Christians tend to use 1 Timothy 3:16 to support the divinity of Jesus:
1 Timothy 3:16 Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. (NIV)
Let’s examine this verse closely and expose another missionary lie. Biblical scholars say that Christ was not called God in the original reading of the manuscript. In his book, Misquoting Jesus, Bart Ehrman (a New Testament scholar) says:
Most manuscripts abbreviate sacred names (the so called nomina sacra), and that is the case here as well, where the Greek word God is abbreviated in two letters, theta and sigma , with a line drawn over the top to indicate that it is an abbreviation. What Wettstein (One of the most controversial figures in the ranks of biblical scholarship in the eighteenth century) noticed in examining Codex Alexandrinus was that the line over the top had been drawn in a different ink from the surrounding words, and so appeared to be from a later hand (i.e., written by a later scribe). Moreover, the horizontal line in the middle of the first letter, theta, was not actually a part of the letter but was a line that had bled through from the other side of the old vellum. In other words, rather than being the abbreviation (theta sigma) for”God” , the word was actually an omicron and a sigma , a different word altogether, which simply means “who.” The original reading of the manuscript thus did not speak of Christ as “God made manifest in the flesh” but of Christ “who was made manifest in the flesh.” According to the ancient testimony of the Codex Alexandrinus, Christ is no longer explicitly called God in this passage. [1]
In regard to the above verse, Bruce Metzger (a biblical scholar and textual critic) writes:
[“He who”] is supported by the earliest and best uncials…no uncial (in the first hand) earlier than the eighth or ninth century supports theos; all ancient versions presuppose hos or ho [“he who” or “he”]; and no patristic writer prior to the last third of the fourth century testifies to the reading theos. The reading theos arose either(a) accidentally, or (b) deliberately, either to supply a substantive for the following six verbs [the six verbs that follow in the verse], or, with less probability, to provide greater dogmatic precision [i.e., to produce a verse that more clearly supports the Trinitarian position].” [2]
Thus, it is clear how later scribes intentionally tampered with the text to forge evidence supporting the divinity of Jesus.
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[1]: Bart Ehrman, Misquoting Jesus (Hanper Collins Publishers,San Francisco,2005), p. 113
[2]: Bruce Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (United Bible Society, New York, 1975), p. 641.
Recently, I came across an interesting article by David Wood concerning a question about Ramadan. This is a question that the Muslim community has been asking for sometime, Productive Muslim has covered it:
Qibla ‘Amman’s, Dr. Farouk Haffajee has also pointed out that Muslims to avoid, “Over-eating especially at sehri“, sehri or suhoor is the pre-dawn meal. Shaykh Musa Furber has also stated the following:
One of the hadiths narrated in Bukhari is that the Prophet (Allah bless him and his family and give him peace) said, “Whoever has not left untruthful talk and acting upon it: Allah has no need of him putting aside his food and drink.”
Its etiquette includes not filling up with food and drink at night, but rather eats portions since Mankind fills no container eviler than his stomach – since whenever one eats his fill at the beginning of the night will not be of use to himself for the rest of the night. It is the same regarding eating one’s fill before beginning the fast: he will be of no use to himself until near noon, since too much food leads to laziness and abatement. And besides: the whole purpose of fasting is missed by eating too much, since the point is that one taste hunger, and forgo what he desires.
Therefore, as we can see, over-eating during Ramadan actually subtracts, or removes the very purpose of Ramadan. In response to David, instead of blaming Islam for what some persons do, can you perhaps show us where Islamic fiqh (jurisprudence) states that Muslims should eat more during Ramadan? I will concede however, that some Muslims do not understand the purpose of Ramadan entirely and in some cultures (‘urf), there are traditions to eat certain foods which are grossly unhealthy – Yes, I’m talking about you guys who eat the Rotis, the Fried Chicken, the Pakoras, the Samosas, etc. David, you need to learn to separate what is permissible according to Islamic law, and what is ‘urf or cultural traditions which may or may not agree with Islamic law. Just because some Muslims over-eat, there is no evidence to suggest that Islam allows this, to the contrary we read from Shaykh Salih al Munajjid:
Extravagance leads overstepping the mark, which means eating beyond the point of fullness. This is not limited to one or two or three meals a day. A person may eat one meal a day and eat extravagantly during that meal. Or he may eat three meals without being extravagant.
The hadeeth of al-Miqdaad encourages eating small amounts of food and being content with that which is enough to keep one going. It does not suggest the number of meals. These few mouthfuls may be eaten at three times, at breakfast, lunch and dinner, and he will be eating little in these meals. If he wants to eat more than a few mouthfuls – in his meal – he should leave one third (of his stomach) for his food, one third for his drink, and one third for air. If he needs another meal – as is the case for most people – there is nothing wrong with that, but he should pay attention to the same points noted above. The same applies if he needs to have three or four meals. The number of meals varies from one person to another, the type of food and the effort necessary to prepare it.
What matters is taking care of the body and not causing any harm, whether by overeating or starving.
What also matters is eating to have strength to carry out acts of worship, which is achieved by eating moderate amounts, not by eating heavy amounts or going too hungry.
It says in al-Mawsoo‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah (25/332): Part of the etiquette of eating is to be moderate in eating and not to fill the stomach. The most that is acceptable in this regard is for the Muslim to divide his stomach into three parts: one third for food, one third for drink and one third for air, because of the hadeeth: “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is enough for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls to keep him going, but if he must (fill his stomach), then one third for his food, one third for his drink and one third for air.” That will lead to a lean and light body, because eating one’s full leads to heaviness, which makes one too lazy to do acts of worship and strive. When we say one third of the stomach, it means limiting oneself to one third of what one would have to eat one’s fill, and it was said that this may be done by limiting it to one half of a mudd. But al-Nafraawi favoured the former view, because of differences among people. All of this applies to one who will not become weak as a result of eating less than his fill, otherwise it is better for him to eat that which will give him energy to worship and will be physically appropriate for him.
In al-Fataawa al-Hindiyyah it says: Eating falls into different categories:
Obligatory – which is that which will ward off death. If a person stops eating and drinking until he dies, then he has committed a sin.
That which is rewarded – which is what will give him more energy so that he is able to pray standing up and makes it easy for him to fast.
Permissible – which is more than that, to the point of eating one’s fill, so that he will have more physical strength. There is no reward for this and it is not regarded as sinful. He will be brought to account for it but the reckoning will be light if the food was halaal.
Haraam – this refers to eating more than one’s fill unless the intention is to have the strength to fast the following day or so as not to embarrass a guest, in which case there is nothing wrong with eating more than one’s fill.
Ibn al-Haaj said: Eating in and of itself falls into different categories: obligatory, recommended, permissible, disliked and forbidden.
That which is obligatory is that which will keep him going so that he can fulfil his obligatory duties towards his Lord, because that which is essential to doing something obligatory is also obligatory.
That which is recommended is that which will help him to do naafil acts of worship, acquire knowledge and do other acts of obedience.
That which is permissible is that which enables one to fill one’s stomach in the manner prescribed in sharee‘ah.
That which is disliked is that which is a little more than is enough to fill the stomach but does not harm one.
That which is forbidden is eating a great deal that is harmful to the body.
Al-Nawawi said: It is makrooh to eat more halaal food than is enough to satisfy one.
The Hanbalis said: It is permissible to eat a great deal so long as it does not harm one. In al-Ghuniyah it says: It is makrooh when there is the fear of indigestion. It was narrated from Ibn Taymiyah that it is makrooh to eat that which leads to indigestion; it was also narrated from him that doing this is haraam.
Therefore, according to Islamic law, the over-eating which David has mentioned in his article is haram, forbidden for a Muslim to do and is not a practise encouraged by Islamic law. I’d like to deal with one last claim though and that is the rising of the amount of foods purchased during this month. Speaking from my experience as living in a community that is mixed with Muslims, Christians, Hindus etc, and by having known several restaurant and grocery owners – the rise in the purchase of food stuff can be easily explained.
Iftar or Aftari, is the meal consumed after the setting of the sun, the time for the breaking of the fast. A single family unit usually sponsors meals for over 300 – 4oo adults in my community. If we take this statistic into consideration, and we realise that many families (atleast 30 per Mosque), and even if we assume a single family only does this once, the average amount of food a family unit purchases should rise significantly – they’ve gone from feeding perhaps 2 – 4 individuals to 90 – 100 times this amount!
David then used the mistakes of a few and their improper eating methods, as an excuse to say that Islam allows men to engage in lustful acts of sexual perversion by allowing men to have sexual relations with more than one woman. David, this should not be a problem, for Abraham – the Father of our faiths – did have relations with more than one woman which give birth to the nations God promised him. It is therefore insulting to Abraham (may God’s peace and blessings be upon him) to mock what God has allowed, even if your faith disagrees with it, legally speaking -the Abraham tradition allows for one to have relations with more that one woman. Islam however takes it up a notch and requires that a man marry (and in marriage he assumes the responsibility of feeding, clothing and sheltering the wife), and in marriage sex is allowed. As for a concubine, the legalistic tradition of the Muslims is that it is seen as a form of marriage which then allows the male to have relations with the woman. Mufti Ebrahim Desai says:
Nevertheless, the wisdom underlying the permission granted by Shariat to copulate with a slave woman is as follows: The LEGAL possession that a Muslim receives over a slave woman from the ?Ameerul-Mu’mineen? (the Islamic Head of State) gives him legal credence to have coition with the slave woman in his possession, just as the marriage ceremony gives him legal credence to have coition with his wife. In other words, this LEGAL POSSESSION is, in effect, a SUBSTITUTE of the MARRIAGE CEREMONY. A free woman cannot be ‘possessed’, bought or sold like other possessions; therefore Shariat instituted a ‘marriage ceremony’ in which affirmation and consent takes place, which gives a man the right to copulate with her. On the other hand, a slave girl can be possessed and even bought and sold, thus, this right of possession, substituting as a marriage ceremony, entitles the owner to copulate with her.
He also mentioned Muta, which is a sin in Islam, it’s been a sin for over 1400 years David – you need to update your understanding of Islamic law, Mufti Ebrahim Desai states:
Subsequently, Nabi [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] issued the decree of its impermissibility (Haraam), a ruling that will apply until the day of Qiyaamat. Unshakeable proofs supporting their view may be found in a host of Hadith books including Sahih al-Bukhari (Hadith5523) and Sunan Abi Dawud (Hadith1; Chapter on Mut’ah). The shi’a and innovators still practice Mut’ah supporting their shameless behaviour with feeble arguments and proofs that are baseless in the Shari’ah. According to Ahlus sunnah wal Jamaa ‘contemporary Mut’ah’ constitutes Zina and is a major sin.
Lastly, if a man goes on a killing spree, although it is sanctioned by YHWH and the NT itself never mentioned a prohibition on murder – it is haram (forbidden) and a major sin to kill women or children (whether in Jihad or otherwise):
In the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam) prohibits the killing of women in war. (note: in Islam a women can only be put to death if she commited murder as crime).
Narrated Ibn ‘Umar: Messenger of Alla;h (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) saw the corpse of a woman who had been slain in one of the raids, and he disapproved of it and forbade the killing of women and children. (Bukhari, Vol. 4, Bk. 52, No. 257 & 258).
Abu Bakr advised Yazid: “I advise you ten things: Do not kill women or children or an aged, infirmed person. Do not cut down fruit-bearing trees. Do not destroy an inhabited place. Do not slaughter sheep or camel except for food. Do not burn bees and do not scatter them. Do not steal from the booty, and do not be cowardly.” (Mutta Malik, Book 21, Section 3, Number 10).
David therefore, has been soundly refuted. I will e-mail this to him, but as always, I expect him to be silent for alienating the authentic Islamic views on these matters is detrimental to his money making, fear mongering (argumentum ad baculum) campaign.
Due to an extremely busy schedule, I forgot to inform our readers that for the second year running, I was privy to be able to host a Ramadan Series known as “Understanding Islam“. The episodes in which I was featured, aired nationally on several major local channels on the island of Trinidad and Tobago.
The episodes aired from Wednesday 10th July to Tuesday 16th July, several time a day. There is a strong possibility that the programs featuring myself will be aired again before this Ramadan comes to a close. The topics I dealt with revolved around the personality and Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his Sunnah.
TV Schedule is as follows -:
CNC 3:
(Monday to Friday) First run 9:54 AM. Repeat 3:50 PM.
(Saturday and Sunday) First run 10:25 AM. Repeat 5:55 PM.
Channel 4:
(Monday to Sunday) First run 9:00 AM. Repeat 4:00 PM.
IBN Channel 8:
The programs are being fitted into their daily schedule.
This was written by Rev. G. W. Davis of Yale University, New Haven. The source of the quote is, The Old and New Testament Student, Vol. 10, No. 6, Page 341.
Br. Yahya Snow once again reproduced another one of my articles on his blog (thank you to the brother). Fortunately (?), Sam Shamoun is freaking out, him and his cheerleader, Radical Moderate did something I sort of did not expect – write a homosexual fantasy story about me. Now, I imagine that this was to paint me in a bad light – problem though, this is the second time that Sam and his cheerleader have made homosexual advances towards me. The first time they threatened to rape me, and now, it seems as if they’ve had time to build a story around their threats:
Now, if this were a one off incident, it wouldn’t bother me much. However, now I’m a bit troubled by this, unsettled really, what is Sam Shamoun’s and his cheerleader – Radical Moderate’s addiction to placing me in a homosexual light? Once, maybe it’s you know just something to mock me, but twice? It seems as if Sam Shamoun and Radical Moderate are projecting their homosexual repressive tendencies upon me for some peculiar reason.
Moving on….I’d really like to see where I admitted to being homosexual, or said I lived in London? I think I’ve made it quite clear that I’ve never been to London – and that I live in a tiny Caribbean island in the middle of nowhere (1, 2). I’m not sure since when I became sexually abused either, but seeing as both of the authors of this homosexual fantasy are Christian, I can see why I as a younger adult male would fit into their really sick fantasies.
Sam, Radical, if either of you are reading this – while I appreciate that you’re trying to vent your sexual feelings in the form of mockery, I see through your veil of angst, your need for acceptance. If you need someone to talk to about your homosexual tendencies, I can recommend counselling for you, but I’m going to have to let you both down easily – I’m not interested, I happen to like women and…..only women, so I’d appreciate if you’d stop including me in your homosexual fantasies.
On June 29th, Sam Shamoun publicly decried the legal detention of a known instigator of racial violence in the UK and supported the organization which houses such an individual – the EDL. The English Defence League, is an anti-immigration organization, they don’t like persons who are non-Caucasian or who are migrants to the UK.
This might have been a faux pas by our missionary friend, but I’m just kindly reminding him, that his family and community are also immigrants to the United States. Sam, you’re not a Caucasian – American, born and bred on the American Constitution, nursed on twinkies. Your family (of which you are also included) – are immigrants, and you’re supporting an anti-immigration organization. I’m not sure if you’ve realised this, but you’re essentially insulting your entire community – a community of immigrants by supporting an organization which is anti – your own community!
Sam Shamoun was born in Kuwait to an Assyrian Christian Family. Sam moved to the United States with his family at an early age.
I would like to make it absolutely clear, that I know of no other self professed migrant who is an anti-immigrant. Sam not only defames his family, the American Assyrian community and his friends, but he is essentially anti – himself, an immigrant! Sam Shamoun in no uncertain terms, is an anti-immigration migrant. Personally speaking, this only goes to prove that Sam is a confused individual, his identity and mental faculties are not at work, as he is essentially mocking the sacrifices his immigrant parents made to provide him with the opportunity to have an improved standard of life. Can you imagine, that they had to migrate across the Atlantic Ocean, to have their own son mock and fight against the sacrifices they made by becoming an anti-immigrant supporter?
You sir, have no shame, no integrity and are an embarrassment to your community.
The fireworks have begun. I’d like to thank Br. Paul Bilal Williams for resposting the article on his blog, and I’d also like to thank Br. Yahya Snow (the guy who makes those hilarious videos exposing Shamoun) for also reposting it on his blog. Sam Shamoun has reacted badly, quite badly to my article about his behaviour. So badly in fact, he proved the point that I was trying to demonstrate with the article itself – that he is an out of control, foul mouthed, abusive individual. When the article was posted to Br. Yahya’s blog, Sam Shamoun and his cheerleading friend, Radical Moderate (whom I’ve embarrassed here, see his homosexual rape threats here) began to incessantly spam his blog, causing Br. Yahya to remove many abusive and threatening statements:
(Note:click image to zoom in)
Sam Shamoun and Radical Moderate left so many lewd, abusive and threatening comments, that the only comment that is safe enough for children to read, is where he calls me a spineless coward and that he’s humiliating me. Last I checked, Sam Shamoun is the one is has been unable to respond to any of my articles refuting his lies – not a single response – with that I ask, who truly is the spineless coward?
To make it worse, Sam issued a threat on Br. Paul’s blog:
Now you better go into damage control before we post something on answering muslims exposing your lies and slander even further.
Why has he written this? He’s written it because of a clarification email he’s posted on Br. Paul’s blog concerning the Canada catastrophe:
Dear Mr. Shamoun
Thanks for the message. I sent the following to George below. Just now
Dear George
I am sorry but I think that my original hopes of sharing food and having a discussion has changed drastically.
I have had a relationship with Neil Bullock and I was never under the impression that this was a serious debate.
Our center fits approx. 50 people and is used for bridge building.
Our main goal is not to convert people and I don’t like either side feeling uncomfortable.
The speakers that I have are not comfortable with Sam Shamoun. I have never heard of the man before this debate (shows that I’m not in the circuit).
I think its in the best interest of all to cancel unless is was more about breaking bread than the debate.
In the future please let me know the speakers or it makes it hard to frame the event appropriately.
I love people and wish to find common ground as much as possible.
My apologies
Thanks and God Bless
What Sham fails to realise is that I’ve seen this email before – I’m privy to a lot more than he thinks – I’d leave him to ponder on that for a moment or two. It’s probably news to Sham, but what I said in my original expose on him, isn’t refuted by the email, according to the email the organizers did want to pull out because of his presence, that’s exactly what I said:
Very recently a group of Christians led by Pastor G. Saieg had to secretly set up a dialogue with Muslims in Toronto, Canada. They refused to say that Shamoun was accompanying them. The night before the event, they revealed his participation and the organizers pulled out. It is not because they are afraid of him, but they wish not to have a foul mouthed individual share a stage with them.
Ironically enough, the dialogue did happen, without Shamoun, thereby implicitly accepting that he is not an individual that is needed or one which they cannot do without – he is just as dispensable to the Muslim community as he is to the Christian community.
What’s in the above two paragraphs that’s a lie Shamoun? From the Facebook event page itself, it says that the mystery Christian debator was to stay a secret, isn’t that mystery representative you?
The Paradise Forever group representing the Islamic position. The Christian representative will be a surprise until the day of the event, but the one thing I am allowed to say about him is that he is someone who you will want to meet if you have any interest at all in the area of Christian-Muslim discussion.
To which Shamoun himself became upset when they sent the email stating his presence was not conducive to the inter-faith discussion:
The only lie, can be Shamoun’s statement about what I said was not true, for his own Facebook page’s comment and the event page itself, both testify to what I say, even the email which he assumed I’d never seen before – also qualifies my statements. What’s worse is Sham’s lying to his fans, the event went on without him, I even have the photos of it!
Sam, your reaction was expected, and I have no problem with you threatening me, for as the servant of God – Christ was persecuted by the followers of Satan (see John 8:44-48), we Muslims, also expect to be persecuted, threatened and abused by you. Save the rhetoric for someone who gives a damn about what you say – that sure as hell, isn’t me.
Many persons have questioned why Sam Shamoun has a persistent need to curse, insult, mock and attack Muslims and former Christians. Numerous answers have been given, many of his former friends have come forward, sympathetically to us Muslims and apologized to us, and distanced themselves from his behaviour. Very recently in fact, I became privy to a conversation Sam had and from the first response he gave, it was filled with childish insults, words not befitting of any adult, mature, human male. Yet, today I’d like to present, directly from the horse’s mouth, why Shamoun hates Muslims and apostate Christians. The following comment was posted by Shamoun on Br. Paul Bilal William’s website on December 7th, 2012, at 9:41 PM via his Facebook account (take with permission from Br. Paul’s website):
BTW Paul, the reason I get on you is because of your blasphemous rants and smear campaigns against committed Evangelicals like David Wood and James White. if you were to stop with your filthy blasphemies, i.e. “Don’t crucify me” (comment to Andalusi in your first debate with Green), “Praise the Lord, Jesus has spoken,” then I would actually hail you as a top Muslim apologist who is actually quite well read when it comes to current NT scholarship. I don’t mind your arguments, what I mind is your hatred of Evangelical Christianity and blasphemous slurs against the Jesus of the NT. If you want more people to take you seriously then you need to drop the rhetoric. If you do then I will treat you with respect. Let me know how you want to proceed from here on end.
Let’s dissect Shamoun’s reasoning:
BTW Paul, the reason I get on you is because of your blasphemous rants and smear campaigns against committed Evangelicals like David Wood and James White.
Apparently, because Br. Paul and Muslims like him who do not agree with Sam’s friends, they deserve to be insulted and abused. According to Mr. Shamoun, once you disagree with his ‘Evangelical friends’, you’re open game for whatever comes out of his mouth. Is this proper Christian behaviour? Do James White and Samuel Green agree with this level of decorum? Let us continue:
if you were to stop with your filthy blasphemies, i.e. “Don’t crucify me” (comment to Andalusi in your first debate with Green), “Praise the Lord, Jesus has spoken,” then I would actually hail you as a top Muslim apologist who is actually quite well read when it comes to current NT scholarship.
Now, isn’t this the pot calling the kettle black? Sam Shamoun who is renowned for blaspheming the Islamic faith, finds it atrocious that a Muslim could use sarcasm! I don’t seem to follow Shamoun’s reasoning here, how is it okay for him to blaspheme the Islamic faith and call for others (even though they clearly aren’t) to stop doing so, when he himself spends hours doing so himself? As you can see in this comment, Sam Shamoun concedes to Br. Paul being one of the top Muslim apologists who is quite well read – something Sam himself isn’t.
I don’t mind your arguments, what I mind is your hatred of Evangelical Christianity and blasphemous slurs against the Jesus of the NT.
To be a bit technical, if I as a Muslim were to say that I disbelieve that Christ is God – that is a blasphemy, and I’ve never really seen a Muslim say anything more than this, but publicly deny Christ’s alleged deity. Now, in Sam’s mind this is a blasphemous slur, but he has no problem insulting the Islamic God on a daily basis with far greater intensity, there is not one email exchange that I’ve had with Sam that has not included an insult towards Allaah ta ‘aala or Muhammad (peace be upon him). The hilarity of this comment is that Shamoun is focused on abusing others and then cries wolf when anyone disagrees with his faith. Clearly these are hallmarks of a mentally unstable individual who is in denial of his own actions.
If you want more people to take you seriously then you need to drop the rhetoric. If you do then I will treat you with respect. Let me know how you want to proceed from here on end.
Lastly, Sam should take his own advice. No Muslim da’ee looks at Sam respectfully because of his rhetoric. Sam has had to invent magnificent lies to hide his shame and embarrassment from being sidelined by both the Muslim and Christian communities. He gladly claims that no Muslim would dare share a stage with him for a debate, but many have in the past, but due to his abusive, petulant, childish and mentally unstable behaviour, many persons really don’t want to bother wasting their time on him. Very recently a group of Christians led by Pastor G. Saieg had to secretly set up a dialogue with Muslims in Toronto, Canada. They refused to say that Shamoun was accompanying them. The night before the event, they revealed his participation and the organizers pulled out. It is not because they are afraid of him, but they wish not to have a foul mouthed individual share a stage with them.
Ironically enough, the dialogue did happen, without Shamoun, thereby implicitly accepting that he is not an individual that is needed or one which they cannot do without – he is just as dispensable to the Muslim community as he is to the Christian community. Another lie that Shamoun has had to invent, is that the Muslim Debate Initiative is using ‘mafia’ behaviour to stop popular Muslim speakers from engaging him. As a contributing member for MDI, and as one who speaks to, sometimes on a daily basis with Muslim speakers – this cannot be furthest from the truth. Not a single speaker is ‘afraid’ of Sam, the very reason he gives for abusing Br. Paul, is the same reason Muslim speakers refuse to engage with him – drop the abusive rhetoric, drop the insults, drop the curses.
What Sam does not know and he should know, is that several of his former colleagues have spoken to Muslim speakers such as myself and they have informed us that they themselves do believe he is mentally ill, many of them have been victims of his insults – such to the extent they’ve cut working relationships with him.
Sam, if you’re reading this, remember, we don’t fear you – we just don’t respect you because of your behaviour.
Ramadan is the month of the Qur’aan. It is the month in which the Qur’aan was revealed to our Master, Muhammad (peace be upon him). It says, and I quote:
“The month of Ramadan in which was sent down the Qur’an – the guidance for mankind, the direction and the clear criteria (to judge between right and wrong); so whoever among you witnesses this month, must fast for the (whole) month; and whoever is sick or on a journey, may fast the same number in other days; Allah desires ease for you and does not desire hardship for you – so that you complete the count (of fasts), and glorify Allah’s greatness for having guided you, and so that you may be grateful.” – Qur’aan 2:185.
Yes, it is also the month of fasting (Siyaam, Sawm), but most persons seem to forget that it is a period in which we are called to read the Qur’aan for 8, 16, 20 rakaat, a month in which we are recommended to read the entire Qur’aan. In light of this, how many persons fast, perform the Sunnah of Taraweeh or read the Qur’aan? As Muslims, we face countless attacks against the Qur’aan by Christian missionaries who read it no less than you do, but spend enough time dedicated to misunderstanding it so that they can misinform you. It is therefore, the responsibility of each and every Muslim to not only read the Qur’aan, but it is also incumbent, if not obligatory (wajib) to understand it.
It is not difficult to dedicate a few minutes of reading the English translation after suhoor (sehri, morning meal before the fast). If you spend as little as five minutes, you’d have definitely read a few pages, and a few pages a day can lead you to reading the entire Qur’aan in just a matter of weeks. Just as fasting is prescribed for us, so is reading/ reciting the Qur’aan (27:92, 96:1). If we are Muslims who are sincere about our faith, we must dedicate time to reading and understanding the Qur’aan, we must spend time with the Words of our Lord. After all, it was sent as a guidance for us:
“This is the exalted Book (the Qur’an), in which there is no place for doubt; a guidance for the pious.” – Qur’aan 2:2.
In reading the Qur’aan, it is recommended to read it along with some commentary so that one can clarify matters he is unfamiliar with. For this I recommend using either Maar’iful Qur’aan or the Tafsir of Imam Ibn Kathir (‘alayhi rahma). If you do encounter some passage in which you would like further explanation, feel free to contact us and we’d pass your message on to qualified Islamic scholarship. As a da’ee (one who calls to/ invites to Islam), one of the major obstacles I have for myself witnessed, is the ignorance of the Muslim who has not read the Qur’aan. We cannot be true Muslims without reading the revelation of Allaah to us, for it is the foundation to understanding our faith and without it, we would surely be misguided.
We must not give opportunity to the Missionaries to misuse the Qur’aan upon unsuspecting Muslims. It is our duty to know the Qur’aan. In closing, our Ramadan message is simple, in the month of the Qur’aan – Read the Qur’aan.
If you live in Trinidad & Tobago, Lebanon, Algeria, the United Kingdom, Jordan or the United States and would like a free copy of the Qur’aan (English translation), contact us and we’ll organize sending you one as soon as possible.
It is very important to understand why we as Muslims do da’wah and what our duties are when doing so. As such, Br. Bassam Zawadi has summarized a list from the work, “al-Ahkaam wal-Dawaabhit al-Muta’aliqa bil-Hiwaar ma’a Ghayr al-Muslimeen – (The Rulings and Criteria Related to Dialogues with Non-Muslims)”, by Dr. Sahl bin al-‘Otaibi.
Clarifying that Islam is the only religion acceptable to God.
Clarifying the principles and teachings of Islam so that others may understand what it is about.
Declaring Islam’s innocence from the false allegations made about it.
Boosting the morale of Muslims who especially live as a minority in countries where missionaries are active in their evangelism.
Supporting the stance of Muslim minorities and help them demand their rights.
Helping create mutual understanding and encouraging peaceful co-existence with the disbelievers living next to us and to prevent fitnah.
Clarifying the reality and truth of other religions through the lens of Qur’an and Sunnah.
Inviting the People of the Book to their true original religion and making apparent the corruption which crypt into their books.
Calling Christians 
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