The Bible and Christianity (an Islamic View)

Author’s Foreword Knowledge in Islam

Some of my friends who were the students in Baghdad University always used to take part in the discussions and debates concerning Islam. One day, a group of them from the medical college came to me and said that they had an American professor who had been appointed to teach in their college. Seemingly, he was a judicious man who seeks to find the truth. He was inquiring much about Islam and was impressed by the Islamic way of life.

When they requested me to meet and discuss (Islam) with him, they were not sure that he would be convinced about Islam after the discussion. I booked a date in my diary for them and said that by the grace of Allah he would be inspired by Him to embrace Islam. The college students smiled and wondered as to how would an American professor embrace Islam easily. I asked them whether they thought that Islam was an acceptable religion, or that they were not sure of my competence to interpret Islam, or that the professor was too obstinate to accept the truth even after understanding it. The students remained silent. They could not say that their professor was an obstinate person as they had already praised him for his fairness.

They went on to work out how to persuade him in his capacity as their professor to come to Karbala (which is 100 km) from Baghdad despite the fact that the professor did not believe in visiting of holy places. I suggested to them to bring him to Karbala just for recreation. Incidentally, the date of our appointed fell on an Eid holiday.

At the time of arrival of the professor, a group of people were already at my reception for the Eid greeting. I welcomed him, and after formal courtesy talk, I asked him how he found Baghdad and its Muslim people.

Having expressed his impression about Baghdad and Muslim people, I said to him that he had not seen anything of Islam and Muslims yet; otherwise he would have been surprised much more. When he asked how, I told him “Islam, for example insists for its followers to acquire knowledge to the extent that Islam makes it compulsory for all men and all women to acquire knowledge.” I went on to explain to him some of the excellence of knowledge and wisdom as seen through the Islam and the reward prescribed for seeking knowledge. I added, “Islam does not persuade its followers to learn religious science only, as some claim, but Islam encourages (its followers) to gain every type of knowledge so much so that the religious authorities issued religious decrees that acquiring knowledge of all essential sciences and technologies is obligatory upon everyone in the community unless or until experts in the fields concerned are available in the community, to the extent of self-sufficiency.” I quoted the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Progeny), who said: “It is obligatory for every Muslim, man or woman, to acquire knowledge.”17 In this hadith the Holy Prophet did not limit the learning to any particular field, such as, religion, Qur’an or engineering.

Along the same line, Imam Ali (upon whom be peace) is quoted as saying: “a person is valued for his skills and qualities.”18 The Holy Qur’an precedes both of them and asks: {Can the learned be equal to the ignorant?}19 In other words, those who know the contents of the Holy Qur’an are not equal to those who are ignorant of it. Similarly, he who possesses the knowledge of medicine cannot be equal to one who is ignorant of medical science, and he who is the master of mathematics is not equal to one who knows nothing of it. Similarly the comparison may go on in respect of the atomic science, history, politics, economy, etc.

The doctor, listening to these facts attentively, was impressively surprised. Then I said to him, “more than that, the Holy Prophet had urged his companions to go about in search of knowledge and wisdom even to the most remote corners of the world, into the depths of seas, and the expanse of the outer space. The Holy Prophet said: “Seek knowledge, even (if it is) in China.”20 “You could imagine,” I told the professor, “how difficult and tiresome it was in those days, to travel from Medina (in today’s Saudi Arabia) to China, and the time it took to go there? Probably the journey took one year. Besides, there was no trace of religious knowledge and Islamic studies in China. Only the past ancient religious and worldly knowledge were taught over there.”

“Is this not,” I asked, “one of the best proofs that Islam was the religion of knowledge and wisdom which encouraged acquiring every knowledge

17 ‘Awali al-Le’ali, vol. 4, p 70; Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 1, p 177 18 “Man la-Yahdhuruhul-Faqih”, vol. 4, p 389, hadith # 5834 19 The holy Qur’an: The Throngs (39): 9 20 Wasa’el al-Shi’a, vol. 18, p 14, hadith # 20

and, as such, was it not a religion of truth? Had Islam been a false religion, it would have avoided knowledge and intellect because every falsehood avoids the truth so that the secrets of its deception would not come to light.”

Then I told him that the chapter of the Holy Qur’an that was first revealed to the Holy Prophet, according to some Islamic scholars, was the chapter of the “Clot”. This chapter begins with the command of the Almighty, {Read in the Name of your Lord, Who created man from a clot . . . (and) Who taught (to write) with pen . . .}21

Allah the Almighty has mentioned “reading and writing” in this chapter as these two skills make the bases for learning and the key to knowledge. There is another more important hadith from the Holy Prophet, which says that, “If knowledge were to be in the Pleiades22, the inhabitants of Farris (Persia) would fetch it from there.”23 If we take Farris to mean lands other than Arabia, just as they call the non-Arab world as Ajam, we can say that the hadith refers to the recent expedition to the moon. Here is some good news for man to reach any planet in the Pleiades cluster of stars, which is at a far greater distance than the planets (of the solar system). In other words, we can say that this hadith of the Holy Prophet is an order in disguise, meaning, “O people of the world, fly into the depths of space until you reach distant stars such as those of the Pleiades.” Consequently, we are waiting for that day when mankind will reach the Pleiades. “As you know” I said to the Professor, “when Russian space scientists launched the first artificial satellite, some of the Christian scholars/clergymen protested that the Russian act was in defiance of Heavenly powers, while the scholars of Islam congratulated humanity on that remarkable success of science in that direction. They took that success as a manifestation and a proof of the correctness of the predictions and saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.”

Thereafter, I told him that Imam Ali who was the pupil and successor of the Holy Prophet, and all Muslims accepted him as a great leader and all held him in high esteem, had proclaimed saying,

21 The holy Qur’an: The Clot (94): 1 – 4. 22 Pleiades is an open cluster of stars in the constellation Taurus, some of which are bluewhite giants clearly visible to the naked eye.

23 Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 1, p 195, hadith # 16.

“Ask me about the ways of the skies as I know them better than the ways of the earth.”24 I asked him whether this proclamation did not prove that he had detailed knowledge of astronomy, and what modern man has discovered today was already known to him fourteen centuries ago, whereas for five thousand years philosophers were of the opinion that flight of man to the skies was impossible.

Every sentence of mine appeared to have deeply moved the doctor and struck like a lightning. These words prevailed over his mind completely and the signs of awe and amazement were clearly seen in his face and his motions. Then I told him about a verse in the Holy Qur’an which referred to the conquest of the outer space and the oceans. This verse says, {O company of Jinn and Man! If you have power to penetrate all regions of the heavens and the earth, then penetrate (them). You will never penetrate them except with power.}25 Religious scholars interpreted this power as scientific power.

The meeting lasted for over an hour. In the end I enquired him whether he was satisfied that Islam was a universal religion and Muhammad ibn Abdullah (may Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Progeny) was the Prophet from Allah, the Almighty.

The doctor bowed his head, thinking about what I had said. As he remained silent I said, “I hope you will embrace Islam and augment your distinction of knowledge by that of faith, as Allah the Almighty says in His Holy Book, {Allah will exalt those who believe among you, and those who have knowledge to high rank}26 By the grace of Allah, you are already in possession of the characteristics of vision and wisdom. The only thing which is left is to add to yourself the virtues of belief and faith in Islam.” Then I explained to him that by embracing the religion of Islam he would lose nothing. After a noticeable silence and deep thought, the doctor said, “How should I embrace Islam?”

I said you declare your belief by stating the three declarations of faith, saying, “I bear witness that there is no good except Allah; and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and prophet.” In addition to these two declarations, I asked him to declare his acceptance of the authority of 24 Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 39, p 108, hadith # 13.

25 The holy Qur’an: The Beneficent One (55): 33.

26 The holy Qur’an: The Woman Disputant (58): 11. Imam Ali and the other (eleven) Imams. He then repeated them accordingly.

Thereafter, he requested one of our friends who was his pupil and was acting as interpreter to arrange one hour every week to teach him the tenets and rituals of the divine religion of Islam. The people who had assembled there congratulated him, and some refreshment was provided. The gathering dispersed, while all were saying, “Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.”