’s share of profit @ 50% $20,000 (as % of profit 44%) B’s share of profit @ 50% $20,000 (as % of profit 44%) The above figures demonstrate that interest income earned by C is significantly low (only 11%) of total profit when compared with profit income (44% each) earned by A and B. This is in line with the financial management principle that states ‘’lower the risk, lower the return’’. If C’s investment of $50000 as a loan capital is protected with a prior claim return, he is also getting significantly lower share in profits in the form of interest income. This is in line with the principles of equity also. So, normal interest is never Riba. Interest rate as a wheel of economic growth In modern economies (with a focus on welfare economics), the government, keeping in view the macro-economic policy objectives of the economy, inter alia, also governs the central rate of interest through its central bank as part of its monetary policy. All other interest rates are determined with reference to this central interest rate keeping in view multiple factors like tenure of the loan, risk profile of the borrower, availability of capital, GDP growth targets, etc. These objectives are set to benefit every segment of the economy (as far as possible). The monetary policy tries to regulate the interest rates in a manner that may yield optimal economic growth to benefit most of the population. Therefore, normal interest is not RIBA unless it becomes excessive resulting in doubling and redoubling the creditor’s wealth. It may be noted that in developed countries of the world the interest rates are remain within a single digit figure due to rationalized monetary policies of those governments and availability of abundance of capital. Therefore, equating normal interest with RIBA is not a rational perspective and it is also not supported by the glorious Koran that puts emphasis on reasoning and condemns blind following.

A19: The concept of RIBA as enunciated in the glorious Koran is one of the most complex concepts that have baffled the Muslim world since the inception of Islam. Historical evidence suggests that due to the technical difficulties associated with this concept, earlier Muslim scholars adopted a conventional view of RIBA as it was in vogue in other cultures of their times. This trend persisted amongst later Muslim scholars based on the principles of Taqlid or blind following. However, the glorious Koran insists on reasoning and rational interpretation of its verses so that its message remain relevant for all future generations. A critical study of relevant verses of glorious Koran propound that the term RIBA is used as an attribute in the glorious Koran, rather than as a specific act. The etymological meaning of RIBA has two connotations, viz., as a verb it means ‘’to grow or swell’’ and as a noun it implies ‘’growth or abnormal increase’’. Verse 130 of chapter 3 of glorious Koran is the bedrock to understand the distinct and true nature of RIBA. It reads: ‘’You who believe, do not consume Riba, doubled and redoubled. Be mindful of God so that you may prosper.’’ (3:130) This is the only verse in glorious Koran that defines RIBA. In essence it highlights RIBA as an attribute. RIBA is a human tendency to multiply personal wealth many times over through unfair and exploitative means. The phrase ‘’doubled and redoubled’’ is a manifestation to this effect. So, RIBA is an attributive noun like other attributive nouns, such as, ‘’abnormal profits’’ and ‘’exorbitant interest’’. When we dissect the concept of RIBA as an attribute, it transpires that it offers a much wider concept than the myopic viewpoint advocated by the Muslim scholars on this subject. Under the conventional wisdom RIBA is perceived to be interest. However, any prudent person will appreciate that interest is an economic term that implies cost of factor capital, while RIBA is a theological term that is used as an attribute with all-pervasive dimensions. A related question may be that why RIBA is a repugnant act in the sight of God? It is answer lies in the fact that practice of RIBA results in concentration of wealth through exploitation and unfair means. This practice if allowed, may divide the Muslim Ummah into two extreme classes, the rich and the poor. When the gap between rich and poor widens then such a society cannot function as an egalitarian society as commanded by the glorious Koran. Besides, history bears witness to the fact that such a divided society may face revolutions, civil wars, and anarchies. Therefore, Allah Almighty in His eternal wisdom has commanded the believers to desist from the practice of RIBA so that the Muslim ummah may remain sustainable for its betterment. Therefore, the glorious Koran reminds mankind time and again to avoid unfair practices to consume each other’s wealth. For example, verse 188 of chapter 2 reads: ‘’And do not consume one another’s wealth by unjust means, nor offer it as bribes to the officials in order to consume part of other people’s wealth illicitly, while you know.’’ (2:188) This verse reiterates the fact that unfair practices to consume each others wealth at an individual as well as community level are great sins. No believer should adopt any type of unfair means to cheat his fellow-beings. Even the government officials or those in power should not be bribed to allow such an unfair practice because this will promote the practice of RIBA in the society that will destroy the social fabric of Muslim Ummah. It must be noted that a person who practices RIBA has a primary objective of grabbing wealth of other persons through unfair means. Such a person is greedy and avaricious. This fact is highlighted in verse 8 of chapter 100 in the following words. ‘’And mankind is fierce in his love of wealth.’’ (100:08) Another question may be what is the fate of a person who practices RIBA? The answer to this question is provided in verse 275 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘’a person who practices Riba shall be consigned to Hellfire and shall remain in it forever’’ (2:275) To sum up RIBA is an attributive term, and it encompasses all unfair and exploitative practices that result in concentration of wealth in few hands. The list of such unfair practices could be very long in real life. However, some key situations where presence of RIBA can be felt by any prudent person may include: 1 Abnormal profits in a trading or business activity that arise due to a monopoly status, price cartels, hoarding or black-marketing. 2 Exorbitant interest in a loan transaction where the interest-rate is determined far above than the prevalent interest rate set by the central bank of a country. 3 The practice of depriving a legal heir from his or her inheritance share to enrich another person. For, example, depriving female heirs from inheritance to concentrate landholdings and wealth amongst male heirs. 4 Inequitable Laws that benefit a particular segment of society at the expense of majority. For example, special tax exemptions and trade benefits to a particular segment of society, or perks and privileges offered to a group of people to make them rich and powerful. This list is not exhaustive. However, it may be noted that all such practices fall within the ambit of RIBA because these practices are intended to concentrate wealth in few hands through unfair and exploitative means. So, the term RIBA has much wider connotation than what is perceived under Taqlid or blind following.

A20: First we look at the concept of RIBA that has baffled the minds of Muslim Ummah since its inception. It is due to the fact that a vast majority of Muslim Jurists have equated RIBA with all types of interest-based transactions while ignoring the holistic perspective of RIBA as it is ordained in the glorious Koran. It must be understood that RIBA as a verb implies ‘’to grow or swell’’ while as a noun it may imply ‘’growth’’ or ‘’abnormal increase’’. It may also be noted that glorious Koran highlights the concept of Riba in the context of trading, personal loans, and charity. So, without much ado lets seek guidance from the glorious Koran to distinguish trading from Riba. The concept of Riba is defined in verse 130 of Chapter 3 in the following words: ‘’You who believe, do not consume Riba, doubled and redoubled. Be mindful of God so that you may prosper.’’ (3:130) This verse is the foundation because it is the only verse of Koran that defines Riba. It expounds Riba as a means of multiplying one’s wealth many times over (i.e., doubled and redoubled). The phrase ‘’be mindful of God’’ in this context also highlights the fact that doubling and redoubling one’s wealth by any means is a repulsive act in the sight of God. The relationship between Riba and trading is explained in verse 275 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘’Those that live on Riba shall rise before God like men whom Satan has demented by his touch; for they claim that Riba is like trading. But God has permitted trading and forbidden Riba.’’ (2:275) This verse highlights the fact that fair trading or business is permitted, while unfair trading or business is prohibited because it contains an element of Riba, that is unfair wealth creation through abnormal profits. The phrase ‘’God has permitted trading and forbidden RIBA’’ is a manifestation to this fact. We all know that when we advise somebody about certain act or behavior, at times we may add a proviso in our speech to highlight the conditions when such an act may be considered acceptable. For example, telling someone that you may earn wealth but with legal means. In this case the proviso of with legal means is a warning that earning wealth is not bad if it is done through legal means. Similarly, God commands that trading is lawful provided it is free from RIBA. This fact is reinforced in verse 29 of chapter 4 in the following words. ‘’You who believe, do not wrongfully consume each other’s wealth but trade by mutual consent.’’ (4:29) This verse further highlights the fact that unfair trading is based on Riba because it is not done by mutual consent of buyer and seller, rather it is intended to wrongfully consume each other’s wealth. Suppose if the seller tries to sell his merchandise at inflated prices to earn abnormal profits, or if he is selling substandard merchandise through misrepresentation, he is trying to multiply his wealth by wrongfully consuming wealth of the buyer. A buyer may also try to cheat the seller by offering payment through fake cheque or some other fraudulent means. However, in majority of the cases the seller may be in a dominant position to practice Riba rather than the buyer. The punishment for practicing Riba is explained in verse 30 of Chapter 4 in the following words: ‘’If any of you does these things, out of hostility and injustice, We shall make him suffer Fire: that is easy for God.’’ (4:30) So, the punishment for practicing Riba in trading is confinement into the hellfire. These verses clearly highlight the fact that any trading that is directed at consuming others’ wealth is a great sin. Permissible trading in the sight of Allah is always with mutual consent, fair consideration and with free bargaining power of both the parties. Summary: To sum up the discussion so far Riba may be defined as ‘’an unfair monetary transaction that results in acquiring wealth by one party through exploitation of the other party’’. The litmus test for determining the presence or absence of RIBA in a trade is whether profits are normal or abnormal. Abnormal profits may be earned under a monopoly situation or price cartels where bad practices like black-marketing, hoarding and misrepresentation are used as means to practice RIBA. Elements of Fair Trading: First we look at the three elements of fair trading. The concept of arm's length transaction is to ensure that both parties in the trading are acting in their own self interest and are independent of each other. Free consent will be absent if the transaction is influenced by one party through fraud, misrepresentation, undue influence, duress, etc., of any type to obtain consent of the other party. Fair Consideration implies that both the parties in a transaction get benefit of almost equal value in broad terms. If one party tries to exploit the situation for his vested interest in the name of trading (for example seeking abnormal profits or exchanging inferior goods under misrepresentation) he is practicing Riba, and God condemns this act severely, because the punishment for committing the sin of Riba is perpetual confinement in the hell fire. Factors impacting Size of Permissible Profits: A related question may be what size of normal or acceptable profits may be permissible under a given situation. This is a complicated issue and the exact answer to this question will depend upon multiple factors that may work independently and concurrently in different situations. Some of the key factors may include: Ø Classification of goods and services Ø Social trends and consumers preferences Ø Market structure Ø Marketing techniques employed by the seller Ø Pricing strategy employed by the seller Let us examine these factors in detail and their role in Riba-based trading. Classification of goods and services-Normal Goods and Snob-Appeal Goods Normal goods and services (for example, eatables, clothing and lodging that is affordable by most persons living in a society) are demanded and consumed by majority of the people and their prices are subject to the laws of demand and supply under a competitive market structure. For example, in case of normal goods and services there is an inverse relationship between quantity demanded and its price, implying higher demand when price falls and vice versa. For such category of goods and services, generally there is a competitive and fair business environment where only normal profits may be earned that may not attract the definition of Riba. In case of snob appeal goods and services (for example, expensive food and clothing, lodging, means of transportation, etc., that is affordable by very rich segments of the society). Their prices are not subject to the laws of demand and supply as such. For snob-appeal goods and services (like diamonds, villas, limousines, services rendered by a celebrity in a private gathering, etc.) the profit margin is always abnormal because such goods and services are consumed by the richest segments of the society who can always afford higher prices to acquire unique goods and services for show-off purposes. Therefore, for snob-appeal goods Riba is more likely to be present because price charged is very high with no relation to its cost of production. Interestingly, such type of Riba is always overlooked and it is rather accepted as a norm of modern business and lifestyle. Social trends and consumer preferences It is a common observation that prices of goods and services are also subject to social trends and consumer preferences. When some new product or service has become a great choice amongst the buyers, its demand increases manifold, and the sellers are able to charge higher prices to earn abnormal profits. In such a situation, the presence of Riba in trading cannot be ruled out because of significant imbalance in demand and supply. At times intermediaries buy such hot products in bulk to sell them to genuine buyers at inflated price. Forms of market structure Market structure or form of market is another important determinant that may provide evidence whether Riba may be present or absent in a business transaction. At one extreme of this spectrum is perfect competition while at the other extreme is the monopoly. Between these two extremes there are a variety of possible scenarios of imperfect competition that are sub classified into a duopoly, oligopoly, and monopolistic competition. In a perfect competition there are large number of buyers and sellers that determine the equilibrium price of goods and services through mutual bargaining power. Since no individual buyer or seller can influence the price of goods and services, therefore the possibility of practicing Riba in such a market may be difficult. In a monopoly form of market, a single seller or group of sellers (a cartel) may control the supply and price of merchandise. This dominant status may enable the seller to charge exorbitant and unfair prices for his merchandise to multiply his wealth at the expense of underprivileged buyers. So, the presence of Riba in a monopoly situation has the greatest possibility. This type of market structure may also result in allocative and technical inefficiencies that may have serious consequences for the whole society. In case of imperfect competition, the existence or absence of Riba in a trade may be discerned based on empirical evidence at the occurrence of a business transaction. Marketing technique employed by the seller A related phenomenon that may promote Riba on the part of the seller to multiply sales growth in an abnormal manner is employing persuasive marketing techniques. This is a marketing ploy where true features of goods and services are camouflaged under the garb of enticing and alluring propaganda-an implicit misrepresentation. The customer is lured to buy a product by highlighting the misleading and spillover features of that product. For example, the sales of liquor or tobacco may be promoted by showing young females in the advertisement to lure young men to consume these intoxicants by concealing the health hazards of these products. The fair approach is informative marketing technique that simply provides information about the true features of a product to enable the buyer to make a rational buying decision. For example, if the seller intends to sell a car, he should provide information about the technical specifications and overt features of the vehicle so that the customer may make a rational choice. It is clear from this discussion that persuasive marketing techniques may be employed to practice Riba in a trade, while informative marketing techniques may not directly contribute towards practice of Riba in trading. Pricing Strategy employed by the seller Pricing strategies are part of marketing policy adopted by a business to promote its trade. In real life several pricing strategies may be available to businesses to achieve sales growth. However, to keep the discussion simple only two of the key strategies may be discussed here. One pricing strategy is called penetration pricing where the goods and services are sold at lower than the competitors’ prices to attract large market segment. Since the price charged is usually lower than the competitors, the possibility of presence of Riba in such a situation is minimal. The second category is called price skimming where a very high price is charged for goods and services based on customer loyalty or unique feature of the product. This is possible where the product offers unique features and certain segment of buyers may be lured towards the new product through persuasive marketing. Evidently, in such a situation the element of Riba is highly likely to be part of the business transaction. Concluding Remarks To conclude it may be understood that Riba and its relationship with trading has multiple dimensions and each business transaction must be analyzed critically by a Muslim trader to make sure that he or she is not indulging in Riba in the name of trading. The bottom line is to avoid accumulating wealth through unfair trade practices that have an element of Riba. Looking from a broader perspective the relevant verses of the Koran categorically promote free and competitive trading as opposed to a monopoly situation (or hoarding) where abnormal profits are sought by the monopolists (and hoarders) at the expense of helpless buyers through manipulative marketing techniques. It is also incumbent upon the Islamic state to watch behavior of monopolies and price cartels to ensure that they do not resort to Riba in the name of trading. Those of you who may be interested in a complete understanding of RIBA and interest may listen to my four detailed monologues on this channel under the title Riba and interest, posted almost four years ago.

A22: Majority of the Muslim Jurists (Past and Present) consider interest as Riba. This is due to the fact that Muslim jurists of all ages have adopted the conventional viewpoint on this subject based on the principles of Taqlid or blind following. Since Taqlid is challenged by the glorious Koran that puts emphasis on reasoning, therefore, following a deduction based on Taqlid may be contradictory to the teaching of glorious Koran. Besides, no serios effort has been made to understand the economic implications of Riba and Interest to understand the technical differences between the two concepts based on reasoning. It must be understood that RIBA as a verb implies ‘’to grow or swell’’ while as a noun it may imply ‘’growth’’ or ‘’abnormal increase’’. Therefore, Riba may be conceived as an attributive term that may accentuate the meanings of a noun, such as in the case of abnormal profits and excessive interest, the words abnormal and excessive are attributive nouns. So, the term Riba may not be confused with economic term of interest that is essentially the cost of factor capital. Besides any prudent Muslim who is interested in understanding the true meaning and implications of Riba must understand few economic concepts like inflation, barter trade, commodity money and fiat money. Inflation refers to the tendency for prices to rise in an economy over time, making the money in hand less valuable as it requires more dollars to buy the same amount of goods. Inflation has existed in all communities using commodity and fiat money. In barter trade goods were directly exchanged for goods. It used to be in vogue in the past when certain communities did not have access to commodity or fiat money. However, barter system had severe limitations like lack of double coincidence of wants, lack of common measure of value, lack of standard of deferred payment and lack of store of value. Therefore, it could not withstand the demands of time and it was done away with. Then commodity money took over the role of barter system. In this system precious metals like gold, silver and bronze were used to make coins and used as a medium of exchange. This type of money had somewhat equal intrinsic and extrinsic value, therefore, it was less likely to be affected by inflation. However, debasement and excess supply of a precious metal may result in inflation. The first recorded debasement was carried out by Nero in Rome in 54 ACE, much before the advent of Islam. Similarly, when the Spanish explorers discovered a bounty of gold and silver and started mining ore out of the New World in the 16th and 17th century, the sudden influx of gold and silver caused rampant inflation in Spain due to the sudden increase in the nation's precious metal supply. It may be noted that modern crypto or virtual currencies are a type of commodity monies. Finally, came the Fiat money era that is still going on and little affected by cryptocurrency. Fiat money is a government-issued currency that is not backed by a physical commodity, such as gold or silver, but rather by the government that issued it. The value of fiat money is derived from the relationship between supply and demand and the stability of the issuing government, rather than the worth of a commodity backing it as is the case for commodity money. Since fiat money has very low intrinsic value, therefore, inter alia an increase in money supply may result in inflation or hyperinflation. I hope now the viewers will be in a better position to understand the concept of Riba as enunciated in the glorious Koran. So, without much ado lets seek guidance from the glorious Koran about the concept of Riba. The concept of Riba is defined in verse 130 of Chapter 3 in the following words: ‘’You who believe, do not consume Riba, doubled and redoubled. Be mindful of God so that you may prosper.’’ (3:130) This verse is the foundation because it is the only verse of Koran that defines Riba. It expounds Riba as a means of multiplying one’s wealth many times over (i.e., doubled and redoubled). Therefore, Riba is an economic or financial transaction that results in an exploitative financial gain to one person at the expense of another person. The distinction between Riba and interest with reference to a personal loan transaction is beautifully elaborated in verses 278, 279 and 280 of Chapter 2 of the glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’Believers, be afraid of God and waive what is still due to you from Riba, if your faith be true, or war shall be declared against you by God and His Apostle. If yourepent, you may retain your principal, suffering no loss and causing loss to none. If your debtor be in straits, grant him a delay until he can discharge his debt; but if you waive the sum as charity, it will be better for you, if you but knew it.’’ (2:278-280) These verses convey the following clear message to all believers. 1 Riba is not permissible for believers, and it must be waived off under all circumstances. 2 A believer is allowed to demand return of his principal amount so that neither the borrower nor the lender may suffer any loss. This is based on the principle of equity and an implicit recognition of inflation and its effect on the purchasing power of commodity or fiat money. 3 If the borrower is in straits, then the lender has two options. i. Extend the loan period so that the borrower can conveniently manage to repay the loan. Or ii. Waive the loan as a charity if the lender can do it, for it is the most commendable act in the sight of God. It must be understood that these verses relate to a personal loan transaction where the borrower has borrowed money to meet some essential personal obligations like marrying a child, or repaying another debt, or for the education of his child, etc. God commands that a believer must behave in a humane manner towards other human beings. I will explain the implications of these verses in the context of barter system, commodity money and fiat money with simple examples. Example 1-Barter System: Suppose that A has borrowed 20 kilograms of wheat of certain quality from B for a period of one year. After one year B will have the following options available. 1 He may demand that 20 kilograms of wheat of same quality must be returned to him as agreed by A. This will ensure that neither A nor B may suffer any loss as commanded by God in verse 279 of Chapter 2 of glorious Koran. However, if B demands that A should return, say, 25 Kilograms of wheat of same quality instead of 20 Kilograms, then this excess of 5 kilograms will be RIBA in the light of wisdom provided by the glorious Koran. 2 If A is not able to pay back the loaned commodity due to some reason, then B may extend the loan period so that A can manage to return 20 kilograms of wheat at his convenience. 3 If B believes that A’s circumstances are impoverished, he may waive off partly or fully the borrowed quantity of 20 kilograms of wheat as a charity. This will be the most commendable act in the sight of God. Example 2-Commodity Money: Suppose that A has borrowed 10 silver coins of 1 gram each from B with the promise that he will return the same quality of 10 silver coins of 1 gram each (i.e., without debasement) after one year to B. After one year B will have the following options available. 1 He may demand that 10 silver coins of 1 gram each of same quality (i.e., without debasement) must be returned to him as agreed by A, assuming there is no decrease in the purchasing power of each silver coin caused by excess supply of silver coins during this period. This will ensure that neither A nor B may suffer any loss as commanded by God in verse 279 of Chapter 2 of glorious Koran. However, if B demands that instead of 10 silver coins of 1 gram each, 12 silver coins of 1 gram each must be returned, then the 2 additional silver coins will be RIBA. 2 If A is not able to pay back the loaned money due to some reason, then B may extend the loan period so that A can manage to return 10 silver coins of 1 gram each at his convenience. 3 If B believes that A’s circumstances are impoverished, he may waive off partly or fully the borrowed quantity of 10 silver coins of 1 gram each as a charity. This will be the most commendable act in the sight of God. Example 2-Fiat Money: Suppose that A has borrowed a sum of $1000 from B for one year with the condition that A will return the amount that is equal in purchasing power of $1000 of today. After one year B has the following options available. 1 If there was no inflation during the tenure of loan, B must get back his original amount of $1,000 because he has not suffered any loss in his purchasing power. If there was an inflation of, say, 5% during the tenure of Loan, B may demand that $50 premium or interest must be added to $1000 so that he may not suffer a loss in purchasing power caused by inflation. However, if there was a deflation of 5% during the tenure of loan, B can only demand $950 instead of $1000 because deflation has increased the purchasing power of money. This pragmatic approach will ensure that neither A nor B may suffer any loss as commanded by God in verse 279 of chapter 2 of the glorious Koran. 2 If A is not able to pay back the loaned money for some reason, then B may extend the loan period so that A can manage to return $1000 plus a premium for inflation for the extended period. 3 If B believes that A’s circumstances are impoverished, he may waive off partly or fully the borrowed amount of $1000 as a charity. This will be the most commendable act in the sight of God. The purpose of citing these three simple examples was to highlight the fact that God is Just and Equitable. Therefore, He commands believers to be just and equitable. The first example related to a barter system where inflation was not a relevant factor. The second example related to commodity money, where silver coins were assumed to be unaffected by inflation because there was neither any debasement nor an increase in the supply of silver coins during the loan period. While in the 3rd example, dollars were a fiat money that may be affected by inflation or deflation. Therefore, to ensure that neither the borrower nor the lender may suffer, interest, or premium of $50 was added to and subtracted from the principal amount of $1000 to ensure avoidance of loss on the part of both borrower and the lender. This proves that charging of interest to the extent of maintaining purchasing power of loan money in a personal loan transaction is permissible by the glorious Koran because this is based on equity, and it is not Riba as erroneously perceived by many Muslims. RIBA and interest may be mathematically distinguished as follows. INTEREST = INFLATION (is not RIBA) INTEREST > INFLATION (is RIBA) Remember, Koran is the word of God, and it is full of wisdom that offers permissible alternatives to the believers under different circumstances so that verses of glorious Koran remain applicable in all times to come without compromising on one’s faith. This fact is reinforced in several verses of glorious Koran, such as: ‘’In this Quran, We have set out all kinds of examples for people, yet most of them persist in disbelieving.’’ (17:89) ‘’In this Quran We have presented every kind of description for people, but man is more contentious than any other creature.’’ (18:54) I may reiterate that distinguishing between Riba and Interest is a complex subject that has significant socio-economic implications, and I will continue this discussion in my subsequent monologues to enlighten educated believers.

A15: Many people believe that mortgage has an element of RIBA in it. Therefore, it is forbidden in Islam. However, a critical study of the glorious Koran and a proper understanding of the concept of mortgage refutes all such assertions. It may be understood that the glorious Koran has forbidden RIBA in case of personal loans that may be required by a poor person. Instead, God commands that such a personal loan may be waived if possible. The glorious Koran also commands that in a trading relationship RIBA must be excluded. To understand the application and relevance of RIBA in a mortgage transaction, we need to comprehend the concepts of RIBA and mortgage. Let us first examine the meaning of RIBA and its elements as they are ordained in the glorious Koran. Chapter 3 verse 130 reads. ‘’You who believe, do not consume Riba, doubled and redoubled. Be mindful of God so that you may prosper. (3:130) Let me remind that this is the only verse in the entire glorious Koran that defines RIBA. It states that RIBA is any monetary transaction that results in doubling and redoubling of one’s wealth at the expense of the other party. Therefore, any monetary transaction that is exploitative in nature and that unjustly benefits one party at the expense of the other party may have an element of RIBA in it, and it is strictly prohibited in Islam. Similarly, the glorious Koran in chapter 4 verse 29 commands that believers should not wrongfully consume each other’s wealth, rather they should trade by mutual consent. It reads: ‘’You who believe, do not wrongfully consume each other’s wealth but trade by mutual consent.’’ (4:29) This verse emphasizes the fact that believers must not wrongfully consume each other’s wealth, such as through RIBA and any other manipulative means. Instead, they must trade with mutual consent and free bargaining power. The core message proclaimed in these two verses may be summed up in the following words. RIBA is an exploitative financial transaction that creates undue wealth for one party at the expense of the other party. RIBA is a great sin and believers must avoid practice of RIBA in all types of trading and financial transactions. Now let us examine the concept and practice of mortgage and see if RIBA can be present in this type of financial transaction. A mortgage is a debt instrument specific to the real estate industry. It is secured by the collateral of a real estate property. The borrower is obligated to pay back the loan over time. Mortgages make it easier to purchase large real estate properties without having to pay a large purchase price upfront. The borrower instead gets the opportunity to repay the loan over time – in periodic installments in addition to interest payments. After paying back the loan, the borrower becomes the owner of the property free and clear. However, if during the tenure of the mortgage the borrower wants to sell the property, he can do so by paying the outstanding amount of loan to the bank and may keep the balance as his equity. Thus, mortgages provide a flexible way of creating wealth for the borrower and the lender. Mortgage banks provide loans to clients purchasing real estate properties usually charging annual interest between 3% and 5%. This interest is not RIBA and it is meant to serve two purposes. Firstly, it provides a recurrent source of income for the banking business during the tenure of the mortgage. Secondly, it also compensates the bank against erosion in the purchasing power of the loan money received by the bank due to inflation. Over a period even when the price of the property increases, the outstanding amount of loan keeps on diminishing with each payment of loan installment. Therefore, it is a win-win situation for both the borrower and the lender. The borrower benefits from increase in his property value, while the mortgage bank as a lender earns interest income during the tenure of the mortgage avoiding loss of purchasing power of the loan amount caused by inflation. Therefore, in a mortgage relationship all those elements are present that keeps it out of the ambit of RIBA. These elements are. A mortgage is not a charity, rather it is a trading relationship between the borrower and the lender with full disclosure and free consent of both the parties. There is no exploitative gain in a mortgage because it does not result in doubling and redoubling of one party’s wealth at the expense of the other party. A mortgage facilitates a borrower to build equity and wealth with borrowed money without arranging full upfront cost of the real estate property. A mortgage enables a mortgage bank to earn a fair return on its excess capital through a loan instrument, creating more opportunities for future borrowers. These facts make it clear that there is no element of RIBA in a mortgage relationship.

A13: Probably one of the greatest controversies that has baffled followers of Islamic faith is the question ‘’is interest and Riba similar? Before we examine this question in the light of relevant verses of the glorious Koran it is pertinent to understand the etymological meanings of these two terms. Historically speaking the concept of interest was developed in trading and economics as a compensation for loss or damage. In economics interest is defined as a reward or cost of factor capital. Similarly, usury was considered as excessive interest in lending transactions. In Arabic the equivalent word for usury is RIBA that was prevalent amongst Arabs before the advent of Islam, implying excess or growth. So, the etymology of two words is quite different. Interest was conceived to be a compensation for loss or damage, while Riba was conceived to be excess or growth. Then the question arises how come that some Muslim scholars start equating interest with Riba. The simple answer is that perhaps it may be the outcome of poor understanding of relevant verses of glorious Koran and the subject of economics on the part of those Muslim scholars. Anyway, let us examine the concept of Riba as explained in the glorious Koran. Verse 130 of chapter 3 provides the precise definition of Riba as it is ordained by the Lord of the Universe. It reads: ‘’You who believe, do not consume Riba, doubled and redoubled. Be mindful of God so that you may prosper. (3:130). This verse is the cornerstone for understanding the concept of Riba. It explicitly highlights the key feature of Riba as any monetary gain that results in doubling or redoubling of one’s wealth at somebody’s else expense. So, if a lender charges an exorbitant interest on a loan transaction to double or redouble his wealth, he is guilty of the sin of Riba. Similarly, if a trader charges exorbitant price for his goods and services to double and redouble his wealth, he is also guilty of the commission of sin of Riba., and this principle will apply to all monetary transactions and occurrences that result in multiplying one’s wealth many times over at the expense of other party. Therefore, the distinct feature of Riba is that it is present in all exploitative transactions and dealing amongst mankind where one party’s wealth is unjustly consumed by the other party. There could be numerous examples of transactions and dealings in real life where Riba is practiced with impunity, but no Muslim scholar ever highlights it. On another occasion the practice of Riba is highlighted in a trade in verse 29 of chapter 4 in the following words. ‘’You who believe, do not wrongfully consume each other’s wealth but trade by mutual consent.’’ (4:29) This verse further corroborates the fact that Riba may be present in trading where either the buyer or the seller unjustly makes a bargain with the intention of wrongfully consuming other’s wealth. Suppose a merchant is selling a product at an exorbitant price of say $500 when other merchants are selling the identical item for say $200. In this case the excess of $300 charged by this merchant is Riba and a great sin in the sight of God. The practice of charging normal interest in a business loan transaction is explained in verse 279 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘If you repent, you may retain your principal, suffering no loss and causing loss to none.’’ (2:279) This verse categorically allows a person to get back his principal amount with the same purchasing power as it was at the time of lending money so that neither the borrower nor the lender may suffer a monetary loss. Therefore, if the normal interest charged by the lender is about equal to the rate of inflation during the tenure of the loan, it is not Riba. If money is borrowed by a large corporation for business purposes or by an individual for building an asset like a mortgage, the Riba may be altogether absent. However, these topics are reserved for my other monologues about Riba. If you are interested to have a thorough understanding of the concept of Riba and its application in the modern world, then you may listen to my four monologues uploaded few years ago on my YouTube channel. To sum up this monologue the following points are important to remember. Interest is not always Riba. It becomes Riba when it is exploitative and exorbitant in nature, such as charged by Jews and Hindus in the past when the borrower could not pay back a personal loan in his life due to exorbitant interest element in it. Profits of a trade are Riba when they are exorbitant and excessive in nature, such as abnormal profits charged by a monopolist. The debentures issued by a large corporation and mortgage offered by a financial institution are free from Riba.

A23: Majority of the Muslim Jurists (Past and Present) consider interest as Riba. This is due to the fact that Muslim jurists of all ages have adopted the conventional viewpoint on this subject based on the principles of Taqlid or blind following. Besides, no serios effort has been made to understand the economic implications of Riba and Interest to understand the technical differences between the two concepts. It must be understood that RIBA as a verb implies ‘’to grow or swell’’ while as a noun it may imply ‘’growth’’ or ‘’abnormal increase’’. Therefore, Riba may be conceived as an attributive term that may accentuate the meanings of a noun, such as in the case of abnormal profits and excessive interest, the words abnormal and excessive are attributive nouns. So, the term Riba may not be confused with economic concept of interest that is precisely the price or cost of using the factor of production capital (both physical capital and financial capital). So, without much ado lets seek guidance from the glorious Koran to understand whether interest is allowed in a business loan transaction? Before we procced further, we need to understand different forms of interest to clearly grasp the meaning of interest in the context of a business loan transaction. 1-Normal Interest is a type of interest rate that may be available to a lender of a business loan as per industry practice. This interest rate is dependent upon multiple factors like central interest rate offered by the central bank of a country as part of its monetary policy, the type of competition in the business sector and the individual circumstances of a business. Generally, normal interest is conceived to be a competitive interest rate that is determined by the interaction of demand and supply of the business loan. We may also call it the equilibrium rate of interest where demand and supply of a business loan is equal at a given point in time. 2-Abnormal or excessive interest is a type of interest rate that is above than the normal interest rate. This may be caused in a situation where there is a great demand for business loans, but fewer creditors are available in the market. This situation may arise due to factors like higher central interest rate as part of monetary policy of the central bank of a country where people prefer buying government bonds instead of debentures, investors preference for stocks, preference for other investments like real estate, precious metals and appreciating currencies. 3-Nominal Interest is the interest rate that is measured in a dollar term without considering the inflation effect. For example, generally, interest rates are expressed in nominal terms, like 5% per annum or 10% per annum. 4-Real interest is the interest rate that is measured after considering the inflation effect. For example, if the nominal interest rate is 10%, while the inflation rate is 3%, then the real interest rate will be 7% (10-3). The purchasing power of money is determined with reference to the real interest rate. 5-Debenture is the financial instrument through which a business loan is raised. Let us understand the concept of RIBA as it is explained the glorious Koran to comprehend its impact on a business loan transaction. The concept of Riba is defined in verse 130 of Chapter 3 in the following words: ‘’You who believe, do not consume Riba, doubled and redoubled. Be mindful of God so that you may prosper.’’ (3:130) This verse is the foundation because it is the only verse of Koran that defines Riba. It expounds Riba as a means of multiplying one’s wealth many times over (i.e., doubled and redoubled). Therefore, Riba is an economic or financial activity that results in doubling or redoubling one’s wealth at the expense of another person. So, Riba is essentially an exploitative monetary or financial gain that is enjoyed by one person at the expense of the other person. Since it is exploitative in nature, therefore, forbidden in Islam. Besides, Allah Almighty has set the limits of Riba, and it starts at 100% monetary gain. So, if an item or a transaction that is worth $10 is exchanged at $20 net gain then it has an element of Riba in it. Below that it is not Riba. However, we must understand that in a business loan transaction the interest rate offered is much lower, usually in a single digit figure in a percentage. Therefore, it never results in doubling or redoubling the creditor’s wealth. On the contrary the profits earned on this business loan are much higher than the interest rate offered, and these profits are usually in the double-digit figure as a percentage. It may also be noted that the glorious Koran in verse 275 of chapter 2 categorically declares that trading is permitted but Riba is forbidden. It reads: ‘’God has permitted trading and forbidden Riba.’’ (2:275) If we read verse 130 of chapter 3 and verse 275 of chapter 2 together, it becomes clear that any trading or business that results in doubling one’s wealth is Riba. In another verse of glorious Koran these principles of fair trading are further highlighted in the following words. Verse 29 of chapter 4 reads. ‘’You who believe, do not wrongfully consume each other’s wealth but trade by mutual consent.’’ (4:29) This verse further highlights the fact that unfair trading is based on Riba because it is not done by mutual consent of buyer and seller, rather it is intended to wrongfully consume each other’s wealth. Therefore, if a creditor offers a business loan at an exorbitant interest rate to an individual business person who has no other source of financing and that business accepts this business loan under duress then it is Riba. However, it must be noted that in most of the cases business loans are acquired by the large corporations through institutional investors like banks, insurance companies and pension funds that provide an interface between funds providers and the fund seekers. Besides, these businesses and lenders operate within the realm of stated monetary policy of the government and laws made for business loans. Therefore, presence of Riba is always excluded. Now we look at a business loan transaction to explore presence of Riba in it and reiterate some basic facts. In the business world large organizations and individuals borrow money from institutional investors and private individuals to generate economic activity. This loan instrument is technically called a debenture. Besides, in majority of the cases borrowers of a business loan are large business organizations and not a poor person who is seeking, loan to meet his day-to-day basis needs. Therefore, there is no application of charity in this case. Businesses seek loans to generate economic activity and wealth. The following facts are relevant here. 1 The business may be short of financial resources, so borrowing may be a good option. 2 Business loans are always a cheaper source of finance because a. interest paid on a business loan is always less than the return on equity. So, a business knows that it can earn much higher profits from the loan money than what it pays to the creditor. b. Interest is a tax-deductible expense, so it provides a tax-shield to the business, decreasing its corporate tax liability. 3 Since the creditor does not share risk of the business at par with the equity holder, because whether the business makes a profit or incurred a loss, the interest is an obligatory payment based on the agreement, and creditors have a prior claim over the assets of a business in case of a liquidation, therefore, interest rate offered on a business loan is always less than the profit rate. 4 The interest rate offered on a business loan is dependent upon the central interest rate. If central interest rates are higher than the interest on a business loan must be higher than the central interest rate to attract lenders. However, in any case neither the central interest rates nor the business loan interest rates result in doubling the lenders wealth. So, the strict definition of Riba as stipulated in the verse 130 of chapter 3 is not applicable. The economic theory also suggests that the equilibrium price of a factor of production is determined through the interaction of its demand and supply at any given point in time. This implies that when demand exceeds supply, the price of a factor of production will rise and vice versa. One visible explanation of this phenomenon is the fact that interest rates as cost of capital are very low in the developed countries (mostly in a single digit figure) when compared with a developing country (where the interest rates are always in double digit figure). The reason is that inter alia, there is abundance of capital in the developed countries due to enhanced economic activity and accumulation of capital in the hands of large segments of the society over a period of decades. Therefore, demand for capital vis-à-vis its supply has reached the optimal level, resulting in lower interest rates. This analysis highlights the following facts: 1 Interest on a business loan is not Riba because the interest rates are much lower than the profit rate generated from the loan money. Business owners borrow money and generate wealth while they pay a fraction of that wealth to the lender in the form of debenture interest. 2 Interest is the price or cost of factor capital that must be paid by a business firm if it has to borrow capital for economic activity and generate wealth. 3 With enhanced economic activity the size of capital (in the form of accumulated national wealth) increases leading to lower interest rates. 4 Businesses are not needy persons who seek loans to meet basic needs of lives, therefore, the concept of charity does not apply to a business organization. 5 Therefore, interest on a business loan is not Riba in the light of relevant verses of the glorious Koran.

A14: Many Muslims hold the belief that if an animal is slaughtered without pronouncing Allah’s name over it, its meat is forbidden for them. However, a critical study of the glorious Koran reveals that this belief is devoid of substance. For example, verse 145 of chapter 6 reads: ‘In all that has been revealed to me, I find nothing forbidden for people to eat, except for carrion, flowing blood, pig’s meat– it is loathsome– or a sinful offering over which any name other than God’s has been invoked.’ But if someone is forced by hunger, rather than desire or excess, then God is most forgiving and most merciful.’’ (6:145) This verse sums up the message of all Koranic verses about permissible and forbidden food. The phrase ‘’in all that has been revealed to me’’ is the testimony to this fact. This verse highlights the following important points. Carrion, flowing blood and pig’s meat is forbidden for the Muslims. A sinful offering over which any name other than God is pronounced is also forbidden, such as sacrificing an animal or devoting food in the name of or over the shrine of a dead person. For sacrifice of an animal as a religious obligation is only reserved for Allah and not for any creation. This verse also makes it clear that if an animal is slaughtered not as a sacrifice but for day-to-day consumption, then it is not obligatory to pronounce God’s name over it and such meat is not forbidden for Muslims. This fact is reinforced in a different manner in verse 5 of chapter 5 in the following words. ‘’Today all good things have been made lawful for you. The food of the People of the Book is lawful for you as your food is lawful for them.’’ (5:5) The phrase ‘’all good things have been made lawful for you’’ implies that other than carrion, flowing blood, pig’s meat and a sinful offering, all food of people of the book is lawful for the Muslims regardless of its method of slaughtering and cooking. People of the book are Christians and the Jews who may not recite Allah’s name while slaughtering an animal. In fact, many Christians were polytheists at the time when this verse was revealed because they believed Jesus as Son of God. Still God made their food lawful for the Muslims knowing that reciting God’s name was not obligatory while slaughtering an animal. So, those who insist that only that meat is permissible for a Muslim over which Allah’s name is pronounced are indirectly disbelieving verse 5 of chapter 5 of glorious Koran and advising Muslims to go against Allah’s command of eating food of people of the book. To make this fact more pronounced the glorious Koran in verse 36 of chapter 22 reads: ‘’We have made the animal offerings emblems of God for you. In them is goodness for you. So, pronounce God’s name upon them as they line up. Then, when they have fallen on their sides, eat of them and feed the contented and the beggar. Thus, We have subjected them to you, that you may be thankful. (22:36) This verse further corroborates the fact that animal offerings is only reserved for God. So, when animals are sacrificed as an offering for God (such as on Hajj), then it is obligatory to pronounce God’s name while slaughtering them, and then the meat of such animals must be shared with the beggar and the destitute. Some people may misinterpret this verse by suggesting that reciting God’s name is obligatory while slaughtering an animal for routine consumption. However, any prudent Muslim may realise that this verse relates to sacrificial offering of animals at pilgrimage, and it is not related to ordinary day to day slaughtering of an animal for consumption purpose. However, if someone insists that this verse is applicable to day-to-day life, then that person must act upon the full command given in this verse. This will include (1) slaughtering an animal by reciting God’s name. (2) Dividing the meat between personal consumption and distributing part of it to the beggar and the needy person. I am sure no Muslim who insists on reciting God’s name while slaughtering an animal for routine consumption would ever share his daily meat brought from the market with beggars and the needy. So, why do such people misguide mankind in the name of God? Some Muslims still argue that they will not eat the meat of an animal that was slaughtered without pronouncing God’s name over it. In support of their claim, they quote the following verses of the glorious Koran. Verses 118, 119 and 121 of chapter 6 read: ‘’So, eat of that over which the Name of God was pronounced, if you indeed believe in His revelations. And why should you not eat of that over which the Name of God is pronounced, when He has detailed for you what is prohibited for you, unless you are compelled by necessity? Many lead astray with their opinions, through lack of knowledge. Your Lord knows best the transgressors. And do not eat from that over which the Name of God was not pronounced, for it is abomination. (6:118, 119,121) These verses have got nothing to do with slaughtering of an animal. These simply reiterate the truth that a Muslim must recite God’s name before eating any lawful and clean food, whether it is meat of an animal, a fruit, a vegetable and any other eatable. That is why all conscientious Muslims recite Bismillah before eating their food to acknowledge and thank God for provisions of life. Remember that glorious Koran is the word of God, and it is free of all contradictions. Ignorant people misguide mankind by distorting the message of glorious Koran. The phrase ‘’Many lead astray with their opinions, through lack of knowledge’’ is a testimony to this fact. To sum up the following facts must be remembered. Carrion, flowing blood, pig’s meat, and a sinful offering in the name and over the shrine of a dead person is forbidden for Muslims. Food of the people of the book (i.e., Jews and Christians) is lawful for Muslims even when an animal is slaughtered without pronouncing God’s name over it. When an animal is sacrificed in the name of God, we must pronounce God’s name over it and share its meat with the poor and the needy. We cannot eat the whole meat of sacrifice as we do for meat purchased for our daily consumption. When we buy meat from the market, we need to make sure that it is the meat over which no name is pronounced as part of a sinful offering. Before eating food of any type, the Muslims must recite Bismillah to acknowledge God’s mercy for providing that food to us.

A27- This is an interesting question and in order to analyse this hypothesis we need to understand the concept of dialectical materialism from a general perspective. As we are aware that the concept of dialectical materialism is attributed to the writings of philosophers like Hegel, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels. Each of them tried to explain this philosophical concept based on their understanding of human life and evolution of civilizations based on class struggle. However, speaking from a holistic perspective dialectical materialism views all human conflicts based on material needs of human beings. Alternatively, dialectical materialism may be conceived as the study of class struggle as envisaged in human history. It revolves around concepts like thesis, antithesis, synthesis and perhaps the utopia. Now let’s examine each of these concepts briefly. What is Thesis? It is the starting point of an idea or a stage in life or the status quo. What is Antithesis? It is a reaction to the thesis, or the opposite of the thesis or a conflict within the thesis. What is Synthesis? It is the outcome of the struggle between the thesis and the antithesis, i.e., the new paradigm. What is Utopia? An imagined place or state where everything is perfect, so evolution stops in Utopia because perfection has been achieved. For many people life on planet earth is a dystopia and utopia is only achievable in the life in the hereafter. It may be noted that the conflict between thesis and antithesis is the outcome of grey shades in human life, while in the utopia all grey shades will be eliminated, and perfection will be achieved. The important question is how does this philosophical concept work? The story begins with the existence or creation of the thesis. The moment thesis is created its opposition or antithesis challenges the thesis. This conflict between the thesis and the antithesis is transformed into a synthesis that may be positive or negative. Gradually, the synthesis degenerates into thesis and it is again opposed by the antithesis. So, there is a perpetual conflict in the society or ideologies till the time the utopia is achieved where everything is perfect, and the class struggle or conflicts cease to exist. Now let us see what the glorious Koran says about dialectical materialism in the mundane and spiritual sense. Origin of the Thesis The thesis of human life as put forward by the glorious Koran is the creation of Prophet Adam PBUH as the vicegerent of Allah on earth, and the knowledge granted to the human being by the Creator. This fact is beautifully explained in the glorious Koran in verses 30 to 33 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘’When your Lord said to the angels, “I am placing a successor on earth.” They said, “Will You place in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood, while we declare Your praises and sanctify You?” He said, “I know what you do not know.” And He taught Adam the names, all of them; then he presented them to the angels, and said, “Tell Me the names of these, if you are sincere.” They said, “Glory be to You! We have no knowledge except what You have taught us. It is you who are the Knowledgeable, the Wise.” He said, “O Adam, tell them their names.” And when he told them their names, He said, “Did I not tell you that I know the secrets of the heavens and the earth, and that I know what you reveal and what you conceal?” (2:30-33) These beautiful verses of glorious Koran explain the origin of thesis with the creation of Adam PBUH as the vicegerent of Allah Almighty on planet earth. This vicegerency is granted based on the knowledge that is bestowed upon mankind by Allah Almighty as the verse narrates (and He taught Adam the names, all of them). However, with this knowledge the egoistic mankind is also prone to challenge the authority of the Lord of the Universe based on flimsy arguments and under the influence of Satan. The Anti-Thesis The anti-thesis was also created by Allah Almighty at the same time to make human life as a struggle between the good and the evil. This fact is explained in verses 71 to 85 of chapter 38 of the glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’Your Lord said to the angels, “I am creating a human being from clay. When I have formed him, and breathed into him of My spirit, fall prostrate before him. So the angels fell prostrate, all of them. Except for Satan. He was too proud, and one of the faithless. He said, “O Satan, what prevented you from prostrating before what I created with My Own hands? Are you too proud, or were you one of the exalted?” He said, “I am better than he; You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.” He said, “Then get out of here! You are an outcast! And My curse will be upon you until the Day of Judgment.” He said, “Lord, defer me until the Day they are resurrected.” He said, “You are one of those deferred. Until the Day of the Time Appointed.” He said, “By Your majesty, I will seduce them all. Except for your loyal servants among them.” He said, “The truth is, and I say the truth. I will fill Hell with you, and with every one of them who follows you.” (38:71-85) Consequently, Adam and his progeny had the antithesis in the form of Satan and his progeny. So from the very outset, Allah created the thesis and the antithesis to make human life a struggle between good and evil so that mankind may be judged based on their sincerity towards the Lord of Creation. This class struggle has been the foundation of all conflicts between mankind. The struggle between the thesis and the antithesis The struggle between the thesis and the antithesis started immediately as the glorious Koran tells us in verses 35 to 37 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘’We said, “O Adam, inhabit the Garden you and your spouse, and eat from it freely as you please, but do not approach this tree, lest you become wrongdoers.” But Satan caused them to slip from it, and caused them to depart the state they were in. We said, “Go down, some of you enemies of one another. And you will have residence on earth, and enjoyment for a while.” Then Adam received words from his Lord, so He relented towards him. He is the Relenting, the Merciful. (2:35-37) The banishment of Adam PBUH from Garden of Eden was the first test case of the conflict between good and evil or between the thesis and the antithesis that was going to be accentuated in the days to come. The phrase ‘’Go down, some of you enemies of one another’’ is a clear warning that mankind will remain split into groups of believers and disbelievers, and in a constant state of conflict. The Synthesis There was every possibility that after being banished from the garden of Eden the struggle between the progeny of Adam and the progeny of Satan may result in complete disobedience of Allah Almighty by mankind unless the synthesis is put in place by Allah Almighty. This synthesis is the chain of messengers and the revelations received from Allah Almighty to keep the mankind on the straight path at least for a while. This fact is explained in verses 38 and 39 of chapter 2 of glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’We said, “Go down from it, all of you. Yet whenever guidance comes to you from Me, then whoever follows My guidance— they have nothing to fear, nor shall they grieve. But as for those who disbelieve and reject Our signs—these are the inmates of the Fire—wherein they will remain forever.” (2:35-39) So human life is a class struggle from the perspective of the wise Creator. This class struggle is between the noble and the wicked mankind. The noble mankind will adhere to the teachings of messengers and the revelations of God trying to keep a balance between the worldly life and the life in the hereafter, while the wicked mankind will remain obsessed in the worldly affairs paying no heed towards life in the hereafter. This class conflict will give birth to two types of outcomes or the synthesis in a repetitive manner. (1) The multitude of wicked mankind who is obsessed in their worldly riches and disobedience to the Lord of the Universe, (2) the multitude of good mankind who are content and steadfast in their devotion towards Lord of the Universe. As explained earlier the synthesis or the outcome may be positive or negative. When there is a majority of disbelievers in the society this outcome is the negative synthesis. The rectifier is the institution of messengers who challenge the negative synthesis and pushes the society into a state of thesis where the struggle continues. Similarly, when synthesis is positive and majority of people are believers, then this state is also degenerated into a thesis when some people start ignoring commands of God and the struggle between the tow groups start again. This class or ideological struggle will continue till the doomsday when evolution in all its forms will stop with the 1st blow of the trumpet and annihilation of the universe. Afterwards with the 2nd blow of the trumpet the resurrection will take place as stated in verse 68 of chapter 39. The Utopia The Utopia is never achievable in this mortal world for it is reserved for the life in the hereafter when good will be separated from the evil and the believers and the disbelievers will be permanently separated as two distinct classes. There will be no more class struggle left and each group will reach its final abode. On that day every human being will be judged according to his or her worldly deeds and on that day, Allah will reign supreme, and no human being will be allowed any discretion as it used to be the case in this mortal world. This fact is narrated in verses 54 of chapter 36 in the following words. ‘’On that Day, no soul will be wronged in the least, and you will be recompensed only for what you used to do.’’ (36:54) The fate of believers is explained in verse 55 of chapter 36 in the following words. ‘’The inhabitants of Paradise, on that Day, will be happily busy.’’ (36:55) While the fate of the disbelievers is explained in verses 63 and 64 of chapter 36 in the following words. ‘’This is Hellfire, which you were promised. Roast in it today because you persistently disbelieved.’’ (36:63-64) Conclusion So based on the wisdom provided by the relevant verses of the glorious Koran, it may be argued that the concept of class struggle between different groups of mankind is much wider as explained in the glorious Koran than the conventional dialectical materialism. It covers both mundane as well as spiritual aspects of human life and it is primarily focussed on belief in one living God and retribution on the judgment day.

Mysticism is a spiritual belief stating that a connection can be obtained with God or the spirits through thought and meditation. An example of mysticism is believing that a direct connection can be made with God through sitting, thinking, and reciting certain words or phrases. The idea of practicing mysticism is incredibly old, and it is found in almost every faith or culture starting from Greeks and including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. However, mysticism as practiced amongst Muslim saints has specific characteristics. Some of the key features include. 1 A relationship between a spiritual leader (also called a PEER or IMAM) and his disciples or followers (also called MUREEDS). The disciples are asked to follow the leader or PEER blindly without questioning the wisdom of practices and beliefs taught by the leader. However, blind following is strictly prohibited by the glorious Koran in numerous verses that highlight the importance of reasoning and analysing the wisdom of each action and phenomenon. For example, verse 36 of chapter 17 reads: ‘’And do not occupy yourself with what you have no knowledge of. The hearing, and the sight, and the brains—all these will be questioned.’’ So, blind following will only lead one to the hell fire. 2 The spiritual leader or PEER is considered a connection to reach God through a chain of earlier spiritual leaders and Prophet Muhammad PBUH. In this relationship it is claimed that the living spiritual leader is in union and communicating with the dead spiritual leaders of the past and Prophet Muhammad PBUH through a chain of spiritual bonding. In order to justify their stance they quote verse 35 of chapter 5 of glorious Koran that advises believers to seek means of approach to God, claiming that the word Wasilla or means in this verse implies a spiritual leader or a saint. However, the glorious Koran beautifully rebuts this false interpretation through verses 56 and 57 of chapter 17 that clearly read: ‘’Say, “Call upon those you claim besides Him. They have no power to relieve your adversity, nor can they change it. Those they call upon are themselves seeking means of access to their Lord, vying to be nearer, and hoping for His mercy, and fearing His punishment. The punishment of your Lord is to be dreaded.’’ So, the means or Wasilla to reach God are good deeds and not any living or dead human being who is not sure whether he or she will be pardoned by the Lord of the Universe. 3 The disciples are asked to believe that since they have joined the chain of their spiritual leader, therefore, they must assume that on the judgment day they will get intercession of Prophet Muhammad PBUH including all spiritual leaders within their spiritual chain. So, the implicit message is conveyed that Paradise has been secured for all disciples through intercession of Prophet Muhammad PBUH and other spiritual leaders within that spiritual chain. There are numerous verses in the glorious Koran that convey the message that intercession of creations before God will only work once God has decided to pardon a soul out of His infinite mercy and if God has decided to punish someone, no intercessor can protect him. Verse 51 of chapter 6 beautifully explains this truth in the following words: ‘’And warn with it those who fear to be gathered before their Lord—they have no protector or intercessor apart from him—perhaps they will grow in piety.’’ This verse makes it explicitly clear that the only intercession is God’s mercy and a soul must strive to achieve piety and hope for God’s mercy in both the worlds. For more clarity please also read verse 48 of chapter 2 of glorious Koran. 4 Mystics also claim that death is in fact a migration to another world where all dead spiritual leaders and their dead disciples are enjoying life in union with Prophet Muhammad PBUH. They make this claim by quoting verse 169 of chapter 3 of glorious Koran that highlights the fact that those who are killed in the way of God are alive with God, but you cannot perceive their life. Firstly, this verse is specifically related to those who are killed while fighting in the way of God. Secondly, this verse educates us that those killed are enjoying a spiritual life with God that is materially different from worldly life. Still, those dead martyrs can neither communicate with their dear ones who are alive, nor can they help them in any way. Once a human being dies God snatches away his or her soul and then the person will remain in deep sleep till the resurrection day when he or she will be given another life. This fact is explained in verses 51 and 52 of chapter 36 of glorious Koran in the following words: ‘’The Trumpet will be blown, then behold, they will rush from the graves to their Lord. They will say, “Woe to us. Who resurrected us from our resting-place?” This is what the Most Gracious had promised, and the messengers have spoken the truth.” So, this verse makes it amply clear to any wise person that while dead we all go in deep sleep and do not enjoy a second life instantly that will only be granted on the day of resurrection. 5 Another claim made by mystics is that there is a hierarchical pyramid of human beings in their spiritual chain that determines the spiritual status or nearness to God of everyone in that pyramid. According to this belief earlier spiritual leaders have a higher status than the later spiritual leaders and followers. So, it is impossible for later generations to catch up with their earlier generations in gaining nearness to God. So, later generations must look towards earlier generations within their spiritual hierarchy for their salvation in both the worlds. However, this claim is in direct conflict with the teachings of glorious Koran. For example, verse 117 of chapter 6 reads: ‘’Your Lord knows best who strays from His path, and He knows best the guided ones.’’ So, no human being can claim that who is more pious or less pious based on his limited knowledge, this truth is only known to God and anybody may be nearer to the Lord from any generation of mankind. 6 Finally, the mystics also claim that through their spiritual exercises they have access to the unseen knowledge, and they can see things that ordinary human beings cannot see and know. However, the glorious Koran also refutes this false claim of human beings on several occasions. For example, verse 59 of chapter 6 reads: ’With Him are the keys of the unseen. None knows them except He.’’ So, no mortal can have access to the unseen things or knowledge that is the exclusive domain of the Lord of the Mercy.

A18: Many Muslims erroneously believe that saints can be a WASILAH for approaching Allah Almighty in this world. So, based on this false notion many spiritual leaders or priests tell their disciples that by joining their band, the disciple is bound to go to Paradise because the spiritual leaders in the chain will become a WASILAH or source of access for their disciples to get closer to Allah for the redemption of their disciples. In support of their claim they quote verse 35 of Chapter 5 of the glorious Koran that reads: ‘’O you who believe! Be conscious of God and seek the WASILAH (i.e. means of access) to Him, and strive in His cause, so that you may succeed’’. (05:35) Let us examine this verse of the glorious Koran in detail to know its true meanings. The first part is ‘’O you who believe’’. This phrase is addressed to those human beings who believe in One God and on the Judgment Day, i.e. one who is a strict monotheist, who only worships Allah alone and only seeks HIS help in spiritual and worldly matters. The second part is ‘’Be conscious of God’’, for which the Arabic word TAQWA has been used. This means that a believer must have TAQWA or trust in God alone. In all his actions he must know that God is watching over him, so he must strive to avoid sins and remain steadfast in ordeals. The third part is ‘’and seek means of access to Allah’’, the Arabic word used here for means of access is WASILAH. So, WASILAH implies means of access to God, and the means of access to God are good deeds as enumerated in the glorious Koran on several occasions. The fourth part is ‘’and strive in His cause’’. This means that a believer must work hard to avoid sins and excel in good deeds. It is the sincere effort on the part of a believer that will judge his intentions and not the outcome of his actions. For the simple reason that outcome of every human action cannot be as expected. The fifth part is ‘’So that you may succeed.’’ This phrase confirms that those who believe in one God, strive to do good deeds and avoid sins can hope to be successful on the judgement day. The message of this verse of glorious Koran may be summed up in the following words. Those who believe in one God and on the Judgment-Day must strive hard to excel in good deeds and avoid sins so that they may become obedient servants of Lord of the Universe and they may be rewarded on the judgment day for their obedience and pious life in this mortal world. So, the word WASILAH does not imply a human being who can redeem sins of other human beings and bring those human beings closer to God as it is contrary to the philosophy of justice and equity as enumerated in the glorious Koran on several occasions. This truth is reinforced in a different style in verse 57 of Chapter 17 of the glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’Those they call upon are themselves seeking means of access (or WASILAH) to their Lord, vying to be nearer, and hoping for His mercy, and fearing His punishment. The punishment of your Lord is to be dreaded’’. (17:57) Now, let us examine this verse of the glorious Koran in detail to understand its meanings. The first part is ‘’those they call upon’’. This phrase refers to prophets and saints which people believe may be closer to God and based on this assumption people call for their help to get closer to God. Of course nobody will call a devil to get closer to God. The second part is ‘’are themselves seeking means of access (WASILAH) to their Lord’’. This phrase proves that pious people like prophets and saints in their worldly lives strives hard to get closer to God through good deeds as a WASILAH. This means they lead their lives like true believers in One God, that is, strict monotheism. The glorious Koran confirms that all prophets trusted and sought God’s help alone and never took any mortal being as a WASILAH. The third part is ‘’vying to be nearer’’. This phrase confirms the truth that even pious people like prophets and saints during their lives compete with each other in good deeds so that they may get further closer to the Lord of the Universe. The fourth part is ‘’and hoping for His mercy and fearing His punishment’’. The pious people like prophets and saints hope that Lord of the Universe may show mercy to them because they fear punishment of God. The important point to remember is that one can only hope for God’s mercy, for nobody can compel Lord of the Universe to pardon one’s sins. The fifth part is ‘’the punishment of your Lord is to be dreaded’’. This phrase is a warning to all creations that the punishment of the Lord of the Universe is the harshest and worst punishment in the universe. So, every segment of Lord’s creation must fear it without any doubt. Now, if we sum up the unequivocal message conveyed through these two verses of the glorious Koran then the whole truth about the word WASILAH becomes evident. To sum up, WASILAH implies that people must strive hard through good deeds as enumerated in the glorious Koran to get closer to the Lord of the Universe, for no creation has the capacity to work as a WASILAH to take people closer to God for redemption. It is only good deeds and mercy of Allah that will redeem sins of mankind.

A large number of Muslims believe that learning Arabic language is mandatory to understand the meanings of the verses of the glorious Koran. This belief has been inculcated deliberately by the religious leaders to create two classes amongst the Muslim society. One class that predominantly constitute the Muslim clergies and the other class who are their followers. Therefore, it has been observed that Muslim theologians while explaining the meaning of a verse of the glorious Koran first recite it in Arabic and then read its meaning in their native language. This approach is deliberately adopted to serve certain purposes. 1 By reciting the verses in Arabic, the theologian conveys to the audience that he knows the Arabic language and he has the advantage to translate and explain the meaning of a verse of the glorious Koran that the audience may not possess. Although in many cases even the theologian merely reads the Arabic verse and then look at its translation in his or her native language because he cannot comprehend the meaning of the Arabic verse as a non-Arab. 2 The audience get impressed that the theologian knows the Arabic language and whatever interpretation of a verse he or she will offer, that must be accepted by the audience. However, in majority of the cases a non-Arab theologian cannot conversate in Arabic with an Arab. He only knows how to read the Arabic of Koran, and then look for its translation to convey the meaning of the Arabic verse. This technique gives birth to a captive audience who will blindly listen and follow the interpretation offered by the theologian. In order to prevail upon the minds of the audience, the theologian will supplement his interpretation with several man-made hadith and stories falsely attributed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Ultimately, the audience get obsessed with the hadith or the story and the true meaning of the verse of the glorious Koran is compromised. Now let us examine whether the glorious Koran approves this approach or oppose it. Verse 4 of chapter 14 reads: ‘’We never sent any messenger except in the language of his people, to make things clear for them. God leads astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. He is the Mighty, the Wise. (14:4) This verse of the glorious Koran has the following implications. 1 The Sunnah of Allah is that HE reveals his verses to a messenger in the language of his people so that the messenger can himself understand the meaning of the verse and then explain it to his community members. This sounds logical because if a message is to be spread for the benefit of a particular community, then that message must be conveyed in the language of the community in a simple manner. 2 This verse also highlights the fact that sending a verse in a particular language does not guarantee that all the members of the community will believe in it. Only those persons will believe in it who will apply reason and who are therefore guided by the Lord of the Universe based on His eternal wisdom. 3 Consequently, a large number of Quraysh who were Arabs and proficient in the Arabic language deadly opposed the message of the glorious Koran because, although, they knew the Arabic language but they did not apply reason and so they were not guided by Allah Almighty. It is, therefore, clear that knowing a language does not guarantee that you can also understand the message of truth. Truth can only be understood with reason, a dispassionate attitude towards logic and above all mercy of the Lord of the Universe. Therefore, it is evident that the reason for revealing the glorious Koran in the Arabic language was because it was the language of the people of Mecca and Arab peninsula, where Prophet Muhammad PBUH was sent as a messenger. Otherwise, Allah Almighty is not dependent upon a particular language. Different scriptures were revealed in different languages of those nations so that they may understand it and perchance may take heed. This fact is confirmed in verse 44 of chapter 41 in the following words. ‘’Had We made it a Quran in a foreign language, they would have said, “If only its verses were made clear.” Non-Arabic and an Arab? Say, “For those who believe, it is guidance and healing. But as for those who do not believe there is heaviness in their ears, and it is blindness for them.’’ (41:44) This verse makes it clear that although the glorious Koran was revealed in the Arabic language for the people of Mecca and Arabia, yet for the disbelievers amongst them it increased their opposition and hatred towards Islam. This fact is reinforced in verse 7 of chapter 42 in the following words. ‘’Thus We inspired you with an Arabic Quran, that you may warn the Central City and whoever is around it. (42:7) It is again reinforced in verse 2 of chapter 12 in the following words. ‘’We have revealed it an Arabic Quran, so that you may understand.’’ (12:2) This verse is directly addressed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH that Koran was revealed in Arabic so that he may understand it and then spread its message amongst the Arabs because his language was Arabic. Based on the wisdom provided by the glorious Koran, it is not mandatory for a person living in the 21st century to learn Arabic language to understand and apply the teachings of the glorious Koran in his day to day life. The following facts endorse this opinion. 1 In the 21st century the glorious Koran is translated into almost 50 languages to make it possible for every segment of the society to understand its meanings. From historical perspective, the 1st Persian translation of Koran was done between 10th and 12th centuries. Interestingly, the 1st English translation of Koran was done in the 17th century (1649). 2 In the presence of a vast number of translations of the glorious Koran available in different languages, it is impossible that any translator can alter the fundamental meaning of the verse of the glorious Koran. Suppose, if you are interested in reading the glorious Koran in the English language, then as a wise person read translations of different translators for a particular verse. If you suspect something unusual in the translation. This will enable you to isolate a wrong translation (if any). Besides, you can also google any Arabic word from a verse for its translation in English to be sure about its root meanings. So, no logic withstands nowadays that learning the Arabic language give you an advantage in better understanding the meanings of different verse of the glorious Koran. Interestingly, many Arabic speakers deliberately change the context of a verse of the glorious Koran based on false Hadith attributed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH because such persons are misguided people. 3 If a non-Arabic person is first asked to learn Arabic and then apply Koran in his day-to-day life, he will be in a disadvantageous position. He may even show disinterest in the message of glorious Koran and Islam as a faith. So, Allah Almighty has never commanded that non-Arabs believers must learn Arabic language. 4 A translator must learn the Arabic language and the other language in which Koran is to be translated. Otherwise, he or she cannot correctly translate the Arabic Koran into another language. However, for a person who wants to understand the message of the glorious Koran, learning of Arabic language is not required. A simple example will highlight this fact. Suppose an engineer designs and manufactures an aeroplane. However, the pilot who flies that aeroplane knows nothing about engineering and manufacturing of an aeroplane, yet he can fly an aeroplane far better than an engineer. This is because designing and manufacturing an aircraft requires different skills while flying an aircraft requires different skills. This logic will apply to majority of products and services. Therefore, a translator’s role is different from that of an interpreter, and the role of a person who has to apply the message of the glorious Koran in his or her daily life is different from that of a translator and an interpreter. 5 A translator is like a car manufacturer while an ordinary believer should be like a good driver, who must drive carefully and with complete knowledge of the systems of the car and the driving rules and the terrain. All believers must be good drivers to apply message of Koran in their lives, while those who translate Koran are required to learn the Arabic language so that they can translate the meaning of verses of Koran in the right context and in accordance with Arabic grammar. To be a translator does not guarantee that you are also a good interpreter of the message contained in the scripture. These are two different skills as already explained. 6 Then there are people who simply go for rote learning without understanding the meanings of Koran. Such people are called hafiz-ul-Koran. When they recite Koran people get impressed assuming that these hafizes also know the meanings of each verse, they have rote learned. However, it is a wrong assumption in majority of the cases. 7 Even if someone learns a language, he still cannot comprehend the meaning of all the words and their context. You need to have sound knowledge of worldly disciplines that are the subject of the verses of the glorious Koran, such as economics, philosophy, natural sciences, jurisprudence, Sociology, and so on. 8 Even the glorious Koran declares that there are two types of verses in the glorious Koran, one that are clear and easily understandable (3:7). These are the foundation of the faith, while the other category are ambiguous whose true meaning is only known to Allah Almighty, and mankind will not be judged based on those verses. However, as true believers we must believe that all verses of the glorious Koran are from Allah Almighty. However, Satanic people deliberately misinterpret such verses and misguide the mankind for vested interest. Such, people will have a humiliating defeat on the judgment day.

A25: Chapter 25 verse 1 reads: ‘’ Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His servant, to be a warning to humanity.’’ (25:1) This verse of glorious Koran confirms the following facts. 1 Allah-the Author-The glorious Koran is sent by Allah Almighty to His Servant Muhammad PBUH. 2 Koran, the Criterion-Glorious Koran is the Criterion, implying that everything relating to one’s faith and worldly life will be judged with reference to the contents of the glorious Koran. 3 For Mankind-This Koran is sent for all mankind, that includes contemporary mankind and future mankind. Now a related question may be that if Koran is declared ‘’a Criterion’’ then what attributes it must possess so that it can serve its intended purpose. Any rational person may agree that a good criterion must possess at least the following FIVE characteristics. 1 Reliability, implying that the criterion must be set by a reliable source. 2 Congruence, implying that the criterion is consistent with the goals or objectives it claims to assess. 3 Completeness, implying that the criterion must be complete to cover all eventualities that it intends to assess. 4 Objectivity, implying that the criterion must be neutral in its assessment. 5 Practicality, implying that the criterion must be capable of being practically implemented. Now let us examine the attributes of the glorious Koran to see whether it meets the FIVE features of a good criterion or not? As a matter of fact the glorious Koran is replete with verses that fulfil all the feature of the best criterion but to make the discussion simple, I will quote one verse for each feature of a good criterion. 1 Reliability: All human beings believe in some supernatural power who has created this universe for a specific purpose. They may call this power nature, force, or God, depending upon their personal knowledge and preferences. Anyway, the belief of a supernatural force is always present in every human mind. Chapter 5 verse 82 of glorious Koran confirms the authorship of Koran. It reads: ‘’Will they not think about this Koran? If it had been from anyone other than God, they would have found much inconsistency in it.’’(5:82). This verse makes it clear that the author of glorious Koran is God or the Force who created this Universe for a specific purpose. This confirmation makes it clear that glorious Koran is from a reliable source, and it meets the reliability attribute of a good criterion. 2 Congruence: If Koran is from a reliable source, then the next attribute it must meet is that of congruence, implying that it is consistent with the goals or objectives it claims to assess. This attribute of glorious Koran is explained in verse 9 of chapter 17 in the following words: ‘’This Koran guides to what is most upright; and it gives good news to the believers who do good deeds, that they will have a great reward.’’ (17:9). So the glorious Koran confirms that it provides guidance to mankind towards the straightest path for salvation of mankind based on good deeds as enumerated in the glorious Koran. 3 Completeness: The third attribute of good criterion is that it must be complete enough to cover all eventualities of life so that mankind gets guidance in every sphere of human activity. This attribute of the glorious Koran is confirmed in verse 54 of chapter 18 in the following words: ‘’We have elaborated in this Koran for the people every kind of example, but the human being is a most contentious being.’’ (18:54). This verse confirms the fact that Allah Almighty has set every sort of example in the glorious Koran for the guidance of mankind, but mankind still argues on false pretexts. 4 Objectivity: The fourth attribute of a good criterion is that it must produce objective or neutral results, so that nobody suffers due to a biased or skewed judgment. This attribute of the glorious Koran is explained in verse 47 of chapter 21 in the following words: ‘’We will set up the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul will suffer the least injustice. And even if it be the weight of a mustard-seed, We will bring it up. Sufficient are We as Reckoners.’’(21:47). Human beings may question that if we follow the Criterion, i.e., the glorious Koran then what is the guarantee that we will be treated fairly on the judgment day. The glorious Koran confirms that there will be no injustice of the minutest type if mankind follow the Criterion. 5 Practicality: The fifth attribute of a good criterion is that it must be practical or workable. So, if glorious Koran is the Criterion, then it must be capable of being implemented in human being’s day to day lives. So, the practicality of a criterion in this context may be judged based on practical actions and consequences of those who try to follow it. The practical nature of commands of the glorious Koran is explained in verse 21 of chapter 33 in the following words: ‘’You have an excellent example in the Messenger of God; for anyone who seeks God and the Last Day and remembers God frequently.’’ (33:21). This verse confirms that Allah Almighty asked Prophet Muhmmad PBUH to follow the glorious Koran as a human being so that his contemporaries and later generations may have no excuse that Koran is not practical in nature. The history bears witness to the fact that when Muslims strictly follow the glorious Koran what pinnacle of glory they reached in this world? So, the glorious Koran meets all the attributes of a good criterion. Therefore, any action or practice that conflicts or tries to fill assumed gaps in the glorious Koran will be null and void in the sight of Allah Almighty. However, I may add that the attributes of the glorious Koran are much more than the FIVE characteristics of a good criterion. I will share these attributes in my subsequent monologues on this topic.

A31-A critical study of the glorious Koran confirms that it is replete with the stories of Jews or Children of Jacob (PBUH) as a nation. One may wonder that why Allah Almighty has mentioned the stories of Jewish nation and their messengers in such a detail in the glorious Koran. The two possible reasons may include. 1 Since Allah Almighty sent maximum number of messengers and Prophets amongst Jewish people, therefore, there could be a long list of stories of Jewish messengers that may be conveyed to Muslims for guidance. 2 Since Jewish people follow Prophet Abraham PBUH as their patriarch and the glorious Koran commands Prophet Muhamad PBUH to follow the path of Prophet Abraham PBUH, therefore, it is logical that stories of Jewish nation must be narrated in the glorious Koran to highlight the fact that how does Allah Almighty deal with nations who first embrace the faith of Islam (i.e., submission to the will of Allah) and then ignore Allah’s commands as conveyed through scriptures revealed to various messengers. So, the primary purpose of narrating the stories of Jewish nation in the glorious Koran is to enlighten the Muslims about the rewards that may be conferred upon a nation if it follows the scriptures and punishments that may be inflicted upon a nation if does not follow the scriptures sent to its messengers. This is because ways or Sunnah of Allah do not change, and they remain consistent for judging all people and communities alike as explained in verse 43 of chapter 35 in the following words. ‘’So, no change you will find in Allah’s Sunnah, and no turning off you will find in Allah’s Sunnah’’. (35:43) Ironically, instead of learning a lesson from the stories of Jewish people majority of Muslims make fun of Jewish people and believe that these stories have no relevance to Muslims because they are the chosen one. Let us explore the glorious Koran to understand the truth about the following facts. 1 What message is conveyed to Muslims by narrating stories of Jewish people 2 To what extent Muslims take heed from these historical facts narrated in the form of hadith in the glorious Koran. 3 Whether Muslims are also meeting the same fate as experienced by the Jewish people in this world? Good Deeds: Some of the good deeds that every believer must follow are those that were made obligatory for the Jewish people also. These are mentioned in verse 83 of chapter 2 of the glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’We made a covenant with the Children of Israel: “Worship none but God; and be good to parents, and relatives, and orphans, and the needy; and speak nicely to people; and pray regularly and give alms.” Then you turned away, except for a few of you, recanting.’’ (2:83) This verse highlights the fundamentals of faith that must be followed by al believers (whether Jews, Muslims, or the Christians) and the fact that majority of Jewish people turned away from these fundamentals and only a few remained steadfast in the way of Allah. What about the Muslims? How many of us strictly follow these fundamentals of faith. I am afraid in terms of percentage (because in numerical strength Muslims outmatched the Jews) there is no difference in the percentage of Muslims and Jews who follow these fundamentals of faith. So there is a similarity of pattern in the belief of both the followers of Abrahamic faith. Advantage over other nations: The glorious Koran also highlights this fact that Allah Almighty chose Jewish people over other communities of their times, yet they disputed amongst themselves forming communities and sects. This fact is explained in verses 16 and 17 of chapter 45 in the following words. ‘’We gave the Children of Israel the Book, and wisdom, and prophecy; and We provided them with the good things; and We gave them advantage over all other people.’’ (45:16) ‘’And We gave them precise rulings. They fell into dispute only after knowledge came to them, out of mutual rivalry. Your Lord will judge between them on the Day of Resurrection regarding the things they differed about.’’ (45:17) Are Muslims not divided into sects killing each other? Our history is full of battles and wars where followers of different sects of Islam fought with each other and killed each other fir political and sectarian reasons. Even in the present times Muslim Ummah is sharply divided into different sects and political groups opposing each other. Then are we different from the Jews on this account? Definitely, the answer is in the negative. Polytheistic Practices: The glorious Koran also highlights this fact that many Jews resorted to polytheism in spite of having access to the truth from the scriptures. This fact is narrated in verse 92 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘’Moses came to you with clear proofs, yet you adopted the calf in his absence, and you were in the wrong.’’ (2:92) What about the Muslims? Do many Muslims not practice polytheism by worshipping graves and dead saints? Definitely, the answer is in the affirmative, then how we are different from the Jews? Claim to Paradise: Jewish people also wrongfully claim that they have the exclusive right to Paradise. This fact is highlighted in verses 94 and 95 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘’Say, “If the Final Home with God is yours alone, to the exclusion of all other people, then wish for death if you are sincere. But they will never wish for it, because of what their hands have forwarded. God is aware of the evildoers.’’ (2:94-95) Again the question is do majority of Muslims not claim that Paradise is only for them at the exclusion of all other people? Definitely the answer is in the affirmative. So what difference between Muslims and the Jews on this account? Desire for long life and its luxuries: The glorious Koran also highlights another evil attribute of the Jewish people in verse 96 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘’You will find them, of all mankind, the most eager for life, even more than the polytheists. Every one of them wishes he could live a thousand years; but to be granted a long life will not nudge him from the punishment. God is Seeing of what they do. (2:96) We know that a large number of Muslims who are wealthy and enjoying a luxurious life believe they can live longer due to access to better medical facilities at the exclusion of poor people. Then are we different from the Jews on this account? Definitely, the answer is in the negative. Ignoring God’s Scriptures: Another evil attribute of Jewish people is explained in verse 101 of chapter 2 in the following words. ‘’And when there came to them a messenger from God, confirming what they had, a faction of those who were given the Book threw the Book of God behind their backs, as if they do not know.’’ (2:101) So many Jews ignored or disbelieved in the scriptures of their messengers because either they did not read it or preferred not to apply it in their lives. How many of the Muslims read glorious Koran to understand and apply it in their daily lives? How many of us ignore commands of the glorious Koran by resorting to man-made hadith falsely attributed to Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Then are Muslims different from the Jews on this account. Definitely, the answer is in the negative. Worldly punishment for evil nations: The punishment for the Jewish people who disobey God’s commands sent through scriptures is explained in verses 167 and 168 of chapter 7 in the following words. ‘’Your Lord has announced that, He would send against them, until the Day of Resurrection, those who would inflict terrible suffering upon them. Your Lord is swift in retribution, yet He is Forgiving and Merciful. And We scattered them into communities on earth. Some of them righteous, and some of them short of that. And We tested them with fortunes and misfortunes, so that they may return.’’ (7:167-168) Are Muslims not experiencing the same fate. We are divided into communities, some righteous and some short of them. Are Muslims not being ruled by other power nations even I the present days? There are about 2 billion Muslims on earth, but they are divided into sects and political groups. So, they are at the mercy of other powerful nations on earth. The Jews number is about 15 million that is very small when compared with the Muslims. So, if they are dependent upon other nations, their may be some logic in it, but the dependence of 2 billion Muslims is an alarming fact. To conclude we Muslims must read the history of the Jewish people from the glorious Koran to learn from their mistakes and follies. So that Muslims may not experience same torment and punishment in both the worlds.

There is a lot of controversy going on both sides with reference to current Hamas-Israel conflict that started as the outcome of raids made by Hamas on the Israeli civilians on October 07, 2023. Hamas felt justified for its own reasons while the Israeli government has its own arguments to bombard the civilian population at the Gaza strip that is under the control of Hamas. Since then, there are street protests in many Muslim countries albeit their governments are in no mood to providing military aid to Hamas that is considered an extremist group by many Muslim countries. Leaving aside the historical nature of this conflict, the crucial question is whether Hamas can ever win this war against the Israel forces. In this monologue I am going to discuss the possibility of the outcome of this conflict in the light of wisdom provided by the glorious Koran. Before I proceed further, it is important to keep in mind that both the Jews of Israel and Hamas of the Gaza strip proclaims themselves as monotheists believing in the same Abrahamic God. However, political considerations have made them antagonists. Any good student of international relations can understand the political dimensions and complexities of this conflict. Besides, it is also important to note that the two billion Muslim Ummah living in about 50 plus countries is divided into sects and political groups and is very weak to withstand the might of the Israeli forces. It is also important to note that since May 14, 1948 (the year of the creation of the state of Israel), the Israel as a nation has emerged as a very strong force on both economic and military fronts. It has won every war with the Arab world. While the Palestinians have become weaker and weaker during this period on all fronts. So, the verdict of the glorious Koran as commanded in verse 11 of chapter 13 is very clear. It explicitly states. ‘’Verily, Allah will not change the condition of a people as long as they do not change their state themselves.’’ (13:11). So, the Palestinian and all other Muslim states must strive to acquire modern knowledge to strengthen them militarily and on the economic fronts, learn morality from the glorious Koran to become good human beings and repose trust in Allah if they must lead the world in the times to come. Anyway, coming back to the question ‘’why Hamas cannot win war with Israel’’ the following verses of the glorious Koran may support this premise. ‘’Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties in exchange for Paradise. They fight in Allah’s way, and they kill and get killed. It is a promise binding on Him in the Torah, and the Gospel, and the Quran. And who is truer to his promise than Allah? So, rejoice in making such an exchange—that is the supreme triumph. (9:111) This verse of the glorious Koran highlights the fact that Allah Almighty has made a promise with the Muslims, Jews and the Christians that if they fight for the cause of Allah and get killed, they will be rewarded immensely in the hereafter. So, whether it is Muslims, or Jews both believe in this promise of Allah. However, the question what shall constitute cause of Allah is a debateable question on both sides of the fence. Still both sides believe that a political war has religious bias in it and implicitly it is fought as a cause of Allah. Therefore, we can draw the conclusion that both Jews of Israel and Hamas Muslims of Gaza believe their actions motivated by religious beliefs. In such a situation the maxim ‘’where faith is equal, the force shall prevail’’ will be applicable, implying that since both Hamas and Jews believe they are fighting for the cause of Allah and both have weak faith, only the mighty will survive. This fact can be confirmed from the following two verses of the glorious Koran. ‘’O prophet! Rouse the believers to battle. If there are twenty steadfast among you, they will defeat two hundred; and if there are a hundred of you, they will defeat a thousand of those who disbelieve; because they are a people who do not understand.’’ (8:65) ‘’God has now lightened your burden, knowing that there is weakness in you. If there are a hundred steadfast among you, they will defeat two hundred; and if there are a thousand of you, they will defeat two thousand by God’s leave. God is with the steadfast.’’ (8:66) These verses highlight the pragmatic nature of the religion of Islam stating that Allah Almighty does not expect believers to fight without a reasonable preparation and force for a war. These were in fact revealed in the background of conflicts between the polytheists of Mecca and believers. However, these can be interpreted to draw conclusion for the Hamas-Israel conflict. The core message of these verses is that if believers (strict monotheists) are steadfast, they can conquer ten times powerful enemy, even with a weak faith the believers can still conquer an enemy twice as powerful. Now with reference to Hamas and Israel forces, the numbers are interesting. According to CIA World Factbook, Hamas has 20,000 to 25,000 members or soldiers, while the Israeli army has about 635,000 personnels (active plus reserves). Therefore, in terms of numbers of military personnel, Hamas cannot win this war as per commands of the glorious Koran because the size of the Israeli army is 25 times larger than that of Hamas army. Besides, in the modern warfare it is not only the personnel that matters, the quality and sophistication of the weapons is also crucial, that is also implicit in these verses of the glorious Koran. In this field Hamas stands nowhere in front of the Israeli army. The glorious Koran also commands the believers not to commit aggression against the enemy. ‘’And fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not commit aggression; Allah does not love the aggressors. (2:190) The act of Hamas of October 7, 2023, may be construed by many Muslim states as an act of aggression, especially when the PLO, the representative body of the Palestine people believe in resolving all disputes with Israel through a political dialogue. To sum up the arguments inferred from these verses of the glorious Koran the following points emerge. 1 Both Hamas and Israel are believers in one Abrahamic God, the Lord of the Universe. 2 Both are fighting for a piece of land based on their political and ideological beliefs, declaring it a holy war. 3 Both hold the opinion that God is on their side. 4 Both take the other party as an aggressor. 5 Hamas has no military support from most Muslim countries who are politically, ethnically and religiously divided into factions and groups. They also consider Hamas as an extremist element in Islam. 6 In terms of military might, Israeli forces are 25 times more powerful and lethal than the Hamas, far beyond the prescribed limit of 10 times or 02 times as set by Allah Almighty for a winnable war as proclaimed in verses 65 and 66 of chapter 8 of the glorious Koran. 7 The Israeli forces have won all wars with the Arab world since its creation in 1948. Therefore, Hamas can never defeat Israeli forces in the foreseeable future. 8 The only option for Hamas is to stop its guerilla warfare against the Jews of Israel and resort to a political dialogue. This is of paramount importance to stop bloodshed of innocent civilians on both sides. 9 In the long run the Palestinian nation must strive to acquire modern education, strengthen their military and economic might, and try to be at par with Israel as a nation. Only then the Israel-Palestinian dispute may be resolved as per wishes of both sides. However, this course of action will take several decades if not a century. 10 Finally, mere slogans and rhetoric by Muslims will not result in the creation of a separate state for Palestinians.

A33-One may wonder that since Satan is so powerful and mankind is created with so many inherent weaknesses, then how can one pass the test of life without special favor of Allah Almighty. The answer to this puzzle is that the scoring system set by Allah Almighty is so generous that even an average believer can pass the test of life comfortably. This scoring system is that one sin will count as only one sin, while one good deed may be rewarded ten times, or multiple or even 700 times so that a large number of believers may pass the test of life without much effort. This is due to the fact that Allah Almighty takes upon Himself to be merciful towards His creation. This fact is explained in verse 54 of chapter 6 in the following words. ‘’Your Lord has prescribed mercy for Himself.’’ (6:54) So, only those persons will be thrown in the hellfire who are really wicked and disbelievers, such as a polytheist, an atheist, and an agnostic. This fact is explained in verses 14 to 16 of chapter 92 in the following words. ‘’I have warned you of a Fierce Blaze. None will burn in it except the very wicked. He who denies and turns away.’’ (92:14-16) So, a disbeliever denies scriptures and verses of Allah and resort to other means of belief that only increase his or her loss. This fact is reinforced in a different manner in verse 147 of chapter 4 in the following words. ‘’What would God accomplish by your punishment, if you have given thanks, and have believed? God is Appreciative and Cognizant. (4:147) So, Allah Almighty confirms that His intention is not to punish people for the sake of punishment, if they only believe in their Creator, worship Him and remain thankful for the blessings that Allah Almighty has bestowed upon them. Before I examine the relevant verses of the glorious Koran that highlight the scoring system set by Allah Almighty, we need to understand that this generous scoring system is set for a believer and not for a polytheist or a disbeliever. A believer must possess three fundamental attributes to distinguish him from a disbeliever and a polytheist. These are 1 Belief in and worship of one living God alone, that, is strict monotheism. There is no room for taking any creation whether an angel or a human being or a jinn as a source of redemption in any manner whatsoever. 2 Belief on the judgment day when every human being will be made accountable for his or her worldly deeds before Lord of the Universe without any fear or favor from any other source. 3 Striving to do good deeds and trying to avoid bad deeds as far as humanly possible in each situation. So, human actions will be judged with reference to sincerity of effort rather than the outcome, for outcome may not be in our control for multiple reasons. Let us see how the glorious Koran explains the scoring system set by the Lord of the Universe. Verse 160 of chapter 6 explains the score of a good deed vis-vis a bad deed in the following words. ‘’Whoever comes up with a good deed will have ten times its like; and whoever comes up with an evil deed will be repaid only with its equivalent—they will not be wronged.’’ (6:160) This verse confirms that an evil deed will be counted as one evil deed for punishment, while a good deed will be counted ten times for reward. So, mathematically speaking one good deed of equal potency will neutralize ten evil deeds of same potency. On another occasion the glorious Koran in verse 37 of chapter 34 reads: ‘’It is neither your wealth nor your children that bring you closer to Us, but it is he who believes and does good deeds. These will have a multiple reward for what they did; and they will reside in the Chambers, in peace and security.’’ (34:37) So this verse mentions multiple rewards for a good deed. Allah’s scoring system is more generous than what we can expect. Verse 261 of chapter 2 throws ample light on it. It reads: ‘’The parable of those who spend their wealth in God’s way is that of a grain that produces seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains. God multiplies for whom He wills. God is Bounteous and Knowing.’’ (2:261) The noblest deed in the sight of Allah is spending one’s wealth in Allah’s way, and it has the highest reward of 700 times. So, the scoring system set by Lord of the Universe for a believer is so generous and equitable that it is unlikely that a believer may fail on the judgment day, especially when his sincere worldly efforts i.e., good deeds will also be replenished with Allah’s infinite mercy, as explained in verse 16 of chapter 6 in the following words. ‘’Whoever is spared on that Day—He had mercy on him. That is the clear victory. (6:16)

A32-If we analyze the faith of people living in this world at any point in time, we will notice that majority of people worship Satan and his progeny who are Jinn. The glorious Koran confirms this fact in verses 40 to 42 of chapter 34 in the following words. ‘’On the Day when He gathers them all together, then say to the angels, “Was it you these used to worship?” They will say, “Be You glorified; You are our Master, not them. In fact, they used to worship the jinn, and most of them had faith in them.” “Today, none of you has the power to profit or harm the other.” And We will say to those who did wrong, “Taste the agony of the Fire which you used to deny.” (34:40-42) The followers of Satan the Jinn may be classified into the following three categories. 1-Declared Polytheists, Atheists and Agnostics: This category includes those human beings who have declared themselves as polytheists, atheists, and agnostics openly. According to an estimate there are about 3.5 to 4.5 billion people in the world who fall in these three categories (actual number may vary). Their main traits are (1)-they either believe in the multiplicity of gods (atheists believe worldly passions as a rival god) or they are confused about the existence of God; (2)-they do not believe on the judgment day or day of resurrection. So, such a class of human beings is closest to Satan and his allies. 2-Disguised Polytheists: This category may include Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians who declare themselves as monotheists. However, in their practical lives they are indulged in many forms of polytheistic practices like, worshipping prophets, saints, and their graves, believing in Trinity declaring Jesus PBUH as a Son of God, believing that the worldly life is a manifestation of rivalry between two gods, god of good and god of evil. So, all these people are disguised polytheists and more dangerous because they behave like a hypocrite. That is why in verse 6 of chapter 63 of glorious Koran Allah Almighty confirms that even if the messenger of Allah seeks forgiveness for them, Allah will never pardon them for their hypocrisy because they are in fact polytheists who pretend to be monotheists. So, this is probably the largest category of Satanic followers at any point in time. Their number may also run-in billions. 3-Strict Monotheists: This category may include some Muslims, Christians and Jews who are strict followers of monotheism and they do not associate any creation with one living God in any manner. However, they are also not immune from the influence of Satan because they are indulged in other types of sins. Since, they also strive to do good in their worldly lives, so their case is different from the other two categories of people, and they stand a fair chance to be pardoned on the judgment day by Allah Almighty out of His mercy. Reasons for worshipping Jinn: One may wonder that why is it that majority of mankind is following Satan and his associates? There are three important factors that are responsible for this phenomenon. 1-The Catalyst: The catalyst was the creation of Adam PBUH as Allah’s vicegerent and Satan’s refusal to prostrate before him. Consequently, Allah Almighty banished Satan from HIS favors. However, Satan sought reprieve from Allah Almighty till the day of resurrection and it was granted to him. Satan also challenged that he would misguide a large number of mankind from Allah’s path and Allah Almighty confirmed that HE will fill the hell with Satan and his followers. This whole incident is explained in numerous verses of the glorious Koran for the guidance of mankind. I am quoting verses 75 to 85 of Chapter 38, that read. ‘’He said, “O Satan, what prevented you from prostrating before what I created with My Own hands? Are you too proud, or were you one of the exalted?” He said, “I am better than he; You created me from fire, and You created him from clay.” He said, “Then get out of here! You are an outcast! And My curse will be upon you until the Day of Judgment.” He said, “Lord, defer me until the Day they are resurrected.” He said, “You are one of those deferred. Until the Day of the Time Appointed.” He said, “By Your majesty, I will seduce them all. Except for your loyal servants among them.” He said, “The truth is, and I say the truth. I will fill Hell with you, and with every one of them who follows you.” (38:75-85) So these verses make it clear that Satan took upon himself the challenge to prove that a large number of mankind will be disobedient and ungrateful to the Lord of the Universe, their Creator and instead they will follow Satan who was a jinn and enemy of mankind. Since the inception of mankind this tussle between Satan and mankind is going on and indeed a large number of mankind has gone astray from the path of truth and belief in one God. One interesting fact is that Satan can only lure mankind towards sins, and once he has done it, he abandons them, making sure that both will meet each other in the hellfire. This fact is explained in verses 16 and 17 of chapter 59 in the following words. ‘’Like the Satan when he says to the human being, “Disbelieve.” But when he has disbelieved, he says, “I am innocent of you; I fear God, the Lord of the Worlds.” The ultimate end for both of them is the Fire, where they will dwell forever. Such is the requital for the wrongdoers.’’ (59:16-17) So animosity of Satan towards mankind is the dominant factor that has pushed a large number of mankind towards disbelief in Allah and the Judgement Day and commission of various sins. This disbelief may take several forms that I will explain in another monologue. 2-Attributes of Mankind: Another important factor that induce mankind towards commission of sins is the inherent attributes of mankind. The glorious Koran confirms that Allah Almighty created mankind with positive and negative attributes so that Allah may judge a right person from a wrong person in each situation based on his actions. Interestingly, mankind by default is inclined towards sins, and if Allah Almighty has not taken upon Himself to be merciful, all human beings would become fuel of hellfire. This fact is explained in verse 61 of chapter 16 in the following words. ‘’If God were to hold mankind for their injustices, He would not leave upon it a single creature, but He postpones them until an appointed time. Then, when their time arrives, they will not delay it by one hour, nor will they advance it.’’ (16:61) Amongst the most notorious attribute of mankind is the attribute of thanklessness that is explained in verse 34 of chapter 14 in the following words. ‘’And He has given you something of all what you asked. And if you were to count God’s blessings, you would not be able to enumerate them. The human being is unfair and ungrateful.’’ (14:34) This attribute of thanklessness is the chief attribute of Satan as explained in another verse of the glorious Koran. So, mankind like Satan are thankless to their Creator and always ask for more favors without exclusively worshipping one living God, the very purpose of their creation as mentioned in verses 56-57 of chapter 51. 3-Not applying reason: The third factor is that majority of mankind do not apply reason to believe in one God, on the judgment day and good deeds. This fact is explained in verse 100 of chapter 10 in the following words. ‘’No soul can believe except by God’s leave; and He lays disgrace upon those who refuse to apply reason.’’ (10:100) This fact is reinforced in verse 179 of chapter 7 in the following words. ‘’We have destined for Hell multitudes of jinn and humans. They have hearts with which they do not understand. They have eyes with which they do not see. They have ears with which they do not hear. These are like cattle. In fact, they are further astray. These are the heedless.’’ (7:179) So, it is evident that a large number of mankind do not apply reason and blindly follow Satan and go astray. Conclusion: Therefore, we may conclude that majority of mankind worship the Jinn Iblees and his progeny because the human beings are thankless and ingrate creation, and they do not apply reason to avoid traps laid by Satan, their worst enemy. Consequently, majority of the mankind is indulged in the heinous sin of polytheism, atheism, agnosticism, and denial of the judgement day.

The hadith mongers always claim based on their manmade hadith that the prophet of Islam told his companions that Allah Almighty created the entire universe for me because Allah Almighty wanted to create me as His best creation. However, a critical study of the glorious Koran proves that this claim of hadith mongers is false and openly refuted by the glorious Koran. There are numerous verses in the glorious Koran that explains the purpose of creation of the universe and all other creations. For example, verses 38 to 42 of chapter 44 of the glorious Koran read. ‘’We did not create the heavens and the earth and what is between them to play. We created them only for a specific purpose, but most of them do not know. The day of sorting out is the appointed time for them all. The Day when no friend will avail a friend in any way, and they will not be helped. Except for him upon whom Allah has mercy. He is the Mighty, the Merciful. (44:38-42) These verses of the glorious Koran explain the purpose of creation as follows. 1 The purpose of creation of the universe is not a mere play but a serious consideration is behind it. This serious consideration is to test mankind and Jinn whether they follow the path of Tauheed or deny it. 2 Based on the worldly acts (deeds) of mankind and Jinn Allah Almighty will pronounce HIS judgement on the day of resurrection, awarding the righteous persons and punishing the wrongdoers. 3 On the judgement day no creation will be able to help each other, and absolute merit shall prevail. 4 The only successful persons will be those who are shown mercy by Allah Almighty because no human being can claim that merely on the basis of his or her worldly deeds, salvation can be achieved. Similarly, the purpose of creation of humans and jinn is explained in a more meaningful manner in verse 56 of chapter 51 in the following words. ‘’I did not create the jinn and the humans except to worship Me.’’ (51:56) So, the sole purpose of creation of all humans and the Jinn is to worship Allah Almighty in a variety of manners, ranging from religious rituals prescribed for each nation to every act that is performed by a human and a jinni to please Allah Almighty. The purpose of creation is also explained in verse 22 of chapter 45 in the following words. ‘’Allah created the heavens and the earth with justice, so that every soul will be repaid for what it has earned. And they will not be wronged.’’ (45:22) This verse corroborates the truth revealed in verses 38 to 42 of chapter 44 that the purpose of creation is to test each soul according to his or her deeds. No injustice will be done to a soul and reward and punishment on the judgment day will be based on the actual deeds of each soul, accompanied by Allah’s mercy. Finally, the purpose of creation is reiterated in verse 7 of chapter 11 in the following words. ‘’It is He who created the heavens and the earth in six days—and His Throne was upon the waters—in order to test you— which of you is best in conduct. (11:7) This verse highlights the following facts. 1 Allah Almighty created the heavens and the earth in six days, implying 6,000 years of worldly life (as explained in verse 47 of chapter 22 of the glorious Koran). 2 Before the creation of the universe Allah’s throne was upon the waters. So, water is the source of other creations. 3 The purpose of creation is to test mankind and jinn based on their worldly conduct or deeds. Nowhere in the glorious Koran it is stated that purpose of the creation of the universe is to create Prophet Muhammad PBUH as a best creation. In fact, the glorious Koran on numerous occasions has proved that Allah Almighty has created numerous creations like angles, humans, jinn, animals, birds, insects, heavenly bodies, plants, mountains, oceans, rivers, and many more creations that are only known to Allah Almighty. Except humans and the Jinn, all other creations are born as Muslims, they live as Muslims and die as Muslims, because they have submitted to the will of Allah. This fact is beautifully explained in verse 18 of chapter 22 in the following words. ‘’Do you not realize that to Allah prostrates everyone in the heavens and everyone on earth, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars, and the mountains, and the trees, and the animals, and many of the people? But many are justly deserving of punishment. Whomever Allah shames, there is none to honor him. Allah does whatever He wills.’’ (22:18) So, this verse confirms this truth that except mankind all creations worship Allah Almighty. Jinn are another creation like mankind who have been given discretion or choice to submit to the will of Allah or not. Since mankind is the vicegerent of Allah Almighty, therefore, he is bound to submit and worship Allah alone, which he miserably failed to do as explained in verse 72 of chapter 33 of the glorious Koran in the following words. ‘’We offered the Trust to the heavens, and the earth, and the mountains; but they refused to bear it and were apprehensive of it; but the human being accepted it. He was unfair and ignorant. (33:72) This verse proves that mankind accepted Allah’s trust as His vicegerent but then a large number of mankind deviated from this trust and indulged in polytheism and denial of Allah and the judgment day. This trust bestowed upon mankind the most exalted status amongst all other creations and made other creations subservient to mankind. However, a large number of mankind out of pride and unfair behavior resorted to challenging will of Allah. Allah Almighty did send numerous messengers to warn mankind of this arrogant behavior, but majority of mankind ignored the message of unity of Allah and resorted to polytheism of all kinds. Verse 144 of chapter 3 confirms the fact that Prophet Muhammad PBUH was a messenger of Allah like earlier messengers and the universe was not created for him. It reads: ‘’Muhammad is no more than a messenger. Messengers have passed on before him. If he dies or gets killed, will you turn on your heels? He who turns on his heels will not harm Allah in any way. And Allah will reward the appreciative. (3:144) This verse is an eye-opener for the hadith mongers who falsely claim that the purpose of creation of the universe is birth of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. It simply states that Prophet Muhammad PBUH was a messenger like the earlier messengers and his death should not shake the faith of the believers, and if someone turns away from the message of Tauheed after Prophet Muhammad’s death then he would be a loser. The phrase ‘’Muhammad is no more than a messenger and messengers have passed on before him’’ corroborates this truth that no messenger enjoys so unique a status that Allah will create the universe to please him, rather all messengers are mere creations of Allah to serve Him as obedient servants and spread the message of Tauheed or unit of God. Finally, the purpose of creation of the universe is reiterated in a more meaningful style in verse 6 of chapter 7 in the following words. ‘’We will question those to whom messengers were sent, and We will question the messengers.’’ (7:6) This verse makes it clear that the very purpose of creation of the universe is to test mankind as vicegerent of Allah that to what extent mankind obeyed the commands of Allah as strict monotheist. Besides, the messengers will also be asked whether they delivered the message of Tauheed in an appropriate manner or not. So, all human beings will be questioned with reference to their worldly deeds regardless of their status and nobody will be spared because of the fact that he was selected as a messenger by Allah Almighty out of His mercy. In the light of wisdom provided by these verses of the glorious Koran the only purpose of creation is to test mankind, who as vicegerents of Allah are bound to worship Allah as strict monotheists. Based on this criterion the mankind will be punished or rewarded on the judgment day for their worldly deeds and the test of life and the purpose of creation will be fulfilled.