FAQ in the category of Islam and Other Religions

A muslim girl or woman cannot mary a non-muslim, unless he reverts to Islam. It is prohibited in Islam. If a non-Muslim man embraces Islam, then a Muslim woman is allowed to marry him.

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As Buddhists are not from the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitāb), you are not allowed to marry with her. A Muslim can only get married with a Muslim or a person who is from People of the Book. Or you can get married with that woman after she converted to Islam.

The religion of Islam does not consider polytheists (those associating partners to Allah) and the people of the Book, namely Christians and Jews, as the same. In the Surah of Al-Maidah, Allah (SWT) announces, “The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them” (Al-Maidah Surah, 3:5). There can be economical and commercial ties with them. The following part of the verse reads that Muslim men can marry chaste women from the people of the Book. Yet a Muslim is not allowed to marry an idolater.

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What does “the People of the Book” mean?

How is the Qur’anic perspective towards the people of the Book (Jews and Christians)?

Can a Muslim man marry a woman among People of the Book ?

a. The word Masih, which is a nickname given to Jesus, is derived from the root "MSH". According to Ibn Abbas, Jesus was given this name because he touched various ill people and cured them by the permission of Allah. (see al-Qurtubi, IV/89) The expression in verse 49 of the chapter Aal-i-Imran, "I heal those born blind, and the lepers and I quicken the dead by Allah's leave" supports the view of Ibn Abbas.

b. According to some linguists, this word is “Mashiha” in Hebrew and it denotes a nice nature, a blessed face and personality.(see al-Qurtubi, IV/89) The statement of Jesus in verses 30-33 of the chapter of Maryam, "I am indeed a servant of Allah: He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet;  "And He hath made me Blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live; "(He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable; "So Peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)." connotes that meaning.   

c. Some scholars state that Masih means spotlessly clean and it indicates that Jesus is free from sins. (see at-Tabari, IV/35.) The statement in verse 19 of the chapter of Maryam, “The angel said to Maryam, ‘I am only a messenger from thy Lord (to announce) to thee the gift of a holy son’ " denotes this meaning.

d. There are some scholars who say that this word derives from the same root as ‘musamaha’ (tolerance) and it denotes tolerance. If it is taken into consideration that Jesus relieved some hard decrees that were present in the Old Testament and legitimized some forbidden things (see az-Zamakhshari, I/365), the meaning of the word will be more significant.

Muslim women and men can not marry idolaters. An idolater is the one who assigns partners to Allah, for example who worships idols, stars, fire or animals.

Allah says: O you who believe! Do not marry idolaters unless they believe (1)

There is no drawback for a Muslim man to marry a Jewish or Christian woman. The Islamic scholars agree on this subject. It is written in the verse of Quran that: (Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book, revealed before your time,- when ye give them their due dowers, and desire chastity, not lewdness, nor secret intrigues. (2)

The wisdom in the allowance of a marriage with a woman who is one of the followers of the previous scripture is the possibility of this woman to become a believer of Allah, the prophets and the hereafter because of getting married with a Muslim man.

It is forbidden for a Muslim woman to get married with an infidel (unbeliever) man. Nor shall you give your daughters in marriage to idolatrous men, unless they believe. (3)

Because, in such a marriage, there is the danger for the believing woman to fall down to unbelief. The husband may invite his wife to his religion. Women usually obey their husbands and are impressed by their actions and encourage them in their religions. (4)

It is not possible to say that a Muslim girl is allowed to marry a Christian man due to the fact that a Muslim man is permitted to get married with a Christian woman. Because this kind of comprehension means that the serious difference between these two hasnt been recognized. Thus:

A Muslim man who marries a Christian woman doesnt deny the Scripture and the prophet of his Christian wife, on the contrary he approves them and he never disrespects to them. So, a Christian woman isnt subjected to despise and disrespect by her Muslim husband because of her religion. So, there is no losing of anything for her. However, a Christian man that a Muslim girl marries doesnt possess such an approval and respect. A Christian man is moderated to accept neither Hadhrat Mohammad (PBUH) nor Quran that the Muslim girl believes in. So, a Muslim girl is subjected to despise by getting under the wedlock of a man denying her Scripture, prophet and religion. The obstacle of this marriage is because of this despising. The only solution for such a marriage is that, like a Muslim man, the Christian man must accept the Scripture and the prophet of the Muslim woman whom he wants to get marry with by disclosing his belief through the phrase of the Islamic testimony (I testify that there is no god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is Allahs Messenger). Thus, like a Christian woman, a Muslim woman will attain the equality of getting married someone that doesnt deny her religion and the subject will be solved in a fair way.

This means that, none of the women must direct herself in a position that she is obliged to marry a man that despises her by denying her scripture and her prophet. Because that forces her to an invalid marriage.

The explanations in the verse Al- Baqarah, 221 and in the verse Al-Ma'edah, 5 can be referred.

If a Christian man embraces Islam, then a Muslim woman is allowed to marry him.

(1) Al- Baqarah, 221

(2) Al-Ma'edah, 5

(3) Al- Baqarah, 221

(4) Fetevâ-i Hindiye 11/330

Yes, they can live. They can live in an Islamic country with security in peace by giving Jizyah. It is a per capita tax imposed on able minority non-Muslim men of military age. They acquire certain autonomy and a special status with that. Free, non-Muslim subject of an Islamic country governed in accordance with Sharia (Islamic Law) is dhimmi-this status was originally only made available to non-Muslims who were people of the book (i.e. Jews and Christians). (1) About Dhimmis, it is said, Under the rules of dhimmitude (in return for paying tribute and acknowledging Muslim supremacy) they have every right that a Muslim has, and obliged to do everything what Muslim does. (2) It is a historical reality that the rights of a non- Muslim is greater than what he pays as a tribute. A dhimmi is not responsible with the duty of Jihad and giving alms. In addition, he is exempted from military service. (3)

Minorities among the people of the book are free to practice their faith. They can repair and build their shrines and temples. They can gong their bells, expose, and carry their Crosses in public. And Muslim attitude towards non-Muslims was never occurred as forcing them to change their religion or tearing their temples down. (4) When Muslim attitude to its minorities compared with that of non-Muslim countries attitude towards its minorities, it will be clearly seen the great difference between them. (5)

We see that there is a great benefit to make mention of giving examples of Muslim attitude towards its minorities. Prophet Muhammad states, Whoever tortures a non-Muslim or burdens responsibilities exceeding his limits, is the enemy of me. (6)

Hazrath Omar (pbuh) sees an old and blind beggar. He realizes that he is a from among the people of book, a Jew; and finds him complaining about Jizyah, poverty, and elderness. So he takes him to his house and gives him some of his needs. Then sends him to the Bayt-ul mal (treasury) and tells to the officer in charge, Give him and his precedents what they need; if we make good use of those while they are young and dispose them in their elderness we become cruel and injustice. (7)

When Haled Bin Valid realizes that, they are not going to be able to counteract the attacks of Byzantines tells to the Himis Christians, We took Jizyah from you in accordance to protect you, but we are unable to do that right now, and gives the Jizyah back. (8)

When Salahaddin Ayyubi forced to retreat from Damascus he does what Haled Bin Valid had done before. (9)

Marwan, from among the Amawi rulers, collects Jizyah from newly converted Muslims. When Hazrath Omar becomes caliph, he gives this instruction to the governor of Iraq, Doubtless, God sent Prophet Muhammad as an inviter (to the religion of Islam), not as a tax collector. Whenever you take this letter, relieve the people of that tax. (10)

Sources:
1-Mevdudi, İslam'da Hükümet, s.614; Zeydan, Şeriatu'l-İslamiye, s., 63
2- Zeydan, Age., s., 66-73
3-Azzam, s., 154
4-Abdürabbih, s., 258
5-Mevdudi, İslam'da Devlet Nizamı s.,59
6-Ebu Yusuf, Kitabu'l-Harac, Matbaatu's-Selefiye, 1397 h. Kahire, s.,135
7-Age. s., 136
8-Azzam, s. 154
9-Age. s.,154
10-Cessas, III, 150

The members of the divine religions like Judaism and Christianity are called "Ahl al-Kitab" (the People of the Book). The people of the Book are mentioned a lot in the Quran. The people of the Book are regarded as "unbelievers" because they do not accept the Prophet (pbuh) but they are not unbelievers in the sense of "deniers of Allah".

The Quran gives privileges to the people of the Book regarding some issues compared to the other unbelievers. For instance, it is permissible to marry the girls and women of the people of the Book and it is permissible to eat the meat of the animals slaughtered by them. (al-Maida, 5) This privilege is given to them because they are closer to belief compared to the other unbelievers. The Quran addresses them as follows:

"Say: 'O People of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not from among ourselves Lords and patrons other than Allah.'" (Aal-i Imran, 64) That is, let us not know each other as Lord, God. Let us evaluate all of our deeds based on the command of God and the consent of Allah. Let us be slaves of Allah. Let us know ourselves as His slaves. Let us be subject to one another based on this rule. (1)

The Quran states that the People of the Book take their scholars and priests to be their Lords. (at-Tawba, 31) When Adiy b. Hatam, who converted to Islam from Christianity, said, "O Messenger of Allah! We did not take them to be our Lords", the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said,

"They rendered haram what Allah rendered halal and they rendered halal what Allah rendered haram. This means taking them to be their Lords." (2)

In fact, it is not necessary to call a person "Lord" in order to take him to be Lord. (3)

The following verse expresses the way to follow while dealing with the people of the Book:
 
"And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation) unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury): but say "We believe in the Revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; Our God and your God is one; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam)." (al-Ankabut, 46)

In the verse, the People of the Book are dealt with in two groups:

1. The cruel ones.
2. The just ones.

We are ordered to deal with them in the best way. This approach will attract them to Islam and they will not have difficulty in adopting Islam because when they accept Islam they do not have to refuse Moses and Jesus. Thus, they will follow the religion of the last Prophet and they will be saved from being the members of a distorted religion.   
  The Quran states that Christians are closer to Islam than Jews:

"Strongest among men in enmity to the Believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the Believers wilt thou find those who say: "We are Christians:" because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant." (al-Maida, 82)

History proves the verse above. The number of Jews that accepted Islam is very low. However, many Christians accepted Islam as a result of their research. The number of Christians that accepted Islam in Europe is more than hundreds of thousands. Many churches were transformed into mosques in Europe and they serve as Islamic centers now.   

The nice outcomes of Islamic activities in Christian countries are a reality; however, it is also a reality that the administrators in those countries have an attitude against Islam.  

God Almighty, who orders us to deal with the fair ones of the People of the Book in the best way, states the following about the cruel ones:

"Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger nor, acknowledge the Religion of Truth from among the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission and feel themselves subdued.." (at-Tawba, 29)

The issue whether the characteristics mentioned in the verse“include all of the People of the Book or not?” is sometimes discussed. (4) It should not be ignored    that the verse does not say, "fight all of the People of the Book until they pay the Jizyah" but says, "fight those among the People of the Book with such and such characteristics." (5) The practices of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) were like that.  During the Makkah period of Islam, the Prophet (pbuh) sent some Muslims to Ethiopia, which was a Christian country, and said that they would be safe there. During the Madinah period, the Prophet entered into dialog with Jews and Christians, informed them about the religion of Islam and tried to persuade them. Some of the People of the Book accepted Islam as a result of these practices.  

 As it is stated in the Quran, "Not all of them (the people of the Book) are alike " (Aal-i Imran, 113). It is against the Quran and the historical reality to regard all of them to be in the same category.
 
The following verse does not prevent entering into dialog with them and having human relationships with them. "O ye who believe!take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: they are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them. Verily Allah guideth not a people unjust."(al-Maida, 51) As a matter of fact, to marry the girls and women of the People of the Book is permitted in the Quran. (al-Maida, 5)

Hamdi Yazır states the following related to the above-mentioned verse: Believers are not prohibited from doing Jews and Christians favors, befriending them and administering them; they are prohibited from being their close friends and accomplices because they cannot be real friends of believers. (6)

It is possible to summarize the issue as follows: It is something to have human relations with them and it is something else to admire their religions, customs and traditions; the former is not prohibited by the Quran but the latter is prohibited.

References:
1. Yazır, II, 1132
2. Razi, XVI, 37
3. Yazır, IV, 2512
4. Riza, X, 333; Qutub, III, 1631-1634
5. Ateş, III, 1133-1134
6. Baydawi, II, 211

Allah, the Exalted, who sent human beings different prophets and different religions in various periods of history, sent Islam as the last religion and Hazrat Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as the last prophet.

The different aspects of Islam from the previous religions are as follows:

1 – First of all, previous religions addressed certain periods of time and people of a certain region. Islam addresses the whole mankind. The call of Islam is general and universal.

2 – Previous religions addressed only people who lived at that time. The characters of the people of that time were rude and their nature was somewhat wild. They were backward in science, civilization, ideas and understanding.

The means of transportation and communication were in a primitive state. The cultures, beliefs, customs and traditions of each region were different. The exchange of cultures and views were rare. Therefore, it was necessary to send different prophets and different religions to each community. In time, when human beings made a lot of progress in terms of science, ideas, culture and civilization, previous local religions could not meet the requirements of people. Thereupon, God Almighty sent Islam as the last religion to all human beings.

The religion of Islam has the characteristics of being able to address the whole humanity, from the people that lived 1400 years ago to the modern people of the future. Therefore, its rule is permanent and valid until the Day of Judgment.

3 – In time, wrong beliefs and superstitions were incorporated in previous religions. The principle of belief in oneness of Allah, that is, oneness, the belief of oneness, was partly changed. Islam remains as fresh and as pure as the first day it was, without being spoiled.

4- The religion of Islam, preserved in its structure all of the true judgments and principles that the other religions contained. It corrected the principles that were spoiled and changed in time. 

Therefore, Islam has many common points with other religions. 

The members of other religions should not think that they completely abandon their religions when they adopt Islam. Islam preserved the common principles of beliefs with the other religions exactly and made corrections in the details that were changed in time; Islam also brought new judgments about the issues that were missing in those religions. It does not eradicate the previous belief and change it completely but perfects it by cleaning it from imperfection and wrong beliefs.

The purpose of the Qur’an in the Risale-i Nur Collection is discussed in two grounds:



To teach the truth of the Sphere of Dominicality and the manners of the Sphere of servitude (worship). When we say the Sphere of Dominicality, we mean the person, attributes, actions, and names of Allah (SWT). The Qur’an has introduced Allah (SWT) to human beings in this way and protected them from every kind of superstition (false beliefs). When it comes to the sphere of servitude, it means the duties of human beings to Allah (SWT). What has Allah (SWT) commanded and forbid? What actions and what deeds attract His consent and what causes His wrath? The answers to these questions have been given wonderfully in the Qur’an.



In both spheres, human mind has no single word to speak. In both spheres there can be no effect of time. Allah (SWT) still is with His person and attributes as He was in pre-eternity. The human pattern of which Allah (SWT) approves is the same as was in the pre-eternity.



Here is a truth that at the time of the previous prophets, in different centuries, there took place different approaches towards the attitudes. And this change has come to an end with mankind’s having reached a point in which everybody can take lessons from a single prophet and be disciplined by a single Book.



These kinds of debates or objections are largely made on the approaches related to attitudes and morality, yet the opposite of those approaches cannot be offered. Objections are made by the people who are used to deterioration; and viewing that the Qur’anic approaches cannot fit into this sort of corrupt society, they attempt at this kind of claims.



Truths do not change according to the number of people. Truth is what it is. Masses should try to find it out and follow it, not to fit the truth according to them.



Let us give two examples. Qur’an has banned alcohol and interest. Nobody but those who are addicted to them can claim that these are good and useful things. In a country or in a century, if the majority of people drink alcohol or are involved in interest, this would not mean that the Qur’an does not address that country or century. On the contrary, that would mean that they are far from being the ones that the Qur’an speaks to, that they are far behind, and that degenerated.



The other approaches are like this.

Yes it is permissible for a Muslim person to go to a Christian school and learn information about religions other than Islam. Yet, it is essential first to have a detailed knowledge about Islam. Otherwise, the information we read may cause suspicion.

Reading, listening or watching what is available is not of the same degree for everyone. A student or a scholar can study these books as much as they need. Their intention must be able to know and answer to them. If not, it is not true to read them for those who are not expert in such materials. They may be damaged as a result of what they read. This is the measure for these types of issues. It is because that for those who do not know the truth they are like a person passing through a gas room without a mask. The possibility of getting poisoned is so high.

It is religiously permitted if a student narrates and writes what is not inappropriate about Islam just for intending to transmit information. It is not prohibited to give information just saying “this is as follows according to Christianity.” After all, the sayings of Satan, Pharaoh, and Nimrod are transmitted in Qur’an.

The religion of Islam does not consider polytheists (those associating partners to Allah) and the people of the Book, namely Christians and Jews, as the same. In the Surah of Al-Maidah, Allah (SWT) announces, The food of the People of the Book is lawful unto you and yours is lawful unto them (Al-Maidah Surah, 3:5). There can be economical and commercial ties with them. The following part of the verse reads that Muslim men can marry chaste women from the people of the Book. Yet a Muslim is not allowed to marry an idolater.

We deem it useful to show these Quranic verses about the people of the Book:

Say: "O People of the Book! Come to common terms as between us and you: that we worship none but Allah; that we associate no partners with Him; that we erect not, from among ourselves, Lords, and patrons other than Allah." (Al-i-Imran Surah, 3:64)

And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better (than mere disputation), unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong (and injury); but say, "We believe in the Revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down to you; our God and your God is One; and it is to Him we bow (in Islam)." (Al-Ankabut Surah, 29:46)

Strongest among men in enmity to the Believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the Believers wilt thou find those who say, "We are Christians" (Al-Maidah Surah, 5:82)

The verse regarding the issue is as follows:

"Revile not ye those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest they out of spite revile Allah in their ignorance..."(al-An'am, 6/108)

Zamakhshari regards the meaning of the word "sabb" in the verse as "criticism" in general and states that it is a duty to criticize mistakes and bad deeds under normal conditions; however, he also states that it is also a duty to avoid criticizing if it criticism can lead to more harmful and destructive states than the criticized state. (II, 23)

However, as many mufassirs (interpreters) say the word "sabb" means "shatm", that is, "ugly words that are contrary to good manners and courtesy." It is necessary to criticize those who are in the wrong way and to show what is right and what is wrong, but according to the verse, it is not permissible to do it through a style that cannot be reconciled with the rules of lenience, good manners and courtesy of Islamic ethics like insulting, swearing and cursing. As a matter of fact, the fact that not the Prophet (pbuh) but the other believers are addressed proves it. For, swearing and cursing do not comply with the ethics of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh); therefore, there is no need to warn him like that.

According to this verse, to insult others, their faiths and the values that they regard as sacred does not comply with Islamic manners and ethics; besides, it will harm the dignity of Islam. In fact, as Razi also states (XIII, 139), polytheists believed in Allah though they also worshipped idols. Therefore, it is out of question for them to insult Him without any reason.   

Then, excessive remarks of some Muslims about polytheists and their faith caused them to run wild and dared to curse sacred faith of Muslims by losing their temper though they did not intend to curse Allah directly. In this verse, Muslims are ordered to avoid the words and attitudes that could cause such acts.

There is an implication to Islam's method of conveying the message in the verse. According to this implication, just like our faiths and views, other people's faiths and views are valuable for them. The way to dialog and persuasion is through respect and courtesy. Insulting and cursing increases the addressee's feeling of hostility; it leads to polemics and conflicts. (Kur’an Yolu, Diyanet Tefsiri: II/358-359)

Badiuzzaman was asked that question when he went to enlighten the eastern tribes after the announcement of the constitutional monarchy. As it is reported in the book named Münazarat, he based his negative answer on two basic reasons.

Firstly, it is a moral torture because it means insult. Divine justice does not permit a Muslim to torture anyone.

Secondly, There are two meanings of the word kafir (unbeliever): One and the most widespread is the one who accepts no religion and creator. Then, we have no right to call People of the Book like that. The second is the one who denies our prophet and Islam. With that meaning, we have a right to call them like that. They also accept it. However, because the previous meaning comes into mind first, it becomes a word of insult and torture. (1)

I have to say with regret that some people call the People of the Book giaour (infidel) because they find the insult in the word kafir not enough. Recently, I had a dignified guest from Turkey. We were wandering about the ancient places. Whenever my guest saw a Christian, he uttered the word giaour. After hearing the word a few times, I could not help saying: Even if you say giaour all the time every day, you can not acquire any rewards. There is no word as giaour among the holy dhikr words. You waste your time. However, if you say May Allah bestow them the right path when you see a non-Muslim, you can do a favor both for them and yourself. Every prayer out of your mouth is written as a reward on behalf of you. Nearly all of the people except very few around our prophet (pbuh) were giaour as you use the word for thirteen years after his first declaration. Our prophet (pbuh) prayed for them by both word of mouth and his attitudes to make them come to the right path instead of calling them giaour. We should follow the way of the prophets too.

We should revise the words that we use for non-Muslims. Meanings of the words like kafir and denier have had a semantic shift. They are used for insulting rather than defining. However, the words inkar(denial) and nankor(ungrateful) comes from the same root in Arabic. Both are used to mean veiling and hiding something. Kafir, i.e. the one who denies, means the one who veils the countless proofs pointing to the existence of Allah. Because he veils the proofs by ignorance, false custom or secular education, he cannot see and does not accept the existence of Allah, i.e. he denies (inkar). Similarly, the one who cannot see that countless blessings, gifts and the staff of life are coming from Allah becomes ungrateful (nankor). He cannot see the source of the blessings. Therefore the saying do not make blasphemy of the blessing is addressed to the ones who complains instead of appreciating the blessings and being grateful. (2)

The Quran tells us that everybody was created in the best way and has the opportunity to have faith and to gain the (the highest of the high) in Paradise. So, we must not use the word kafir for insulting purposes but for defining purposes. Since those words remind insulting today, we must not use them at all. Instead of them, we must use the phrase Ahl al-Kitab (people of the book) as used in the Quran. According to Seyyed Hossein Nasr, people of the book were not called kafir before the Ottomans. With the Ottomans, that tradition changed and all non-Muslims were begun to be called as kafir. (3) In my opinion, we should correct that mistake that we took over from the Ottomans. We should give up using such insulting words as giaour and kaffir. Otherwise, our prejudice towards non-Muslims prevents us conveying the truth to them.

Our Relations with the People of the Book

Indeed, Christians and Jews believe in and try to worship the same Allah as us. They do not deny Allah; they make mistakes in their description or they associate partners with Allah. It is interesting that Badiuzzaman, unlike many Islamic scholars, says that a person from the People of the Book may reach salvation leaving the thought of partnership and saying La ilaha illallah (There is no god but Allah). He does not change the Kalima Shahadah (word of testifiying) -which is: La ilaha illallah, muhammadur rasul Allah (There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the messenger of Allah)- by meaning the faith to Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) is not needed, as some people criticize. To the contrary, he says that someone who knows our prophet but does not believe in him also cannot believe in Allah properly. However, he says that the situation of the people who do not know our prophet at all or who do not know him correctly may differ:

Absence of acceptance and acceptance of absence are different things. Some people may have not heard about the prophet at all and may have not thought about him at all, so their absence of acceptance is quite normal. They are ignorant at that point. They only know the La ilaha illallah part of the divine knowledge. Those people may reach salvation.

However, if people who have heard about the prophet and who know his cause do not confirm him, they do not confirm Allah. For them only the word La ilaha illallah does not mean salvation. It is because, that state does not show the absence of acceptance, which may be an excuse, but shows the acceptance of absence, which is denial. Of course the one, who denies Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), who is the pride of the universe and the source of honor for the humanity with his miracles and works, cannot acquire any divine light and does not confirm Allah. (4) So, our duty is not to be a prison guard at the gate of Hell putting the sinners into it, but to convey the truth to those who do not know about Islam and do not know Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) correctly.

Badiuzzaman does not only say that Christians who do not believe in our prophet because of their ignorance but who believe in one God might reach salvation, but he also says supporting his saying with sound hadiths (words of prophet Muhammad) that we should be on the same line with the People of the Book against atheist movements: As a sound hadith states faithful Christians will ally with the followers of the Quran to stand against their common enemy, aethism, in the end of time; even now faithful people need to make an alliance not only with people from their own religion, job or family, but also with the faithful Christians to stand against their common enemies who are aggressive and faithless. ... Our position, our holy duty, and this strange time require us not to argue on our controversial points. ... It is because atheism is on the attack. (5)

The alliance in question is applicable not only for communism but also for the debauchery based western culture. In our time, even though the danger of communism is mostly away, the danger of debauchery based culture is threatening all religions. There is a big need for the alliance with the People of the Book against that common enemy. (6)

Reformist Movements in Christianity

In my first church visit, I understood that the people there were in search of their God. Christianity, having only the flesh with a lost soul, was not able to help them in their search. Because they had nowhere else to go, people who were in search of their creator with an inborn nature attended to the churches holding a hope. However, the church made them servants to a prophet coming from the God instead of making them servants to God. Attendants of churches had not much guilt in it. They followed a story which was being told for two thousand years. They thought it could not have been popular so long if it were not true; like a child memorizing the multiplication table incorrectly when he first memorized it. Such a person can change his memory only by learning the truth. The church prevented people from seeing the fault even keeping the Bible away from people until the invention of the printing press. By pressure and ignorance, it forced the people in search of the truth to learn the wrong as if it was the truth.

The reformist movement in Europe is a correction movement of a falsified religion. It is the utterance of you can not fool us with that lie any more by the logical people who reached the basic sources of Christianity after the invention of the printing press. It is a struggle for escaping from the darkness that the church made with its unreasonable pressures. Unfortunately, the movement of enlightenment that people realized with their limited minds was not enough to find out the absolute truth. While the European thinkers were rejected the idea that trinity made God a human being, they turned every human being to kind of a god. In fact, neither God is a human being, nor can a human being be a god.

The first reformist movement is important because it gave people freedom to search for the truth breaking up the despotism of the church. The use of that freedom took people away from the wrong but it could not take them to the truth. It was like giving people who have no economic power for travelling freedom of travel; it did not make much change to give freedom of search for the truth to people who had been kept away from the truth. While leaving some mistakes, some people fell into other mistakes.

Now Christianity is undergoing a second reformist movement like the first one started in the sixteenth century. This movement is to be continued until Christianity is cleaned from its superstitions and turns into the true message that Hazrat Eesa (Jesus) brought. With a second reformist movement, today communities of two churches in the U.S. have quit the belief of trinity and reached to a God belief that is close to the belief of tawheed (Oneness of God). The common characteristic of people attending to those two churches named Unity Church and Unitarian Universalist which are organized countrywide is their denial of the trinity.

A Second Reformist Era in Christianity

Another reason why we should keep our relations close with Christians is that, in a time of science and reason, Christianity is undergoing a new reformist movement. Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) gives this news with his saying Hz. Isa (pbuh) will come in the end of time, and he will act in accordance with the Sharia of Muhammad. (7) Badiuzzaman tells that Christians will come to the tawheed belief leaving the trinity when commenting on that hadith: In the end of time, Christianity will be purified from superstitions, and will be transformed into Islam. At that point just as the collective personality of Christianity will kill the fearsome collective personality of irreligion with the sword of heavenly Revelation, so too, representing the collective personality of Christianity, Jesus (Upon whom be peace) will kill the Dajjal, who represents the collective personality of irreligion, that is, he will kill atheistic thought.Then, when that movement seems so strong, the real Christianity will emerge; it will purify the superstitions, be united with Islam and follow the way of the Quran. The collective personality of Christianity will be subject to Islam, and with that union, the true religion of God will become very strong. (8)

As all of the things Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) told about the future came into reality, the event told in the hadith above will come into reality with the permission of Allah. The fact that the communities of the churches like United Church and Unitarian Universalist quit the belief of trinity and got close to the belief of tawheed by is a sign of this. Then, as Muslims, instead of staying away from Christians and Jews, we should strengthen our relations with them and try to understand each other and come together around the essentials of the tawheed.

References:

1. Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Münazarat (Discussions), İfade-i Meram ve Uzunca Bir Mazaret (Explanation of the objective and a long excuse), p. 71.
2. In the book named The Vision of Islam,written by two non-Muslim American professors, the concept of kufr (denial, inkar) is translated as ungrateful or truthconcealing instead of unbelief or infidelity. I recommend that book to non-Muslims without any hesitation to introduce Islam. The book written by Schiko Murata and William Chitteck is also being used as a textbook in many American universities.
3. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, The Heart of Islam, HarperCollins, 2002, p.44.
4. Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Mektubat (Letters), 26. Mektup, 4. Mebhas, Beşinci Mesele (Letter 26, Part 4, fifth matter).
5. Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Mektup No:151 (Letter 151), Emirdağ Lahikası (Emirdag Addendum).
6. In the winter 2003 issue of the journal Köprü (Bridge) we discussed why we need to unite with the followers of the book in detail under the title Medeniyet-i Sefahat ve Medeniyet-i Faziletin Mukayesesi (Comparison between the culture of debauchery and the culture of virtue). This article can be read at the address www.koprudergisi.com.
7. Bukhari, Mazalim (Cruelty), 31; Buyu (Purchase), 102; Muslim, Eeman (Faith), 242, 343; Ibn Majah, Fitan (Disorders), 33.
8. Badiuzzaman Said Nursi, Mektubat (Letters), 15. Mektup (Letter 15).
Note: This article is taken from the writers book named 11 Eylüle Rağmen Amerikada Yükselen İslam (Rising Islam in America despite September 11) which was published by Nesil Yayınları.

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How can you explain that the Holy Qur’an is a miracle and even a single letter of It’s cannot be changed?

Can’t Qur’an be the words of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)? If not, how can it be proven?

If you will have difficulties and problems you can go to church with them. It is not prohibited in Islam. You can stay there with them and watch them while they are performing their worships or you can pray to Allah with them. The important thing is your intention.

Islam undertakes the protection of non-Muslims, their life, property, and all of their legal rights, who accept to live under Muslim government and pay jizyah (tribute, war reparation tax levied on non-Muslims). Hazrath Ali (as), who is the fourth caliph of Islam expressed this issue as, Their blood and property shall be safe with me.

There are so many implementations of the rules in favor of zimmis (non-Muslims living under Muslim governments who pay Jizyah) throughout the history. Best possible proof to this is the pact between Fatih Sultan Mehmed, the conqueror of Istanbul and the Galata Zimmis. The original copy is still in Paris, Bib.Nat.turc anc. 130, Vrk.78/a-b. Turkish text of the pact and its French translation are published lately. Beldiceanu, Recherche Surla ville Ottomate, 153-154,423-424 ; Uzunçarşılı, Osmanlı Tarihi, II/7-8; TOEM, Sene 5, sh.52)

In this pact, Fatih Sultan Mehmed:
-guaranteed the right to perform their religious rites
-their churches cannot be taken from them and cannot be turned to a mosque; they can only convert of their own accord.
-their possessions, properties, families, and concubines are safe with them.

Non-Muslims in the battlefield, when their legal status are confirmed as zimmi; means that they literally stop fighting, they cannot be killed. If the reason of fighting with non-Muslims would have been their disbelief, their conversion would have been provided forcefully. Whereas, with the agreements of the post war pacts, they are never forced to convert or their churches and synagogues are ever touched; and freedom of religion is established.

Islam definitely restrains compulsion in religion. Islam asserts to the invalidity of the faith, which is forcefully imposed.

Unbelievers could revert to Islam anytime until the end of their life, if they survive. This is of course not a possibility for the ones, who is killed during a war. All these explanations show that the duty of a Muslim should not be fighting against non-Muslims who is not fighting against you; it is finding the way to invite them to Islam.

According to Islam, a Muslim man’s marriage with a Jewish or Christian woman is not forbidden. Such a marriage is valid. Even if the woman does not convert to Islam throughout her life, their nikah is still valid and their children are legal in the respect of religion. But, Nikah need to be solemnized in accordance with Islam.

This story is not true. There is no supporting information in any sources.

“And remember We took a covenant from the children of Israel (to this effect): worship none but Allah; treat with kindness your parents and kindred, and orphans and those in need; speak fair to the people; be steadfast in prayer; and give Zakat. then did ye turn back except a few among you, and ye backslide (even now). And remember We took your Covenant (to this effect): shed no blood amongst you, nor turn out your own people from your homes; and this ye solemnly ratified, and to this you were witness.” (Surah al-Baqara, 2/83,84)

In these verses, sons of Israelites are reminded of some religious and moral obligations which they are obliged to do and which are known as “ten commandments” in Jewish-Christian literature; it is also mentioned that God took covenant from them for exercising these duties. The orders which are mentioned in the Torah that God wrote with “His own fingers” on the tablets and conveyed to the sons of Israelites by Hz. Moses (AS) are as follows (Exodus, 20,32/15,20/1-17)

1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol.
3. You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God.
4. You shall do no work on the Sabbath day.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.

It is understood from the verse 101 of the chapter of al-Isra of the glorious Qur’an, “To Moses We did give nine Clear Signs: ask the Children of Israel” that the nine verses of the Torah are referred to except the prohibition of Sabbath day, which is included in its ten commandments. The respect for the Sabbath Day is a ruling judgment for only Jews. (see an-Nahl 16/124.)

It is seen in the verses of the glorious Qur’an that there are some judgments from those Ten Commandments such as not accepting any false gods other than Allah, helping the parents, neighbors, orphans and the poor ones, speaking nice words towards humans, performing salah and giving alms, not shedding blood of anyone, avoid excluding your citizens from their countries. Except the prohibition of Sabbath Day, the Ten Commandments are the common teachings of all divine religions that were sent to the prophets and Muslims are also responsible with such orders as stated by the glorious Qur’an. (See, al-Anaam 6/151-153; al-Isra 17/23-39.)

In the verse of 83 of al-Baqara, it is stated that the majority of the sons of Israelites broke their promise in the course of time; that is, they did not obey the commandments and the Jews who lived during the period of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also rejected to obey these commands. (Kur’an Yolu, I/81)

The rules included in the ten commandments are a necessity of human nature and universal principles; therefore, they are in question not only in Judaism but also in other heavenly religions. 

The belief of oneness (tawhid), which forms the first one of the ten commandments, is the first and basic principle on which the Quran focuses. (al-Baqara 2/163; al-An‘am 6/19, 102; al-Isra 17/23)

The second commanded is related to the prohibition of idolatry; the Quran prohibits both polytheism and worshipping anyone other than Allah. (an-Nisa 4/36, 116, 171; al-An‘am 6/151; al-A‘raf 7/191-195; Yunus 10/18; an-Nahl, 16/20)

It is prohibited to mention Allah’s name unnecessarily, that is, to commit perjury by using Allah’s name is prohibited in the Quran too. (al-Baqara 2/224; al-Maida 5/89; an-Nahl 16/91)

The prohibition of Saturday is a penalty and sanction peculiar to Sons of Israel; the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) abolished it like the other liabilities related to other ummahs. (al-A‘raf, 7/157)

Issues like showing respect to parents (al-Baqara, 2/83; al-Isra 17/ 23), not killing people (al-Baqara, 2/84; an-Nisa, 4/29; al-Maida, 5/32), not stealing (al-Maida, 5/38; al-Mumtahina, 60/12), not committing fornication (an-Nur, 24/30-31), not committing perjury against one’s neighbor, not trying to grab the possessions of one’s neighbor (al-Baqara, 2/83; an-Nisa, 4/36; al-Furqan, 25/ 72) are included in the Quran too.

Ibn Abbas states that the commandments and prohibitions in the chapter of al-Isra (17/22-39) existed in the tablets of Hz. Musa (Moses) too. (Fakhruddin ar-Razi, XX, 214) The commandments and prohibitions in the chapter of al-An‘am (6/151-153) are similar to ten commandments and are known as ten commandments or ten wills. (see TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi On Emir item)

1. The true religions have two fundamental principles. The principles of belief and deeds. The principles of belief are the same in all religions. However, there are differences in deeds and laws called Shariah. The differences are due to some wisdom because different clothes are used depending on the seasons like summer clothes and winter clothes. The medicines that are used in the treatment of diseases vary depending on the state of the patients and diseases. 

Similarly, the humankind was divided into different layers during the time of the previous prophets; since they led a nomadic life, their temper was rude and their understanding was different, there were even different prophets that were sent down for the people living in the same periods. Those prophets made them wear clothes appropriate for the seasons and treated the diseases using appropriate methods. In other words, they educated the elementary and high school students based on their regions and levels.

However, the age when Islam was sent down is like the university period. People proceeded in the way of civilization; the means of communication increased; their levels approached each other; since they reached a level to listen to a single teacher, the divine wisdom equipped the Islamic Shariah with equipment that would be appropriate until the Day of Judgment. Islam became a teacher for the whole humankind by including the applicable aspects and universal beauties of the previous shariahs.

Some examples regarding the issue:

a. According to some scholars, the fasting period was fifty days in some previous nations. In Islam, it was decreased to thirty days. (Razi tafsir, V/63).

b. Hazrat Musa (Moses) was ordered to make his house the qiblah and pray there.
In Islam, the whole earth is regarded as a mosque. Muslims can prayer anywhere they want. (cf, ibid)

c. Some food items were haram (forbidden) for Jews but they were made halal (permissible) for Muslims. The following verses indicate it:

“Say: "I find not in the Message received by me by inspiration any (meat) forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it be dead meat, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine― for it is an abomination or what is impious, (meat) on which a name has been invoked, other than Allah's." But (even so) if a person is forced by necessity, without wilful disobedience nor transgressing due limits― thy Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

For those who followed the Jewish Law, We forbade every (animal) with undivided hoof, and We forbade them the fat of the ox and the sheep, except what adheres to their backs or their entrails, or is mixed up with a bone: this in recompense for their willful disobedience: for We are True (in Our ordinances).”(al-Anam, 6/145-146).

2. Every person has to follow the true religion in his age.

3. After the emergence of Islam, those who know about Islam have to accept Islam no matter which religion they follow and they have to live in accordance with Islam.

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What is the view of Islam about the faith of those who lived before Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), i.e. those who lived in fatrat (interregnum)? Will they go to Hell because they passed away without faith?

We do not believe that a missionary could affect and Christianize an intellectual Muslim. We think that a Muslim, who has enough intelligence, reason and knowledge to bring the bread he bought from the bakers to his house, cannot help asking a missionary the following explicit questions and says:

- What will a Muslim gain, if he embraces Christianity? What deficiency will he cover with it? What truth exists not in Islam but in Christianity that a Muslim will find it by embracing Christianity? A Muslim does not have such a deficiency. Therefore, why should a Muslim accept Christianity? What is the reason? Will the offers of missionaries to Muslims be concerning belief and will they say:

-Religion means prophet and revealed book. Hazrat Jesus (Eesa) (Upon whom be peace) is Allahs Prophet and Bible is a book revealed by Allah! You shall know it like that!?

In fact, Muslims recognize that truth like that and believe in that way. There is no need to be a Christian in order to believe like that. They accept and believe like that when they are Muslims. What is more, a Muslim does not only believe in and approve Hazrat Eesa and the original Bible but also believes more. Read the 285th verse of Chapter al-Baqara "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His messengers."

Then, what and who will the missionaries make a Muslim embrace and accept? Are there any Divine Books and Prophets that a Muslim denies that they will invite Muslim youths to Christianity in order to make them believe in them?

-A Muslim believes in and accepts, by beginning from Hazrat Adam, all of the Divine Scriptures and Prophets with respect and embraces them with love. There is not any sacred thing that a Muslim denies. So, what will the missionaries invite Muslims youths to believe in to make them Christians?


That is to say, embracing all of the religions, Islam includes the real Christianity in the form of what the Quran teaches. However, Islam does not exist in Christianity. Under those circumstances, it will not be wrong if we invite missionaries to embrace Islam. Yet we invite them into a complete religion in which the original Christianity exists. However, if missionaries invite us to Christianity it will be wrong. It is because they will invite us to an incomplete religion in which Islam does not exist. In other words, that invitation means to call from the complete to the incomplete. Knowledge reason and intelligence will not accept to turn towards the incomplete by leaving the complete one.

However, if the missionaries say: Jesus is not only the Prophet of Allah, he is also His son. and they invite us to believe in it, even their intellectual Christians do not accept such a claim anymore. How could they make a Muslim accept and make him say, Allah forbid: Allah is the father and Jesus is His son.?


When one thinks about it without prejudice, it is seen that it is impossible for a Muslim to embrace Christianity in terms of intelligence, reason and knowledge. On the contrary, conversion of a Christian into Islam is a necessity of intelligence, as well as reason and knowledge.

A Christian is not obliged to deny his own religion or book by embracing Islam. Still, Hazrat Jesus is a noble Prophet of Allah and the original of the Bible is the Divine scripture revealed by Allah. Therefore, why should a Christian avoid searching Islam? There is no loss in doing it but there is a lot of benefit. He completes his deficiency by accepting Islam. It is understood that Christians who think without any prejudice will realize that attribute of Islam one day and they will say, by observing Islam, which gives the deserved place to their Holy values:

-I find my Divine Book and my Prophet here, my place could be here. As a matter of fact, some of them already say it from time to time.

However, a Muslim will not say it for Christianity. It is because the Book and the Prophet of a Muslim do not exist in Christianity. There is no benefit for a Muslim, either. However, his loss will be too much. He will have to deny all of the Divine religions and the Prophet that he accepts in Islam. It is not a kind of loss to be risked. That person cannot be a Christian anymore; he cannot be regarded as one from the People of the Book, either.

Because of those sound facts, we shall say: using force against missionaries by a Muslim, who has such definite knowledge and strong belief, instead of using knowledge is not approved by Islam; and a Muslim does not need such a response. It is because Islam is explained by obvious and definite information which is a requirement of science, but not by force which is a sign of ignorance.

There is no such a fasting in Islam and it is never ever true to practice. In order to remember the hungry people, it is necessary for us to practice the Ramadan fasting which is one of God’s orders and Muslim’s obligatory acts (fard). Besides it is possible to achieve the same aim by fasting outside Ramadan. This is called nafila (supererogatory) fasting

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Nafila (supererogatory) fasting

Some people turn the New Year into the unreasonable philosophy of “just have fun and think of nothing else” screaming in joy and drinking alcoholic beverages as if they did not lose one year from their lifespan but rather added one year to it.

Maybe they are resorting to that cancellation of consciousness and reasoning in order not to ponder over one year that they have lost.

The Islamic scholars who consider time to be more precious than money never become consent with such unconsciousness. Rather, they insist that we must reckon how we spent the whole year. If you wish, we can listen to them and see what kind of an accounting we must do at the end of the year we spent.

Shibli, a great sufi, born in 334 according to Hijri calendar in Baghdad, addressed his followers in his every speech as follows:

-- O the voyagers to the hereafter that lose one year from their lifespan and come closer to their destination. Account yourself before you are called for accounting in the day of judgment.

One day a humble follower of Shibli, who begins his each sermon to people with the sentences above, asked him:

--You always suggest us to question our lives before the day of the resurrection comes. Will not we be asked to give account of our lives if we constantly question our life in earthly life?

--Yes, he replied. If someone lives always questioning his own life, he may not be asked to give an account of his life in the Hereafter. Our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) says that “Question yourselves before the day of reckoning comes.” Then, the person always questioning himself may not be asked to give an account of his/her life during that great day. At least, his questioning becomes easy. Then, the man asking the query disciplines his life and begins to question his actions constantly. He tries to perform his religious duties regularly. He struggles to stay away from sins and seeks the ways to gain good deeds. That is to say, he decides not to commit deeds for which he cannot account. Then, one night he dreams of his Master Shibli riding on a white horse, and rising to heavens. He cries out after him:

-Oh my master! Please let me accompany you, he says. The answer of Shibli is so sharp: “I have managed to save myself from this prison once, and do you think I can wait here even for a moment?"

Having seen this dream, his student firstly goes directly to visit his master in order to work out the interpretation of this dream. Upon seeing the crowded people making preparations for a funeral in front of his master’s house, he immediately understands that his master has been freed from the prison called world into eternal palaces of the eternal life. And yet he grieves over the death of his master, and at that night he beseeches to his Creator so that he can see his master in his dream. Soon, he falls asleep and sees Shibli in his dream. And now he is before his master. His first question to him is the sentence always uttered by Shibli in his sermons.

-You used to live by questioning yourself, so could you become free from questioning there, what is your state now. He asks his master. Smiling slightly upon this query, his master replies: when the angels came to question me, Allah addressed them:

-“Do not ask my servant any questions because he would regularly make his accounting of his life in the world so he came completely clean here. Just look at his life pages, you can see there his accounting.” And  Shibli advises his student to lead a life that is continuously questioned by yourself. Do not come here with such deeds that you cannot explain. It also can be said to you, “my servant came before me with clean pages of life. Only look at his deeds in his life pages.”

- How about making an accounting of our life at the end of the whole year we have spent and at the beginning of the year we will experience? Shall we seek repentance from the sins for which we will not be able to explain, and decide to quit all of them? Should we bother ourselves by trying to compensate for the prayers and good deeds we have missed? How about making these accountings during Christmas? Or should we repeat the same cliché “just seize the day, have fun and think of nothing else”, as if we won a year though in reality we lost one more year from our lifetime.

-Just seize the day, and think of nothing else! However, it should not be forgotten that the regret of those leading a life without thinking is becoming so great; and yet this grief is absolutely of no use. Therefore, let us take the decision in the New Year’s beginning that we will always make an accounting of our lives and contemplate over our actions. I wish you new years for which we can account. (Ahmed Şahin)

It is unobjectionable for Muslims to wish non-Muslim neighbors or acquaintances happy or merry festivals, new year and Christmas in terms of human relations. However, it is not permissible to imitate Christian customs and traditions.

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What should our understanding of New Year’s Day be?

It is not permissible to make a movie in which an actor portrays Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

It is better to avoid circumstances that would prove disrespectful or harmful to the image of any Prophets or their Companions, which would also include sensitivities to the physical portrayal of any such revered persons.

Prof. Dr. Hayrettin Karaman

All of the prophets, from Hazrat Adam to our prophet Hazrat Muhammad, conveyed the true religion to people. The fundamentals of belief, which are the foundations of the religion, always remained the same. However, some decrees about worshipping and worldly affairs, what we call shariah, changed depending on the requirements of the age and needs of people from Hazrat Adam to Hazrat Muhammad. God Almighty sent a different shariah for each community (umma) taking into consideration the lifestyles and interests of the people of each age. The following is stated in verse 48 of Chapter al-Maeda regarding the issue, “To each among you have We prescribed a Law and an Open Way.”

Heavenly religions are in unanimous agreement regarding fundamental beliefs/principles of belief, universal ethical values and the consciousness of worshipping only one god. There are differences in the branches and details of the religion. The differences take place due to the different conditions of the times and places. Therefore, sometimes different sharias came in different ages and sometimes different prophets and different sharias and some new arrangements about details came in the different regions of the same age.

It is known that different religions with different messages and miracles were sent to the communities that had different wrong behavior culturally. The fact that Hazrat Musa (Moses) came to Egypt, which had become a slave of the illusions of the magicians with the same type of miracles the fact that Hazrat Eesa (Jesus) came with miracles regarding medicine in a period when medicine was common and people had unconditional belief in doctors and the fact that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) came with the Quran, a unique work of art, and challenged everybody in a period when poets and poems were regarded as literature gods by the Arabs of Jahiliyya are historical and living documents showing the relationship of the cultural and social structure of the environment with religion.
Religions, especially the religion of Islam, draws the lines between halal (licit) and haram (forbidden), lays down conditions to prevent deceiving tricks, unjust profits and cheating regarding the economy; they leave the remaining details to the conditions of the tie and customs of the regions. From this point of view, it can be seen that in the religions, especially in Islam, the last religion, economic conditions like trade, arts and crafts, agriculture were laid down in flexible formulae that can be used in any age.

None of the divine books that were sent before the Quran and whose copies are present today are the original copies of the divine books that Allah sent to His prophets. In the course of time, the original copies were lost and they were rewritten by people. Therefore, some wrong beliefs and superstitions were incorporated into them. For instance, it is a well-known historical truth that the Old Testament (the Torah) could not be preserved by the Jews, who lived as slaves and in exile for a long time after Hazrat Moses and who lost their beliefs for a while and became idolaters; it is also known that the copy of the Old Testament that is present today was known by some clergymen long years after Hazrat Moses and was accepted as a religious book as if it was the original Old Testament. It is obvious that a book that emerged after such a long and complicated period cannot be the same book as the one sent down to Hazrat Moses. Therefore, there are some attributions and slanders that will not behoove to prophets; there are also some decrees that are contrary to the spirit of oneness religion.
The Psalms that were sent to Hazrat David (Dawud) underwent the same process as the Old Testament.
As for the New Testament (the Gospel), Hazrat Jesus did not dictate the revelations that he received. He became a prophet when he was 30 and his duty of prophethood ended when he was 33. He traveled from one village to another, one city to another in order to show people the true way in a very short time, three years. During his last times, he was always traced and followed by the Roman administrators because of the provocation of the Jews. Therefore, he could not find any time or opportunity to dictate the New Testament. As a matter of fact the New Testament books that are present today are called by the names of their writers (compilers) and they look like biography books that include the sermons, preaching and talks of Hazrat Jesus to his apostles.  Besides, the writers are not the first believers, the first apostles of Hazrat Jesus but those who listened to those divine words that came to Hazrat Jesus from them.
There are some differences in the current New Testaments in terms of the narrating style and content. As a matter of fact those books were proved by the decision of a spiritual council that assembled in Nicaea in 325 AD. That council examined hundreds of New Testaments and approved the four New Testaments that are available today that they thought had divine characters and destroyed the others by burning them with the agreement of 318 members.
As it is seen, the principle that Hazrat Jesus is the son of Allah (Allah forbid) was accepted long years after Hazrat Jesus as a result of the decision of a council. Some Christian churches did not accept that decision. Therefore, it is impossible to say that the current 4 Gospels today are the same as the original Gospel that was sent down to Hazrat Jesus.
Since the divine books other than the Quran were falsified how can we believe in them?
We Muslims believe that Hazrat Moses, David and Jesus were sent the divine books called The old Testament (the Torah), Psalms and the New Testament (the Gospel) and that those books did not contain any decrees contrary to the true religion of oneness. However, those books could not be preserved and their originals got lost.
We cannot say that the books that the Jews and Christians have do not contain any revelations that were sent to those prophets. However, it is a reality that wrong beliefs and superstitions were incorporated into them. Therefore, we need to be cautious about them. We accept that the decrees that are in compatible with the Quran are based on revelation. We find it probable that the decrees that are contrary to the Quran were incorporated into those books later. We do not say anything about the decrees that are not in compatible with or not contrary to the Quran. We neither accept them nor reject them. They may just as well be based on revelation or vice versa.
Abu Hurayra (May Allah be pleased with him) said the following regarding the issue: «The People of the Book read the Torah in the Hebrew language and interpreted it in Arabic to Muslims. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said to following to his Companions regarding the issue:
"You should neither approve nor contradict the words of the People of the Book. However, say the following: We believe, in Allah and the revelation given to us and to Abraham, Isma`il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes and that given to Moses and Jesus and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord we make no difference between one and another of them and we bow to Allah (in Islam).' (al-Baqara, 136)."

1. First of all, not oppressing you is a command of Allah. In surah (chapter of the Holly Qur’an) the Cow (al Baqarah), in the 256th verse, it is stated as follows: “Let there be no compulsion in religion: truth stands out clear from error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy hand hold, never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things.”

2. You should also observe him without interfering him and you should compare your comprehension with his comprehension and way of life. Thus, he can see you and you can see him in a free manner.

3. People cannot stay away from others in case they would be impressed from them. Every person who has a mind, a free will and a free thought knows how to benefit from that situation. S/he does not abstain from accepting the truth if s/he realizes that the truth is on the others. That situation is also valid for the conditions you are in.   

It is acceptable to pray to Allah for non-Muslims to enter the right path and for their worldly problems to be solved. However, it is not acceptable to pray for the dead non-Muslims.

It is known that the original Torah is lost. However, there are many differences among the translations of the Torah. For instance, there are some clear differences between the Greek translation and the Hebrew version. The Torah, which was first written in Hebrew, was started to be distorted when it was translated into Aramaic and Greek. (For more information, see M. Ziyau’r-Rahman al-Azami, al-Yahudiyya wa’l-Masihiyya, p.175-181)

There are also differences among the translations in Chaldean, Latin, Hebeshi, Ghawti, Armenian and Arabic (ibid). This is also valid for the Bibles whose original copies are not present.  

- The distortion of the Torah is regarded in two ways: The first one: The distortion of the words of the verses and the addition of some words. The second one:  The distortion of the meaning. There are examples like “hittatun/hintatun” for the first kind of distortion.

Besides, the fact that there are statements contrary to modern science and that there are invented stories about prophets like Lot and David that do not befit prophets indicate that the distortion took place in terms of both interpretation and words.   

The second issue of distortion always took place; one of the most important duties of the prophets that came after Moses – including Zacharias and John – was to correct those wrong interpretations and spiritual distortions. However, this illness of distortion of Jews always relapsed.

That the Torah and the Gospel were distorted does not mean that they contain no truth. As a matter of fact, Husayn Jisri extracted hundreds of pieces of information from the Torah and the Gospel implying the Prophet Muhammad and quoted them in his book called Risala al-Hamidiyya. 

As a matter of fact, it is clearly stated in the Quran, hadiths, history and siyar books that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) challenged the scholars of the People of the Book and said to them that they had concealed the truths in the books (they distorted them with their interpretations) and that the Prophet silenced them.  Some examples regarding the issue:

a. “All food was lawful to the Children of Israel, except what Israel made unlawful for itself before the Torah was revealed. Say: "Bring ye the Torah and study it if ye be men of truth." If any, after this, invent a lie and attribute it to Allah, they are indeed unjust wrong-doers.”(Aal-i Imran, 3/93-94).

Two reasons are given for the revelation of the verses above:

- The Jews objected to the Prophet (pbuh) about abrogation and said that there could be nothing like that in the religion. The verse was sent down in response to their objection. The verses challenged the Jews by stating, “All food was lawful to the Children of Israel, except what Israel made unlawful for itself before the Torah was revealed. Let alone denying abrogation, the Torah practiced abrogation by rendering haram some things that were halal for the Children of Israel.”

- According to another narration, the Jews said to Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), “You say you belong to the nation of Abraham but you render halal the meat and milk of the camel that were haram in his religion.”

Through that verse, it was emphasized that the prohibition was not imposed during the time of Abraham but that it was rendered haram by Jacob, his grandson. According to a narration, Jacob vowed that he would not eat the flesh of the camel and he would not drink the milk of the camel, the food and drink that he liked the best, if he overcame the illness of sciatica. 

No matter what the reason of revelation is, there is something clear: Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) insisted that certain information that the Jews claimed to be absent in the Torah existed and challenged the Jews by saying, “Bring the Torah and read it if you tell the truth”; the Jews avoided it. (See Tabari, Qurtubi, Razi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur, Nasafi, Alusi, the interpretation of the relevant verse)

b. “If anyone disputes in this matter with thee now after (full) knowledge hath come to thee, say: "Come! let us gather together―our sons, and your sons our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves: then let us earnestly pray, and invoke the curse of Allah on those who lie!"”(Aal-i Imran, 3/61).

- The verse challenged a delegate from the Christians of Najran that came to Madinah and that claimed Jesus was the son of God. They could not dare to do “mutual damnation” in accordance with the view of Aqib Abdul-Masih, the leader of this delegate. (See Tabari, Qurtubi, Razi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur, Nasafi, the interpretation of the relevant verse)

c. “The people of the Book know this as they know their own sons; but some of them conceal the truth which they themselves know” (al-Baqara, 2/146).

- In this verse, it is stated that they recognized Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) as they recognized their own children due to his attributes in the Gospel and the Torah. According to a narration, Hazrat Umar asked Abdullah b. Salam, a Jewish scholar, “Did you really know Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) –based on your book – as you knew your children?” He said, “We knew him better than our own children. (See Tabari, Qurtubi, Razi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Ashur, Nasafi, the interpretation of the relevant verse).

- Another important point regarding the issue is this: If the issues that Hazrat Muhammad insistently mentioned and that he insistently said were present in the Torah had not been true, the people who believed in him, like Abdullah b. Salam, the Jewish scholar, before others, would have exited Islam and converted to their previous religions at once. It is also valid for the Christian scholars. The loyalty they showed to the religion of Islam throughout their lives indicates the trueness of this verse and Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) clearly.

Some so-called theologians say that Jews and Christians, who are the People of the Book, are people of Paradise. Inshallah we will firmly prove how wrong their words are and that the people of the book are actually the people of Hell.

When we say "Ahl al-kitab are people of Hell", we mean Jews and Christians who have heard and are aware of Prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) message, but have not believed.

Let us start the subject with the answer to the following question: "Are the people of fatrah people of Najah? (salvation)".

Who are ahl-al fatrah and are they people of salvation?

Ahl-al fatrah: As a religious term, it refers to the time period between two prophets. They are the ones who lived between the time period of two prophets but could not reach the message of either of them. It is unanimously agreed that such a person is not held responsible for any deeds. For, in order to be obliged to perform prayers, fasting, pilgrimage and such, a prophet's guidance and teaching the deeds are needed. Since ahl-al fatrah could not reach the message of any prophets, they are not held responsible for religious deeds.

- So, “Do they have to know Allah?”

There is disagreement on the matter. As you know, Ahl as-Sunnah consists of two sects in creed. They are the Ashari and Maturidi sects. According to Imam Ashari, ahl-al fatrah are not responsible for knowing Allah. Imam Maturidi, on the other hand, states that they are responsible for knowing Allah (swt).

Imam Maturidi states the following: Allah gave man intelligence and filled this realm with the signs of His existence. Even if a person cannot reach a prophet, he can find Allah with his mind and is obliged to find him. According to Imam Ashari, the mind cannot find Allah on its own...

So, what opinion do we accept?

We should know both views and refer the truth of the matter to the knowledge of Allah (swt). Like the Prophet Moses (pbuh), we will surrender to Allah.

When the Prophet Moses invited Pharaoh to the truth, Pharaoh said: قَالَ فَمَا بَالُ الْقُرُونِ الْاُولَى  Pharaoh asked, “And what about previous peoples?” قَالَ عِلْمُهَا عِنْدَ رَبِّي فِى كِتَابٍ  Prophet Moses replied, “That knowledge is with my Lord in a Record.”  لاَ يَضِلُّ رَبِّي وَلاَ يَنْسَى  “My Lord neither falters nor forgets anything.” (Surah Taha, 20/51-52)

We should be like the prophet Moses, too. He does not answer Pharaoh's question, "What about the previous generations?" like us. It is because of his surrender to Allah’s justice. Whatever is to happen will happen, and it is going to be just and true. That answer is the result of a perfect faith.

We want a single and clear answer to everything. However, Allah did not reveal everything clearly. Some issues are clear and some issues are ambiguous. Our Lord has made it clear that ahl-al fatrah are not responsible for deeds. For this reason, there has been an agreement on that issue. However, He has not expressed clearly if they are responsible for faith or not. From the evidences available, Imam Ashari deduced that they were not obliged to believe, and Imam Maturidi stated that they were obliged to believe. Then, they attributed the truth to the knowledge of Allah (swt). Which one is true will be revealed in the Hereafter. In fact, scholars made decrees about an issue that is not clear from the Quran and Sunnah; then, referring the truth to Allah, they said, "Allah knows the best." Again, Allah knows best whether ahl-al fatrah are obliged to believe or not. We just have declared both views ...

As for the status of the People of the Book, if none of them have heard of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), they are ahl an-najah and they are people of salvation. At a time when technology is so advanced, we do not know if there is such a person. If so, that is the decree...

The second group of the People of the Book are those who have heard and aware of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). If they do not believe in the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), they will be people of Hell. Their devotion to their own religion will not save them.

There is also a group between those two. They heard about the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but he was introduced to them as an evil person. They are people who have not heard anything good about our Prophet, have not heard his miracles, and have not been aware of the Quran. Scholars kept silent about that topic and did not issue a definite fatwa. "Maybe Allah (swt) will forgive them, maybe He will throw them into Hell." they said. Allah knows best.

When we say "the People of the Book" from now on, we mean the second group. In other words, the ones who heard and were aware of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but did not believe.

We will prove with the verses of the Quran that the Jews and Christians in the second group are people of Hell. Our purpose here is only to declare the judgement of Allah. We defend that idea because Allah says, "They will go to Hell." Had Allah said that they would go to Paradise, we would have accepted it and defended it without objection. So, we are not the ones who caused the People of the Book to enter Hell. All we do is prove the judgement of Allah (swt) by His verses. Nothing more.

Evidence that the people of the book are people of hell

1. Whoever seeks a way other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him

Our first proof : The following is stated the 19th verse of the Surah Aal-i Imran:

   إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الإِسْلاَمُ Indeed, the religion in the sight of Allah is Islam. (Al-i Imran, 3/19)

In verse 85, the following is stated:  وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الإِسْلاَمِ دِينًا  And whoever desires other than Islam as religion  فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ  never will it be accepted from him وَهُوَ فِي الآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ  and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers. (Aal-i Imran, 3/85)

Let us analyze those verses:

In the 19th verse of the Surah, the following is stated: "The religion in the sight of Allah is Islam." We understand from the verse that religions other than Islam are not religions in the sight of Allah. So, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism and other religions are not religions in the sight of Allah. There is only one religion, and that is Islam.

What about the members of those religions? How will Allah (swt) treat them?

Verse 85 answers that question as follows:

“And whoever desires other than Islam as religion – never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers.” (Aal-i Imran, 3/85)

Suppose that someone abandoned Islam and converted to Judaism and fulfilled all the requirements of the religion of Judaism or became a Christian and lived according to his religion. Allah states the following regarding that person: “I will never accept from him his worship, his obedience, or anything. And I will make him one of the losers in the Hereafter.”

How come some theologians say that the People of the Book will enter Paradise, when the meaning of the verse is so clear and it does not have any other meaning?

Allah (swt) says, "The only religion in my sight is Islam." They say, "No, there are other religions too." Allah says, "Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, I will never accept it." They say, "No, You will accept it." 

How come? How can a person be confused and mistaken when the verse is so clear? Either that person does not have a mind, or he deliberately tells that lie.... If they say so out of ignorance, it has no value. However, if they say it based on knowledge, those slanders will definitely not go unpunished.

Allah (swt) says, " I will disappoint those who seek a religion other than Islam in the hereafter." However, some ignorant theologians say, "There is no disappointment! Allah will admit them to Paradise."

2. Does Allah say about the Christians, "They are unbelievers"?

Here is our second proof: In verse 72 of the surah of al-Mai’dah, the following is stated:

 لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ  They have certainly disbelieved - Who are these unbelievers? -قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ "Who say, "Allah is the Messiah (that is, the Prophet Jesus), the son of Mary" (Surah al-Mai’dah, 5/72)

In the next verse, the following is stated:

 لَقَدْ كَفَرَ الَّذِينَ  They have certainly disbelieved –Who are they?-   قَالُوا إِنَّ اللَّهَ ثَالِثُ ثَلاَثَةٍ who say, "Allah is the third of three." - In other words, Christians who believe in the creed of trinity are also unbelievers.-  وَمَا مِنْ اِلهٍ إِلاَّ اِلهٌ وَاحِدٌ  There is no god except one God.   وَاِنْ لَمْ يَنتَهُوا عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ If they do not desist from what they are saying,  لَيَمَسَّنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ Those who disbelieve among them will be afflicted with a painful punishment. (al-Mai’dah, 5/73)

Let us analyze those verses:

In verse 72 of the surah the following is stated:

They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary.”

The group mentioned in the verse is the one that believes that Allah entered into the body of Jesus and merged with his body. They are a group of Christians. Allah has clearly declared that those people are unbelievers.

In verse 73 of the Surah, another group is mentioned as follows:

They have certainly disbelieved who say, "Allah is the third of three."

The expression "the third of three" in the verse means "one of the three gods" or "the first of the three gods". That is the trinity belief of Christians. Allah declares that those who believe in trinity are also disbelievers and warns them as follows:

If they do not stop saying this, those who disbelieve among them will be afflicted with a painful punishment. (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5/73)

And have the Christians living today renounced those words? No! Some still believe that Allah entered the spirit of Jesus; others believe in trinity. According to that belief; Jesus is the son – God forbid - of Allah (swt). Currently, Christians associate partners with Allah and still do not accept tawhid (oneness). If they accept tawhid, they will become Muslims…

Let us briefly write the decrees in the verses so that the issue can be understood more clearly:

1.  The ones who say "Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary” are unbelievers.

2. The ones who say "Allah is the third of three" are unbelievers, too.

3. If they do not stop saying this, there will be a painful punishment for them.

 For, in that case they are unbelievers. The unbelievers will stay in Hell forever.

That is the judgement of Allah. Some theologians say, "Christians will enter heaven." How come? Allah says they are unbelievers and there will be a severe punishment for them. How can a person, especially a theologian, say, “They will enter Paradise” when the verses are so clear? What is that, if not slandering the Quran? May Allah protect this ummah from their evil! ...

3. What does Allah command the Jews?

Our third proof is the 41st verse of the chapter of Surah al-Baqara. It addresses the Jews as follows:

 وَآمِنُوا بِمَا أَنْزَلْتُ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا مَعَكُمْ   And believe in that which I have revealed, verifying that which is with you, - That is, believe in the Quran that I have sent down as verifying the Torah.-   وَلاَ تَكُونُوا أَوَّلَ كَافِرٍ بِهِ And do not be the first ones to deny it (Quran). (Surah al-Baqarah, 2/41)

The following is stated in the next verse:

وَلاَ تَلْبِسُوا الْحَقَّ بِالْبَاطِلِ  And do not mix up the truth with the falsehood! - In other words, do not change the true judgements in the Torah and do not show your untrue words as the word of Allah. -    وَتَكْتُمُوا الْحَقَّ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ nor knowingly conceal the truth. - What is meant by the truth in the verse is the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The Jews hid it deliberately. (al-Baqarah, 2/42)

In the next verse, the Jews are addressed again as follows:

وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلاَةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ  Attend to your prayers, give the zakat [prescribed alms], وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ and bow down with those who bow down. - Jews would perform prayer without bowing or prostration. In the verse, they are ordered to become Muslims and pray like Muslims. (al-Baqarah, 2/43)

God Almighty gave some orders to the Jews with the aforementioned verses. Now let us write down those orders and see whether the Jews follow those orders or not.

First Order: To believe in the Quran, which was sent down as confirming the Torah, and not to deny it.

Did the Jews obey that command of Allah? No, they didn't. They did not believe in the Quran and denied it.

Second Order: Mixing up the truth with the falsehood. In other words, they are commanded not to change the decrees of the Torah and to make their words look like the verses of Allah.

Did the Jews obey that command of Allah? No, they didn't. They falsified the Torah and mixed their words with the verses of Allah.

Third Order: Not concealing the truth knowingly. What is meant by the truth here is the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). His prophethood was written in the Torah. With the statement of the 146th verse of Surah al-Baqara, Jews knew the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as they knew their own children. For, the attributes of the Prophet were mentioned in the Torah. Allah ordered them not to hide the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Did the Jews obey this command of Allah? No, they didn't. They deliberately hid the prophethood of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Fourth Order: Bowing down with those who bow down. That is, they should perform prayers with prostration and bowing like Muslims. They must definitely first become Muslims in order to perform that prayer.

Well, did the Jews obey this command of Allah? No, they didn't. They did not become Muslims and did not perform prayers with bowing and prostration.

So now we ask: How will the Jews enter Paradise? Based on what deeds will the Jews, who break all the commandments of Allah, deserve Paradise? They did the opposite of whatever Allah said. How can anyone who has seen those verses of the Quran say that the Jews are people of Paradise? Jews still insist on those deeds that will attract the wrath of Allah. The result of that insistence is nothing but Hell.

4. Did Jews distort the Torah?

In the fourth proof, we will make an analysis as follows:

In verse 79 of the chapter of al-Baqara, the Jews' distortion of the Torah is expressed as follows:

 فَوَيْلٌ لِلَّذِينَ  Woe then unto those يَكْتُبُونَ الْكِتَابَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ  Who write out the Book -meaning Torah-  with their hands ثُمَّ يَقُولُونَ هذَا مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ  and say thereafter: “This is from God"  لِيَشْتَرُوا بِهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلاً  that they may barter it for a small price.  فَوَيْلٌ لَهُمْ مِمَّا كَتَبَتْ أَيْدِيهِمْ Woe then unto them for that which their hands had written.     (al-Baqara, 2/ 79)

In the verse above, Allah (swt) clearly states that the Jews falsified the Torah and says, "Woe to them."

It is stated in other verses that the Jews distorted the Torah. For example, the following is stated in the 75th verse of the chapter of al-Baqara:

يَسْمَعُونَ كَلاَمَ اللَّهِ  When some of them used to hear the Word of God ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ  and then deliberately distort it وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ they knowingly perverted it. (al-Baqarah,2/75)

The following is stated in verse 13 of the chapter of Surah al-Ma’idah:

  فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِيثَاقَهُمْ لَعَنَّاهُمْ  But for breaking their covenant We condemned them  وَجَعَلْنَا قُلُوبَهُمْ قَاسِيَةً and hardened their hearts. يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ  They distorted the words of the Scripture. – meaning falsifying the Torah- (al-Ma’idah, 5/13)

The Jews’ distorting the Torah is mentioned in Surah an-Nisa in verse 46, Surah al-Ma’idah in verse 41, and some other verses in the Quran. In order to keep it short, we think that those proofs are enough.

Now let us think about this: Allah, the owner of the Torah, says, "The Jews falsified My book." In that case, the book that the Jews follow is not the Torah that Allah sent down to Moses. Only Allah knows how many parts of the existing Torah belong to Allah, and how many parts of it Jews wrote with their hands...

Now our question is as follows:

How can those who follow a falsified book enter Paradise though the original book sent by Allah is not present, the Torah has been falsified and its verses have been changed?

Moreover, Allah has declared that He cursed them. Does Allah put the servants He cursed into His Paradise? Allah's curse means depriving them of His mercy. Now we ask:

Can those who are deprived of mercy enter Paradise?  Can those who falsify the Torah enter Paradise?  Can those who follow a book that has been falsified and in which the decrees of Allah have been distorted enter Paradise? 

If Allah had been pleased with their acts based on the Torah, would He have sent down the Quran? Allah sent down the Quran and Prophet Muhammad (pbuh); it means He is not satisfied with the current Torah and the state of the Jews. Will Allah admit the people He does not consent with into heaven? No, He never will.

All of that is valid for Christians as well because the Gospel was also distorted like the Torah and Allah's verses were changed.

As the Quran expresses it, can those who follow a book written by their hands enter Paradise?

5. Has Allah cursed the Jews?

Our fifth proof is as follows:

Allah Almighty states in many verses that He cursed the Jews. For example, in the 88th verse of the chapter of al-Baqarah, the following is stated:

 لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّه بِكُفْرِهِمْ  Allah has cursed them for their disbelief. فَقَلِيلاً مَا يُؤْمِنُونَ So little is it that they believe. - That is, if they believe in one thing, they deny the other. They do not believe in most of the things that must be believed.- (al-Baqarah, 2/88)

In the verse above, Allah declares that He cursed them. He mentions their disbelief as the reason. Allah states the following clearly about the Jews: "I have cursed them, and they are disbelievers."; then some people say, "The people of the book will enter Paradise." Do they not see that verse? Maybe they did not see that verse but do they not see in many other verses that they are disbelievers and Allah has cursed them?

For example, the following is stated in the 46th verse of the chapter of an-Nisa:

  وَلكِنْ لَعَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِكُفْرِهِمْ But Allah has cursed them for their disbelief. (Surah an-Nisa, 4/46)

The following is stated in verse 13 of the chapter of al-Ma’idah:

  فَبِمَا نَقْضِهِم مِيثَاقَهُمْ لَعَنَّاهُمْ  So for their breaking of the covenant, We cursed them. - That is, We cursed them for breaking their previous promises that they would believe in the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5/13)

The following is stated in verse 78 of the chapter of al-Ma’idah:

   لُعِنَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِن بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ  Cursed were those who disbelieved among the Children of Israel. - The term Children of Israel means Jews. Among the Jews, those who are disbelievers are those who did not convert to Islam. Some Jews, such as Abdullah Ibn Salam, were excluded because they converted to Islam.-  (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5/78)

In many other verses like the ones above, Allah declares that He cursed the Jews. Allah's curse is to deprive them of His mercy. Allah says, "I have deprived the Jews of My mercy." Then some people say, "The people of the book will enter Paradise." says. If that is not slandering Allah and the Quran, what is it? I refer it to your conscience...

6. Under what conditions can the People of the Book be regarded as believers?

Our sixth proof is this:

 The following is stated in verse 137 of the chapter of al-Baqarah:

 فَإِنْ آمَنُوا بِمِثْلِ مَا آمَنْتُمْ بِهِ  So if they (Jews and Christians) believe in the same as you believe in فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا then they have been [rightly] guided,  وَاِنْ تَوَلَّوْا  but if they turn away, فَاِنَّمَا هُمْ فِي شِقَاقٍ  they are only in dissension. (Surah al-Baqarah, 2/137)

Let us analyze that verse now:

The following is stated at the beginning of the verse: "If they believe in the same as you believe..." That clause is a conditional clause. The clause that comes after is called the main clause. The realization of the main clause depends on the realization of the condition.

What is the condition in that verse? The condition is their believing as we believe.

So how do we believe? Our belief is as follows; We say Allah (swt) is free from having a child or a spouse; we believe in the oneness of Allah; we believe that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the prophet of Allah; we believe that the Quran is the word of Allah and so on... That is our belief.

What is going to happen if they believe as we do?

The verse states the following: فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا They will certainly have attained guidance. So, their guidance depends on their believing as we do. In that case, the opposite meaning of the verse is as follows:

If they do not believe as we believe, they are not regarded to have attained guidance.

Now we ask:

- Do Jews and Christians believe as we believe?
- Do they believe in our Prophet (pbuh)?
- Do they believe in the Quran?
- Do they believe in Islam?..

No, they do not believe in any of them. Their guidance is dependent on believing as we do. Since they do not believe like us, they have not attained guidance.

Now we ask:

- How will the people who have not attained guidance get into Paradise?

Besides, the source of their lack of guidance is not deeds, but creed and faith. How can those who do not have any share of the guidance in faith, who ascribe to Allah a spouse and child, will attain eternal bliss in Paradise?

Now let us look at the continuation of the verse:

وَاِنْ تَوَلَّوْا  But if they turn away,- that is,  if they do not believe like you, if they do not become Muslims- فَاِنَّمَا هُمْ فِي شِقَاقٍ , they are simply opposed to the truth. (Surah al-Baqarah, 2/137)

Did the people of the book turn away from Islam? Yes, they did. So, what does the verse say about them? It says: They are in opposition. Opposition towards whom?

- Opposition towards Allah's Messenger;
- Opposition towards Allah's book;
- Opposition towards the religion of Allah
- And they oppose Allah...

Does Allah ever admit those who are hostile to His beloved Prophet, His book and His religion into His Paradise? We refer the answer to that question to you.

7. The end of those who deny Allah's verses!

Our seventh proof is this:

The following is stated in verse 4 of the Surah Aal-i Imran:

 إِنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ  Surely those who reject Allah’s revelations لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ  will suffer a severe torment. (Surah Aal-i Imran, 3/4)

Now, let us make an analysis on that verse:

The following is stated at the beginning of the verse: "Surely those who reject Allah’s revelations…” What is meant by the "revelations" here is the verses of the Quran. Accordingly, the meaning of the verse is "those who deny Allah's book, those who deny the Quran."

Now we ask: 

- Do the People of the Book deny Allah's verses?

Yes they do. They do not believe that the Quran is the book of Allah. They accept the Quran as a human word. In that case, they are included in the group of "Those who reject Allah’s revelations…" mentioned in the verse.

Well, what is the end of that group?

The verse says,  لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ there is a severe torment for them.

To understand the judgement of the verse better, let us sum it up as follows:

For whom is there a severe punishment? For those who deny Allah's verses. So, do the People of the Book deny Allah's verses? Yes, they do. So, what awaits them? Severe torment.

- Do the People of the Book deny our Prophet (pbuh)? Yes, they deny him.
- Do they oppose him? Yes, they oppose him.
- Do they have hostility towards to him? Yes, they do.
- So, how will they enter heaven in that case?

Although the Quran states in tens of verses that those who oppose our Prophet (pbuh), those who deny and rebel against him, and those who are enemies of him will enter Hell. However, some so-called theologians say, “The People of the Book will enter Paradise.” By Allah, it is a slander against the Quran, it is a slander against Allah.

That is what the Quran says. However, some so-called theologians say, “The People of the Book will enter Paradise.” How can someone who denies the verses of Allah and The Book of Allah enter Paradise? The verse clearly says that he/she cannot enter, but some so-called theologians turn a blind eye to the judgement of the verse...

Let us do the same analysis from the perspective of our Prophet (pbuh):

- What will happen to those who do not believe in, oppose and have hostility towards our Prophet (pbuh)?

The Quran answers that question with many verses. For example, the following is stated in verse 13 of the Surah al-Anfal:

وَمَنْ يُشَاقِقِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ  Whoever defies Allah and His Messenger فَاِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ  then know that Allah is surely severe in punishment. (Surah al-Anfal, 8/13)

The following is stated in verse 63 of the Surah at-Tawbah:

  أَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّهُ  Do they not know that مَنْ يُحَادِدِ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ  whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger   فَأَنَّ لَهُ نَارَ جَهَنَّمَ  will be in the Fire خَالِدًا فِيهَا  of Hell forever? ذَلِكَ الْخِزْيُ الْعَظِيمُ  That is the ultimate disgrace. (Surah at-Tawbah, 9/63)

The following is stated in verse 80 of the Surah at-Tawbah:

  فَلَنْ يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ  Allah will never forgive them.  ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ  That is because كَفَرُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ  They have lost faith in Allah and His Messenger. (Surah at-Tawbah, 9/80)

There are many verses like the ones above. In all those verses, it is stated that those who deny the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), those who oppose him, and those who do not believe in him will enter Hell.

8. Invitation to the People of the Book

Our eighth proof is this:

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) invited not only idolaters and unbelievers but also the People of the Book to Islam. For example, the following is stated in the Surah Aal-i Imran:

قُلْ  Say, - That is an order to te Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)-   يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ  “O People of the Book! تَعَالَوْا  Let us come - Come to what?-    اِلَى كَلِمَةٍ سَوَاءٍ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمْ  to common terms  -What is that term?-    أَلاَّ نَعْبُدَ اِلاَّ اللَّهَ that we will worship none but Allah وَلاَ نُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا  associate none with Him وَلاَ يَتَّخِذَ بَعْضُنَا بَعْضًا أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ  nor take one another as lords instead of Allah.” (Surah Aal-i Imran, 3/64)

As we see in the verse, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) invites the People of the Book to Islam. He says to them: “Do not worship anyone but Allah, and do not associate anything with Allah, and do not take one another as gods instead of Allah...”

- Well, did the People of the Book respond to that invitation?

No, - except for a few- they did not. They still attribute a son to Allah and associate partners with Allah. They accept the prophet and servant of Allah as a god. Christians regard Jesus (pbuh) and Jews regard Uzair (pbuh) as the son of God and they do not accept the invitation of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). So how will they enter heaven in that case?

Again, in the Surah Aal-i Imran, our Prophet (pbuh) is ordered to invite them to Islam as follows:

قُلْ لِلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ وَالأُمِّيِّينَ  And ask those who were given the Scripture and the illiterate people –meaning idolatrous unbelievers-, أَأَسْلَمْتُمْ “Have you submitted yourselves to Allah?”  فَاِنْ أَسْلَمُوا فَقَدِ اهْتَدَوْا  If they submit, they will be rightly guided. (Surah Aal-i Imran, 3/20)

With the statement of that verse, our Prophet (pbuh) was obliged to invite them to Islam, and he did. The verse has made it a condition that they submit to Allah to be guided. The opposite meaning of the verse is as follows: If they do not become Muslims, they will not be guided.

So, did they convert to Islam? No, they didn't. In that case, they are not guided. How will those who are not guided enter Paradise?

There is a lot that can be said about the verse. However, our focus in that proof is as follows:

Like the 2 verses we have given as examples, with the statement of many verses, our Prophet (pbuh) invited the People of the Book to Islam. He made that invitation by the order of Allah.

Here is our question:

- Does that invitation have any significance, or has it been made casually?

It certainly has great significance. Allah (swt) does not command His Messenger to do anything that is not significant.

If that invitation is important – and it is - , it means the People of the Book did not respond to that invitation and did not become Muslims. If it is said that they will enter Paradise in that case, it is necessary to admit that the invitation is an insignificant invitation, that it is not necessary to accept it, and that Allah ordered it for no reason – God forbid -. “If they follow the invitation, it will be nice, but if they don't, it doesn't matter.” That meaning arises in that case.

Without accepting that premise, it cannot be accepted that the People of the Book will go to Paradise. If anyone accepts it as, we will address him as follows:

O heedless person! Allah is wise; He does not do any deeds in vain, nor does He command casually. If Allah had been pleased with them and had not wanted them to be Muslims, He would not have ordered the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to invite them to Islam with tens of His verses. Their salvation is possible only by accepting that invitation. Those who accept the invitation will achieve salvation, and those who refuse the invitation will stay in Hell forever.

9. Under what conditions can Jews and Christians be rewarded?

Our ninth proof is as follows:

The 199th verse of the Surah Aal-i Imran starts as follows: "And there are, certainly, among the people of the Scripture.” The following is stated at the end of the verse: “Those people will have their rewards with their Lord.” It is stated that those people from the People of the Book will receive the reward.

And what are the attributes of the People of the Book who will be rewarded? What deed did Allah want them to do?

 Let us find out the answer to our question by looking at the verse:

وَاِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَمَنْ  And there are, certainly, among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians)  يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ  those who believe in Allah وَمَا أُنْزِلَ اِلَيْكُمْ and what has been sent down to you - in other words, they believe in the Quran -  وَمَا أُنْزِلَ اِلَيْهِمْ  and what has been sent down to them - that is, they believe in the Torah and the Gospel -  خَاشِعِينَ لِلَّهِ  being submissive to Allah; لاَ يَشْتَرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلاً  they do not trade the signs of Allah for a little price. أُولئِكَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ  Those have their reward in the Providence of their Lord. Allah is Swift in account. (Surah Aal-i Imran, 3/199)

In the verse, Allah mentions 5 attributes of the People of the Book that He will reward. They are as follows:

1. Believing in Allah.

2. Believing in the Quran. That is, becoming Muslims.

3. To believe in the Torah and the Gospel.

4. Being submissive to Allah

5. Not trading the signs of Allah for a little price

The People of the Book can attain the reward of Allah based on those five conditions.

Let us talk about our issue, the second condition.

Second Condition: Believing in the Quran. That is, becoming Muslims. Do the People of the Book believe in the Quran? No, they don't. In that case, they have not fulfilled the requirement for their reward. If the conditions are not met, the main clause will not be realized. Then, there can be no mention of a reward for them. In order to be rewarded, they must believe in the Quran. If it does not happen, the only thing they will see in the hereafter is punishment.

The following can be stated: They meet other conditions. They believe both in Allah and their own scriptures. Some of them are submissive to Allah and they do not trade the signs of Allah for a little price. Is fulfilling those conditions not enough for reward?

Our answer to that question is as follows:

If those conditions were sufficient and there was no condition for them to believe in the Quran, the conditions necessary for the reward would include the addition of a condition that is unnecessary. In other words, the condition of believing in the Quran, which has no effect on reward, would be added to the conditions necessary for reward. However, in terms of eloquence, it is not permissible to add an unnecessary condition to a condition that will produce the result alone. The Quran has been sent down with eloquence. It proves that belief in the Quran is not an unnecessary condition, it is a prerequisite.

10. Threat against Jews and Christians

Our tenth proof is the 47th verse of the Surah an-Nisa. The following is stated in the verse:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ  O you who have been given the Scripture! - Jews and Christians- آمِنُوا بِمَا نَزَّلْنَا  believe in what We have sent down –that is Quran-   مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا مَعَكُمْ confirming that which is with you –Gospel and the Torah- مِنْ قَبْلِ أَنْ نَطْمِسَ وُجُوهًا فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهَا  before We obliterate faces and turn them toward their backs أَوْ نَلْعَنَهُمْ كَمَا لَعَنَّا أَصْحَابَ السَّبْتِ  or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers (of old time). The commandment of Allah is always executed.  (Surah an-Nisa, 4/47)

Allah invites the People of the Book to believe in that verse and says,

“O People of the Book! Believe in the Quran I have sent down. The Quran confirms your all books. That is, the Torah and the Gospel are the book of Allah.”

Allah Almighty threatens them after that invitation and says,

“Believe in what We have sent down before We obliterate faces and turn them toward their backs or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers (of old time).”

The Sabbath-breakers are the people of David. They were prohibited from fishing on Saturday. They broke that ban and continued fishing. Allah turned them into apes. That story is told in the Surah of al-A’raf. Allah has threatened the People of the book, who do not believe in the Quran, with a curse just as He has cursed Sabbath-breakers. He also threatened to flatten their faces like the foot of the camel and to turn their heads upside down. Those threats prove that the People of the Book are responsible for belief in the Quran. If it had been enough for them to follow their own religion only, they would not have been invited to believe in the Quran, and they would not have been threatened.

The following question may come to mind:

- Allah threatened them, but He did not fulfill the threat. What is the reason for it?

Scholars have answered that question in several aspects:

The first answer: That threat would have been fulfilled if none of them had believed. Since some, such as Abdullah Ibn Salam, believed, the condition was broken and the threat was not fulfilled.

The second answer is: That threat is still valid and will be fulfilled before Doomsday strikes.

The third answer: That threat will be fulfilled on the Day of Judgment. Allah (swt) will flatten their faces and curse them on that day.

Other answers have also been given. Since it is not our topic, those three answers are enough for now.

Let us gather and complete the proof once again:

Allah Almighty invited the People of the Book to believe in the Quran and threatened them to flatten their faces and curse them if they do not believe in it. That invitation and threat prove that belief in the Quran is a must for the People of the Book. If belief in the Quran were only a virtue for them, they would not have been threatened with damnation. The curse of Allah means a servant’s being completely deprived of Allah’s mercy. Since the People of the Book who do not believe in the Quran and Islam have been subjected to that curse, Paradise is unthinkable for them. Paradise is the place of only those who attain the mercy of Allah.

11. Whoever denies a single prophet becomes an unbeliever

Our eleventh proof is the 150th verse of the Surah an-Nisa. The following is stated in the verse: 

إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَكْفُرُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ Surely those who deny Allah and His messengers وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ  and wish to make a distinction between Allah and His messengers  وَيقُولُونَ نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ   saying, “We believe in some and disbelieve in others,”   وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَتَّخِذُوا بَيْنَ ذلِكَ سَبِيلاً   desiring to forge a compromise   أُولئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ حَقًّا they are indeed the true disbelievers. وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُهِينًا And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.  (Surah an-Nisa, 4/150-151)

In the verse, Allah says about the two groups, "They are the true disbelievers." He states that He prepared for them a humiliating punishment. The first of those two groups are those who deny Allah and His prophets. They are atheists. Those disbelievers are already known ...

The disbelievers in the second group believe in Allah. They also believe in prophets. What makes them disbelievers is to try to discriminate between Allah and some of the prophets, and to deny some of the prophets. As it is clearly stated in the verse, if a person denies a single prophet, he/she becomes an unbeliever.

Jews deny both Jesus and Muhammad (pbuh). They discriminate between those two prophets and Allah. Christians accept Moses but they deny Muhammad (pbuh). They also discriminate between our Prophet (pbuh) and Allah. The Jews and the Christians state the following in the tongue of disposition: "We believe in some of the prophets, and we deny some of them." Let us see once again what Allah states about them:

يُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يُفَرِّقُوا بَيْنَ اللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِ  Those who wish to make a distinction between Allah and His messengers - That is, those who disbelieve a prophet and discriminate between him and Allah - وَيقُولُونَ نُؤْمِنُ بِبَعْضٍ وَنَكْفُرُ بِبَعْضٍ   the ones who say “We believe in some and disbelieve in others,” –that is, those who say "We believe in the Prophet Moses, but we deny the Prophet Jesus" is an example or those who say, "We believe in the Prophet Jesus, but we deny the Prophet Muhammad.”-   وَيُرِيدُونَ أَنْ يَتَّخِذُوا بَيْنَ ذلِكَ سَبِيلاً  and seek to choose a way in between – between disbelief and faith-; أُولئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ حَقًّا they are indeed the true disbelievers. وَأَعْتَدْنَا لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُهِينًا And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.  (Surah an-Nisa, 4/150-151)

What did Allah say about the Jews and Christians? He said,

“They are indeed the true disbelievers. And We have prepared for the disbelievers a humiliating punishment.”

That is what Allah says. He says that the thing they do is to discriminate between Allah and His messengers, to believe in some of the prophets and to deny some of them. He declares that they are unbelievers. 

Then, someone says, "The people of the Book will enter Paradise... “

Do you not fear from Allah Almighty? Do you not have mind or reasoning? How can you slander Allah and the Quran? How can you not see such clear verses?

You see and you know the truth but what you want is something different. You do not want improvement but disorder. May Allah give this ummah knowledge of the Quran so that they will not believe in devils like you.

12. If the people of the book were People of Paradise, would it be forbidden for us to make friends with them?

Our twelfth proof is the 51st verse of the Surah al-Ma’idah. The following is stated in the verse:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا  O believers!  لاَ تَتَّخِذُوا الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى أَوْلِيَاء  Do not make the Jews and the Christians your friends;  بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ    they are friends of one another. وَمَنْ يَتَوَلَّهُمْ مِنْكُمْ فَاِنَّهُ مِنْهُمْ  and whoever among you befriends them, is one of them; indeed Allah does not guide the unjust. (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5/51)

Making Jews and Christians friends is prohibited by the decree of that verse. Allah says, "Do not make them friends" and threatens us as follows: If you make them friends, you are one of them.

Now our question is:

- If Jews and Christians were to enter heaven, would that threat make any sense?

If they were to enter Paradise, it would be a blessing to be one of them. However, in the verse, Allah says, "Do not be one of them". So, they are not valuable servants in the sight of Allah. And their destination is not Paradise...

Let us declare the following point:

At the end of the aforementioned verse,  إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ  Indeed Allah does not guide the unjust. (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 5/51) is stated. The “unjust” mentioned in the verse are the ones who make Jews and Christians friends.

We want to ask the following:

- If those who make them friends are cruel, not Jews and Christians are crueler?

- How is it possible for such wrongdoers to enter Paradise?

- Will heaven ever accept them?

Let us look at the issue from the following point of view:

1. Allah forbids us to make friends with them in the verse above and some other verses.

2. Allah commands us to fight them in verse 29 of the Surah at-Tawbah.

3. By the judgment of many verses, Allah forbids us from being like them.

Now, those who say "People of the Book will enter Paradise" should answer the following questions:

1. If they are to enter Paradise, why does Allah forbid us to take them as friends? How can it be forbidden to make friends with and love the people of Paradise?

2. If they are to enter Paradise, why does Allah command us to fight them? The people of Paradise are the special servants of Allah. Is it ever possible to fight them?

3. If they are to enter Paradise, why does Allah forbid us to be like them? Is there anything better than being like the people of Paradise and imitating their deeds?

The result of all those analyses are as follows:

Jews and Christians cannot enter Paradise or even smell heaven unless they convert to Islam.

13. Those who do not have faith can never enter Paradise.

Our thirteenth proof is the 65th verse of the Surah al-Ma’idah. The following is stated in the verse:

وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا  Had the People of the Book only been faithful and mindful of Allah لَكَفَّرْنَا عَنْهُمْ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ   We would have certainly absolved them of their sins  وَلأَدْخَلْنَاهُمْ جَنَّاتِ النَّعِيمِ  and admitted them into the Gardens of Bliss.  (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5/65)

In the verse, our Lord says: “Had the People of the Book only been faithful...” That statement proves that the People of the Book are not faithful. If they had believed, Allah would not have made that statement about them. His statement like that proves that the People of the Book have no acceptable faith in the sight of Allah. There is no doubt that a person who has no faith cannot enter Paradise...

Our Lord also states the following in the verse: “Had the People of the Book only been mindful of Allah...” That statement proves that the People of the Book have no taqwa. For, if they had taqwa (piousness, fear of Allah), Allah would not make that statement about them. His statement proves that the People of the Book have no taqwa in the sight of Allah.

However, as the following verse states, Paradise has been prepared for those who have taqwa:  أُعِدَّتْ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ  Heavens are prepared for those who mindful of Allah. (Surah Aal-i Imran, 3/133)

The first rank of taqwa: Avoiding unbelief and shirk (polytheism). That is, avoiding words and deeds that may contain unbelief and shirk. People of the Book have failed in the first rank of taqwa. In that case, they will not be able to enter Paradise. For, only those who have taqwa, at least those who have achieved the first rank of taqwa, will be able to enter Paradise.

Briefly: The key to Paradise is faith and taqwa. With the statement of the aforementioned verse, the People of the Book are deprived of those two keys. It proves that the People of the Book will never enter Paradise unless they repent to Allah and convert to Islam, that is, unless they believe properly and achieve the first rank of taqwa, they will not be able to enter heaven.... 

14. Unless the People of the Book accept the Quran, they are not on the right path.

Our fourteenth proof is the 68th verse of the Surah al-Ma’idah. The following is stated in the verse:

قُلْ   Say: يَا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ  "O People of the Book! لَسْتُمْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ  You have nothing to stand on - In other words, you are not on the right path; You have nothing to do with the truth.-   حَتَّىَ تُقِيمُوا التَّوْرَاةَ وَالإِنجِيلَ unless you observe the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord – unless you act according to them.-  وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ  And your Lord’s revelation (Quran) to you –if you don’t act according to Lord’s revelation.- (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5/68)

In the verse, it is declared that the People of the Book are not on the right path unless they do three things. They are as follows:

1. To act according to the Torah.
2. To act according to the Gospel.
3. To act in accordance with the Quran.

Unless they do those three things, they are not on the right path. That is the clear statement of the verse.

Now our question is as follows:

- Do People of the Book act in accordance with the Quran?
- Do they accept the Quran as true?

No, they neither accept it nor act based on it. In that case, as the verse states, they are not on the true path. How will those who are not on the true path get into Paradise?

Allah also asked them to act according to the Torah and the Gospel. What is meant by acting according to the Torah and the Gospel in the verse is not that they will act according to the judgements of the Quran and their own books after becoming a Muslim. The Quran abrogates the judgments of those books. Therefore, after they become Muslims, they will not act according to the judgements of their own books.

What is meant by the command of the verse to act according to the Torah and the Gospel is as follows:

The glad tiding that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) will come is mentioned in those books. The Torah and the Gospel command people to believe in the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Let us state it again:

To act according to the Torah and the Gospel means believing in the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It does not mean that they will act based on their own books after becoming Muslims.

Now, let us have a look at the current state of the People of the Book:

1. Jews do not act according to the Torah. Although the Torah commands them to believe in the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), they do not believe. Let alone believing, they tried to remove the verses that informed people of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from their books. That action of theirs is mentioned in many verses of the Quran.

2. Christians do not act based on the Gospel. Although the Gospel commands them to believe in the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), they do not believe in him either. They also tried to remove the verses that informed about the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from the Gospel. That action of theirs is mentioned in the Quran too.

3. Both Jews and Christians do not act in accordance with the Quran. Let alone acting, they do not even accept the holy Quran.

Allah (swt) says,

“O People of the Book! You have nothing to stand on unless you observe the Torah, the Gospel, and what has been revealed to you from your Lord.” (Surah al-Ma’idah, 5/68)

Allah says so and declares that they are not on the right path. Then a so-called theologian says: “The People of the Book are going to enter heaven ...”

Are you the owner of heaven? The owner of heaven says that unless they do those three things, they are not on the right path. And I will not let the one who is not on the right path into my Paradise. That is what the owner of heaven says, but our so-called theologian says, - We do not know with whom he ingratiates himself - “they will enter Paradise.”

15. Can those who associate partners with Allah enter Paradise?

Our fifteenth proof is the 30th verse of the Surah at-Tawbah. The following is stated in the verse:

وَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّهِ  The Jews say, “Ezra is the son of Allah,”   وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَى الْمَسِيحُ ابْنُ اللَّهِ  while the Christians say, “The Messiah is the son of Allah.” ذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُمْ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ  Such are their baseless assertions, يُضَاهِؤُونَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ قَبْلُ  only parroting the words of earlier disbelievers..  قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ  May Allah condemn them! How can they be deluded from the truth? (Surah at-Tawbah, 9/30)

The verse explains the beliefs of Jews and Christians. Jews believe that (Uzayr) Ezra and Christians believe that Jesus is the son of Allah. In other words, they associate Allah's prophets as partners with Allah. It is called "committing shirk (polytheism)".

In that case, we will try to find an answer to the following question:

Can those who associate partners with Allah enter Paradise?

The Quran will answer it: The following is stated in verse 72 of the Surah of al-Ma’idah:

مَنْ يُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ  Whoever associates others with Allah in worship فَقَدْ حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ الْجَنَّةَ  will surely be forbidden Paradise by Allah. وَمَأْوٰيهُ النَّارُ Their home will be the Fire. (Surah of al-Ma’idah, 5/72)

In the verse 48 of the Surah an-Nisa, the following is stated:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ   Indeed, Allah does not forgive associating others with Him. (Surah an-Nisa, 4/48)

There are tens of other verses like them. In order to keep the topic short, we do not include all of them.

Now let us find the answers to the following questions based on the verses:

1. Has Allah forbidden His Paradise to those who associate partners with Him? Yes. Our evidence is the 72nd verse of the Surah al-Ma’idah.

2. Has Allah declared that He will never forgive those who associate partners with Him? Yes. Our evidence is the 48th verse of the Surah an-Nisa.

3. Do the Jews and the Christians associate partners with Allah? Yes, they do. The Jews associate Ezra and the Christians associate Jesus with Allah. Our evidence is the 30th verse of the Surah at-Tawbah.

4. Has Allah cursed Jews and Christians? Yes. Allah curses them saying قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ “May Allah condemn them!” at the end of the verse.

Then, do those who say, "Jews and Christians will enter heaven" not slander the Quran and Allah?  The Quran says, "They are polytheists." Allah says, "I will never forgive the polytheists; I will not let them into my Paradise. Their home is fire; I damn them." Then a so-called theologian who is actually impertinent says, "The People of the Book will enter heaven."

So far, we have proved with verses that the People of the Book are the people of Hell and have shown many proofs. There is much more evidence we can show. However, after all those proofs, we do not show any other verses as proof, thinking that showing more may bore you.

Answers to the claims of those who say, “The People of the Book will enter Paradise.”

1. Explanation of the verse "Those to whom We have given the Book follow it as it ought to be followed.“ (Surah al-Baqarah)

There are some statements of those who say that the People of the Book will enter Paradise.

Their first statement is as follows: They say,

“The following is stated in the 121st verse of the Surah al-Baqarah: ‘Those to whom We have given the Book follow it as it ought to be followed.’ In the verse, it is stated that the People of the Book follow their own books properly. Allah praises them, saying that they follow their books properly. Those whom Allah praises must surely be People of Paradise."

They talk nonsensically. We answer them as follows:

You really do not understand the Quran at all. By Allah, the Quran is in one valley, you are in another valley.  There is a distance as far as the earth and the sky between you and the Quran. Where in the verse is it stated that the People of the Book will enter Paradise? What you do is a falsification of the verse. Now let us make a correct explanation of the abovementioned verse. Let us make it clear once again to see how perverted and ignorant you are.

The following is stated in the verse: "Those to whom We have given the Book follow it as it ought to be followed."

"Who are those who are given books?" There are 4 different explanations of it.

According to Imam Nasafi, Fakhr ar-Razi and Imam Alusi, those who were given the Book are the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). In that case, the book means the Quran. Then, the meaning of the verse is as follows: The Companions, to whom we gave the Quran as a book, follow the Quran properly.

What is meant to follow the Quran properly is to read it with awe, to think about its meaning, to accept what is halal in it as halal and what is haram as haram and to accept all its decrees.

That is the First opinion on the explanation of the verse.

The second view is the second explanation of Imam Nasafi and Imam Alusi. They state the following: What is meant by “Those to whom We have given the Book" are the people like Abdullah Ibn Salam, who converted to Islam when he was a Judaist. In that case, the book in the verse is "the Torah". Then, the meaning of the verse is as follows:

"Those to whom we have given the Torah - that is, Abdullah Ibn Salam and the people like him - follow the Torah properly."

What is meant by following the Torah properly is as follows:

The Torah informs people about the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and orders people to believe in him. So, by following the Torah properly, those people recognized the signs of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and believed in him....

That is the second opinion on the explanation of the verse.

The third view is the third explanation of Imam Nasafi and Imam Alusi. Those imams state the following as the third explanation:

They are 40 people who converted to Islam from Christianity. 32 of them are from Yemen and 8 are from Damascus. They came from Abyssinia with Jafar Ibn Abi Talib.

According to that explanation, the book in this verse is the "Gospel". The meaning of the verse is as follows:

“Those to whom we have given the Gospel, that is, the abovementioned forty people, follow the Gospel properly.”

What is meant by reading the Gospel properly is as follows: 

The Gospel informs people about the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and commands people to believe in him. By following the Gospel properly, those people recognized the signs of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and believed in him. That is the third opinion on the explanation of the verse.

The fourth view is the explanation of Ibn Qisa. According to his explanation, what is meant by "Those who are given the Book" are the prophets. In that case, the book in the verse is a common noun and includes the books given to all the prophets. So, the meaning of the verse is as follows:

"The prophets to whom we have given the book follow it properly.”

We have made four different explanations for the verse. Now we ask: 

- What has the verse got to do with the People of the Book entering Paradise?

It has nothing to do with it. However, those mischief-makers easily deceive those who do not know the Quran. They show unrelated verses and lead those who have no knowledge of the Quran astray. May Allah protect the Ummah of Muhammad (pbuh) from their evil. May Allah, the Almighty, give the Ummah of Muhammad the ability to understand the Quran and the sagacity to know the mischief of mischief-makers. Amin…

2. Who is the righteous ummah among the People of the Book?

We will answer the second statement of those who say that the People of the Book will enter Paradise.

They say,

“The following is stated in verse 113 of the Surah Aal-i Imran:

‘There are some among the People of the Book who are upright, who recite Allah’s revelations throughout the night, prostrating in prayer.’

In the verse, it is stated that a group from the People of the Book are upright and they are praised for reciting Allah's verses in prostration at night. Allah praises that community from the People of the Book. Those whom Allah praises must surely be people of Paradise. It proves that Jews and Christians who practice their religion properly will enter Paradise....” 

What they say is false. As we always say, they do not know and they do not ask anyone who knows. They do not understand the Quran and do not read the works of those who understand it. They both go astray and lead people astray.

Let us explain the aforementioned verse now. Let us see who is mentioned in the verse:

Ibn Ishaq, Imam Tabarani and Imam Bayhaqi report that Ibn Abbas said the following about the verse:

“When some Jews, such as Abdullah Ibn Salam, Thalaba Ibn Sa'ya, Usayd Ibn Sa'ya, Asayd Ibn Ubayd, believed and converted to Islam, Jewish scholars said,

‘Only the worst of us believed in and followed Muhammad. If they were one of our good people, they would not have abandoned their fathers’ religion and converted to another religion."  

“After they said so, Allah sent down that verse to declare the virtue of those Muslims.” (Suyuti and Qurtubi tafsirs)

"There are some among the People of the Book who are upright." By that expression in the verse, those people, who were formerly Jews and later converted to Islam, were meant.

Well, who makes that explanation? Ibn Abbas, who was one of the greatest tafsir scholars among the Companions and who said, "If I lose my camel's bridle, I will find it in the Quran", does. In order to understand a verse correctly, it is necessary to know the reason why that verse sent down. If a verse is interpreted without knowing the reason, it will be misunderstood.

That verse was sent down about people who converted to Islam while they were Jews before; Allah praised both them and those who were Muslims like them. The verse has nothing to do with those who insist on Judaism and Christianity. And no scholars and commentators have explained the verse like those mischief-makers until now.

Now we say to those mischief-makers who explain the verse according to their own thoughts: Let us suppose that you do not accept the word of any scholar and you are more knowledgeable than all of them. How will you explain the verses that we showed before, stating that the People of the Book will enter Hell since you explain the verse according to your own thoughts? Come on, explain it... Or are you going to turn a blind eye to those verses? Or will you remove them from the Quran? How will you explain so many verses? Tell us so that we can know.

3. There are two kinds of ignorance

We will answer the third statement of those who say that the People of the Book will enter Paradise.

The following is stated in verse 62 of the Surah al-Baqara:

“Verily! Those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day and do righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.”

They say that verse is a proof that Jews and Christians will enter heaven ...

We say to them first of all: There are two kinds of ignorance.

1. Simple ignorance: Those in this group do not know, but they know that they do not know. It is easy to correct them.

2. Complex ignorance: They are those who do not know and who do not know that they do not know. They think they know. It is very difficult to correct them.

Those who use the aforementioned verse as evidence that the People of the Book will enter Paradise are in the pit of complex ignorance. They do not know, and they do not know that they do not know, either. It is very difficult to correct them. We will make the correct explanation of the verse now, not in order to correct them, but for those who are poisoned by their statements. Thus, it will be revealed how they are in ignorance and are unable to understand what they read...

The verse mentions 4 groups: The Believers, Jews, Christians, Sabiun.

According to one view, Sabiun are those who worship the stars, and according to another view, they are the ones who worship angels. Now let us analyze each group one by one in order to understand the verse more easily. Let us leave the "believers" mentioned at the beginning to the end and start with the Jews...

Allah says about the Jews,

"Whoever among the Jews believes in Allah and the Judgement Day and does righteous deeds, their reward is surely secure with their Lord." (Surah al-Baqara, 3/62)

What do you understand from that statement? Let us shorten the sentence so that we can analyze it easily: Whoever believes among the Jews ...

Is it not clear from that sentence that the Jews have no acceptable faith in the sight of Allah? If they had an acceptable faith, Allah would not have said, "Whoever believes among the Jews..." Indeed, a believer will not be asked to believe again. That would mean to want them to achieve an attribute that have already achieved, which is not permissible and possible.

In that case, it is understood that the belief of the Jews is not acceptable and that they are in disbelief. Then, the meaning of the verse is as follows:

 “Who among the Jews believes in Allah as the Quran states in the hereafter as described by the Quran and does the righteous deeds stated by the Quran, in other words, if they become believers, they will have a reward from Allah."

That is the meaning of the verse. The verse does not prove that the existing Jews will enter Paradise but that they are unbelievers. And their entering Paradise is dependent on true faith and righteous deeds as described by the Quran.

Let us do the same analysis about Christians now. Allah says about Christians,

"Whoever among the Christians believes in Allah and the Judgement Day and does righteous deeds, their reward is surely secure with their Lord."

Let us shorten the sentence so that we can analyze it easily: Whoever believes among Christians...

Is it not clear from that sentence that the Christians have no acceptable faith in the sight of Allah? If they had an acceptable faith, Allah would not have said, "Whoever believes among the Christians..." Indeed, a believer will not be asked to believe again. That would mean to want them to achieve an attribute that they have already achieved, which is not permissible and possible.

In that case, it is understood that the belief of the Christians is not acceptable and that they are in disbelief. Then, the meaning of the verse is as follows:

 “Who among the Christians believes in Allah as the Quran states, believes in the hereafter as described by the Quran and does the righteous deeds stated by the Quran, in other words, if they become believers, they will have a reward from Allah. "

That is the meaning of the verse. The verse does not prove that the existing Christians will enter Paradise but that they are unbelievers. And their entering Paradise is dependent on true faith and righteous deeds as described by the Quran.

You can do the same analysis about Sabiun. In order to keep the topic short, we will not do that analysis ...

The following question may come to mind:

"Those who believe" is mentioned at the beginning of the verse. According to our analysis, the meaning of the verse is as follows:

“Whoever among the Believers believes in Allah and the Judgement Day and does righteous deeds…”

Let us shorten the sentence so that we can think it easily: Whoever believes among the Believers...

In that case, believers are asked to believe again. If an achieved attribute is impossible to achieve again, how will the confusion here be settled?

The commentators made different explanations as to who is meant by the phrase "believers" in the verse.

Sufyan ath-Thawri states that the people that are meant by believers in the verse are munafiqs and adds the following:

At the very beginning of this Surah, Allah Almighty describes the path of the munafiqs; then, He describes the path of the Jews. The sequence is the same in that verse. What is meant by the expression "Believers" in the verse is munafiqs. Allah describes them like that because they declare their faith just with their tongues.

Accordingly, the meaning of the verse is as follows:

“Whoever repents among the munafiqs who declare their faith with their tongues, believes in Allah and the Hereafter truly and does good deeds, they will have rewards with their Lord. "

The second view on the verse is the view of Ibn Abbas, one of the Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

According to the view of Ibn Abbas, the people meant by the word the "believers" in the verse are those who lived their religion firmly and truly, believed in Jesus, and who were free from the wrong beliefs of Judaism and Christianity before the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was sent as a messenger. They were people who believed in Jesus truly. For example, Quss b. Saida, the monk Bahira, Habibun-Najjar, Waraqah ibn Nawfal, Salman the Persian, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, and those in the delegation of Negus…

The third view on the verse is the view of Kalam scholars. They say,

“The phrase "believers" at the beginning of the verse refers to those who believed in the past. The people meant by the following phrase "whoever believes" are those who will believe in the future. The addressees of the words are different.”

There are other explanations regarding the expression "believers" in the verse. We will not report all of them so as not to bore you. The bottom line is that the verse has nothing to do with the People of the Book’s entering Paradise. On the contrary, the verse proves that their current belief is not acceptable in the sight of Allah, and that their salvation is possible only by believing in Allah and the hereafter as described in the Quran and by doing the righteous deeds described by the Quran.

Praise be to our Lord since He enabled us to write an issue of faith in a verified manner, and He employed us in that service. May my Lord make it atonement for the sins of those who contributed to that service and those who sincerely read and try to spread those answers. May He make us constant and determined in the service of faith. May He make us His servant and members of the ummah of His beloved Prophet. Amin. Amin. Amin…

Hz. Sulaiman (pbuh) was a magnificent and majestic prophet. His kingdom included the whole land of Palestine and Jordan and some part of Syria. Among the works of Hz. Sulayman, the most important buildings were the ones that he built to defend his country. The bulwarks built in the important places for the dispatch of soldiers were important. 

The most important work of Hz. Sulayman was the Temple he built on Mount Zion.  During the era of his father, Hz. Dawud, (David) (pbuh), there was only a tent there; and the Ark of the Testimony was put in it. Today, only one part of the foundations of Sulayman's Temple exists. The wall called the Wailing Wall is that part of the foundations of the Temple. (Osman CİLACI, Şamil Islam Ansiklopedisi)

The Children of Israel were punished by God Almighty like many other nations in history because they did not appreciate the bounties given to them. It is not easy for an understanding that showed ingratitude toward the quail and manna sent down to them directly to appreciate bounties from trees. In fact, ingratitude is valid not only for the Children of Israel but for all human beings, that is, for all of us.

As it is stated in the Quran, the Children of Israel rebelled against God Almighty; they unjustly killed the prophets that were sent to them and that wanted nothing but good things for them. Invasions, massacres and exiles started as punishment. The palaces and temples that had been built for a lot of money were plundered and burnt down. After the invasion, they cooperated with the invaders against the religion. When they tried to assassinate Jesus, the two thousand-year exile started.

It is reported that the last temple demolished by the Romans had been built by the rich except one wall built by the poor. The Romans left only one wall when they demolished the Temple probably to show what they had demolished; and that wall turned out to be wall built by the poor: the Wailing Wall, the famous wall that remained as a dump of the Christians up to the era of Ottoman Sultan Selim I. (Hasan GÜNEŞ)

The History of the Wailing Wall According to the Old Testament:

When Pharaoh and his army was drowned in the Red Sea and could not follow Moses and the Jews, Moses took the Jews to Sinai. There, on the Mount Sinai, Moses was given the Torah and the Ten Commandments. The Jews wandered in the Sinai Desert for forty years. After Moses, Joshua took them to Palestine.  (Exodus, Chapters VII-XL; Joshua, Chapter I-XXIV) After the era of Judges and Kings in Palestine, King David (1013-973 B.C.) conquered Jerusalem and the brightest era of Jews started. (see II. Samuel, chapters V-IX) His son, King Shelomo (Hz. Sulayman, 973-933 B.C.) built the Holy Temple on the place prepared by his father. The Arc of Testimony, which contained the Ten Commandments and which was kept in a tent up to that time, was placed in a room in the Temple.  (see I. Kings, Chapters V-IX.)

After the death of Hz. Sulayman, the kingdom was divided into two as Judah in the south and Israel in the north. (I. Kings, Chapters XI-XII., etc) Ten tribes became subject to the Kingdom of Israel and two tribes to the Kingdom of Judah. First, the Kingdom of Israel was demolished by Assyrians in 721 B.C.  Then, the Kingdom of Judah was demolished by Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Temple was destroyed and the Jews were deported to Babylonia. In the exile, the Jewish people gathered under Ezra and returned to Jerusalem in 538 B.C. The Temple was repaired after 520 B.C. (see Daniel, Ezra, Ester).

The holy book of Jews, the Torah, gives information about both the previous and later    prophets. Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah were sent during the period of Babylonia Exile. Malachi is the prophet before Elijah-Messiah. 

According to Jewish history, Jerusalem was conquered by Antigonids and Seleucids after Alexander. The Temple was plundered in 168 B.C.. Maccabees established sovereignty but the period of Roman hegemony that started in 63 B.C. ended in 70 A.D. when the Roman commander Titus destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. The Jews scattered all over the world. The Western Wall (Wailing Wall), which remained from the Temple, has kept their national and religious consciousness alive for centuries. The hope given by the Messianic faith has maintained the existence of this consciousness. (Şamil İslam Ans.)

The principles of belief conveyed by all of the prophets from Hz. Adam (pbuh) to Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) are the same. This is a common property of all of the heavenly religions conveyed by the prophets. No prophet changed these principles of belief or added anything to them. 

Hz. Muhammed (pbuh), the last prophet, called his ummah to believe in the same principle of belief as Hz. Adam (pbuh), the first prophet, called his ummah.

There are no differences among heavenly religions in terms of the principles of belief; similarly, there are no differences in terms of worshipping, especially basic types of worshipping. Prayer (salah), which is regarded as the pillar of the religion, is a kind of worshipping that was rendered fard for all prophets and their ummahs. The only difference is related to the times and rak'ahs of the prayers. Five daily prayers, which are equal to fifty daily prayers in terms of reward, were rendered fard for our ummah.

It is stated in the Quran that the previous ummahs were ordered to perform prayers. For instance, it is stated in a verse that Hz. Ibrahim (pbuh) performed prayers and wanted his offspring to continue performing prayers as follows:

"O my Lord! Make me one who establishes regular Prayer, and also (raise such) among my offspring O our Lord! And accept Thou my Prayer."1

Hz. Musa (pbuh) was also ordered to pray. It is stated in verse 12 of the chapter of al-Maida that God took a covenant from the Children of Israel that they would definitely perform prayers.  

Hz. Shuayb (pbuh) also performed prayers a lot. People even wanted to insult him because of this. It is stated as follows in the Quran:

"They said: 'Oh Shuayb! Does thy (religion of) prayer command thee that we leave off the worship which our fathers practised or that we leave off doing what we like with our property?'"2

It is also stated in the Quran that Hz. Ishaq, Hz. Yaqub, Hz. Zakariyya and Hz. Isa (peace be upon them) performed prayers.

On the other hand, fasting and zakah are not types of worshipping peculiar to the ummah of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) only. As a matter of fact, it is stated in the Quran that these kinds of worshipping are rendered fard for the other ummahs, too. For instance, the following is stated in verse 183 of the chapter of al-Baqara: 

"O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you that ye may (learn) self-restraint."

Yes, prayers, fasting, zakah (alms) and many other kinds of worshipping existed in the shari'ahs of the other prophets, too. However, in the course of time, Jews and Christians abandoned or changed these kinds of worshipping.

Footnotes:

1. Ibrahim, 14/40.

2. Hud, 11/87.

Not all prophets are mentioned in the Bible and the Quran. The prophets and nations that Allah wanted to teach lessons by are mentioned in them. This made it necessary to mention revelations sent down in certain languages in certain regions.   

In the holy books that we have, the prophets in the region of Mesopotamia, which is regarded as the cradle of humanity are mentioned. Therefore, the revelations sent in the language of the nations living there became prominent.

- In fact, according to the information given by the Quran, every community was sent a prophet and every prophet received revelation in the language of his own tribe and conveyed it to his community:

“Verily We have sent thee in truth, as a bearer of glad tidings, and as a warner: and there never was a people, without a warner having lived among them (in the past).”(Fatır, 35/24) It is stated in the verse above that every region and every nation was sent a prophet. “We sent not a messenger except (to teach) in the language of his (own) people, in order to make (things) clear to them.” (Ibrahim, 14/4) It is stated in the verse above that every prophet received revelation in the language of his own people and conveyed it to his people.

- The reason why Islam is the last religion is obvious. All religions were sent in order to guide people and to inform people about what Allah wants from them. There was the first religion and it is natural that there will be the last religion. And that last religion was devised as Islam. If it were not Islam, the same question would be asked: “Why is this religion the last religion?”

- The religion of Islam has properties that can survive up to the Doomsday. For, the religion of Islam contains the basic principles of all of the revelations sent since the time of Hz. Adam. Allah taught people the principles of happiness in both the world and the hereafter through prophets since that day.  

Allah, who does everything based on wisdom, used the law of gradualism and evolution for the education of people. In the first stage, He sent pages to the people who were at the level of elementary school. When they reached the level of secondary education, He sent them the books like the Torah, the Gospel and the Psalms.

When the humanity reached the level of university, Allah, who is Wise, sent them the Quran, a unique, universal book.

The differences among these books are related to the abilities of their addressees. It is the necessity of the conciseness and wisdom, truth and justice of the Quran to be appropriate for the capacity of knowledge, manners and understanding of the people of all ages. 

To sum up,There is no need for any extra revelation because the Quran has everything to meet the needs of all people up to the Doomsday.

The way of learning when, where, to whom and under what conditions the promised land was promised is to look at the book of the One that promised it.

The only book that is known to belong to Allah and that reached us without any letter or word being changed is the Quran. Both Jews and Christians accept that the Torah and the Gospel contained in the Bible were revealed by Allah but they were not preserved in their original form, that they were changed, that some parts of them were lost and that some words of the prophets and others were included in them. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “When the People of the Book bring you some information, do not approve or deny it; say, ‘we believe in what Allah sent and we do not believe in what He did not send.’” Accordingly, it is necessary to compare the information and news in the books that the People of the Book have with the Quran and the Sunnah, and to accept and confirm the ones that are in accordance with the Quran and the Sunnah and to regard those that are not in accordance with them as having the possibility of being both true and wrong equally unless they are contrary to the Quran and the Sunnah.    

Let us deal with the issue of “the promised land”, which the Zionists always keep on the agenda and exploit, based on the method explained above. The issue is mentioned in both the Quran and the Old Testament (the Torah) in the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy:   

“Remember Moses said to his people: ‘O my people! Call in remembrance the favor of Allah unto you, when He produced prophets among you, made you kings, and gave you what He had not given to any other among the peoples. O my people! Enter the holy land which Allah hath assigned unto you, and turn not back ignominiously, for then will ye be overthrown, to your own ruin.’” (al-Maida: 5/20-21).

According to the two verses above, the promised land being recorded as homeland for Sons of Israel (this promise and determination of Allah) is not forever and it depends on some conditions. The evidence that it is not forever and that it is about the age when Hz. Musa (Moses) lives is the expression in verse 20:  Allah gave them a lot of boons; some of those boons had not been given to any individuals or communities in the world before; the holy land given to them as their homeland is among them. In the ages that followed, Allah gave other nations the boons that He did not give to Sons of Israel. 

Besides, this promise is based on a condition because for the realization of this promise, it was laid as a condition in verse 21 and in the verses following it that Sons of Israel would deserve it and that they would make sacrifices for it. Allah punished them and made them live in a narrow region for forty years by prohibiting them from entering that land because they did not fulfill that condition. Sons of Israel lived there afterwards as long as they deserved it in terms of having power and high ethics; when they did not deserve it, the same place became homeland for other communities.  

According to the information given in the book of Deuteronomy in the Torah, the promised land was not promised to Sons of Israel only; besides, it is not the land of today’s Palestine and Palestine in the past only. The promised land includes Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and part of Anatolia up to the basin of Euphrates. The communities that were promised this land were determined by the following sentences in Deuteronomy: “See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”

The last Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (pbuh) is a descendant of Hz. Ibrahim (Abraham) coming from his son, Ismail; thus, the Muslims, who are his ummah, have the right to own and settle in the holy land promised by Allah if they fulfill the conditions. This is a historical fact and this land was conquered by the Muslims during the caliphate of Hz. Umar and became part of the Islamic land.  

The Quran explains the ethical and legal conditions of having the right of owning and settling in a part of the earth, all of which belongs to Allah, as follows:

“(They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right,- (for no cause) except that they say, "our Lord is Allah". Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid his (cause);- for verily Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will). (They are) those who, if We establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong: with Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs.” (al-Hajj: 22/40-41).

Freedom of religion and conscience existed in the places where Muslims were dominant throughout history; churches and synagogues were open along with mosques; the name of Allah was mentioned and people conducted religious ceremonies and worshipped there. People were not oppressed because their religions, races, colors, hometowns and talents were different. People were given equal opportunities.  However, Zionists transformed racism into a religion. They regard themselves as special slaves of Allah and other people as cows to milk and slaves to use. They transgress and violate the material and spiritual values of the communities other than themselves and their existence by regarding all means as legitimate. They do not give others the right to live and worship in the promised land, where they settled through blood and tricks, and they turn a deaf ear to the agonies of the people that they expel. Allah will definitely not allow them to have the promised land as their homeland because the qualities of those who deserve to live there and to mention Allah are explained in both their books and the Quran, which is the criterion for the trueness of all books; Allah states the following in the Quran:

“Before this We wrote in the Psalms, after the Message (given to Moses): My servants the righteous, shall inherit the earth.” (al-Anbiya: 21/105).

One of the duties of Muslims is to convey the message of Islam. Every Muslim needs to convey the message of Islam as much as he knows about Islam. The person he conveys the message to can be a priest, a president or a worker. There is no limitation about it.  

When we fulfill the duty of conveying the message of Islam, we need to make preparations by taking the level of the knowledge of the person we will address. It will be more appropriate to do it with other Muslims that can complete our deficiencies. For, a person cannot know everything. 

We should know that our duty is conveying the message of Islam only. It is Allah who will give guidance to people. We need to do our duty. In that case, it does not matter whether the person we talk to becomes a Muslim or not; we will be regarded to have fulfilled our duty.

If the company you work for deals with halal works, it is permissible to work there.

If a Muslim serves an unbeliever, that is, if he serves that unbeliever himself, it is makruh tanzihi according to the reliable view. However, if he works in an unbeliever’s field, factory, in agriculture and business, it is not regarded makruh. (1).

Thus, it is not advisable for a Muslim to serve a non-Muslim himself but it is not haram. However, it is permissible to work in the workplace of a non-Muslim.

1-al-Fiqh 'alal-Madhahib al-Arbaa, Vol. 3, p. 125

It is permissible to attend such ceremonies if they do not include disobedience to Allah and insulting the religion of Islam. For, there is no intention of worshipping there. A person can go to a church and watch their rituals.

This courtesy, which you will show your friend, can make your friend’s heart warm to Islam and Muslims.

To sum up, if it is necessary, you can attend it only as an observer.

The following two verses in the chapter of Al-Mumtahina answer your question:

Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just.

Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong. (al-Mumtahina, 60/8, 9)

As for loving,

Yes, we pray for the people of other religions and beliefs to be guided and to become Muslims, but loving is another thing; love does not occur based on a command. Allah does not give such a command.

The verse regarding the issue is as follows:

“Allah sets forth, for an example to the Unbelievers, the wife of Noah and the wife of Lut: they were (respectively) under two of our righteous servants, but they were false (acted treacherously) to their (husbands), and they profited nothing before Allah on their account, but were told: ‘Enter ye the Fire along with (others) that enter!’” (at-Tahrim, 66/10)

The statement “they were false (acted treacherously)  to their husbands” in the verse indicate that Hz. Nuh (Noah) and Hz. Lut (Lot) did not know that their wives were unbelievers. For, the concept “treachery” shows that the bad deed was done secretly. (see Ibn Ashur, the interpretation of the verse in question)

It should not be forgotten that prophets do not know about ghayb unless Allah informs them. It is possible that those women were believers at first, deviated afterwards by obeying their souls and Satan and acted as hypocrites by hiding their denial.

Thus, they might have lived as believers in appearance though they were really unbelievers. As a matter of fact, the wife of Hz. Nuh is mentioned in the Torah when he left the ship after the deluge. (Ibn Ashur, ibid) This shows that she became a denier after the deluge because the unbelievers did not get on the ship; they were drowned.

The duty of the people is to act based on what is apparent even if they are prophets. Therefore, it is religiously permissible for those prophets to live with their wives, who were apparently believers.

- The Sumerians were a nation that lived in the geographical region in southern Iraq (Mesopotamia) between 3500 BC and 2000 BC, known as the cradle of civilization... Of the many different tribes living in Mesopotamia, the Sumerians were the first to stand out and lay the foundations for later civilizations. The Sumerians were the first prominent and well-known society in the fields of writing, language, medicine, astronomy, mathematics, religion, fortune telling, magic and mythology. “Creation” and “Flood” are first seen in the Sumerians.... (WIKIPEDIA).

- Although these explanations are not definite, it seems that religion played an important role in the Sumerians. It is known that religions first started in the Middle East

- Besides, since they existed even before the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) mentioned in the Quran, we cannot name any prophet other than Noah (Nuh) for the Sumerians. However, there were thousands of prophets who were not mentioned in the Quran.

Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır states the following in his tafsir of verses 1-3 of the chapter of Nuh:  

“We sent Noah to his People.” It is understood that Prophet Noah was sent to his people, not to all humankind because, among the prophets, being sent to all humankind is a characteristic of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Only Allah knows how many people and what tribes were on the earth at that time and where people lived on the earth. However, according to Alusi’s explanation, the people of Noah lived in the Arabian Peninsula and regions near it. It is well known that Noah lived in the land of Kufa, that is, in Iraq, and it was there that he was given the prophetic mission...” (Hak Dini Kur’an Dili)

The history and geography of the Prophet Noah and the history and geography of the Sumerians overlap.

According to some information, Noah’s name was Ziusudra in Sumerian. The epic of Ziusudra took place in approximately 2900 BC and was written on tablets in 2600 BC.

It does not seem possible to say anything definite about it today. New archaeological discoveries may shed light on this issue in the future.

Fornication is sexual intercourse out of wedlock.

The lexical meaning of fornication as “illegitimate sexual relationship” is not essentially different from its meaning in religious terminology.

However, definitions of fornication that are rather different from one another are seen due to the usage of this concept in literal or figurative meaning, holistic or technical outlook from the viewpoint of only penal law, efforts of including the elements of the crime in the definitions, including the deeds that lead to fornication in the scope of fornication or the usage of rather inexplicit expressions acting upon the fact that it is a concept known by everybody.  

Fornication, which is regarded as a major sin and crime by the other heavenly religions and by the shared culture of humanity, is also rendered haram and regarded as a major sin by Islam; Islam also imposed some worldly-penal sanctions for those who commit this crime.

The word fornication is mentioned in five places in the Quran:

- In one of them (al-Isra, 17/32), it is stated that one should not approach fornication and that it is a shameful deed and an evil, opening the road to other evils.

- In two of them (al-Furqan, 25/68; al-Mumtahina, 60/12), fornication is mentioned among major sins like polytheism and murder.

In the other two verses (an-Nur, 24/2-3), the woman and the man guilty of fornication are ordered to be flogged with a hundred stripes and it is emphasized that a person who commits fornication can marry only a person who commits fornication or a polytheist.

The word fahsha (plural fawahish) meaning “open obscenity” mentioned in the Quran is defined as the deeds that can be committed only by the people that follow Satan and that are condemned and forbidden clearly; it is used in the sense of fornication in several verses (an-Nisa, 4/15, 25; al-An‘am, 6/151; al-Ahzab, 33/30) or in a way that expresses fornication primarily. (al-Baqara, 2/169; an-Nahl, 16/90; an-Nur, 24/21; an-Naml, 27/54)

The decrees about qazf (accusation of fornication) and preserving good manners, modesty, honor and chastity in the Quran express from different viewpoints that fornication is among major sins.

There are a lot of hadith narrations stating that fornication is a major sin and a big crime and showing the practices of the Prophet (pbuh) regarding the issue.

Fornication in other religions

In all religions, from the most primitive one to the most advanced one, the definition of the concept fornication consists of similar elements. All of the intercourses carried out secretly apart from the ones approved by the community or accepted officially and attempts like rape have always been regarded as a crime and sin.

Although it is not seen very much in primitive communities, all kinds of illegitimate intercourses that caused the taboos to be violated were punished. This punishment took place in the form of both the legal norms of the community and religious beliefs.

Those who committed the crime of fornication were killed legally, excommunicated or some temporary signs were made on their bodies. For instance:

In the Wydot tribe of the North American Indians, the hair of the woman who committed fornication was cut very short or her left ear was torn off.

In the Bushmen of Africa, visible places of the bodies of the men and women who committed fornication were cauterized.

The result of the religious sanctions was to be damned by supernatural powers. It is regarded that this damnation caused diseases in the fornicators, impoverish them or killed them.  

The first data reached about fornication are seen in the cuneiform scripts of Mesopotamia. There are various decrees about fornication in the legal code of Ur Nammu and Eshnunna belonging to Sumerians and Hammurabi belonging to Babylonians.

If both parties condemned for the crime of fornication were married, they would be killed. They would be drowned in water, impaled or thrown from a high place.  

If the man claimed and proved that he did not know that the woman was married, he could get away with a slight punishment. Rape was also regarded as fornication.

The intercourse of the people who were not married was punished slightly.

Along with worldly penalties, they would inevitably be damned by gods.

In Roman law, the penalties for the crime of fornication underwent various phases from the early times to late times.

The deed of fornication mentioned as “adulterium” in Roman legal texts was punished by deprivation of certain rights.

When Konstantin accepted Christianity, the penalty for fornication was determined as death.

According to Zoroastrian texts, fornication is the biggest sin that hurt Ahura Mazda (Vendidad, 18:61-62) and it causes the generation to be spoiled. (Dadistani Dinik, 77)

Man should keep away from committing fornication with another person’s spouse, seducing him/her and causing his/her spouse to leave the bed. (Sad Dar, 305, 324)

In Zoroastrianism, fornication is regarded as a disgusting and mean crime and it is stated that this was committed for the first time by Zahak, the symbol of despotism in Persian mythology; the bad results originating from fornication are listed and people are asked to avoid them. (Dadistani Dinik, 71, 77)

According to the religious texts of this religion, a woman who commits fornication will be hanged from her chest in Hell and the man will be eaten by snakes. (Arda Viraf, 171, 188, 191, 194-195, 197)

Buddhism generally views sexuality negatively and it encourages singleness because sexuality prevents one from getting rid of “samsara” circle.

In Buddhism, the third one of the Five Commandments, which are basic ethical norms, is related to sexual ethics and it includes the issues like prostitution, incest relationship, rape and masturbation along with fornication. If man does not obey this commandment, he falls down spiritually. 

In Buddhism, fornication is limited to adultery, that is, intercourse with a married woman; an intercourse with a single girl is not regarded as crime of fornication. (Anguttara Nikaya, I, 189; Sutta Nipata, 396)

No penalty for women is mentioned in fornication in the religious decrees of this religion; there are penalties for men and they can be executed in various ways. Fornication is regarded as a sin toward both the state and the honor of the family; therefore, the criminal was given penalties from imprisonment to death.

In Hinduism, the absolute loyalty of a woman to her husband is emphasized; fornication is dealt with in this context.   

In this religion, fornication (samgrahana) is limited to sexual relationship with a married woman; to give a give a gift to a married woman, to touch her dress or embellishments and to sit on her bed are also regarded as fornication. (The Laws of Manu, 8:357-358)

Since fornication can harm Hindu family structure and spoil the cast system (Bhagavad Gita, 1:41-43; The Laws of Manu, 8:353), it is dealt with in a detailed way in the resources of this religion.

Accordingly, the days of a person who commits fornication will shorten, he will go to Hell after death and a person who is thinking of having a sexual intercourse with the wife of somebody else will be born as a reptile in the future. (Vishnu Purana, 3:11)

In Hinduism, the cast to which the parties belong has an important place in the determination of the crime

Various sanctions and penalties were applied for this crime like paying a fine, beating with an iron rod, cutting two fingers off and placing on a donkey to ride, imprisonment, confiscation, cutting of the genital organ, burning, shaving his hair and being savaged by animals (The Laws of Manu, 8:364-385).

In the former Turks, fornication was a rather severe crime. The parties that were proved to have committed fornication were tied to two animals (generally cows, buffalos and horses); when the animals were drawn to different directions, the body of the fornicator would be torn apart.

In Kutluk Turks, the fornicators were burnt.

In Judaism, fornication, which is given Hebrew names like “niuf, zenut”, is one of the biggest crimes.

In the early periods, the concept fornication were generally related to the concept of the woman belonging to the man. Since the woman was the private property of the husband, fornication meant trespassing one’s property. (Exodus, 20/13; Deuteronomy, 5/17)

Along with this legal understanding, a fornicator was regarded as impure in terms of religion. (Leviticus, 18/20)

After the exodus, fornication, which assumed a more theological meaning, was regarded as a crime against God (Genesis, 20/6; 39/8-9) and as paganism. (Joshua, 1-3; Jeremiah, 3)

That fornication is forbidden in the Ten Commandments (Exodus, 20/13; Deuteronomy, 5/18) is probably the product of the same period.

The Jews who committed fornication were stoned to death. (Deuteronomy, 22/24)

There are also references that they were burnt (Deuteronomy, 38/24) and left on the street naked. (Joshua, 2/5)

It is stated in the Torah that if somebody committed fornication with an engaged girl, he would be stoned (Deuteronomy, 22/13, 20-21, 23-25) and if he committed fornication with a married woman, he would be killed. (Leviticus, 20/10; Deuteronomy, 22/22)

Rabbinic tradition demands that a married woman who committed fornication and who was an oracle’s daughter, she be punished by being burned. (Leviticus, 21/9; Sanhedrin, XV/13; the Code of Maimonides, “Holiness: Forbidden Intercourse”, 1/6)

In Christianity, fornication was taken from the shari’ah of Judaism and continued in terms of concept and decree (Mark, 10/19; Luke, 18/20; Acts, 15/19-20), but the scope of this concept was expanded by Hz. Isa (Jesus):
- man’s looking at a woman lustfully is regarded as fornication in his heart (Matthew, 5/27-28).
- Marrying after divorce is regarded as fornication for both parties (Matthew, 19/9; Mark, 10/11-12; Luke, 16/18).
- Fornication and similar sexual crimes are reviled as a whole (Matthew, 15/19; Mark, 7/21; Galatians, 5/21).

When the advice “Avoid the lusts of the body in the struggle against the soul” (I Peter’s Letter 2/11) is taken into consideration, it can be said that the concept fornication is used in the sense of “all mental or physical lustful phenomena and immoral things”.

There is no penalty determined for fornication in the Gospel but it is stated
- that those who commit fornication will be judged (Hebrews, 13/4),
- and that people like that will not inherit the kingdom of God (I Corinthians, 6/9-10).

According to what is understood from sacred texts, Hz. Isa did not apply the penalty of stoning on a woman who was caught fornicating (John, 8/3-11) but he emphasized that fornication was the only reason for divorce. (Matthew, 19/9; Mark, 10/11-12; Luke, 16/18)

Besides, Paul advises to excommunicate those who commit fornication. (I Corinthians, 5/1-2, 9-13)

In the following periods, the churches made some legal arrangements regarding the issue like atonement, temporary or permanent excommunication with varying time periods. (see TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, Zina item)

To sum up, fornication is a major sin in all heavenly religions and in the shared culture of humanity; it is also a crime that is punished in the world. 

“The Jews call ‘Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah’s curse be on them: how they are deluded away from the Truth!” (at-Tawba, 9/30)

Jews said, “Uzayr is a son of Allah.” There were some Jews who said so. According to a narration, Jewish rabbis named Sallam b. Mishkam, Numan b. Awfa, Shas b. Qays, and Malik b. Fays came to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and uttered that sentence. It is also narrated that a rabbi named Fanhas b. Azura said, “Allah is poor; we are rich.” There were some people who said similar things in the previous periods. The reason for it was that the Jews stopped acting according to the Torah and started to kill their prophets. There was no one who knew the Torah left; some of them had died and some had been killed; others had forgotten the Torah. Allah had deleted it from their hearts. Finally, the Torah and Tabut (the chest containing the holy relics) were removed.

Afterwards, the Prophet Uzayr, after a hundred years of death, begged and prayed to Allah; he was enabled to memorize the Torah; he went to Sons of Israel at a young age and rewrote the Torah by heart. At that time, they he said, “It is not possible; he is definitely a son of Allah.” Thus, they paved the way for the Christians to say, “Jesus is the son of God” afterwards. When the verse above was sent down, the Jews did not oppose or deny by saying, “We never say such a thing; it is a lie.”

However, that statement was not heard from the Jews who came later probably because the threat of war by Islam had a great effect on them. In that case, not all of them but some of them used to say, “Uzayr is a son of Allah.” Christians said, “Christ is the son of God.” Although some Christians actually said it in the beginning, almost all of them started to say it later on; and they even accused those who did not say so of unbelief. See the information given in the chapter of al-Maida (al-Maida 5/72,73).

They used to say it as son, in the sense of generation and offspring, up to the emergence of Islam; then, some of them began to claim that it was a metaphor, just like a metaphor for honor and dignity, like the phrase “Baytullah”. Thus, the phrase “Son of God” uttered by Jews and Christians, is their word spoken by their mouths. It is not a slander attributed to them by others; it is a statement that came out of their own mouths. However, it is a phrase that has no serious meaning in reality; it is an empty phrase; it is a contradictory and nonsensical thing. They utter it not to express a meaning, but as a word whose meaning is incomprehensible. They resemble those who fell into unbelief before them by saying so.

The polytheists that were mentioned earlier became unbelievers by saying, “Angels are daughters of Allah.” The words of the Jews and Christians related to “son” are just like theirs; it is a kind of unbelief and polytheism. In that case, although they are from the People of the Book, they resemble polytheists. In this respect, they are regarded as polytheists and they are unbelievers, not believers in Allah. May Allah damn them!

It is a curse in Arabic; destruction and damnation are meant by it though the word qatl (killing) is used in the Arabic phrase. How are they deviated? How are they seduced and diverted from the right path? How can they be led astray into such a grave lie and slander as attributing a son to Allah, and into such a clear unbelief and polytheism? How and why are they led to those bad situations? (Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, the interpretation of the verse in question)

The narrations about Uzayr in Islamic sources bring to mind Ezra, who has an important place in Jewish history. As a matter of fact, there is a similar narrative in 4 Ezra (IV/19-48), one of the “pseudographic” texts.

According to Jewish tradition, Ezra is not a prophet, but he occupies a position above prophethood in Judaism. The Jewish rabbis compared him with the Prophet Musa (Moses) and claimed that he was worthy of receiving the Torah like Moses. According to the Rabbis, if Moses had not come earlier, the Torah would have been given to Ezra. (Sanhedrin, 21b) A. Geiger argues that the expression about Uzayr in the Quran stems from a mistranslation of the expression of excessive respect in the Talmud. (Judaism and Islam, p. 154)

There is no information in Jewish sources that Ezra was exalted as the son of God among Jews. There is no sign of it in traditional Jewish belief either. Therefore, the Jewish scholar Musa b. Maymun regards the information in the Quran as a slander against Jews. (Jacobs, I, 181)

Tafsir scholars such as Tha’labi, Ibn Jarir at-Tabari, Abul-Fida Ibn Kathir, Fakhruddin ar-Razi and Tusi state that the verse does not cover all Jews. (Mahmoud Ayoub, “Uzayr in the Quran and Muslim Tradition”, Studies in Islamic and Judaic Traditions (ed. W. M. Brinner - S. D. Ricks), Atlanta 1986, pp. 9-14)

According to narrations in tafsir books, those who said so were a group of Jews in Madinah. (Ibn Abu Hatim, VI, 1781; Ibn al-Jawzi, III, 424)

Ibn Hazm states that the Sadducees living around Yemen had the belief of accepting Ezra as the son of Allah. According to him, it is the most important belief that distinguishes the Sadducees from other Jewish groups (al-Fasl, I, 99).

Maqdisi, on the other hand, states that the Jews who accepted Ezra as the son of God were Palestinian Jews, that they did it to glorify and honor Ezra, but that the other Jews did not accept it. (al-Bad’ wat-Tarikh, IV, 35)

Iskandarani, who is of Jewish origin, states that the Karaites in Hejaz region had that belief. (Lazarus-Yafeh, p. 53)

The information given about the Jewish groups that describe Ezra / Uzayr as the son of God cannot be verified historically.

However, it is not appropriate to understand the expression in the Quran (at-Tawba 9/30) metaphorically because the fact that what the Jews said about Uzayr is parallel with the Christians’ beliefs about Jesus prevents such understanding.

In fact, the Jews of the Hejaz region at the time when the Quran was sent down had such a belief, and the Jews of the Hejaz were expecting a savior messiah like other Jews. However, the messiah expected by the Jews of this region, who had an esoteric belief, was different. Presumably, they called this messiah Azar or Ozer in Hebrew, meaning “God’s helper” and believed that he was the son of God. Those words were transferred to Arabic as Uzayr.

Accordingly, the word Uzayr in the chapter of at-Tawba can be considered a title given to the messiah, not a name. This messiah, bearing the title of Uzayr, must be Enoch, as Newby points out because the attributes ascribed to Enoch and the attributes ascribed to by Christians to Jesus as Messiah are very similar (Adam, pp. 103-118; see TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi, Üzeyir item)

You can work according to the opportunities in your current place, but if it is not enough for the essential expenses of life, if you cannot find other opportunities and if the only solution is to go abroad, you can go.

A Muslim can pray to Allah anywhere including a church. However, it is not appropriate for a Muslim to go to church, and pray and worship there like Christians. It is haram. It is forbidden for Muslims to resemble even the traditions of non-Muslims; it is definitely a bigger sin to enter a temple of another religion and to worship like them. Something like that can cause a person to forget his religion and to adopt the other religion.   
The Prophet (pbuh) states the following:

“He who tries to resemble a nation is one of them.” (Abu Dawud-Kitabul-Libas, hadith no 3512)

One can go to a church for two reasons:

1. Those who go to church because they are Christians.
2. Those who go to a church to visit it and for touristic purposes.

After this classification, let us explain the decree on going to church:

a. A person in the first group is a Christian since he accepts himself as a Christian; he is regarded as a non-Muslim; that is, he is not a Muslim.

b. A person in the first group goes there in order to see how the church was arranged and built. When a Christian goes to a mosque to visit it, he does not become a Muslim; similarly, if a Muslim goes to a church to visit it does not become a Christian.

First of all, we should state that if something that exists in the religion of Islam also exists in the history of humanity, it shows that it was taken from the same source, namely divine revelation; it does not show that Islam copied it.

For example, as it is clearly stated in the Quran, prayer and fasting existed in the shari’ahs of the previous prophets too. That is, the religion of Islam did not copy those deeds of worship from them; on the contrary, Allah, who ordered those deeds of worship to them, also ordered them to Muslims.

Similarly, if there is such a shahadah among Sabians, it does not mean that Islam copied it from them - God forbid - but that they were members of a true religion and that they deviated over time.

It should not be forgotten that the Prophet Adam is the first human being and the first prophet. After that, prophets were sent to all nations.

“...And there never was a people, without a warner having lived among them (in the past).” (Fatir, 35/24)

As a matter of fact, we see it clearly in the verse above.

Thus, if there is an expression in the pre-Islamic periods meaning “to testify that there is no god but Allah”, it indicates that the source of both of them is divine revelation, not copying.

After this short explanation, let us deal with the narration in question:

The information Abdurrahman Ibn Zayd gives about Sabians is as follows:

“Sabians lived in the Mosul region and were members of a religion. They said, ‘La ilaha illallah’ (and had the belief of tawhid) but they did not have any religious deeds, books or prophets. They did not believe in the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) either. Therefore, the polytheists called the Prophet (pbuh) and his Companions ‘Sabiun / Sabians’ - by likening them to Sabians.” (see Tabari, the interpretation of al- Baqara 62)

It is not appropriate to regard this information given by Ibn Zayd as definite because very different information is given about Sabians. Examples:

1. According to Said b. Jubayr, Sabians are a nation between Fire-worshipping (Magianism), Judaism and Christianity (somewhat similar to each of them).

2. According to the Mujahid, Sabians are a community between Magianism, Judaism and Christianity; they have no religion.

3. According to another narration attributed to Mujahid, Sabians are a community between Magians and Jews, and they do not belong to any religion.

4. According to Abul-Aliya, Sabians are a group of people who read Psalms from the people of the book. Dahhak, Suddi, Rabi b. Anas and Jabir b. Zayd also hold this view.

5. According to Hasan (al-Basri), Sabians are like Magians.

6. According to Hasan al-Basri, in another narration, the Sabians are a nation who worship angels.

7. According to Abuz-Zannad, Sabians are a nation who believe in all prophets, fast for a month every year, perform prayers five times by turning toward the direction of YEMEN; they live around Iraq.

8. According to Abu Jafar ar-Razi, Sabians are a community that worships angels, reads Psalms and perform prayers facing the qiblah (the same direction as us). (see Ibn Abi Hatim, the interpretation of the verse in question)

9. Sabians are a nation who worship stars. (see Maturidi, the interpretation of the verse in question)

However, we see that the expression ‘La ilaha illallah’, which was cited by Ibn Zayd as the reason for Arab polytheists to liken Muslims to Sabians, is not a single interpretation. Besides, the common aspect of this analogy was as follows:  

The root letters of the word “Sabiin / Sabiun” are “S-B-A”. The word “Sabi” derived from it means “one who abandons his own religion and converts to another religion”. The reason why Arabs called our Prophet (pbuh) “Sabi” is due to that meaning (which is consistent with his abandoning the old religion of Arabs and conversion to a new one). (see Razi, the interpretation of the verse in question)

Ibn Atiyya includes the following views:

“‘Sabi’ lexically means someone who leaves one religion and converts to another. Because of this meaning, the Arabs used to call a Muslim person ‘SBA’. According to some, the reason why Arab polytheists call Muslims ‘SBA’ is because of their common similarities with Sabians living in the Mosul region. Sabians living there also rejected all gods and believed in only one god. They had no good deed except the phrase “La ilaha illallah”.” (see Ibn Atiyya, the interpretation of the verse in question)

As it can be understood from the explanations above, the analogy scholars established between Sabians and Muslims in this regard is related to the “belief of Tawhid”. Sabians may have used another phrase expressing this meaning instead of the phrase “La ilaha illallah”. In that case, the result is the same: it means to convert from the religion of polytheism to the religion of Tawhid.

It is a kind of tax that non-Muslims living under the rule of Islam pay to the state in return for the protection of their property, honor and lives. The legitimacy of jizyah is definite based on the Quran, the Sunnah and the consensus (ijma) of the ummah. God Almighty states the following in the Quran: “Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” (at-Tawba)

The Prophet (pbuh) took jizyah from the people of “Hajir” (Bukhari).

Umar (r.a.) took jizyah from the people of Iran (Tirmidhi).

The religion of Islam orders zakah to be taken from Muslims and jizyah from non-Muslims because both communities live under the banner of Islam. The Islamic state protects both dhimmis and Muslims.

JIZYAH: A tax taken once a year from the men of non-Muslim citizens living in the Islamic state in return for the protection of their lives and property. The reason why it is called jizyah is that it protects the person called dhimmi, from death. If a non-Muslim living in an Islamic country converts to Islam, he will not pay jizyah any longer. The following is stated in the Quran:

“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” (at-Tawba, 9/29)

“Jizya” is a noun referring to a kind of debt payment derived from the verb (jaza daynahu), which means he paid his debt. It means the tax that the person who has agreed to pay it will pay in accordance with his own promise in return for the protection of his life, property and freedoms.

As for the polytheists, it is out of question for them to continue their polytheism by paying jizyah. They have to accept Islam or fight. There is no condition stating that jizyah is accepted as peculiar to the People of the Book. Therefore, the issue is a matter of ijtihad. According to Abu Hanifa, jizyah is absolutely taken from the People of the Book and from non-Arab polytheists but it is not taken from Arab polytheists. They are only offered to become Muslims. According to Abu Yusuf, jizyah is not taken from an Arab, whether he is from the People of the Book or a polytheist; but it is taken from the non-Arab People of the Book and the polytheists. According to Imam Shafii, jizyah is taken from the People of the Book, whether they are Arabs or not. It is not taken from the polytheists and idolaters, whether Arabs or non-Araba. Imam Malik and Awzai express the opinion that it can be taken from all non-Muslims.

The only evidence we have about how jizyah was applied in the early days is the information about the application in Egypt. A lead seal was given to the men who paid tax there, and they would wear it around their necks. However, afterwards, Hisham b. Abdulmalik wanted the application of the method of giving regular receipts called Baraah. Although most of these receipts have survived to the present day, sufficient research has not been done on them yet. It is narrated that two dinars were levied per man in the conquest of Egypt (Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır, H.D.K.D III, 2509).

As the number of converts to Islam increased, jizyah lost its per capita tax character. In Egypt, the annual income of jizyah consisted of only 130,000 dinars beginning from the era of Salahuddin Ayyubi (Makrizi, Khitat, I, 107, 108, 27, 23).

Jizyah is not a tax that Islam introduced for the first time. Jizyah has existed since ancient times. In the fifth century BC, the Greeks used to take jizyah from the people living on the coasts of Asia Minor to protect them from the attacks of the Phoenicians. The Romans also took jizyah from the tribes they dominated. The Iranians also used to take jizyah from the people who were under their rule.

Jizyah was imposed for the first time by the Prophet (pbuh) in the history of Islam. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) determined the amount and form of jizyah according to agreements he made with those who would pay jizyah based on their state. In the agreement he made with the Christians of Najran, the Prophet imposed two thousand suits in the month of Safar and a thousand suits in the month of Rajab every year as jizyah. The value of each suit was determined as one uqiyya. One uqiyya was equal to forty dirhams. Thus, jizyah continued until the end of Abu Bakr’s (r.a.) caliphate like this, without a specified amount. When Umar (r.a.) became the caliph and the Islamic conquests spread over a wide area, the amount of jizyah was determined. Umar (r.a.) sent orders to the commanders around that those who had a beard and mustache pay jizyah and that it should be determined as four gold coins or forty dirhams of silver per man. This amount was determined again afterwards according to the economic situation of the non-Muslim. Since jizyah was a tax that disturbed the Westerners a lot, “jizyah” tax was abolished as the first thing in the proclamation of the Tanzimat Edict to please them, and it was decided that this tax would be collected by the patriarchates on behalf of their communities.

There are two types of jizyah in the Islamic law:

1) Jizyah imposed through peace: Its amount is applied according to the principles of the agreement. The parties cannot unilaterally change the amount of jizyah. For example; as it is stated in the statement above, an agreement was made with the people of Najran to give one thousand two hundred suits per year during the time of the Prophet (pbuh).

2) Jizyah imposed directly by the Islamic state: If Muslims seize an enemy country with their own forces and leave their non-Muslim people in their homeland as “subjects”, jizyah whose amount is determined by the Islamic state will be imposed on them.

Jizyah is accepted only from Jews and Christians, who are called Ahl al-Kitab, and from Magians who might be from Ahl al-Kitab.

In order for jizyah to be collected from a person, it is necessary for that person to be sane, free, healthy, male and to have reached the age of puberty. Therefore, mentally ill and senile people, children, women, slaves, the blind and the lame, very old people, and those who are sick for more than six months in a year are not subject to jizyah because jizyah is an obligation of non-Muslims who are able to fight according to the shari’ah. Since those listed above are not strong enough to fight, they are not obliged to pay jizyah. There is a difference of opinion as to whether the priests and rabbis in churches and synagogues are subject to jizyah or not.

The amount of the jizyah is determined based on the economic conditions of the person to pay jizyah. Those people were divided into three classes for the amount of jizyah imposed by the state in the past. Forty-eight dirhams per year from those who are regarded as rich, twenty-four dirhams from the middle class and twelve dirhams from the poor who can work were collected. Those who had the amount of nisab were regarded as rich. According to some scholars, whether a person is regarded as rich, of middle class or poor, jizyah is decided according to the customs of the town where he resides. That is the sound and valid view.

The people who pay jizyah pay it not only for the permission to be given for their faith and religious ceremonies but they also make an agreement with the Islamic state that their lives and property will be protected and guaranteed by the state. Rather than a tax, it is a kind of contribution of those citizens to the state for its expenditures on them.

According to Hanafis, jizyah starts to be collected from the beginning of the year because the one who pays jizyah obtains the right to be protected from attacks in the future from the beginning of the year. Therefore, jizyah is collected in twelve installments every month. According to some Islamic jurists, jizyah can be collected at the end of the year. The state cannot demand it earlier.

Jizyah is not collected due to one of the following three states:

a) If the person to pay jizyah becomes a Muslim. If a person who is to pay jizyah becomes a Muslim, he does not pay jizyah because the Prophet (pbuh) said, “There is no jizyah on Muslims.” (Tirmidhi, Zakah, 11; Ahmad b. Hanbal, I, 223)

b) If time has expired before jizyah is collected. In that case, jizyah lapses.

c) If the person to pay jizyah dies before jizyah is collected. In that case, jizyah is invalidated: It is not collected from his inheritance.

(Şâmil İ.A.)

The principles of belief conveyed to people by all prophets, from Hz. Adam to Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), are the same. It is a common quality of all of the true religions that the prophets conveyed to people. No prophet changed the principles of belief, nor did they make any additions. Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), the last prophet, called people to believe in the same principles as Hz. Adam did. 

There is no difference among heavenly religions in terms of principles of belief; there is no difference in terms of basic deeds of worship either.

Similarly, prayer, which is like the pillar of the religion, is a deed of worship rendered fard for all prophets and their ummahs. The difference is related to the number of times and rak'ahs. It was rendered fard for us five times a day but we receive the thawabs of fifty times a day.  

It is stated in the Quran itself that prayer was ordered to the previous ummahs too. For instance, it is stated in a verse that Hz. Ibrahim preformed prayers regularly and that he wanted his offspring to perform prayers too:

"O my Lord! Make me one who establishes regular Prayer, and also (raise such) among my offspring O our Lord! And accept Thou my Prayer." (Ibrahim, 14/40)

Hz. Musa was also ordered to perform prayers. It is stated in verse 12 of the chapter of al-Maida that Sons of Israel were made promise definitely that they would perform prayers. 

Hz. Shuayb performed prayers a lot. They even tried to insult him because of it. It is expressed in the Quran as follows:

"They said: ‘O Shu´aib! Does thy (religion of) prayer command thee that we leave off the worship which our fathers practised, or that we leave off doing what we like with our property?...’" (Hud, 11/87)

It is also stated in the Quran that Hz. Ishaq, Hz. Yaqub, Hz. Zakariyya and Hz. Isa performed prayers.

On the other hand, fasting and zakah are not deeds of worship peculiar to the ummah of Muhammad (pbuh). As a matter of fact, it is stated in the Quran that they were rendered fard to other ummahs too. The following is stated in verse 183 of the chapter of al-Baqara:

"O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint."

Yes, prayer, fasting, zakah and many other deeds of worship existed in the shari’ahs of the other prophets too. However, the Jews and Christians abandoned or changed those deeds of worship. Then, instead of saying, "Muslims took prayer from Jews", it is more appropriate to say, "God Almighty ordered prayer to Jews and other ummahs too."

For more information, please click on the link given below;

How did prayers reach today from the previous prophets? Did the other prophets and their ummahs perform prayers?

We have not made a thorough investigation about the Hindu texts. However, it is stated in the following verses of the Quran that

“...We do not punish any people to whom we did not send a prophet” (al-Isra, 17/15);
“We sent a prophet to every nation...” (an-Nahl, 16/36),
“It was revealed that a prophet was sent to every nation who preached in his own language…” (see Ibrahim, 14/4)

that prophets were sent to people all over the world, to every region.

Besides, Imam Rabbani states the following:

“When I think about the previous ummahs, I cannot find a piece of land where a prophet had not been sent. I even see that prophets from the people of India were sent to the land of India, which was thought to be deprived of this practice. They were appointed by Allah and invited people to the truth. In some Indian towns, the light of the prophets shines like lamps that shine in the darkness of polytheism. If you want, I can determine these towns.

I see a prophet: Nobody approved him; nobody accepted his invitation...

I see another prophet: Only one person confirmed and believed him.

Another prophet was approved by only two people...

Some prophets were approved by only three people...

However, no prophet in the land of India was confirmed by more than three people. I have not seen any prophet who was affirmed and followed by four people.

All of the good things written by some Indian unbelievers in their books regarding the existence, attributes, glorification and approval of the Supreme Being are among the gleams quoted from the light of prophethood because a prophet came in every century of the previous nations. They informed people about the existence of the Supreme Being, His attributes and glorification. If they had not existed, how could those who remained in this pit of polytheism and unbelief reach this state (these good realities) with their barren and blind minds, which was dirtied by the darkness of unbelief.” (Imam Rabbani, Letters, Letter 259)

Badiuzzaman Said Nursi summarized this information given by Imam Rabbani as follows:

“Imam Rabbani said: “Numerous prophets appeared in India, but some of them had no followers or only a few people, so they did not become well-known or were not called prophets.” (Mektubat, p. 386)

- It means some of the good traits and skills of Hindus may have reflected the light of these ancient heavenly religions.

- However, there may be a lot of exaggeration and false information in the propaganda made regarding the issue. There may be those who consider saying, “There are such things in human rituals like Hindu, which is not a heavenly religion” a duty in the name of irreligion, especially in order to devalue the wonders of the religion of Islam.

- Moreover, for thousands of years, the existence of non-religious wonders such as “magic, soothsaying, and fortunetelling” has been known and is also mentioned in the Quran and hadiths. The extraordinary deeds performed by the magicians who resisted Hz. Musa (Moses) are famous.

- An important reason why these wonderful events take place through people who are far from religion is the secret of testing. The existence of miracles originating from religion and wonders originating from irreligion confused the addressees and caused those who did not have common sense to deny the prophets.

Besides, the leaking of some information originating from jinn and that some true things are expressed by soothsayers and fortunetellers caused the confusion related to divine gifts such as miracles and foresight originating from religion; the result of the test was determined with it. “The door to the mind is opened, but man’s free will is not removed” so that the test will be fair for everyone.

Thus, people’s minds and free will play a leading role in winning or losing the test. In this modern age, in parallel with the difficulty and severity of the test, the means of piety and irreligion have also increased.

The visibility distance between true religion and irreligion has narrowed today, in End Times. So to speak, two hundred bombs of reality were detonated in order to strengthen the divine side of the Quran with all its might. On the other hand, some extraordinary positions held by the irreligious mob were scattered with all its might.

The prophetic warning in the hadith, “There is no test more severe than the mischief of Dajjal (Antichrist) from the creation of Adam to the Day of Judgment” is against such deceptive positions. (see Muslim, Fitan, 126)

May our Lord protect all of us from the evil of these modern devils of human and jinn! Amin!

- The Prophet (pbuh) states the following in a hadith:

“I will definitely expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula, and I will leave no one except the Muslims there.” (Muslim, h.no: 1767)

- According to another sound narration, the last words of the Prophet (pbuh) at the time of his death were as follows:

“Expel the Jews of Hejaz and the people of Najran from the Arabian Peninsula! Know it very well that the worst of people are those who transformed the graves of their prophets into mosques.” (Ibn Hanbal, 3/221; Ibn Abdul-Barr, Tamhid, 1/169)

- It is understood from the hadith narration above that when the Prophet (pbuh) said, “I will definitely expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula”, he did not necessarily mean that he himself would do it, but that his ummah, representing his spiritual personality and his prophetic mission, would do it.

As a matter of fact, there were some partial expulsions during the era of the Prophet (pbuh), but not all Jews and Christians were expelled.

According to some scholars, the Arabian Peninsula is the geography where the Red Sea, the Arabian Gulf, the Indian Ocean are located and it includes the region of Damascus and Iraq from the north. There are also some other geographical definitions.

According to Imam Malik and Imam Shafii, the Arabian Peninsula consists of Makkah, Madinah, Yamama and Yemen. (Nawawi, Sharhu Muslim, 11/93)

- However, according to Imam Shafii, what is meant by the Arabian Peninsula mentioned in the hadith is not all of it, but a part of it, namely the Hejaz region, which includes Makkah, Madinah and Yamama. (Nawawi, ibid)

- Ibn Hajar holds a similar view regarding the issue and states the following: The fact that Umar (ra) expelled the Jews to the area where the villages of Tayma and Jericho are located shows that when the Prophet said, “I will definitely expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula”, or “Expel…”, he meant the Hejaz region, which is part of the Arabian Peninsula because “Tayma”, the place to which Umar (ra) expelled the Jews, is in the Arabian Peninsula, but not in Hejaz. (see Ibn Hajar, Fathul-Bari, 10/212-213)

- To sum up, according to some scholars, the places from where Jews, Christians and polytheists are ordered to be expelled are Makkah and Madinah in particular. The fact that Umar (ra) expelled the Jews to TAYMA, which is located in the Arabian Peninsula but outside the Hejaz region, supports that view.

Accordingly, the wisdom behind that order is the fact that the presence of the enemies of religion in those places, which are the centers of Islam, might overshadow the dominance of Islam.

The statement of our Prophet (pbuh) that “two religions cannot coexist” (Ibn Hajar, 5/328) may also indicate that wisdom.

- The first time of the true religions is the time of the Prophet Adam. Adam, the first human being, was also the first prophet.

The Sumerians are the people of an ancient civilization that lived between 4,000-2,000 BC.

“…And there never was a people, without a warner having lived among them (in the past).” (Fatir, 35/24)

As it is stated in the verse above, a prophet was sent to all people who lived, from the Prophet Adam to Muhammad (pbuh). In fact, according to Islamic belief, people who have not heard the message of a prophet have no responsibility.

This fact is underlined in the following verse.

“…Nor would We visit with Our Wrath until We had sent a messenger (to give warning).” (al-Isra, 17/15)

- As it is understood from these explanations, many prophets were sent to the Sumerians, who had been on the stage of history for about 2,000 years. The good and true aspects of the Sumerian civilization were shaped in the light of the divine revelation taught by those prophets.

Therefore, the fact that some of the truths proclaimed by the later heavenly religions were also prevalent during the Sumerian period does not indicate that those religions were copied from them, but that the Sumerian civilization, like all religions, was based on the teachings of the original heavenly religions.

As a matter of fact, the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) lived in 2,000 BC, when the Sumerians were in their last stages.

So, after the religions that were the source of the Sumerian civilization, which lasted for a long period of time, a new era of Abrahamic religions began with the Prophet Ibrahim. The source of both of these civilizations are the religions sent by Allah.

- Since all of the Abrahamic religions that have survived for thousands of years are located in the Middle East, and since the source of people’s knowledge on this issue is these living religions, our knowledge has inevitably been limited to the religions in this geography.

Otherwise, as it is mentioned in the verse in question above, prophets were sent to every region where there were people. Only some of these prophets, whose number is stated to be 124 thousand in the Islamic literature, are known to have emerged in the Middle East.

As a matter of fact, Imam Rabbani reports that he saw many prophets coming in the Indian region through discovery. Imam Rabbani’s explanations mean this: “Those prophets are the true source of the attributes of Allah seen in India and some of the knowledge that glorify and sanctify them and other important knowledge.” (see Arabic, al-Maktubat, Letter 259, 1/313-315)

In other words, celestial religions are not exclusive to the Middle East.

However, the fact that the Middle East was the region where Adam and Eve first met when they were sent to the earth from Paradise, and the fact that many prophets came from this region, which is the first cradle of humanity, is a matter of course.

- As for the question about the Sumerians also having the knowledge given by the verse in the chapter of al-Anbiya that points to the “Big Bang” theory, we can state the following:

a) First of all, a sound document (of Sumerian origin) must be shown that this knowledge was also present in the Sumerians. As long as this document is not shown, this claim (as it is seen in some other issues) cannot be more than the bragging of some heathens.

b) If such a document is shown, there is no doubt that it is information taken from the prophets of Allah at that time, as we have mentioned above. For it is unthinkable that people at that time were aware of such an ontological issue.

c) There can be no claim as unreasonable as claiming that this knowledge in Islam was copied from the Sumerians because, as it is clearly declared in the Quran, to think that an illiterate person like the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) could have read a Sumerian script and made copies from it in a very illiterate environment in a time period when ignorance was rampant, is really beyond reason.

d) “It is known that writing, which is the most important invention in human history according to most experts, was first used by Sumerian priests around 3500 BC. Sumerian priests used writing to list the goods in temples and warehouses.” This statement shows that the Sumerians had religion and priests.

So, Allah, who taught some knowledge to the Sumerians through revelation, also revealed the same knowledge to later religions.

In other words, there is no copying of knowledge, but unity of source.

Allah Almighty states the following in verse 17 of the chapter of al-Maida:

“In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ the son of Mary. Say: "Who then hath the least power against Allah, if His will were to destroy Christ the son of Mary, his mother, and all every - one that is on the earth? For to Allah belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and all that is between. He createth what He pleaseth. For Allah hath power over all things.”

Some verses regarding the issue are as follows:

"The Jews call ´Uzair a son of Allah, and the Christians call Christ the son of Allah. That is a saying from their mouth; (in this) they but imitate what the unbelievers of old used to say. Allah´s curse be on them..." (at-Tawba, 9/30)

"They say: ‘Allah hath begotten a son.’ Glory be to Him.-Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: everything renders worship to Him." (al-Baqara, 2/116)

"O People of the Book!... Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) a messenger of Allah... Say not ‘Trinity’… Allah is one Allah: Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son..." (an-Nisa, 4/171)

"They do blaspheme who say: ‘Allah is Christ the son of Mary.’ But said Christ: ‘O Children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.’… They do blaspheme who say: ‘Allah is one of three in a Trinity.’ (al-Maida, 5/72, 73)

According to those verses, the belief of trinity is not something new. For, Allah calls them "unbelievers". So, the understanding of trinity of Christians belongs to the time before the Prophet (pbuh). Despite this, the Quran uses the phrase People of the Book in the same verses. Therefore, those who believe in trinity are regarded as People of the Book; what they slaughter can be eaten; it is permissible to marry a woman of People of the Book.

Jews are a nation chosen by Allah and once they were, as the Quran puts it, "preferred to all other" (al-Baqara, 2/47). However, most of the Jews did not thank Allah for this bounty given to them and disobeyed Allah’s orders insistently. Some of them went too far and dared to kill the prophets sent to them. First, they killed some prophets of their own race because they came with some orders that they did not like. They wanted to kill our Prophet Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) because he was not from their race. The reason for it is explained as follows in a resource:  

"Jews believe today as they believed in the past that a prophet can come only from the offspring of Sons of Israel and that there is nobody that is worthy of being a prophet among other people."

"Jewish scholars knew the Prophet (pbuh) because they read his characteristics in their books."

"The monk Bahira, who was in the monastery during the previous visit of the Prophet (pbuh) to Damascus, had died and a monk called Nastura replaced him. It caught the attention of the monk, who was watching the caravan, when the Prophet (pbuh) sat under the olive tree. The monk called Maysara, whom he knew, and asked who the person sitting under the tree was." Maysara said,

"He was a person from Quraysh and the people of Makkah."
The monk meditated for a moment. Then, he expressed his idea, which astonished Maysara:

"Only prophets have sat under that tree up to now."
Then, he asked Maysara,
"Is there a slight redness in his eyes?
When Maysara said, "Yes", he reached his definite conclusion:  
"He is a prophet. In fact, he is the last Prophet." (Sirah, 1/130; Rawdul-Unf, 1/122)

Answer 1:

When two non-Muslim parties fight, a Muslim should view that war as follows:

- If one of the parties is from the People of the Book in terms of state policy and the majority of the people, and the other is polytheists, the Muslims should support the People of the Book. An example of it was shown by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh); As it is indicated in the Chapter of ar-Rum, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) favored Byzantium, the People of the Book, in the war between the Persian and Byzantine Empires.

- If both parties are equal in terms of belief, a Muslim’ attitude and a believer’s stance should be to be a supporter of the victimized and the oppressed party.

- Lastly, if there are Muslims and innocent people who are likely to be affected by that war, we should pray that they are affected the least, should send humanitarian aid to them as much as we can, and try to be inclined to the party that will prevent them from being harmed.

However, we should be careful not to tolerate the cruelty committed by the party to which we are inclined, if any, by taking into account the drawbacks such as tolerating oppression and being a supporter of oppression.

Answer 2:

A soldier of a Muslim country or a Muslim in that country does and should do whatever is necessary provided that they comply with the war laws of Islam. If he dies, he becomes a martyr; if he survives, he becomes a war veteran.

If non-Muslim countries are at war against each other, the Muslims there should take sides in accordance with the rules we have given above and act in accordance with the following three situations:

1. Muslim Soldiers

It is not permissible for the Muslim soldiers to fight if the army to which they belong is the army that has waged an unjust war, violated borders and invaded neighbors' land. A Muslim must not join the army that feeds on killing and gains benefits from the war; if it is necessary, he can suffer the consequences.

As a matter of fact, Muhammad Ali CLAY, the Muslim boxer, did so in the Vietnam War; he refused to join the American army and suffered the consequences. If a Muslim in Russia is exposed to imminent and certain death when he does so, the state of obligation is in question; he joins the army, but he tries to keep away from the fighting areas so as not to cause the innocents to be killed.

If the war of that oppressing army is against an Islamic country, the haram will be stronger and bigger.

If a Muslim soldier is killed in such a war, he will be resurrected according to his intention.

2. A Muslim whose country is attacked

Even if Muslims are in minority status in a non-Muslim country, they are obliged to join their country's soldiers and fight against aggression because they are in a situation of legitimate defense.

The Prophet (pbuh) states the following:

“If a person dies while trying to save his property (in the fight against an unjust attacker), he is a martyr; if he dies while trying to save his life, he is a martyr; if he dies while trying to save his honor and his family, he is a martyr.” (Tirmidhi, Diyat, 21; Musnad, 2/221)

3. A Muslim living in a country that is not in a war

If there is a treaty or contract between the two warring parties and the Muslims, if the country under the treaty is exposed to an attack, an oppression and if it asks help from the Muslims, it is the duty of the Muslims to help them and fight off the oppression.

An example of it is as follows: The Prophet (pbuh) signed a defense agreement with the people of Madinah, including the Jews; he defended them against Quraysh due to that agreement.

It is never permissible to help the oppressor if one is not obliged or if there is no necessity; if he does so, he becomes the oppressor himself and becomes a partner in the oppression of the oppressors.

All the verses about the war included in the question were sent down in an environment in which the war continued between Muslims, polytheists and deniers.

All these wars were started by the infidels. The fact that the battles of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq took place on the territory of Madinah is a clear indication of this.

The other wars also began after deciphering the plans that the enemy had secretly set up to attack Muslims. The wars of Khaybar, Tabuk, Banu Qurayza, Banu Mustaliq and Mu’tah all started like that. (See: Muhammad Gazali, Fiqh as-Sirah, Damascus, 1427, 1/367)

The statement "According to the Qur'an, the Muslims, the people of God, will not surrender to the rulers who deny Muhammad; on the contrary, they will fight against them with might and main" included in the question is purely a slander. There is no such a statement in the Quran.

On the contrary, in sound hadiths, people are recommended to be patient if the heads of state are cruel because the internal wars between Muslims will do more harm than good. For this reason, it is clearly emphasized in many sound hadiths, that the Muslim people should not to rebel against the administration, even if they are indifferent and cruel according to the religion, unless they are easily dismissed from office. They are called “hadiths of unrest (mischief) / hadiths mentioning unrest (mischief)”.

• The scholars of Ahl as-Sunnah agree unanimously that the heads of the state must be selected from the ones who are just, who are well-informed of administrative, political and military affairs, and who are powerful and shrewd. According to the view of all scholars, it is wajib (necessary) to obey the heads of the state who are elected by being selected in that way.

Likewise, the scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah regard it necessary to obey the heads of state who have come to power by force and pressure as well, regardless of whether they are worthy of being obeyed or not because rebellion against the state authority causes great mischief and evil.

It is known that it is extremely difficult to close the door of disintegration, turmoil and anarchy caused by rebellion. Sometimes this turmoil can even cost the lives of nations and states.

Our Prophet (pbuh) gave great importance to the peace and tranquility, unity and solidarity of the believers, and he advised believers not to rebel against the oppression and persecution that may come from the heads of the state but to show patience in order not to spoil the public order.

The following hadith narrated from Hazrat Abu Hudhaifa (RA) sheds light on this issue:

“…The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: ‘There will be leaders who will not be led by my guidance and who will not adopt my ways.’

I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah! What should I do if I (happen) to live in that time?’

He replied: ‘You will listen to the Amir (Ruler) and carry out his orders; even if your back is flogged and your wealth is snatched, you should listen and obey.’” (see Taj, III/44-45)

In summary, all mujtahids, mujaddids and other Islamic scholars in the community of Ahl al-Sunnah have considered not obeying and rebellion completely different issues. They did not obey anyone in situations against Allah's commands. This attitude is necessary due to the following prophetic order: “A servant is not obeyed when his commands are against Allah.”

Nevertheless, they never attempted or encouraged rebellion. On the contrary, they did not withhold their precious efforts and benevolence to prevent believers from rebellion and they served as good models for all Muslims in this respect too.

There are many statements of Badiuzzaman, Said Nursi, the mujaddid of the century, on the issue. His following statements, quoted below, testify that the last statements in the question are slander.

“Yes, for example: I did not even curse on a prosecutor upon a wrong decision against us even though I proved his eighty-one errors in the court because the main point in this era is the spiritual jihad: to hinder the spiritual destruction and to help the public order with that.”

“Yes, our method contains force but this force is only for the conservation of the public order. Based on the principle of وَ لاَ تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ اُخْرَى (And no bearer of burdens will bear the burden of another) (As-Saf/17:15), ‘No sibling, dynasty or family of a murderer can be held responsible because of him.’”

“This is why I have tried to maintain the order throughout my life with all my strength. This force cannot be used against public but only against foreign intervention.”

“With the principle of the ayah cited above, our duty is to help public order with all our strength. Therefore, the number of the internal combats violating the public order happened to be one in a thousand in the world of Islam. And that one originated from difference of ijtihad."

“And the biggest requirement of the spiritual jihad is not to interfere in the divine mission; our mission is to serve; the result belongs to Allah Almighty. We are obliged to fulfill our duty.” (Emirdağ Lahikası-II, p. 241)

There is a lot of evidence that the Torah we have today was distorted. The Torah that Moses received in the form of tablets and dictated to the Jews is not the same as the Torah we have today.

Although the Torah was revealed to Moses, the Torah we have today mentions the tomb of Moses and even states that the tomb of Moses has been lost. The Torah’s statement regarding the issue is as follows:

“And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over.” (The Bible, Deuteronomy 34/5-8)

It is clear that the statements above were added to the Torah later. Yet, they are reported as if they were from the Torah.

The Quran confirms the Torah revealed by Allah to the prophets of Sons of Israel. It describes the Torah as a light and a message (al-Anbiya, 21/48), a guide (al-Isra 17/2), guidance and mercy (al-Qasas, 28/43). On the other hand, the Quran also informs us that the Torah was distorted: They write the Book with their own hands, and then say: “This is from Allah”. (al-Baqara, 2/79) They change the word from that which had been given them. (al-Baqara, 2/59, 75) They displace words from their (right) places. (an-Nisa, 4/46; al-Maida, 5/13, 41; al-A’raf, 7/162) They conceal the clear (Signs). (al-Baqara, 2/159, 174; al-Maida, 5/15; al-An’am, 6/91) They forget a good part of the message that was sent them. (al-Maida, 5/13-14)

The Torah itself admits that Sons of Israel distorted their book, the Torah, and says in the words of the prophet Jeremiah:

“So you distort the words of the living God, the Lord Almighty, our God.” (Jeremiah, 23/36)

There is no need for deep research to understand that the Torah was distorted. A short look at the lines of the Torah will reveal many examples of its distortion. The Torah attributes a son to God. (Genesis, 6/2; Psalm, 2/7) It is stated that God is a consuming fire. (Deuteronomy, 4/24) Tiredness is attributed to God. (Genesis, 2/2) Ridiculous stories such as God’s wresting with Jacob and being beaten by him are narrated. (Genesis, 32/28)

It is not only God who is slandered. His prophets are also slandered in the Torah. The Prophet Adam is presented as a deified person in the language of God and both God and Adam are slandered:

“The man (Adam) has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis, 3/22-23)

It is stated that in the Torah that Noah’s daughters, who made him drink wine, committed adultery with him and that his own daughters became pregnant by him. (Genesis, 19/30-36) Another ugly allegation against the same prophet is that he was raped by his grandson Kan’an while he was drunk. (Genesis, 9/20-25) The Prophet Abraham also has his share of slander in the Torah. This great prophet is portrayed as a man who gave away his wife Sarah to Pharaoh with his own hands. (Genesis, 12/14-19)

In the Torah, Jacob is portrayed as a person who rebelled against God and rebuked Him. (Numbers, 11/10-15) According to the Torah, Aaron was the one who made the golden calf idol and ordered its worship. (Exodus, 32/1-5; 24, 35)

In the Torah, David is presented as a tyrant who committed adultery with the wife of a commander named Uriah, had an illegitimate child with her, and conspired to have her husband Uriah killed in order to marry her. (2 Samuel, 11/2-27) Solomon is portrayed as an idol worshipper who was deceived by the idolaters among his wives. (Kings, 11/4) The same prophet is shown as a person reciting lewd and obscene poems. (Song of Songs, 1/1-4)

The Quran strongly condemns Sons of Israel’s first slandering their prophet and then adding it to their holy books. Many of the prophets in the Torah are also mentioned in the Quran. However, the Quran does not include any narration that would be incompatible with the honor and dignity of the prophethood of any of the prophets mentioned in it. Besides, it also exonerates some of the slandered names in the Torah. One of them is Aaron, who is accused of worshipping idols in the Torah. The Quran gives the true story of the incident and states that Harun tried to prevent the idolatrous Jews, but he was unable to do so. (al-A’raf, 7/150; Taha, 20/90-94)

One of the prophets of Sons of Israel slandered in the Torah and exonerated by the Quran is Solomon. In the distorted Torah, Solomon is portrayed as a blasphemer and idolater just because of his tribe. (1 Kings, 11/5, 9) The Quran, on the other hand, rejects this slander of the Jews by saying, “They followed the words of the evil ones.” It exonerates Solomon with the following statement:

“The blasphemers were, not Solomon, but the evil ones.” (al-Baqara, 2/102) 

Furthermore, the story of creation, the story of Adam, the story of the people of Noah and the story of the people of Lot are not told in a false way in the Quran, unlike in the Torah, but in a way that is accurate and free from slander unworthy of the position of prophethood.

It is understood from all this that the Quran’s verification of the previous books does not mean that it verifies the current Torah and Gospel, as we have them today. Besides, even if it confirms them as they are, it does not mean that they are still valid today and that those who follow them will attain salvation. This is because the previous books, such as the Torah and the Gospel, expired and they were abrogated by the Quran.

The Decree on Following the Current Torah and Gospel

Since the Torah and the Gospel were distorted, how can we explain the Quran’s demand that the Jews judge among themselves by the Torah? The following is stated in the Quran:

“But why do they come to thee for decision, when they have (their own) law before them?- therein is the (plain) command of Allah. yet even after that, they would turn away. For they are not (really) People of Faith.” (al-Maida, 5/43)

The following is stated about Christians:

“Let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah hath revealed therein. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what Allah hath revealed, they are (no better than) those who rebel.” (al-Maida, 5/47)

Those statements do not indicate that the Torah and the Gospel were not distorted or that those who follow them will attain eternal salvation.

We must evaluate the verses in their context. In the verses preceding the verses above, it is mentioned that some insincere people from among the Jews wanted to apply to the Prophet for a judgment. There were also some of the Jews who said to them, “If Muhammad says so and so, accept his judgment, but if not, do not accept his judgment.” After emphasizing their insincerity, Allah Almighty leaves the Prophet free to judge them:

“If they do come to thee, either judge between them, or decline to interfere… If thou judge, judge in equity between them.” 

In the verses we have quoted above, the Jews are hesitant about the judgment; if you judge the way they want, they will accept it, but if not, they will not accept it. Since they are Jews, they should follow their own book and judge by it. However, they do not sincerely believe in it either!

As it is seen, the verse describes a special case. The decree in the Torah on the matter they want to be judged is one of the undistorted decrees. The verse describes that special case, but it also mentions a legal principle that is valid at all times:

Jews and Christians living in areas where Islam is dominant can apply to Muslim courts if they wish and be judged by Islamic decrees; or, if they wish, they can be judged by their own books, namely the Torah and the Bible. It is their natural right. The Quran observes “human rights” not only in this matter, but also in other matters. It does not oppress people of different faiths. It allows them to judge among themselves according to their beliefs.

Similarly, the verse stating that Christians are allowed to judge among themselves with the Gospel also states that it is their natural right to do so. Islam does not force anyone to believe. It does not forcefully say, “You will abandon this religion and follow that one!” As a requirement of the freedom of faith it recognizes, it leaves every member of every religion free to follow the commandments and prohibitions of his own religion, and even helps him if he wants to be judged according to his own religion. Otherwise, freedom of faith would be meaningless.

If those verses stated that following the existing Torah or Gospel was a command of Allah and that following them would lead to eternal salvation, the Prophet (pbuh) would not have invited them to Islam.

Besides, even if the Torah and the Gospel had not been distorted, following them would not lead to eternal salvation. As a matter of fact, Allah Almighty states the following:

“We did send apostles before thee, and appointed for them wives and children: and it was never the part of an apostle to bring a sign except as Allah permitted (or commanded). For each period is a Book (revealed). Allah doth blot out or confirm what He pleaseth: with Him is the Mother of the Book.” (ar-Ra’d, 13/38-39)

“For every term there is a book.” That is, there is a shari’ah for every period. In that period, the decrees of that Shariah are valid and there is an obligation to follow that Shariah in that period. After that period expires, Allah abrogates that Shari’ah and replaces it with another.

The period after the advent of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the period of the Quran. The other books expired and were abrogated. Furthermore, accepting Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as a prophet and following what he brought is a requirement of the commandments of both the Torah and the Bible because both books foretold the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

The following is stated in the chapter of Deuteronomy of the Torah: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name. But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.” (The Bible, Deuteronomy, 18/18-20)

The following is stated in the same chapter:

“They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.” (The Bible, Deuteronomy, 32/21)

That nation that has no understanding is the Arabs because the Arabs were the most ignorant and the most primitive people at that time. They had no knowledge of Shari’ah and civilization. Jews called them ignorant, i.e., illiterate, people.

Stating that he is mentioned in the Torah, Jesus says that those who believe in the Torah should follow him. The following is stated in John:

“But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?” (The Bible, John, 5/45-47)

Similarly, our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was foretold by Jesus (pbuh). Jesus is reported to have said the following in John:

“But now I am going to him who sent me. None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things. But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.” (The Bible, John, 16/5-8).

The following is stated in another place:

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever.” (The Bible, John, 14/15-16)

As it is seen, both the Torah and the Bible foretold the coming of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Therefore, recognizing the Prophet Muhammad as a prophet and obeying what he preached are obligatory decrees of the Torah and the Gospel.

At this point, the following objection may come to mind:

“You say that the Torah and the Gospel were distorted, and at the same time you want to draw certain conclusions by quoting from the existing Torah and the Gospels. Is it not a contradiction?”

When we say that these books were distorted, we do not mean that they were distorted from beginning to end and that they are completely fabricated. If the Quran confirms what is narrated in these books in particular, the issue changes completely. As a matter of fact, the Holy Quran also informs us that the Prophet Muhammad was foretold in the previous books and that People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab) knew that Muhammad was a prophet:

“The people of the Book know this as they know their own sons; but some of them conceal the truth which they themselves know.” (al-Baqara, 2/146)

Therefore, believing in the prophethood of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is also a commandment of the Torah and the Gospel. However, if the People of the Book say, “We accept that Muhammad is a prophet” and continue to follow the Torah and the Gospels, they will not attain eternal salvation.

“Those who believe (in the Quran), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.” (al-Baqara, 2/62)

Citing the verse above as evidence, some people say that if Jews follow the Torah and Christians follow the Gospel, they will deserve eternal salvation, i.e., Paradise. They say: “Three elements are mentioned in the verse: Belief in Allah, belief in the Hereafter and good deeds. If a person brings these three things together in himself, he deserves eternal salvation.”

First of all, it should be noted that it is not appropriate to take a verse from the Quran and draw a conclusion without taking into account other verses of the Quran that are related to that issue. Other related verses must be taken into consideration in order to reach a sound conclusion. It is possible for one verse to mention some elements of the issue and another verse or verses to mention other elements of the issue. For example:

“O ye who believe! Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and the scripture which He hath sent to His Messenger and the scripture which He sent to those before (him). Any who denieth Allah, His angels, His Books, His Messenger., and the Day of Judgment, hath gone far, far astray.” (an-Nisa, 4/136)

The verse above adds new ones to the elements of belief mentioned in the previous verse.

So, the previous verse contains only some of the relevant elements. If we want to reach a conclusion regarding the issue, we must consider all the related verses within the wholeness and system of the Quran. Allah Almighty states the following about People of the Book:

“So if they believe as ye believe, they are indeed on the right path; but if they turn back, it is they who are in schism; but Allah will suffice thee as against them, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” (al-Baqara, 2/137)

As it is understood from the verse above, it is necessary for everybody, whether they are People of the Book or others, to believe in all that is revealed in the Quran in order to attain eternal salvation. Muhammad (pbuh) is a prophet sent to all humankind. It is necessary to believe in what he brought in terms of what is to be believed, as well as to follow his instructions in other issues. Allah Almighty addresses People of the Book as follows:

“Say: ‘O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He That giveth both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, who believeth in Allah and His words: follow him that (so) ye may be guided.’” (al-A’raf, 7/158)

Therefore, Jews and Christians’ belief in Muhammad’s prophethood theoretically will not save them; they must follow him in order to be on the right path. The following is stated in another verse:

“Those to whom We sent the Book before this,- they do believe in this (revelation): And when it is recited to them, they say: ‘We believe therein, for it is the Truth from our Lord: indeed we have been Muslims (bowing to Allah’s Will) from before this.’ Twice will they be given their reward, for that they have persevered...” (al-Qasas, 28/52-54)

The ones among from Ahl al-Kitab who will attain salvation are those who believe in the Quran and do what it orders.

The verse they cite as evidence for their view does not say that Jews and Christians will attain salvation if they follow their own books. It says that the door of repentance is open for them too and invites them to believe in Allah and the Day of Judgment sincerely and to do good deeds. It states that if they do so, they will enter Paradise. However, belief in Allah also necessitates belief in the Quran He sent down and in the Prophet He sent, and to act according to His instructions.

With the advent of Muhammad (pbuh), the previous religions are no longer valid and the way of salvation is the religion of Islam that he conveyed:

“If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah., never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter He will be in the ranks of those who have lost (All spiritual good).” (Aal-i Imran, 3/85)

The verse explains that the religion that will be accepted after the advent of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the religion that consists only of his messages because the verse is mentioned in the chapter of Aal-i Imran, which deals with the deviation of Ahl al-Bayt and the invitation to them to believe in Muhammad (pbuh) and follow him., The chapter deals entirely with People of the Book From the beginning of the chapter up to the verse above. Their deviation from the true path is narrated and they are told that the religion brought by Muhammad (pbuh) is the truth and that they have to follow it. There are two verses that are mentioned before this verse in the chapter and that are noteworthy for our issue. The first one is as follows:

“Say: ‘If ye do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins: For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’” (Aal-i Imran, 3/31)

The verse addresses People of the Book and explains that the only way for them to win Allah’s love is to follow Muhammad (pbuh). Following the Prophet Muhammad necessitates not only believing in him, but also following the whole of his messages.

The second verse is as follows:

“Behold! Allah took the covenant of the prophets, saying: ‘I give you a Book and Wisdom; then comes to you an apostle, confirming what is with you; do ye believe in him and render him help.’ Allah said: ‘Do ye agree, and take this my Covenant as binding on you?’ They said: ‘We agree.’ He said: ‘Then bear witness, and I am with you among the witnesses.’” (Aal-i Imran, 3/81)

The verse explains that a promise was obtained from People of the Book with the tongue of the prophets, that they were regarded to have promised to follow and support Muhammad (pbuh) when he came. Due to this promise obtained from them, they have to follow and support Muhammad (pbuh) when he is sent as a prophet. That is the requirement of submission to Allah. That is why, when it is said in the verse above that the religion to be accepted is Islam, what is meant by it is the “religion of Islam”, which consists the messages of Muhammad (pbuh).

Among the religions that exist today, there is only one religion that can be called the religion of Islam, and it is the whole of the messages of Muhammad (pbuh).

“This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (al-Maida, 5/3)

The verse above expresses this issue clearly.

It means that the messages of the Quran complete the messages of the previous books; although the previous messages were called Islam, from then on, the completed form would be called Islam. In other words, if surrendering to the previous books in their own times was Islam, surrendering to the Quran after its revelation would be Islam. It is clearly stated in the chapter of al-A’raf that the People of the Book who will attain salvation are those who believe in Muhammad (pbuh) and follow him in all issues, accepting that what he commands as orders and what he forbids as prohibitions:

“Those who follow the apostle, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the law and the Gospel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper.” (al-A’raf, 7/157)

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) called not only the polytheists but also People of the Book to believe in him and to practice what he preached. In fact, if they do not embrace Islam and do not obey Muhammad’s message, they will be obliged to pay jizya as a result of the war to be fought against them:

“Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the Last Day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger, nor acknowledge the religion of Truth, (even if they are) of the People of the Book, until they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” (at-Tawba, 9/29)

Thus, the Quran’s confirmation of the preceding books means confirmation of the divinity of the originals of those books and their validity in their time. The way to attain eternal bliss today is to believe in Muhammad (pbuh) as a prophet and to follow his messages.

Besides, following his messages is also a requirement of believing in the Torah and the Gospel because every prophet foretold the prophet who would come after him and commanded his followers to follow the prophet who would come after him.

References:

- Şâmil İslâm Ansiklopedisi, Tevrat item.
- M. Sait Şimşek, Kur’an’ın Anlaşılmasında İki Mesele.
- Şaban Kuzgun, Dört İncil Farklılıkları ve Çelişkileri.

Will you please click on the link given below;

When was the Gospel distorted?

It is permissible to marry a woman who says that she is a Christian or a Jew; the marriage with such a woman is valid. However, it is not permissible to marry a woman who is an atheist even though she is a Christian according to her identity card.

Muslim men and women cannot marry polytheists. A polytheist woman is a woman who associates other things with Allah, for example, worships idols, stars, fire or animals.

Allah Almighty states the following:

“Do not marry unbelieving women (idolaters), until they believe...” (1)

It is permissible for a Muslim man to marry a Jewish or Christian woman. Scholars agree on it. The following is stated in a verse of the Quran:

“... (Lawful unto you in marriage) are (not only) chaste women who are believers, but chaste women among the People of the Book, revealed before your time... “(2)

The wisdom behind the permissibility of marrying a woman from the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab) is the possibility that this woman will believe in Allah, the prophets, the Last Day, and the Hereafter due to her marriage to a Muslim.

Marriage of a Muslim Woman with a Non-Muslim Man

It is unanimously haram for a Muslim woman to marry an unbeliever.

“Nor marry (your girls) to unbelievers until they believe.” (3)

For, it is feared that a believing woman might be an unbeliever as a result of this marriage. Her husband will call her to his own religion. Women generally follow and obey their husbands and are affected by what they do; they follow their husbands in religion. (4)

A woman cannot be married to a man at the same time as her sister, aunt or a mahram woman. It is haram for a man to be married to two sisters or a woman and her aunt at the same time. Allah states the following while explaining the women who are haram to marry:

“Prohibited to you (For marriage) are:… and two sisters in wedlock at one and the same time, except for what is past…” (5)

This issue is explained in more detail in hadiths:

“A woman cannot be married to a man at the same time as her aunt.” (6)

The reason why it is forbidden to be married to two close relatives (women) at the same time is mostly related to moral issues. In this kind of marriage (that is, being married to two sisters or an aunt and her niece at the same time), jealousy and competition may occur. It causes the disconnection of kinship relations. In general, two wives of a man do not get on well. Such a marriage is haram. Therefore, being married to two close relatives (women) at the same time was rendered haram.

Footnotes:

(1) al-Baqara, 221
(2) al-Maida, 5
(3) al-Baqara, 221
(4) Fatawa al-Hindiyya 11/330
(5) an-Nisa, 23
(6) Bukhari, Nikah. 27.

(Mustafa KASADAR-Sadık AKKİRAZ, Kadın İlmihali, p. 356-357)

***

IS IT PERMISSIBLE FOR A MUSLIM MAN TO MARRY A CHRISTIAN WOMAN?

Islamic law is a universal law. Therefore, its decrees are wide and tolerant enough to meet the needs of all humanity. As a matter of fact, according to Islamic law, a Muslim man can marry a non-Muslim woman from the People of the Book and she can be the mother of his children. It is permissible and valid. Therefore, the marriages of those who marry Christian women have been considered valid and their children have been regarded as legitimate.

Although such a marriage is permissible and valid, there are some issues that need to be considered:

- How will a woman who was brought up with Christian upbringing, customs and habits bring up and educate her children born to a Muslim husband? How will she treat her husband and children? That is the issue to think about…

- The Muslim husband will want Islamic discipline, and the Christian mother will tend to act according to her own faith.

- Will the child who is caught between two different faiths and cultures have a double personality, sometimes acting according to the faith of his mother and sometimes of his father? Or will another person who rejects both emerge? That is, an atheist who does not accept any religion?

An example related to the effect of a Christian lady on her husband:

“Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I married the Christian princess Olivera after his father’s conquest of Kosovo. This woman apparently married the sultan, but she never forgot her Christian faith and country in her heart. As a matter of fact, it is said that this Christian wife, Olivera, got the pure sultan used to drinking and indulging in entertainment.”

“When all the Crusaders gathered to eradicate the Ottoman State, which they tried to destroy by uniting, in Niğbolu, this Ottoman sultan once went to the village alone in the darkness of the night by riding his horse through the enemy. In the darkness, he shouted,

– O Doğan! Thus, he found out about what was happening by talking to the castle commander aloud. Then, he turned back and took all the precautions and won a victory.”

So, he resisted the Crusader armies, but he could not resist a lady who was brought up with foreign culture in his house.

As a matter of fact, when Sultan Bayezid I had the Great Mosque built in Bursa, he said to the great scholar Emir Buhari:

– I hope this great mosque I have built in my country has no missing part. Emir Buhari warned him as follows:

– O Sultan! Everything is beautiful, but one missing part is salient.

– The Sultan said, “What is the missing part? Tell me and I will complete it.” Thereupon, the great scholar warned him as follows to guide him:  

– There should have been barrooms in the corners of the mosque. They are missing.  

The Sultan was unable to predict the reason for this unexpected answer and asked,

– What does the mosque have to do with barrooms?

Answer:

– Your body, which is the building of Allah, has the same relation with alcohol as the mosque has. You fill the building of the body that Allah has built with alcohol but you hesitate to put alcohol in the corners of the building of worship that you built yourself? Is it more sinful than what you do?

After that, the Sultan never drank again. Thus, Olivera’s negative effect on him came to an end.

For this reason, the following is written in fiqh books: Even if it is valid to marry a Christian woman though there is a Muslim woman, it is makruh because this marriage cannot be free from drawbacks. However, the marriage is valid and the children born from such a marriage are legitimate because Islamic law is universal enough to meet all kinds of needs. There are of course exceptions.

There may be many reasons why the People of the Book nurture enmity towards Islam and Muslims. According to what is indicated in the Qur'an;

a) One of those reasons, perhaps the most important one, is envy.

As a nation with heavenly religions for many years and centuries, the People of the Book thought that the line of prophethood would continue with Sons of Israel, their own nation. Then the emergence of someone who was not one of them caused their envy and jealousy to increase.

"Never will the Jews or the Christians be satisfied with thee unless thou follow their form of religion..." (al-Baqara, 2/ 120)

That fact is indicated in the verse above.

“Or do they envy mankind for what Allah hath given them of his bounty? but We had already given the people of Abraham the Book and Wisdom, and conferred upon them a great kingdom.” (an-Nisa, 4/54)

That envy is clearly emphasized in the verse above.

b) Another reason is religious bigotry and racism.

"Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans..." (al-Maida, 5/82)

It is pointed out in the verse above that Jews, in particular, nurtured severe enmity toward the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), who was an Arab, against Islam, a new religion, and the believers who belonged to this religion since they combined the feeling of "religious bigotry and racism".

c) Some did not believe because they were very fond of their positions and ranks.

For example: People such as Abu Amir ar-Rahib, who was regarded as the chief of the Aws tribe, and Abdullah b. Ubay b. Salul, who was regarded as the chief of the Khazraj tribe, nurtured severe enmity toward Islam because they feared losing their position and leadership.

Although the people in the example above are not from the People of the Book, there were some people of Jewish origin like Huyay b. Akhtab among them.

d) To sum up, according to the following verse, the knowledge of the People of the Book that Muhammad (pbuh) is the true prophet is as strong as their knowledge about their own children “Those to whom We have given the Book know this as they know their own sons. Those who have lost their own souls refuse therefore to believe.” (al-Anam, 6/20)

It is known that there were great religious and scientific scholars from the People of the Book who believed in Muhammad (pbuh) based on that information.

However, the reason why there were unbelievers among them and their enmity toward Islam was not their ignorance.

In that case, as it is indicated in the Qur'an and hadiths, the reasons for that enmity can be listed as follows: "Envy, religious fanaticism, the tribe chiefs’ love of their positions and ranks, stubbornness, racism, economic, cultural and social incompatibility, etc."

Salam (greeting) was imposed to express love and to strengthen spiritual connections. The connection between Muslims and non-Muslims is broken due to unbelief; therefore, it is meaningless to say salam to unbelievers.

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

“Do not greet Jews and Christians before they greet you and when you meet any one of them on the road, force him to go to the narrowest part of it without harassing them.” (Muslim, Salam 13; Abu Dawud, Adab, Edeb 138; Tirmidhi, Isti‘dhan 12; Ibn Majah, Adab 13)

Scholars have different views regarding the issue. According to what Imam Nawawi says, it is haram to say salam to the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) according to the majority of Shafii scholars, but it is permissible to respond to their greetings. And it should be short in the form of “wa alaykum (and to you)”. According to some other scholars, it is makruh, not haram, to initiate greeting. That is, the prohibition in the hadith expresses karaha. However, Nawawi holds the view that it is haram.

According to some scholars, it is permissible to greet them and to respond to their greeting -if it is due to a necessity or a reason. Alqama and Nahai hold this view. Imam Awzai says that it is permissible as follows:

“If I greet them, some righteous people greeted them before me; if I do not greet them, some righteous people did not greet them before me.” (Nawawi, the explanation of the relevant verse)

When we consider these different views, we can use a different expression (for instance hello) instead of saying as-salamu alaykum. If the person can think that you do not say salam to him deliberately and feel resentful, you can prefer to act in accordance with the view of the scholars who regard it permissible to say salam.

When somebody from the People of the Book says salam, it is necessary to say "wa alaykum" in return. (Bukhari,  Isti‘dhan 22, Murtaddin 4; Muslim, Salam 6–9)

It is possible to greet non-Muslims by saying "good day, good evening, hello" without using the word "salam" when necessary.

Those living in a Muslim country can say salam to a person if they do not know that he is an unbeliever. If he does not respond to the salam, the one saying salam can respond himself by saying "wa alaykum salam". He is not held responsible when the unbeliever does not respond to his salam.

It is necessary to view the act of forcing the unbeliever to go to the narrowest part of the road as a deed aiming to show the dignity of Islam. It can be different based on time and place. In the past, everything used to be evaluated in terms of religion; therefore, such an act could have reflected the solemnity and dignity of a Muslim.

In the global world, other universal rules and etiquette, not religion, are in the foreground today. To act like that toward an unbeliever would be a sign of rudeness and lack of manners, not dignity and solemnity. Imam Ghazali states the following:

“If a sunnah becomes the sign, custom and symbol of fasiq people, we decree that it should be abandoned.” (Ihya, II/270)

Following this great imam, we say,

“If forcing the unbeliever to go to the narrowest part of the road is regarded as a sign, custom and symbol of rude, unwise and ill-mannered people, we decree that it is necessary to abandon this act.”

All of the sins except violation of other people's rights of a new Muslim are forgiven. Allah may forgive a slave that has become a Muslim about the violation of other people's rights without harming the violated rights of the people.

Allah does not oppress anybody; He gives the rights of everybody. Individual rights may seem to be between two people but Allah Almighty will increase the sustenance of the person whose rights were violated, keep misfortunes away from him, etc in the world and He will grant him things that will please him in the hereafter and elevate his rank; thus, He will not lose his rights and will make him pleased.

The term “aziz” is used for Christian saints.

There are martyrs, saints and righteous people, as well as unbelievers, oppressors and transgressors in every nation.

It is possible that the bodies of martyrs and some righteous people in the Islamic nation do not decompose just as the bodies of martyrs and saints of previous nations did not decompose.

However, this principle does not necessarily exist for Muslims at all times, nor does it necessarily exist for members of other religions.

Therefore, if it is absolutely certain that such a thing exists, it must be recognized as a blessing from Allah. Otherwise, it is a very deep and bad religious risk to dismiss it with a secular mindset by alienating people from the religion and not to see Allah’s grace, grant and favor in it.

"Abdullah" means "Allah's slave". Arabs had faith of Allah. However, they regarded idols as means approaching them to Allah.  

This fact is mentioned in many verses in the Quran. One of them is as follows:

"Is it not to Allah that sincere devotion is due? But those who take for protectors other than Allah (say): 'We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to Allah...'"(az-Zumar, 39/3)

As it is understood from the verse, the polytheists living in the time of the Prophet (pbuh) knew Allah. However, they said, “We worship idols so that they will make us approach Allah.” They did not deny Allah wholly. They associated some idols as partners with Allah.

The Prophet (pbuh) told the Christians and Jews that the Gospel and the Torah were distorted by their ancestors. As a matter of fact, there are verses regarding the issue:

"There is among them a section who distort the Book with their tongues: (As they read) you would think it is a part of the Book, but it is no part of the Book; and they say, ‘That is from Allah,’ but it is not from Allah: It is they who tell a lie against Allah, and (well) they know it." (Aal-i Imran, 3/78)

The Quran explains this ugly intervention of the Jewish and Christian clerics in the divine books as follows:  

"O ye who believe! there are indeed many among the priests and anchorites, who in Falsehood devour the substance of men and hinder (them) from the way of Allah..." (at-Tawba, 9/34)

As it is understood from the verse above, rabbis and priests changed the verses in the holy books in return for worldly interests and interpreted them as they wished. They distorted especially the verses related to the prophethood of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) and tried to eliminate the verses of the Bible giving information about the advent of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) after Hz. Isa (Christ).

Allah states the following in verses 4-5 of the chapter of al-Kahf:

“Further, that He may warn those (also) who say, ‘Allah hath begotten a son’: No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. It is a grievous thing that issues from their mouths as a saying what they say is nothing but falsehood.”

Allah states that Islam is the true religion, that the Quran is the last book that Allah sent down and that Muhammed (pbuh) is the last and true prophet sent by Allah and orders them to accept those facts and not to hide them.

“Ye People of the Book! Why do ye clothe Truth with falsehood, and conceal the Truth, while ye have knowledge?” (Aal-i Imran, 7/71)

“…So, believe in Allah and His messengers. Say not ‘Trinity…’” (an-Nisa, 4/171)

The Prophet (pbuh) told the Christians about the verses of the Quran above and similar ones and informed them about Islam, the true religion.

Besides, the Prophet (pbuh) also stated that the Jews and Christians

"distorted their books by interpreting them" (Darimi, Muqaddima, 56),

"the kings changed the Torah after Hz. Isa" (Nasai, Qudat, 12),

"distorted their books and made additions to them" (Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 34/3).

- “How can the People of the Book apply the Torah, the Gospel and what was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, which have differences and there is a naskh (repeal/abrogation) relationship between them, together?” Imam Tabari answers such a question that can come to mind as follows:

Although there are some differences of decrees among them, they all agree on the command to believe in the messengers of Allah and to approve wholeheartedly of what they brought from Allah.

What is meant by applying the Torah, the Gospel and what was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad together is to accept their content (that they are from Allah), to apply the rules that they all agree, and to act according to each of them, limited to the period in which it was obligatory to obey them in terms of different decrees (Jami’ul-Bayan (Shakir), 10/462-463)

- As it is also mentioned in the question, the Torah and the Gospel are two books that Allah sent down. Everything that Allah revealed is true and correct. However, as it is indicated in the Quran, some truths of the Torah and the Gospel were distorted.

a) The decrees of Jews and Christians that are in conformity with the Islamic faith and decrees are approved. “Our Allah and your Allah is one.” (al-Ankabut, 29/46) For example, the universal truth of oneness (tawhid) is mentioned in the verse above.

That is, the faith of the People of the Book that is in accordance with the rules of Islam is confirmed because it also means to confirm the Quran. Both Muslims and the People of the Book must abide by the rules such as prayer, fasting, and zakah.

b) People of the Book must obey the Quran in matters that do not comply with the rules of Islam because the Quran is the last book and it contains the truths of the old revelations too. It also abrogated some of their decrees. The Prophet said, “If Moses were alive now, he would have no choice but to follow me.” (Bayhaqi, Shuabul-Iman, 174)

Although other narrations regarding this hadith are weak, this narration of Bayhaqi is hasan.

Likewise, Hafiz Haythami states that the following hadith included in Ahmad b. Hanbal and Sahih Muslim (240) is sound: “I swear by Allah, in whose hand is my soul, that if a Jew or a Christian from this ummah hears my prophethood but does not believe in what I was sent with (the Quran, Islam) and dies without believing, he will definitely go to Hell.” (see Majmauz-Zawaid, no: 13962)

c) It is necessary to act cautiously related to the issues that are unclear and are not known whether they are true or not. Since it is not possible to identify the distorted parts of the Torah and the Gospel that are available today, with a general view, what a Muslim needs to do is to confirm them by comparing them with the data in the Quran and the Sunnah, regardless of the subject, and if there is no information regarding the issue to act cautiously by saying, “We believe in Allah and what has been sent down to us.”

As a matter of fact, our Prophet (pbuh) states the following:

“Neither confirm nor deny the people of the book. Say, ‘We believe in Allah and what has been sent down to us’.” (Bukhari, I’tisam 25, Tawhid 51)

The point indicated in this hadith is about the issues that are not known whether they are in accordance with the Islamic faith and its decrees.

There is a narration about it but since that narration is very weak, it cannot be used to prove a religious decree. For this reason, non-Muslims cannot perform rituals in a mosque or masjid.

The narration regarding the issue is as follows:

After the letter the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) wrote to the Christian people of Najran on the Yemen border in the south of Saudi Arabia, a group of 60 clergymen came to meet and discuss with the Prophet. The Najran delegation entered the mosque after the afternoon prayer. Their worshipping time was approaching. They got up and started to worship in Masjid an-Nabawi. The Companions wanted to prevent them, but the Prophet said, “Leave them”. Thereupon, they turned towards the east and performed their worship. (1)

It is certain according to sound narrations that the Christians of Najran came but it is stated that the narration about them worshipping in the Prophet’s Mosque is weak. (2)

As for the issue of non-Muslims entering into mosques and masjids:

According to Hanafi madhhab, non-Muslims can enter mosques.

While Malikis hold the view that non-Muslims cannot enter any mosque unless they get permission from Muslims based on a necessity, Shafiis hold the view that it is permissible to enter the mosques except for Masjid al-Haram.

There are two views regarding the issue in Hanbali madhhab. One is that they can enter the mosques other than Masjid al-Haram while the other is that they cannot enter any of them. (3)

To sum up, non-Muslims cannot perform rituals in mosques and masjids even if they are allowed to enter them in accordance with the rules.

References:

1) Ibn Hisham, as-Siratun-Nabawiyya, 2/223-224.
2) Ibn Rajab, Fathul-Bari, 3/244.
3) See al-Mawsu’atul-Fiqhiyya, XXXVII, 221-2.

ANSWER 1

A Muslim is a person who accepts the religion of Islam and who has surrendered to Allah. A person who believes in what Allah sent through His prophets and in Muhammad (pbuh) is called a Muslim.  

Belief is related to the heart but Islam is generally the manifestation of belief in the form of deeds. As a matter of fact, when belief is described in the hadith of Jibril, the following is stated:  "It is belief in Allah, angels, prophets, the Day of Judgment, and that the good and the bad come from Allah." In the definition of Islam, the principles that are declared to the community and that are need to be performed, namely, the five pillars of Islam are  listed:

"Islam is testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Hz. Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performing daily prayers, giving zakah (alms), performing fasting in Ramadan and performing hajj if you can afford." (Bukhari, Iman, 34, 37, Shahadat: 26, Tafsiru Surah: 31/2; Muslim, Iman: 5, 7, 8; Abu Dawud, Sunna: 16; Tirmidhi, Iman: 4).

For more information, please click on the links given below;

What is Islam?

Why to Choose Islam?

ANSWER 2

The Quran teaches man the purpose and duties of all beings; it is a book of shari'ah (law) because it informs man of the commands and prohibitions regarding both individual and social life. It also contains "prayer, worshipping, commands and calls", which are essentials of shrai'ah, with all aspects.

The Quran is not a book of history or geography. For the Quran's basic duty is to teach about the perfections and acts in the sphere of dominicality and the duties and circumstances in the sphere of worship. That is, to make Allah (SWT) known and to teach us our task of servitude.

For more information, please click on the links given below;

What is the importance of the Quran; how can you describe the Quran?

What is the goal and main idea of the Quran? What kind of a book is the Quran?

ANSWER 3

The key of Paradise is "BELIEF". Thus it is impossible for a person who doesn't have belief to enter Paradise.

Islamic scholars divide religions mainly into two:

I True religions. II Wrong religions.

The religions that are based on belief in one God and order people to worship and obey only Him are called "true religions". True religions are the religions sent by Allah. Therefore, they are also called heavenly religions. True religions are also called "the religion of oneness" because they are based on belief in oneness of Allah and worshipping Him only. 

The religions that were not sent by Allah, that were made up by men and that are not based on belief in one God are called "wrong religions".

Some true religions were distorted by men afterwards; and superstitions and wrong beliefs that were not originally present in them were added later. The religions that were true religions at first but that were altered later are called "distorted religions"; for instance, Judaism and Christianity.

According to the clear decree of the Surah Aal-e-Imran, 19; "The Religion before Allah is Islam.", like all superstitious religions which are the products of human mind, Judaism and Christianity are not valid for Allah since they were distorted and thus lost their heavenly quality.

"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah) never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost. (all spiritual good)." (the Surah Aal-e-Imran, 85)

ANSWER 4

There aren't any versions of the Qur'an. There is only one Qur'an. Even if you travel the whole countries of the world, you will see that all of the copies are the same.

ANSWER 5

The Qur’an, the last holy scripture of Allah and His Divine address to all the humankind, was revealed verse by verse and chapter by chapter in 23 years. The Prophet would recite the verses and the chapters that were revealed to him to his companions, and they would memorize them and some would write them down. Apart from that, the Prophet had scribes of revelation. They were especially responsible for writing the revealed verses and the chapters.

The Prophet was informed via the Archangel Gabriel about where the revealed verse and the chapter are to be placed, how they are to be ordered in the Qur’an, and The Prophet would then describe it to the scribes of revelation and get what is necessary done. The entire Qur’an was written in the lifetime of the Prophet and it was established what would be placed where. Moreover, Gabriel would come every Ramadan and would recite to the Prophet the verses and the chapters revealed up to that time from the beginning. In the last Ramadan before the Prophet passed away, Gabriel came again, and this time they recited the Qur’an twice. The first time, Gabriel recited, and the Prophet listened; and the next time, the Prophet recited and Gabriel listened. Thus, the Qur’an took its final form.

However, during the lifetime of the Prophet the Qur’an had not been arranged as a single volume yet. It was scattered among the companions as pages and was memorized by many companions. However, it was clearly and absolutely known what would be placed where.

Finally, out of necessity, at the time of Caliph Abu Bakr, a commission was set from scribes of revelation and vigorous memorizers headed by Zayd bin Thabit. This commission was appointed for the job of gathering the Qur’an as a single volume. Everybody from the companions came and handed in the pages of the Qur’an they had. As a result of the shared work of the memorizers and the scribes of revelation, the pages, chapters and the verses were ordered as described by the Prophet. Thus, the Qur’an was arranged as a single book called Mushaf.

As a result, the Qur’an has been free from being forgotten, lost, distorted or altered, since it was written down exactly as it was revealed to the Prophet.

Upon necessity, at the time of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan more copies were made from this book and were sent to various places. The copies of the Qur’an at the present time come from this Qur’an.

As result of the soundness in its determination, unlike the other Holy Scriptures, the Qur’an was established in its revealed form without any distortion or alteration, and it has come to us by preserving its authenticity for 1400 years. It is obvious that the rhetoric and eloquent style of the Qur’an, its conciseness, the ease of memorizing it, its resemblance to no human discourse, people’s inability to imitate it and to attain its level of eloquence, and the maximum care taken in its preservation played a great role in its authenticity. However, the real reason is that Allah took the Qur’an in His protection and that He promised to maintain it as a miracle until the Doomsday in form and meaning. As a matter of fact the following is stated in the Qur’an:

“Indeed it is We, We Who send down the Reminder in parts, and it is indeed We Who are its Guardian.” (the Qur’an, Al-Hijr, 15:9)

Today, all of the copies of the Qur’an in the world are the same. There is no difference or alteration. Besides, it is in the memory of millions of memorizers and is recited at each instant by millions of people. This quality is not possessed by any other book than the Qur’an, nor even by any of the other Divine scriptures. It is absolutely necessary that the Qur’an, which is Allah’s final scripture, the validity of which extends to the end of time, should possess this unprecedented status.

(Mehmed Dikmen, Islam Ilmihali, Cihan Yayinlari, Istanbul, 1991, pp. 94-97.)

ANSWER 6

Christianity is a religion that is originally based on revelation, that has a holy book and that is originally monotheistic; however, it was transformed into the belief of trinity afterwards.

According to the religion of Islam, Hazrat Isa (Jesus) is a messenger of Allah just like the other prophets. He is one of the great prophets that were given books. Christians committed polytheism by saying Jesus is the son of Allah. 

A Christian scholar interprets the trinity as follows: God-Father, which is the first element of the trinity, is pre-eternal and post-eternal; He knows the beginning and end of everything. There is nothing that He does not see; He dominates everything with His power. He has surrounded the universe with His mercy. The second element of the trinity is the Son, Jesus. He is the incarnated form, an animate vision of the divine word (logos). The Holy Spirit, which is the third and last element, represents the spirit of God. The Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove while Jesus was being baptized by John. The Holy Spirit will guide Christians from the time when Jesus was raised to Heaven until the Last Day.

The religion Jesus conveyed to people is based on oneness of Allah. When the clear words of Jesus mentioned in the New Testament are considered, no Christian is supposed to deny the oneness of Allah. Jesus mentions in many places that Allah is one and that He has no partners. Therefore, it is not possible even for Christians to deny that Christianity is based on oneness. The mistakes of Christians regarding the issue originates from misinterpreting the verses of the Quran like "Allah's word" (an-Nisa, 4/171) and "Allah's Spirit" (an-Nisa, 4/171), etc. Christian scholars interpreted "Allah's word" as follows: Allah's word and speech was expresses in Jesus; Allah’s spirit entered him and he was born as a god. The introduction of such an important element to Christianity affected their belief of oneness in a negative way and led them to a blind alley. Christians did not know what to do and they could not untie the knot that they themselves tied though centuries passed. It is not an easy problem to solve to accept that Allah is one and to believe that there are three gods. There is one thing to do for Christians in order to get rid of this wrong understanding: To accept Allah as the only deity without taking the divinity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit into consideration, to believe that Allah has no partners, that Jesus is His slave and messenger and not to attribute any divine attributes and names to him. (Mawdudi, Tevhid Mücadelesi, trnsl by A. Asrar, İstanbul, 1983, I, 548).

According to another Christian belief regarding the issue, Allah is an essence. The three fundamental elements of this essence are as follows: 1-Father = Allah, 2- Son = Jesus, 3- Holy Spirit = the spirit blown into Mary by Allah. According to their belief, all of those three elements are the same deity. Jesus answered them as follows: in the Quran: "...O children of Israel! Worship Allah, my Lord, and your Lord..." (al-Maida, 5/72).

It is a known fact that Christians did not only abandon the belief of oneness but they also included a kind of idolatry in their religion. Thus, the Christians who thought there were three gods instead of one Allah deviated into polytheism and started to worship saints and graves. The practice of worshipping Jesus and his Apostles seen especially in Catholics (5^th century) caused the placement of the idols of saints especially those of Mary and Jesus in the churches in the course of time. In almost all of the Christian churches that are present today, those idols are seen. However, it is also known that the Christians of today do not have an unconscious desire to worship those pictures of the idols like the previous Christians. Similarly, the Christians who are not fanatics and who are not ignorant seem to have left the belief of trinity regarding belief in Allah. Today, it is almost impossible for an intellectual Christian to regard Jesus as the son of Allah and to accept Allah as Father. Today’s Christians believe in the oneness of Allah like us and describe trinity as an unreasonable belief. As a matter of fact, when Jesus was asked what the most important and greatest order was, he said, "'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one" (the Bible, Mark, XII, 29). The Christian Creed uttered all together on Sundays in every church starts with the phrase, "I believe in one God..." (Xavier Jakob, Sorabilir miyiz? İstanbul, 1988, 10).

The Quran absolutely rejects the belief of the trinity and similar beliefs of Christians and states that those who say so are unbelievers: “They disbelieve who say: Allah is one of three in a Trinity: for there is no god except One God. If they desist not from their word (of blasphemy), verily a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemers among them" (al-Maida, 5/73). In an environment where the whole world are running toward Islam and in the Christian world where a conscious conversion is taking place, it is seen as a natural act for Christians to abandon the belief of the trinity even if they do not turn toward the belief of oneness.

Please click on the links given below;

What is the Divine decree of calling Jesus Christ (PBUH) or any other persons “God”?

How did the Bible change?

What is the wisdom behind the creation of Jesus (pbuh) without a father?

Who died instead of Jesus?

Will you give information about the distortion process of the Bible (New Testament)?

Christians say that Jesus (PBUH) will come back. How will that come true? Who will be he?

Why was Jesus (pbuh) raised to the sky although some prophets were allowed to be killed why conveying the religion to people? Furthermore, one tooth of our Prophet was broken during a battle. From which property of Jesus does this incident originate?

The Proofs of the Prophethood of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) in the Distorted Bible.

Will Jesus Christ descend again upon earth before the Doom breaks out?

ANSWER 7

The true religion is a law of Allah and it is a holy collection of some sound decrees. Allah sent it as a grace and grant to human beings through His prophets. This law leads man to what is good. As long as human beings obey the orders of Allah's law through their will and desire, they will be on the true path and attain guidance. They will attain happiness and salvation both in the world and the hereafter. 

Religions are mainly divided into three:

The first one is true religions. They are the religions that comply with the description above.They are the religions established by Allah and sent to human beings through prophets. They are also called "divine and heavenly" religions.

All of the heavenly religions are essentially the same. However, there are some differences among them in terms of some worship and legal rules. 

All of the religions that were conveyed to human beings by prophets from Hz. Adam to Hz. Jesus were essentially the same; they were based on belief in one god, Allah; however, they were distorted later and their origins got lost. Allah sent His last and greatest prophet, Hz. Muhammad (pbuh), as a prophet to the whole mankind. He sent the last and perfect true religion, Islam, to people through Hz. Muhammad (pbuh). Today, the only true religion that exists and will exist until Doomsday is the religion of Islam.   

The second one is the religions whose origins were distorted and changed.As it is stated above, they were originally true religions but they were distorted afterwards and lost their divine properties; for instance, Christianity and Judaism. They are no longer true religions because some of their principles were distorted.

The third one is wrong religions. They are the religions whose origins have no relation with the true religion. They are religions that were made up by some nations. There may be some reasonable decrees in them but they are not divine religions in terms of their origins; therefore, they have no holy properties. The religions of the nations that worship fire, stars and idols are like that.

Please click on the link given below;

Why are the religions other than Islam not regarded as valid?

ANSWER 8

A person who converts and thus become a Muslim, his/her previous sins are forgiven by Allah except the rightful due.

Allah forgives every repented sin. If an infidel repents for his infidelity, he becomes a believer and all his sins are forgiven. If a believer commits every kind of sin, even associates partners with Allah and then regrets and repents, finds Allah all-forgiving. It is stated in the Quran : “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (az-Zumar 53)

No matter who you are, (catholic, non-muslim, pagan) you can convert. You can become a Muslim. Islam is the last religion. If you become a Muslim, you will be happy in the hereafter too.

ANSWER 9

It is enough for one to believe and declare: “I bear witness that there is no deity but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger” (Ashhadu an la ilaha illa’llah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘ab-duhu wa Rasuluh). This declaration of faith should be made before two or more Muslim witnesses in order that one who makes it may be known as a Muslim, but the absence of such witnesses must not cause one to delay becoming a Mus-lim.

After becoming a Muslim, one should perform the major ablution (ghusl), begin to acquire knowledge about Islam’s principles and beliefs, as well as how to conduct one’s life, and how to perform the lesser ablution (wudu’) and pray. After this, the new Muslim must do his or her best to learn other individual re-sponsibilities. One of the best ways to do this is to seek out the company of Muslims who actively practice their faith and can explain its underlying princi-ples and ultimate goals.

Ashadu an la ilaha illallah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan abduhu wa rasuluh.

(I witness that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and messenger) Kalima ash-shahadah consists of two parts that express oneness of Allah and the prophethood of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). It is witnessed that there is no god but Allah in the first part and that Hazrat Muhammad  (pbuh) is Allah’s slave and messenger in the second part. The witnessing means definite knowledge and the utterance of the belief through the tongue.   

Islam consists of accepting the oneness of Allah and what the Messenger brought from Allah. All of the other fundamentals of belief, and the commands and prohibitions that arrange life of man and the community are included in the belief in Allah and what His messenger brought. Therefore, kalima ash-shahadah is the most concise sentence expressing Islam; its utterance means the acceptance of Islam wholly. When a person says that there is no god but Allah, it means he believes in the existence of Allah with all of the names and attributes that are defined in the Quran; when he says Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) is His slave and messenger, it means he believes  all of the commands, prohibitions and news he brought from Allah and he accepts that he has to obey them. That Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) is defined as the slave of Allah in the same sentence means the messenger must not be elevated and deified as Christians and others did.

When a person utters kalima ash-shahadah, he becomes a Muslim and a member of the Islamic community. He owns all the rights that Islamic law gives Muslims. If he is a member of a community that is in a state of war against Muslims, he will have immunity. He cannot be killed, held captive, and his property cannot be confiscated. Nobody can be forced to utter kalima ash-shahadah; the kalima ash-shahadah of a person who is forced to utter it is not valid. However, a person who utters kalima ash-shahadah of his own free will is expected to learn and act in accordance with the rules and obligations of Islam, which he declared to be a member of. 

(see also: Kelime-i Tevhid, Muhammed (pbuh), İman, İslâm, Nebi, Rasul, Peygamber items).

Author: İslam Fıkhı Ansiklopedisi,

HOW DO I BECOME A MUSLIM?

After having decided to revert to Islam, one must sincerely utter a testimony called shahadah. The Shahadah consists of two parts. One is to testify that there is no deity (god) worthy of worship except Allah. The second part is to testify that Muhammad (pbuh) is the final messenger of Allah.

The shahadah must be said in Arabic. One may say the shahadah in front of two witnesses, but one should not delay the testimony. It is preferred that after taking shahadah, one takes a bath.

The shahadah reads as follows:

“ASH-HADU ALLA ILAHA ILLALLAH WA ASH-HADU ANNA MUHAMMADAN RASUL-ALLAH".

The Translation: "I bear witness that there is no deity (none truly to be worshipped) but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah"

After taking the shahadah, one must start the way towards God by following the five pillars of Islam.

Questions and answers related to taking shahadah

Q. Are witnesses required when one is making Shahadah and who should they be?

A. Making the choice to accept Islam and make Shahadah is an independent one in which no person should be coerced or manipulated. It is a contract between you and Allah - not between you and the people - therefore it is not necessary to have witnesses present.

The intention to accept Islam, like the intention made before commencing with the Prayer for the sake of Allah, is made in the heart and Allah, being well aware of everything, records His new servant’s covenant.

In to-day's society, where the Muslim community form a small minority of the whole, it may be that the witnessing of such an event serves a means of informing the Muslim community that as they grow in number the responsibilities such growth demands in terms of care and integration must be considered. Witnesses on this occasion may be all female, all male or both.

Q. In relation to reversion when is it necessary to make Ghusl and what is the right way to perform it?

A. Ghusl is the complete washing of your body with the correct intention, which ultimately depends on the circumstances for which you are performing the ghusl. One of these occasions is after one has entered Islam - that is after one has recited shahadah, not before.

The soul has been cleansed and purified through the declaration of 'La ilaha illallah, Muhammad ar-Rasul Allah' and now it is time to purify the body so that those obligatory duties, which every Muslim becomes responsible for, may be attended to. To wash the entire body is sufficient.

However, according to the practice of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH or the Sunnah, it is best to start with washing the private parts followed by making Wudu (ablution) just as one would do to pray except for the feet which the Prophet PBUH used to leave until the end. Then wash the body thoroughly, head and hair followed by right side, left side, thorough rinse and finally the feet. A shower is always more hygienic for this purpose than a bath.

Q. What if you were unaware of the necessity to perform Ghusl after making Shahadah?

A. It is highly likely that since making Shahadah, you will have performed Ghusl for one reason or another. What matters, however, is that you make Ghusl with intention which, in this case, would be that you have accepted Islam as opposed to performing Ghusl because of impurity.

It should not become an issue of grave concern for you as you should know that Allah will forgive you for any mistakes made before you had knowledge about it.

Q. Can a woman make the Shahadah when she is menstruating?

A. Yes.

Q. Is it allowed to practice Islam in secret?

A. It is allowed to practice Islam in secret, in this or any society (even a predominantly Muslim one), that makes it difficult for the individual to be a Muslim. It may well be that family, work colleagues or friends may react in a manner that may jeopardize relationships or make very difficult one's practice of Islam.

It has to be remembered though that we are all human and therefore prone to weakness and frailties. In spite of our sincere intention to turn to a better life evil not only continues to exist, but also appears to increase in magnitude in an attempt to dissuade us from the true path.

It is important therefore for the Muslim community to be aware of your choosing Islam as your way of life because of the benefit to you in having access to that individual and community support necessary in a society which puts constant pressure on your beliefs.

In this case as with many other choices in life and in consideration of your own circumstances, apart from the Muslim community, it is perhaps best to be selective about whom you choose to share your new direction in life.

It is also very important for the rest of us as Muslims to be careful before we criticize another Muslim with regard to particular situations since it may be that circumstances demand it of him and in our limited capability we are unable to both see and understand such circumstances.

Q. Is it enough that just by reciting the Shahadah one will enter Heaven?

A. First, we must understand the meaning of 'Ashhadu alla ilaha illallah' because it is on this statement that you make the contract between you and Allah. Before you make or sign any contract, you must read it very carefully making sure you understand every word in it.

Its meaning is 'I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah'. This worship does not confine itself only to prayer but taking into consideration that everything for the Muslim is an act of Ibadah - worship - it therefore encompasses everything that Allah enjoined upon the Muslim, that which is pleasing to Him and endears His servant to Him. You have given your word to Allah and the responsibility now lies with you.

The Qur'an reminds us 'Truly, my prayer and my sacrifice, my life and my death are all for God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of all the worlds' (6 - 162). How then are we to dedicate our lives to Allah if we do not do what He has requested of us and leave what He abhors until our meeting with Him, which must be the ultimate purpose of all our lives.

We are also reminded to die in the state of Islam - having made the contract with Allah, we must carry out our duties as a Muslim until the moment of death - only then are we released from our contract.

Q. Is it necessary to have a Shahadah certificate as proof of your being a Muslim?

A. There is nothing in Islam, in the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his companions, nor do the scholars advocate the provision of Shahadah certificates to those who accept Islam. It should be quite clearly understood that such a certificate has nothing to do with taking Shahadah. If there is another reason, however, like the need for such a provision for traveling, legal purpose or to convince stubborn family members of your commitment to Islam, then it should be available to those who need it.

Q. What is the opinion on circumcision - is it recommended or compulsory?

A. We must refer to the sources - the Qur'an, where there is no mention of anything relating to circumcision, and the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad where we find our evidence. Here we find that it is a Sunnah - it is recommended in that it is a good thing to do but that it is not a must.

For a Muslim society where children are born into Islam, it should be part of normal practice. For those who become Muslim, and are mature of age or old and find it difficult for them to contemplate or do, they have the option to choose not to do it. This is the opinion of Imam Hanbal and since there is nothing in the Sunnah of the Prophet PBUH that circumcision is a must, we should accept it. He is also of the opinion that in a Muslim society where parents have neglected to carry out this duty for their son who has now matured, he, too, is not obliged at this stage to have it done.

It is enough that those new to Islam are made aware of the fact that it is Sunnah - that it is liked. Thereafter, the decision lies with the individual.

Q. Do you have to change your name on accepting Islam?

A. Changing the name is not an Islamic requirement. During the time of the Prophet Muhammad PBUH all of those who accepted Islam retained the name they had before Islam. These included some of the closest of the Prophets companions like Omar, Abu Bakr, Uthman, Bilal, Salman etc,.

The Prophet never changed the name of anyone except in the situation when the name had a derogatory meaning. An example of this was one companion whose name was Abdul Shams meaning 'the servant/slave of the sun' indicating peoples belief in the power of such things before Islam. The Prophet PBUH changed it to Abdur-Rahman meaning 'the servant/slave of God Most Compassionate'.

Some of the names we are familiar with in Islam are not of Arabic origin such as Ismael, Ya’qub, Yahya and Yusuf but were incorporated by the very fact that their owners identified themselves by 'La ilaha illallah'.

Regardless of origin, if the name given at birth does not have a derogatory meaning then it is not required to change it.

Q. A person should desist from what would be displeasing to Allah on declaring Shahadah, but they are only answerable for what they know. This puts emphasis on what they are told in a sensible way. What is your guidance on this?

A. When you become aware of what is forbidden in Islam, you should avoid it. If you are not aware of it however, it is not possible either to leave it or to be punished for it. For those who are in the position of guiding others in Islam, there is always the dilemma regarding how to inform and how much information should be given.

Since we are only human, we tend to empathize with the newcomer to Islam thinking that we are being merciful if we withhold some information which we feel they are not, as yet, ready for.

What has to be remembered is that whatever Allah forbids is forbidden and that not only have we to protect ourselves from doing wrong, but we are duty bound to make it known to others as well.

It is necessary therefore that we are fully aware of the reasons behind each injunction so that our explanation is thorough and informed. Of course, this information should always be delivered in the gentlest of manners making the receiver all the more appreciative given the nature of the subject and the scope of information on the topic you are in a position to offer. We will be answerable to Allah if we allow ourselves, or anyone else, to continue to do anything that is forbidden in the Shari'ah - law of Allah.

ANSWER 10

Veiling (Hijab / Tasattur) is an order of Allah. She must accept this if she wants to become a Muslim since it is the order of Allah. If she doesn't cover / veil herself properly according to Islam, she is not considered to have left Islam but becomes a sinner.

Please click on the links given below;

What is the decree on the head-scarf in Islam? To what kind of danger does going out without a headscarf lead women?

Is not being in tasattur (for a woman to cover her head and her body) a disgrace, crime or sin?

Unveiling Oppression

How can I cover my head (and body as prescribed by Islamic Law)? (An interview with ÜMİT MERİÇ)

What is the decree over head-scarf? What kind of danger does going out without a headscarf take women to?

Is there any religious objection for women's working? Is it religiously permissible for women to work among man?

How should a woman’s outside covering be? To what extent can hands and feet be uncovered? How should the head be covered?

How did the first tasattur (veiling, covering oneself) start? How did the wives of the Companions of the Prophet (PBUH) carry out the command of tasattur?

What kind of clothes should women wear (for tasattur)?

Should women wear overcoat or jilbab to cover themselves (for tasattur)?

Doesn’t women face draw more attention comparing to their hair? Why is hair covered up but not face?

Is it right for women who are dressed according to Islamic rules to wear their headscarves covering their shoulders?

How must be the way of dressing of a Muslim woman?

How were Muslim women commanded to veil themselves?

How is a free Muslim woman dresses when there are other people near her?

The following two verses in the chapter of Al-Mumtahina answer your question:

Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just.

Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong. (al-Mumtahina, 60/8, 9)

The verses above make this distinction; they distinguish between those who fight against our religion and our homeland and those who do not; and they express clearly that there is no harm in establishing relationships with the second group within the framework of goodness and justice.

- The Quran has no promise that “it will dominate the whole world in terms of population and land”.

On the contrary, it gives some news about the future that most people will not accept the religion of Islam. And this news is a miracle since it took place exactly.

“A. L. M. R. These are the signs (or verses) of the Book: that which hath been revealed unto thee from thy Lord is the Truth; but most men believe not.” (ar-Rad, 13/1);

“And We have explained to man, in this Qur´an, every kind of similitude: yet the greater part of men refuse (to receive it) except with ingratitude.” (al-Isra, 17/89);

“…For it is the truth from thy Lord: yet many among men do not believe.” (Hud, 11/17);

“Yet no faith will the greater part of mankind have, however ardently thou dost desire it.” (Yusuf, 12/103)

As a matter of fact, it is clearly stated in the verses of the Quran above and similar ones that the majority of people will not accept Islam. This promise of the Quran turned out to be true.  

- What the Quran promises is as follows:

“It is He Who has sent His Messenger with Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion: and enough is Allah for a Witness.” (al-Fath, 48/28)

- The history of Islam witnesses that the religion of Islam became superior to other religions and that Islamic states defeated Christian states (there were no Jewish states) for centuries and became superior to them. This superiority started in the Era of Rightly-Guided Caliphs, continued in the eras of Umayyads, Andalusian Umayyads, Abbasids, Ayyubids, Seljuks and a certain period of the Ottoman State (at least four to five hundred years). Thus, the promise by Allah to us in the Quran was realized.

- The following statement of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi explains the issue:  

“He whose kingdom has lasted one thousand three hundred and fifty years, who has generally had more than three hundred and fifty million subjects, to whom his subjects daily renew their pledge of allegiance and to whose perfections they continually bear witness, whose commands are obeyed in perfect submission, whose spiritual hue has colored half of the globe and a fifth of mankind, who is the beloved of men’s hearts and the educator of their spirits – such a being is without doubt the greatest servant of the Lord Who holds sway over the universe.” (Sözler, p. 69)

- Inshallah, we will witness a greater “domination of the Quran” than the present one before the Day of Judgment. The importance of this domination will be related to the conquest of hearts, not land.

“…for the conquest of half the globe and a fifth of humanity by the eloquent murmuring of the Qur’an, for the uninterrupted continuance of its respected and magnificent monarchy for fourteen centuries...” (Sözler, p. 447)

That is a known fact. Its previous domination is a guarantee of its domination in the future.

We do not think it is not permissible to express good wishes for the religious feast days of our non-Muslim relatives and neighbors. Living in a non-Muslim country may bring us something extra.   

We think we can serve Islam by understanding the conditions of this age, when the whole world is like a city, and by showing the beauties of Islam and the kindness of Muslims to non-Muslims. However, it is necessary not to adopt and accept their religious feast days.

- The Sumerians were a nation that lived between 3500 BC and 2000 BC in the geographical region in southern Iraq (Mesopotamia) known as the cradle of civilization... Of the many different tribes living in Mesopotamia, the Sumerians were the first to stand out and lay the foundations for later civilizations. The Sumerians were the first prominent and well-known society in the fields of writing, language, medicine, astronomy, mathematics, religion, fortune telling, magic and mythology. “Creation” and “Flood” are first seen in the Sumerians.... (WIKIPEDIA).

- Although these explanations are not definite, it seems that religion played an important role in the Sumerians. It is known that religions first started in the Middle East.

- Besides, since they existed even before the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) mentioned in the Quran, we cannot name any prophet other than Noah (Nuh) for the Sumerians. However, there were thousands of prophets who were not mentioned in the Quran.

Elmalılı Hamdi Yazır states the following in his tafsir of verses 1-3 of the chapter of Nuh: 

“We sent Noah to his People.” It is understood that Prophet Noah was sent to his people, not to all humankind because, among the prophets, being sent to all humankind is a characteristic of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Only Allah knows how many people and what tribes were on the earth at that time and where people lived on the earth. However, according to Alusi’s explanation, the people of Noah lived in the Arabian Peninsula and regions near it. It is well known that Noah lived in the land of Kufa, that is, in Iraq, and it was there that he was given the prophetic mission...” (Hak Dini Kur’an Dili)

The history and geography of the Prophet Noah and the history and geography of the Sumerians overlap.

According to some information, Noah’s name was Ziusudra in Sumerian. The epic of Ziusudra took place in approximately 2900 BC and was written on tablets in 2600 BC.

It does not seem possible to say anything definite about it today. New archaeological discoveries may shed light on this issue in the future.

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) ordered the expulsion of the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula.

The wisdom behind that order might be his desire to make the Peninsula have pure Islamic cities, to meet the needs of those who want to learn Islam by seeing it and to prevent corruption.

There are different explanations as to what geographical boundaries this order of the Prophet’s (pbuh) covers. One of the preferred views is as follows:

The places from which Jews, Christians and polytheists are ordered to expel are Makkah and Madinah in particular.

The fact that Umar (ra) expelled the Jews to Tayma, which is located in the Arabian Peninsula but outside the Hejaz region, supports that view.

In that case, members of all religions are allowed to live and worship according to their beliefs in the Islamic geography except for Makkah and Madinah.

For more information, please click on the link given below;

Did the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula?

A Christian woman can marry a Muslim man; fornication is not in question. Marriage with a Christian woman is no different from marriage with a Muslim woman. 

After a sexual intercourse, the Muslim man makes ghusl; the Christian (non-Muslim) woman acts in accordance with the rules of her religion.

It is not makruh to work in the repairs of a church because this work is not a sin. (Bazzaziyya)

It is permissible for a Muslim to carry the wine of non-Muslims, to repair churches in return for money and to sell Christians zunnar (a kind of belt worn by non-Muslims) and similar things used only by unbelievers according to Abu Hanifa but it is not permissible according to the other mujtahids. (Raddul-Muhtar 5/251; Qadihan, NI/426; Hindiyya, IV/450 (from Muhit); Jaziri, NI/125)

However, the permissibility of working there does not show that it is a good thing. Therefore, the following is stated:

"If a Muslim makes a deal in return for five dirhams to ring the bells of a church every day with a Christian and if he finds a job in which he will earn one dirham a day, it is not appropriate for him to ring the bells of the church according to Ibrahim b. Yusuf; he should seek his sustenance doing the other job." (Qadihan, NI/404, 426)

Therefore, we advise such a person to work in another job though it is not appropriate to criticize the people who work based that fatwa.

Anyone who wants to watch a video, series, movie or documentary should consider the general principles of Islam, the principles of privacy, etiquette and ethics.

It is necessary to avoid deeds that show disrespect to and support for those who insult Islam.

It is permissible to watch broadcasts that comply with these criteria, and it is not permissible to watch those that do not.

“Help ye one another in righteousness and piety, but help ye not one another in sin and rancor: fear Allah. for Allah is strict in punishment.”  (al-Maida, 5/2)

The Prophet (pbuh) ordered the expulsion of the polytheists from the Arabian Peninsula.

The wisdom behind this order might be that this peninsula was a pure Islamic city and that it met the needs of those who wanted to learn Islam by seeing it, and it aimed to prevent corruption.

There are different explanations as to what geographical boundaries this order of the Prophet (pbuh) covers. One of those views that are generally accepted is as follows:

The place where Jews, Christians and polytheists were ordered to leave is specifically Makkah and Madinah.

Umar's expulsion of the Jews to Tayma, which is in the Arabian Peninsula but outside the Hejaz region, supports this view.

Accordingly, members of all religions are allowed to live and worship according to their beliefs in the Islamic geography outside Makkah and Madinah.

Magic (sorcery) is haram in Judaism as it is haram in the religion of Islam. As a matter of fact, the following verses in the chapter of al-Baqara show that magic is haram in Judaism:

"They followed what the evil ones gave out (falsely) against the power of Solomon: the blasphemers Were, not Solomon, but the evil ones, teaching men Magic, and such things as came down at Babylon to the angels Harut and Marut. But neither of these taught anyone (Such things) without saying: "We are only for trial; so do not blaspheme." They learned from them the means to sow discord between man and wife. But they could not thus harm anyone except by Allah´s permission. And they learned what harmed them, not what profited them. And they knew that the buyers of (magic) would have no share in the happiness of the Hereafter. And vile was the price for which they did sell their souls, if they but knew!"

"If they had kept their Faith and guarded themselves from evil, far better had been the reward from their Lord, if they but knew!" (al-Baqara, 2/102-103)

When Jews spread to the countries of the world, they learned things like magic (especially during the slavery period in Babylon). They attributed this magic to Sulayman. They moved away from the book of Allah. The Quran states Hz. Sulayman is free from not only magic but also some other attributions in the Torah.

The main purpose of them related to magic was to sow discord between husband and wife. This shows to what degree they fell in terms of ethics.

It is permissible to receive gifts from non-Muslims. It is permissible to perform prayers with them.

Allah orders us to treat well those who are members of different religions and who do not harm and fight Muslims: 

“Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just.” (al-Mumtahina, 60/8)

Muslims should approach their non-Muslim neighbors by giving gifts to them and speaking to them sweetly. Despising and frightening are contrary to the order of treating them well. We should pray for their guidance. Approaching them with big and small favors is the way of doing favors. Islam orders us to visit relatives even if they are from different religions. The Quran orders us to talk to our parents nicely even if they are from different religions. (see Luqman, 31/15) According to this verse, it is decreed that a Muslim son needs to provide nafaqah (money for sustenance) to his dhimmi parents.

The Prophet (pbuh) visited a Jewish neighbor who was ill, asked about his health and sat next to him.

One of the targets of favors is to win hearts; exchanging presents is one of them. When Abu Sufyan was a polytheist, the Prophet gave him and other people from different religions gifts generously. When the Prophet (pbuh) sent letters to foreign heads of state to invite them to Islam, he sent gifts with envoys and accepted the gifts brought by them. Umar b. Khattab gave the gift that the Prophet had given to him to his brother, who was a polytheist then. When Adiyy bin Hatam came to the mosque of the Prophet (pbuh) without permission, the Prophet held his hand, took him to his home and treated some food to him. When the Prophet was asked to curse the tribe of Daws, he prayed for their guidance.

When the Prophet (pbuh) was in Madinah, famine started in Makkah. The Prophet (pbuh) helped those who faced starvation though they were polytheists. He sent 500 dinars (gold) to Makkah. He wanted the money to be given to Abu Sufyan and Safwan bin Umayya to be distributed to the poor people of Makkah.

Acting upon these incidents, our scholars say it is permissible for a Muslim to give gifts to non-Muslims and to receive gifts from them. (Ibn Abidin, Raddul-Muhtar, V/420)

Another incident that took place in the Era of Bliss sheds light on the issue. Hz. Abu Bakr's daughter Asma narrates:

During the time of the Messenger of Allah, my mother, who was a polytheist, came to my house with some raisins and oil as gifts. I did not want to accept the gifts and allow her to my house. I went to the Messenger of Allah and asked,

“O Messenger of Allah! My mother came to me with her son Harith. He wants to approach me and to be entertained by me. Can I show respect to my mother and entertain her?” The Messenger of Allah said,

“Yes. Show respect to your mother and entertain her.” (Bukhari, Hiba 26)

As it is understood from the hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) advised Hz. Asma to accept the food brought by her mother and to show respect to her though she was a polytheist. Mentioning this hadith in the chapter called “the Permissibility of a Muslim Giving an Unbeliever Gifts”, Bukhari states that this hadith is evidence for the issue.

The most important point to be taken into consideration in relationships like that one is to try to show them the beauty of Islam by practicing it. For, a deed or a statement that is liked by a non-Muslim may cause him to attain guidance one day.

According to what scholars like Muqatil state, verse 111 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran is about the Jews living in that age. Some leaders of the Jews like Kab, Adi, Numan, Abu Rafi, Abu Yasir and Kinana Ibn Suriyya harassed verbally and practically the Muslims that were converted from Judaism like Abdullah b. Salam and his friends.  

Thereupon, the following verse was sent down and it consoled them by giving them the following glad tiding:

“They will do you no harm, barring a trifling annoyance. If they come out to fight you, they will show you their backs and no help shall they get.” (see Qurtubi, the interpretation of the verse in question)

This is a clear miracle of the Prophet (pbuh) since it gives information about what is ghayb (unknown).

The group of people mentioned in verse 112 of the chapter of Aal-i Imran is Jews. (see Nasafî, the interpretation of the verse in question)

The verse in question is as follows:

“Shame is pitched over them (Like a tent) wherever they are found, except when under a covenant (of protection) from Allah and from men; they draw on themselves wrath from Allah, and pitched over them is (the tent of) destitution. This because they rejected the Signs of Allah, and slew the prophets in defiance of right; this because they rebelled and transgressed beyond bounds.”

"Dhillah" (shame/contempt) mentioned in the verse has been one of the indispensable qualities of Jews throughout history. It is a clear evidence showing that they were exposed to Allah’s wrath. They were always despised by many countries because of the feeling of revenge they nurtured in the countries where they lived and they caused all kinds of mischief and chaos throughout history, especially after they lost their state more than two thousand years ago. Two of the examples are as follows: Some of them were killed by Nebuchadnezzar and some of them were exiled to Babylon.

There are two exceptions to it in the verse: One of them is they were saved from this contempt and shame when they held onto Allah’s rope tight. We can give the periods of Hz. Musa (Moses), Hz. Dawud, and Hz. Sulayman as examples. The second exception is “under a covenant from men...”. This covenant is the hand of humanity reached out to them by the ummah of Islam. The last example is when the Ottoman State gave refuge to 500.000 Jews who faced death in Spain.

The following explanation of Badiüzzaman Said Nursi will shed light on the issue:

“The Jewish nation has always been excessive in its love of life and this world, and has therefore deserved the blows of abasement and misery it has received every century. However, in the Palestine question it is not love of life and this world, but a significant sort of national and religious feeling because Palestine is where the prophets of the Children of Israel are buried, and the prophets belonged to their nation. In consequence they have received no swift blows. A small group could never otherwise have held out in the midst of the vast Arab lands; it would quickly have been humiliated.” (Şualar, On Dördüncü Şua).

“Greed brings about disappointment, deficiency, and humiliation; it is the cause of deprivation and abjection. The humiliation and abjection of the Jewish people who have leaped greedily upon the world, is a decisive proof of this truth.” (Mektubat, Yirmi İkinci Mektup, İkinci Mebhas).

Being rich does not always eliminate dhillah. What matters is the determination of the state in the legitimate field. The state of the Zionists who fulfill things illegitimately with tricks and deceptions is different. 

“Also, Jewish people finding through greed, usury, and trickery their degrading, miserable, illicit sustenance only at subsistence level…” (Lem'alar, On Dokuzuncu Lem'a)

The statement above gives important clues regarding the issue.

We can say that the aggressiveness of today’s Israel-Zionist administration originates from their cowardice, their waywardness from their contempt, their resorting to terror from their meanness, and their wealth from interest and usury. Nevertheless, were it not for America and some other Western countries, they would die of hunger.

All of the sins except violation of other people’s rights of a new Muslim are forgiven. Allah may forgive a slave that has become a Muslim about the violation of other people’s rights without harming the violated rights of the people.

Allah does not oppress anybody; He gives the rights of everybody. Individual rights may seem to be between two people but God Almighty will increase the sustenance of the person whose rights were violated, keep misfortunes away from him, etc. in the world and He will grant him things that will please him in the hereafter and elevate his rank; thus, He will not lose his rights and will make him pleased.

Regarding the authenticity of the Gospel of Barnabas, many arguments have been written both in favor of and against it.

In the work titled al-Yahūdiyyah wa’l-Naṣrāniyyah (Judaism and Christianity), Dr. Muḥammad Ḍiyāʾ al-Raḥmān al-Aʿẓamī examines the evidences on both sides in detail and concludes that the Gospel of Barnabas was written by a disciple of Prophet ʿĪsā (peace be upon him), known by the name Barnabas, whose name was Yūsuf ibn Lawī ibn Ibrāhīm.

According to the author, after this Gospel was discovered, it caused a shock in Christian circles and was completely banned by Pope Gelasius I. Originally written in Italian, the Gospel was later translated into English and Arabic. (See: the same work, pp. 353–395)

For further details, see:

Will you give information about the Bible of Barnabas?

In the old books, the Companions are indicated as the blessed ones, that is, righteous saints.

In the Torah, the following verse concerning the Prophet’s Companions, who would shine forth from the Paran Mountains exists:

“The flags of the blessed ones will be with him, and they will be on his right.”

"In this verse, the Companions are described as “the blessed ones,” that is, his Companions are blessed, righteous men, the beloved ones of Allah."  (Mektubat (Letters), On Dokuzuncu Mektup (Nineteenth Letter), p.168)

The true measure of religion is the Quran and sound Sunnah.

According to Islam, the primary criteria for determining whether something is right or wrong are the Quran and sound Sunnah.

No matter how impressive an incident may be, even if many people claim to have witnessed it, if it contradicts the Quran and sound Sunnah it is not accepted as evidence.

Is an extraordinary incident regarded as proof of truth?

Miracles are attributed to prophets and karamahs to saints; istidraj refers to extraordinary incidents seen in the individuals who have strayed from the true path.

Therefore, not every extraordinary incident proves the truth of the real religion.

Some claims of “miracles” seen in other religions may be due to misinterpretations, psychological/social influences, or a type istidraj that occurs as a test.

Collective witnessing is not always conclusive evidence.

Throughout history, there have been incidents that were misunderstood even though many people witnessed them.

Therefore, the expression “Many people saw it” does not necessarily mean it is absolutely true. People can be mistaken, influenced, or misinterpret things.

The secret of Allah’s test

The world is a place of testing. If everything were proven through obvious miracles, belief would become compulsory, and the purpose of the test would be lost.

Therefore, Allah may sometimes allow incidents that could affect people of different religions, but they are not definitive proofs that alter the true religion.

How should those incidents in Christianity be interpreted?

For example, claims such as the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima and the Apparition of the Maryam (Mary) in Zeitoun are, from an Islamic perspective, not considered definitive miracles but rather as incidents open to interpretation

What is the claim about the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima?

In 1917, thousands of people in Fatima claimed that the sun was rotating, moving, changing color, and approaching the earth.

An optical illusion (retinal effect) may have occurred. Looking at the sun for a long time can cause temporary visual disturbances in the eyes.

Atmospheric effects may have occurred. Clouds, fog, and light refraction can make the sun appear different.

It could have been a collective expectation (psychological effect). People might have interpreted the same incident similarly because they expected a miracle.

Interestingly, not everyone in the area that day witnessed the incident, which indicates that the incident did not physically occur.

What is the claim regarding the Apparition of Mary at Zeitoun?

Allegedly, a luminous figure (claimed to be the Virgin Mary) repeatedly appeared above a church in Cairo, and numerous people witnessed this apparition.

The opinions put forward regarding this incident can be summarized as follows:

The possibilities include light reflection/projection, electrical light effects, false misperception from a distance (pareidolia), and the human mind transforming ambiguous shapes into meaningful figures.

Those incidents were not observed in the same way by everyone; natural explanations are possible.