The Quran’s Influence on Everyday Life

The Quran is the heart and soul of Islam. For believers it is an unending source of timeless wisdom. The Quran brings serenity to the distraught, strength to the weary, purpose to those who wander aimlessly and an unshakeable certainty in a Single Supreme Being who is absolutely Unique and always Near. The reader’s mind is opened up to the wonders of the universe … from a majestic constellation of stars to the tiniest organism on earth, the Quran paints awe-inspiring images that consistently summon our attention to the power and majesty of the Creative Force that fashioned the cosmos.

Do they not then contemplate on the Quran? If it had come from some other source than God, they would have found a great deal of contradiction in it. (4:82)

The Quran is regarded by Muslims as the very Speech of God. Each word is believed to be revealed by the Creator to Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace). Many people who read the Quran often feel that they are in the presence of the Divine. To paraphrase a contemporary author, after reading the Quran for a time you get the feeling that the Book is reading you – asking you essential questions about what you truly believe, what your purpose is in life and whether you will sincerely follow the path God has laid out for you.

The Quran is a book of guidance that was revealed by God as a mercy to humankind. It advocates a life that is based on God consciousness, piety, moderation and compassion. The Quran does not ignore the worldly lives of human beings nor does it neglect our spiritual dimension. It recognizes worldly blessings such as family, wealth, and achievement as part of God’s mercy and grace and it also stresses that the greatest success is to receive God’s good pleasure and acceptance in the Hereafter.

But you prefer the life of this world. While the Hereafter is better and more enduring. (87:16-17)

Indeed those who say: Our Lord is God, and afterward are upright, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not nor grieve, but receive glad tidings of paradise which you are promised. We are your protecting friends in the life of the world and in the Hereafter. There you will have (all) that your souls desire, and there you will have (all) for which you pray. A gift of welcome from (God) the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (41:30-32)

The Quran is a living book that continues to guide people from virtually every race in worldly and spiritual matters. The impact of the Quran extends to all aspects of a believer’s life – from religious tenets, to worship, social etiquette, business transactions, charity, personal relationships, dietary needs and more. Muslims express their love and reverence for the Sacred Text in various forms: through its melodic recitation; in splendid works of calligraphy and in decorative art found in Islamic architecture, metalwork, pottery, stone, glass, wood, and textiles. Memorizing as much of the Quran as possible is considered a great act of virtue and there are literally millions of people living today who have committed the entire Book to memory. One of the best known English translators of the Quran, Marmaduke Pickthall, was also an esteemed English novelist;  in the foreword to his translation Pickthall describes the Quran as “that inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears of joy and ecstasy.”

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What is Quran?

[A Qur’an manuscript held by the University of Birmingham’s Cadbury Research Library has been placed among the oldest in the world thanks to modern scientific methods. Radiocarbon analysis has dated the parchment on which the text is written to the period between AD 568 and 645 with 95.4% accuracy. The test was carried out in a laboratory at the University of Oxford. The result places the leaves close to the time of the Prophet Muhammad, who lived between AD 570 and 632. Researchers conclude that the Qur’an manuscript is among the earliest written textual evidence of the Islamic holy book known to survive. This gives the Qur’an manuscript in Birmingham global significance to Muslim heritage and the study of Islam.]

Unique Among the World’s Sacred Texts

The Quran is one of the few books that literally changed the course of human history. Believers in this Book currently make up about a fifth of the human race. It is therefore not an understatement to say that the Quran occupies a unique place among the scriptures of the world.

The Quran is the only scripture that makes the following claims:

It is the direct, verbatim Word of God (6:104; 25:6; etc.)It is protected by God from any tampering or interpolation (15:9; 41:42);If anyone doubts the Quran is from God, they should produce a work comparable to it (2:23; 11:13; 17:88)

The Quran was revealed by God to the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) from 610 to 632 CE. The first people to whom the Prophet conveyed the message of the Quran were masters of the Arabic language. The Quran challenged its detractors to produce a book like it if they thought the Quran was not from God Almighty (17:88). Later, the challenge was reduced to only 10 chapters (11:13). Finally the Quran’s challenge was to compose a single chapter of equal merit (2:23). The challenge was never met and continues to this day!

And it was not [possible] for this Quran to be produced by other than God, but [it is] a confirmation of what was [revealed] before it and a detailed explanation of the Scripture … (10:37)

The eloquence and beauty of the Quran, the clarity of its discourse, the power of its message were unsurpassed. In fact, the Quran was the first book in the Arabic language and remains to this day the foundational source of its grammar and morphology.

What may surprise many people is that the message of the Quran is not a new one. The Quran reminds us that God conveyed the same essential teachings to human beings throughout history.

And certainly We sent to every nation a messenger, (proclaiming): Worship God and shun false deities. (16.36)

What distinguishes the Quran for Muslims is that it is the last of a series of divinely revealed scriptures. Similarly, the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) is believed to be the last in a long line of divinely chosen guides and teachers.

Indeed We inspired you (O Prophet) as We inspired Noah and the prophets after him, as We inspired Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon, and as We imparted unto David the Psalms; And messengers We have mentioned to you before and messengers We have not mentioned to you; and God spoke directly to Moses … (4:163-4)

The spiritual kinship of the Prophets (may God bless them and grant them peace) is reflected in the unity of the human family. One human family; one message; One God.

O mankind! We have created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know one another. Indeed the most noble of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Surely God is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (49:13)

one-god-one-mankind-one-faith
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What is shariah?

Which legal tradition has the following characteristics?

Equality before the lawInnocent until proven guiltyThe right to counselThe right to due processJudges are not answerable to political rulers

Most people might say the American or European legal systems. That could be true. It would also be true if someone said the Islamic legal tradition. Perhaps this is why in 1935, the United States Supreme Court honored Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as one of the 18 greatest lawgivers in human history.

The late Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah, an acknowledged expert on international law, has written two thought-provoking books in which he argues that Islam pioneered international law and the first written constitution of the world was developed by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he founded the city state of Madinah.^[1]

Sharia has been presented by fear mongers as monstrous, murderous and a grave threat often without even understanding what the term means.

The word sharia means a “path” or “a way” in Arabic and it covers a huge range of human activity. On a personal level, sharia is a system of guidance for every day life.  It is not an exaggeration to say that it covers a person’s entire existence. Birth, death, marriage, diet, hygiene, sex, beliefs, theology, prayer, fasting, charity and funerals are all covered by sharia. Historians disagree on when exactly Muslims arrived in the Americas. Some argue that Muslims came to the west 5 centuries before Columbus while others say it was in the 14th century. Either way, sharia has been practiced in the west for a very long time.

On a broader level sharia covers a large number of legal branches such as:

finance and tradecivil lawinternational lawconstitutional lawfamily lawinheritancetort lawcriminal lawmilitary law

Each area of law has its own specialization, its own highly developed procedures and regulations and a broad range of legal interpretations and understandings. Scholars of Islamic law agree that time, place and social customs impact the law and its rulings.

The vastness and comprehensive nature of Islamic law often eludes simple minded bigots or those “experts” on Islam that would like to reduce sharia to short, fear inspiring soundbites.

For over a thousand years Islamic scholars and jurists have neatly defined the core values and goals of the sharia. Based on their exhaustive understanding of the primary sources of the law, legal experts tell us the objectives of sharia are to protect: religion, life, intellect, progeny and wealth. Contemporary legal scholars are seeking to expand the list to include concepts such as fundamental rights and liberties, economic development and peaceful coexistence among nations.

The most criticized and talked about aspect of the sharia are its prescribed corporal punishments. For many people, that is the sum total of sharia. This is the subject of our second article on this topic (click here).

^[1] Cf. The Muslim Conduct of State, and, The Written Constitution of the World, by Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah

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Produced by Young Muslims

a world without Islam and the Muslims

Lets pretend a world without Islam and the Muslims

Recent #terroristattacks in France, Turkey, , Belgium Germany and the U.S. have stoked the flames of Islamophobia throughout the West.  ,

it’s not shocking that Islamophobes are becoming more comfortable spreading their hate in public.

Yes, lets imagine a world WITHOUT MUSLIMS, shall we?

Without Muslims you wouldn’t have:

Coffee

Cameras

Experimental Physics

Chess

Soap

Shampoo

Perfume/spirits

Irrigation

Crank-shaft, internal combustion engine, valves, pistons

Combination locks

Architectural innovation (pointed arch -European Gothic cathedrals adopted this technique as it made the building much stronger, rose windows, dome buildings, round towers, etc.)

Surgical instruments

Anesthesia

Windmill

Treatment of Cowpox

Fountain pen

Numbering system

Algebra/Trigonometry

Modern Cryptology

3 course meal (soup, meat/fish, fruit/nuts)

Crystal glasses

Carpets

Checks

Gardens used for beauty and meditation instead of for herbs and kitchen.

University

Optics

Music

Toothbrush

Hospitals

Bathing

Quilting

Mariner’s Compass

Soft drinks

Pendulum

Braille

Cosmetics

Plastic surgery

Calligraphy

Manufacturing of paper and cloth

It was a Muslim who realized that light ENTERS our eyes, unlike the Greeks who thought we EMITTED rays, and so invented a camera from this discovery.

It was a Muslim who first tried to FLY in 852, even though it is the Wright Brothers who have taken the credit.

It was a Muslim by the name of Jabir ibn Hayyan who was known as the founder of modern Chemistry. He transformed alchemy into chemistry. He invented: distillation, purification, oxidation, evaporation, and filtration. He also discovered sulfuric and nitric acid.

It is a Muslim, by the name of Al-Jazari who is known as the father of robotics.

It was a Muslim who was the architect for Henry V’s castle.

It was a Muslim who invented hollow needles to suck cataracts from eyes, a technique still used today.

It was a Muslim who actually discovered inoculation, not Jenner and Pasteur to treat cowpox. The West just brought it over from Turkey

It was Muslims who contributed much to mathematics like Algebra and Trigonometry, which was imported over to Europe 300 years later to Fibonnaci and the rest.

It was Muslims who discovered that the Earth was round 500 years before Galileo did.

The list goes on…

We have 1,5 billion Muslims in this world if they (all) really against other religions and wanted to kill "us" we would have zero chance... really sad that a lot don't see this conspiracy to turn ppl against Islam ...

Islam - The complete way of life

People like Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, Hegel and Karl Marx viewed man from various angles. In their search for understanding human nature, some concentrated on the body and its form and shape. So they came to certain conclusions which were body-centered. Some viewed man from the occupation he once followed, and thought of him as an animal subjected for evolution. The thought of some other thinkers fell on human belly and they related everything with it. They found it most important and decided that hunger was the cause of all problems. They thought that once this problem is solved, everything would be alright. Those who viewed man and life through sexuality believed it to be the most important thing and whatever they knew, saw and heard was related to it. They declared that the whole human activity is sex centered and if the restrictions imposed on sex were removed everything would be all right. Some others gave undue importance to spirituality and disregarded the body and its needs. So the people who tried to understand man in the absence of divine revelations were like the proverbial blind men, who tried to understand the elephant in their own partial ways. They arrived at certain conclusions which were imperfect and full of errors.

Those who do not know man cannot understand how man should live. Every individual must possess the basic awareness to understand how he should live in this world. This awareness is achieved only through the divine message. It was religion that taught man about the meaning, objective and destiny of his existence.

The manufacturer knows best about the product he manufactures. To give an example, vehicles work best with the oil, spare parts etc recommended by the vehicle manufacturer. Even if it is a simple thing like air pressure of the wheels, we follow what the manufacturer says. One might ask why? It is our vehicle. We own it and we use it. Why not use it the way we want? Why not change the air pressure of the wheel depending on our mood that day?

We would not try changing it based on our whims and fancies, because we trust that the vehicle maker knows what is best for the vehicle.We trust the manufacturer of the products even for trivial things, how is it rational to make decisions about our lives without looking for guidance and instructions from our creator, God Almighty?

If I may call human beings a machine, we are the most complex machine on earth dueto our emotions and thoughts. Our creator, God, knows exactly what is good for us and has prescribed a way of life which was taught to us by the Messengers of God and the scriptures revealed by Him. Going away from the guidance of God, would lead to chaos and destruction.

Since Islam was revealed from our creator,God Almighty, it is a complete way of life and therefore addresses all the aspects of human life.

Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam.

3:19

O you who have believed, enter into Islam completely [and perfectly] and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.

2:208

And whoever desires other than Islam as their way of life – never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.

3:85

Written by Invite to God Team

WHY ARE WE HERE? 

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THE MISUNDERSTOOD FAITH 

http://houseofpeaceblr.blogspot.in/2013/02/the-misunderstood-faith.html

FOUNDATION OF PRESENT DAY LAW AND ORDER

ISLAM IS THE FOUNDATION OF PRESENT DAY LAW AND ORDER (Another proof of Quran as- A timeless scripture)

The United States Supreme Court honors Muhammad (pbuh), the Prophet of Islam, as a source of law and justice alongside Moses, Solomon, and Confucius. He is depicted in the Courtroom Frieze among the great law-givers of mankind.

Indeed, Allah orders justice and good conduct and giving to relatives and forbids immorality and bad conduct and oppression. He admonishes you that perhaps you will be reminded. (Quran 16:90)
Narrated Anas: Allah’s Messenger said, “Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one.” People asked, “O Allah’s Messenger! It is all right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?” The Prophet said, “By preventing him from oppressing others.”
[Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 43, Number 624

Hazrat Umar was probably the greatest muslim king ever,during his ten years of caliphate Islamic arm forces conquered Syria,Palestine,Egypt and Perisa and to the west Islamic armies continued their push in North Africa.
Umar was a man of many distinctions. A study of his life shows that in many respects he had the unique distinction of being the first or foremost. Hereunder an attempt is made to catalogue the matters in which Umar was the foremost.

His superiority over his contemporaries was acknowledged when the Holy Prophet said that if there was to be a prophet after him, it would have been Umar.

He was the first Muslim ruler to be known by the title of Amir-ul-Mo'minin.

The conquests made by him exceeded in extent the conquests made by any other Muslim ruler throughout the course of history.

He was the first Muslim ruler to establish public treasury.

He was the first Muslim ruler to establish courts of justice and appoint judges.

He was the first Muslim ruler to establish the Army Department and assign regular salaries to the men in the armed forces.

He was the first to create army reserves.

He established the land revenue department for the first time.

He was the first ruler under whom the survey and assessment work of lands was undertaken.

He was the first Muslim ruler to take a census.

He was the first Muslim ruler to strike coins.

He was the first Muslim ruler to dig canals.

He was the first Muslim ruler to found cities.

He was the first Muslim ruler to divide the country into provinces and provinces into districts.

He imposed the customs duty for the first time.

He was the first to set up jails.

He was the first to organize the Police Department.

He was the first among the Muslim rulers to establish Military Centers and Military Cantonments at strategic points.

He established cavalry. He set up stables at strategic points. He created the distinction of pedigree and nonpedigree horses.

He established guest-houses in all cities. He established rest-houses on the road from Madina to Mecca for the comfort of travelers.

He provided for the care and bringing up of foundlings.

He laid down that no Arab could be made a slave.

He gave stipends to the poor.

He established schools throughout the country. He allowed liberal salaries to school teachers.

He was the first who instituted the prayers of Tarawih in congregation in the mosque in the month of Ramazan.

He was the first to formulate the principle of Qiyas.

He had the formula "Prayer is better than sleep" inserted in the call for morning prayers.

He was the first to provide light in mosques at nights.

He was the first to provide salaries for Imams and Muezzins.

He was the first to organize sermons in mosques.

He was the first to punish for writing satires and lampoons.

He was the first to prohibit the mention of women's names in lyric poems, an ancient custom in Arabia.

He was the first to inflict eighty stripes for indulgence in wine.

He was the first to prohibit 'Muta'ah'-marriage for a limited term.

He was the first to forbid the sale of female slaves, who had borne children to their masters.

He was the first who assembled the people to prayers over the dead with four Takbirs.

He was the first to enlarge and pave the Prophet's mosque at Madina.

He was the first to expel non-Muslims from Arabia. The Jews from Hijaz were transferred to Syria, and the Christians from Nijran were transferred to Kufah.

He was the first to place the law of inheritance on a sound basis.

He was the first to establish trusts.

Contributions of Arab Muslims to the fundamentals of modern science

The first hospital was built in Damascus (707 CE) by Caliph Walid ibn 'Abd al-Malik. Muslims made many advances, such as the idea of blood circulation and quarantine.

 Ibn Sina's (d. 1037 CE) 20-volume The Book of Healing, consisting of The Canons of Medicine, was Europe's chief medical science guide from the twelfth to the seventeenth century. Ibn Sina, the first to describe meningitis, surveyed all available medical knowledge, from ancient and Muslim sources, and made original contributions.

Hunayn ibn Ishaq (d. 873 CE) made advances in medicine, physics, mathematics, astronomy, veterinary science, and ophthalmology. This philosopher, physician, and head of Baghdad's famous school of translators, wrote the first systematic ophthalmology textbook.

 Al-Razi (d. 925 CE) wrote a 10-volume work on Greek medicine and a 20-volume encyclopedia of medicine, treated kidney and bladder stones, and researched smallpox and measles. He was the first to use alcohol for medical purposes and opium as an anesthetic.

 Surgeon Abu al-Qasim al-Zahrawi (d. 1013 CE) wrote Al-Tasrif li Man Ajaz 'an al-Ta'lif, Europe's standard university textbook on surgery for 500 years. He was the first to use silk thread for stitching wounds.

Al-Idrisi (d. 1166 CE) made major contributions in cataloging medicinal plants in such books as Kitab al-Jami'li Sifat Ashtat al-Nabatat. He also made original contributions to topography and wrote geographical encyclopedias, such as Pleasure of Men and Delight of Souls.

Botanist Ibn al-Baytar (d. 1248 CE), one of the Middle Ages' greatest botanists and pharmacists, compiled a textbook of over 1,400 medicinal plants. It was translated into Latin and published as late as 1758.

The founder of modern algebra, al-Khwarizmi's (d. 850 CE) Calculating Integration and Equation was used until the sixteenth century as the principal textbook in European universities. He also helped introduce Arabic numerals, the decimal point system, and the concept of zero. Algebra and algorithm are corruptions of his work and name. Under al-Ma'mun, he and his colleagues were the first to map the globe. In algebra, the Muslims continued with Thabit Ibn Qurra's more general equations solved by geometrical arguments.

 In 901 Abu Kamil, "the Egyptian calculator," established rules for manipulating algebraic expressions. Around 1000, al-Karaji's The Marvelous discussed higher order equations, combing geometry and arithmetic. Al-Samaw'al established the power law x^nx^n=x^(m+n) in 1180. Abu Yunus proved the famous identity cos(a)cos(b)={cos(a+b)+cos(a-b)}/2 and used spherical trigonometry to compute prayer times.

 Al-Biruni (d. 1050 CE) used spherical trigonometry to find any city's direction. Another outstanding late-fourteenth century mathematician, Ghiyath al-Din al Kashani, worked on number theory and computation techniques. In 1424, he computed a value of 2pi to 16 decimal points. In his The Calculators' Key, he described an algorithm for finding the fifth root of any number.

Omar Khayyam (d. 1131 CE), famous in the West as a poet, was an excellent mathematician who criticized Euclid's theorems, evolved a methodology to solve thrid degree equations, and researched binomials and their coefficients.

 Mathematician and astronomer al-Buzanji's (d. 997 CE) main contribution lies in mathematics, especially geometry, and a sizable part of today's trigonometry can be traced to him. Al-Battani (d. 929 CE) was a famous astronomer, mathematician, and astrologer who is often considered one of Islam's greatest astronomers. He determined the solar year to be 365 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes, and 24 seconds - very close to modern estimates. He proved that, in contrast to Ptolemy, the sun's variation of the apparent angular diameter and the possibility of annular eclipses.

 In 1749, Dunthorne used al-Battani's observations of lunar and solar eclipses to determine the moon's secular acceleration of motion. His most famous astronomical treatise, translated into Latin in the twelfth century, was extremely influential in Europe until the Renaissance.Physicist al-Khazini studied mechanics and hydro-stats and wrote books on physics and astronomy.

 Geographer, chronologist, mathematician, astronomer, and physicist Al-Biruni's Elements of Astrology remained a textbook for centuries. He also wrote on specific gravity and developed formulas to determine all objects' absolute and specific weights.

 Ibn al-Haytham (d. 1039 CE), an eminent physicist and the father of modern optics, wrote Kitab al-Manazir on light, worked with mirrors and lenses, reflection, refraction, and magnifying and burning glasses. He discounted Euclid and Ptolemy by discovering that rays originated in the object of vision and not the eye. He discovered the principle of inertia, studied sunrise and sunset, and explained rainbows through the principle of reflection. He was also known for the earliest use of the camera obscura.