Major Sins & Sincere Repentance (4)

CHAPTER ONE (CONT'D)

The Torah (Taura't) and The Gospel (lnjil)

     Allah tells us in Su'rat AI-Imran (Chapter 3 Verses 1-4), "Alif, La'm, Mi'm [These letters are the miracle of the (Qur‘an, and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings.] (1). Allah! La‘ ila'ha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshipped but He), AI-HayyuI-Qayyu'm (the Ever Living, the one Who sustains and protects all that exists) (2). It is He Who has sent down the Book (the Qur'an) to you (Muhammad) with truth, confirming what came before it. And He sent down the Torah (Taura't) and the Gospel (lnjil) (3). Aforetime, as a guidance to mankind; and He sent down the Criterion [of judgement between right and wrong (this Qur'an)]. Truly, those who disbelieve in the Aya't (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, for them there is a severe torment; and Allah is All-Mighty; All-Able of Retribution (4)." Study the Noble Qur'an — Word-for-Word).

الٓمٓ (1) ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلۡحَىُّ ٱلۡقَيُّومُ (2) نَزَّلَ عَلَيۡكَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ مُصَدِّقً۬ا لِّمَا بَيۡنَ يَدَيۡهِ وَأَنزَلَ ٱلتَّوۡرَٮٰةَ وَٱلۡإِنجِيلَ (3) مِن قَبۡلُ هُدً۬ى لِّلنَّاسِ وَأَنزَلَ ٱلۡفُرۡقَانَ‌ۗ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ بِـَٔايَـٰتِ ٱللَّهِ لَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ۬ شَدِيدٌ۬‌ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ۬ ذُو ٱنتِقَامٍ (4) 

    

     According to scholars, the Torah, in the Qur‘an signifies the revelations made to Moses, peace be on him, in about forty years, from the time he was appointed prophet until his death. These include the Ten Commandments which were handed over to him inscribed on stone tablets. It is this book which is known as the Torah. In Volume 1 of his translation of the Qur'an, ‘Towards Understanding the Qur‘an,‘ Sayyid Abul A'la Mawdudi said, (Quote): Altogether there were thirteen copies. Twelve copies were handed over by Moses himself to the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel and one copy was entrusted to the Levites for safe keeping. Unfortunately, all the original copies were lost over the years because of wars and subsequent destruction of Jerusalem, together with the Temple of Solomon. The present Torah, however, comprises only of fragments of the original one which were compiled by elders of the community. It is believed by scholars that, fragments such as those which start with, ‘Then the Lord said to Moses‘ and ‘Moses said‘, ‘the Lord, your God, commands you‘, are probably fragments from the original Torah."(End of quote).

     Sayyid Mawdudi continues to say in Volume 1 page 234, (Quote): It is these scattered fragments of the original revealed Book which the Qur'an refers to as the Torah, and it is these which it confirms. The similarity between the Qur'an and such fragments in the Torah convince any careful reader that they had both sprung from one and the same Divine source. Likewise, lnjil (Gospel) or the Bible signifies the inspired words of Jesus, peace be upon him, which he delivered during the last two or three years of his life as a prophet. It is difficult to identify those statements which were originally revealed by Jesus himself and those which were added on. Like the Torah, however, the scholars can only determine that those sections explicitly attributed to Jesus, for example in statements such as, "And Jesus said" or "And Jesus taught", constitute the true lnjil. It is the totality of such fragments which is designated as the Bible by the Qur'an, and it is the teachings contained in these fragments that the Qur'an confirms. (End of quote).

     The Torah, as it was revealed to Moses by God, taught the Children of Israel to worship one and only one God. Similarly, when Prophet Issa (Jesus) was sent by God to re-direct the Children of lsrael after they had gone astray, he too, spoke of one and only one God. Unfortunately, both the Torah and the Injil were very much tampered with by man. They lost most of the original teachings, and now, only a few fragmented statements remain from the original text.

     Dr. Shauqi Abu Khalil in his book, Atlas of the Qur'an, has this to say regarding Prophet Moses and the Torah:-

     "As for the people of Musa, they followed the religion of Pure Monotheism. Their religion is different from the religion of the Jews, which calls for the worship of 'Yahwa,‘ who was their particular god, based on their description of themselves as being ‘The Chosen People.’ The actual teachings and Shari'ah (set of laws) of Musa were written in hieroglyphics, and no trace of those writings can now be found. Then the descendents of Musa's people embraced the language, culture and customs of the Kan'an; those descendents deviated from the teachings and Shari'ah of Musa, and it is they who, from that time onward, became known as Jews. The word ‘Jew’ was used for those who remained from the people of Yahudha, those who were taken as captives and led to Babel, 586 years before the beginning of the Christian calendar. As captives who were mixing in a new culture, they developed a new dialect that was based on Aramaic, and it is with this dialect that they wrote the Torah that is with us now; they had composed it while they were prisoners in Babel, approximately 800 years after the time of Musa. That is why their dialect became known as the Aramaic of the Torah. Without a doubt, the Torah they composed does not contain the same Shari'ah (set of laws) that was revealed to Musa. Therefore, we can call their book, ‘The Torah of the Jews,’ in order to distinguish it with from, ‘The Torah of Musa'." (End of quote).

     With regard to lnjil (Gospel), it is interesting to note that there are some statements which confirm what the Qur'an says regarding one God or Monotheism. The following Scriptures (including the New Testament) stress the fact that God alone is the ‘Only True God':-

     "And this is the way to have eternal life - by knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ the one you sent to the earth." John 17:3

     Throughout the Old Testament, God alone is referred to as the SAVIOR. In Isaiah, God Himself speaks, saying clearly that He Alone is the Savior:

     "For I am the Lord, your God, your Savior the Holy One of Israel, (Isaiah 43:3) "You are my witnesses and my servants, chosen to know and to believe in me and to understand that I alone am God. There is no other god; there never was and never will be. I am the Lord, and there is no other savior. (Isaiah 43:10-11)

     God repeats this categorical statement in Hosea:

I alone am God, your Lord, and have been ever since l brought you out from Egypt. You have no God but Me, for there is no other Savior." Hosea 13:4

     These statements go on and on in both the Old and the New Testaments. But most of all, we cannot ignore the reminder in Isaiah 46:9 where God speaks of Himself:

     "I am God, - I only - and there is no other like me.." (This means the same as it is in the Holy Qur'an: LA ILAHA ILLA ALLAH(!

That the Qur'an supports the Torah and the lnjil is clearly stated in the following verse:-

     Su'rat Al-Maaida (Chapter 5 Verse 68), "Say O (Muhammad), ‘O People of the Scripture! (Jews and Christians)! You have nothing (as regards guidance) till you act according to Taur'at (Torah), the lnjil (Gospel), and what has (now) been sent down to you from your Lord (the Qur'an).‘ Verily, that which has been sent down to you (Muhammad) from your Lord increases in most of them (their) obstinate rebellion and disbelief. So, be not sorrowful over the people who disbelieve (68)." (Study the Noble Qur'an —Word-for-Word).

قُلۡ يَـٰٓأَهۡلَ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ لَسۡتُمۡ عَلَىٰ شَىۡءٍ حَتَّىٰ تُقِيمُواْ ٱلتَّوۡرَٮٰةَ وَٱلۡإِنجِيلَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكُم مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ‌ۗ وَلَيَزِيدَنَّ كَثِيرً۬ا مِّنۡہُم مَّآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيۡكَ مِن رَّبِّكَ طُغۡيَـٰنً۬ا وَكُفۡرً۬ا‌ۖ فَلَا تَأۡسَ عَلَى ٱلۡقَوۡمِ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِينَ (68)

     It is obvious, therefore, that had the Jews and the Christians adhered to the teaching revealed to them in their Scriptures, they would certainly have become a truth-loving and truth-oriented group of people and would have been able to see that the Qur'an is indeed a continuation of the earlier Divine Scriptures. There would then have been no question of their abandoning their religion in order to follow Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). To follow him would have caused neither break nor discontinuity; they would simply have gone one step further along the same road.

     However, as a result of so much tampering of the Torah and the lnjil, both the Jews and the Christians have subsequently turned out to be associating God with others, since the Jews believe that ’Uzaira' is a son of god, and the Christians say, Jesus is a son of god. (God knows whether or not they still qualify to be called ‘People of the Book,‘ because of their 'shirk!'-i.e. associating others with God).

     It may be a human nature for people to stick to old beliefs of their forefathers. Throughout history, we have seen how reluctant people were to accept new prophets whom God had sent to re-direct them when they had gone astray; the Jews, for example, rejected Jesus and the Christians rejected Mohammad. It says in Su'rat Al-Hajj (Chapter 22 Verses 42-44), "And if they belie you (O Muhammad), so did they belie before them the people of Nu‘h (Noah), A'ad and Thamud, (their Prophets) (42). And the people of lbrahi'm (Abraham) and the people of Lu't (Lot) (43). And the dwellers of Madyan; and belied was Musa (Moses). But I granted respite to the disbelievers for a while, then I seized them, and how (terrible) was My punishment! (44)." (Study the Noble Qur'an— Word-for-Word).

وَإِن يُكَذِّبُوكَ فَقَدۡ ڪَذَّبَتۡ قَبۡلَهُمۡ قَوۡمُ نُوحٍ۬ وَعَادٌ۬ وَثَمُودُ (42) وَقَوۡمُ إِبۡرَٲهِيمَ وَقَوۡمُ لُوطٍ۬ (43) وَأَصۡحَـٰبُ مَدۡيَنَ‌ۖ وَكُذِّبَ مُوسَىٰ فَأَمۡلَيۡتُ لِلۡڪَـٰفِرِينَ ثُمَّ أَخَذۡتُهُمۡ‌ۖ فَكَيۡفَ ڪَانَ نَكِيرِ (44)

     Every time a new prophet was sent by God, the people refused to recognize him and preferred to follow their traditional beliefs. Once again, it says in Su'rat Al-Mu'minun (Chapter 23 Verses 42-44), "Then, after them (The People of Noah), we created other generations (42). No nation can advance their term, nor can they delay it (43). Then We sent Our Messengers in succession. Every time there came to a nation their Messenger, they denied him; so We made them follow one another (to destruction) and We made them as Aha'dith (legend). So away with a people who believe not! (44)." (Study the Noble Qur'an —Word-for-Word).

ثُمَّ أَنشَأۡنَا مِنۢ بَعۡدِهِمۡ قُرُونًا ءَاخَرِينَ (42) مَا تَسۡبِقُ مِنۡ أُمَّةٍ أَجَلَهَا وَمَا يَسۡتَـٔۡخِرُونَ (43) ثُمَّ أَرۡسَلۡنَا رُسُلَنَا تَتۡرَا‌ۖ كُلَّ مَا جَآءَ أُمَّةً۬ رَّسُولُهَا كَذَّبُوهُ‌ۚ فَأَتۡبَعۡنَا بَعۡضَہُم بَعۡضً۬ا وَجَعَلۡنَـٰهُمۡ أَحَادِيثَ‌ۚ فَبُعۡدً۬ا لِّقَوۡمٍ۬ لَّا يُؤۡمِنُونَ (44)

[Qur'an is Protected by Allah]

     Had the Holy Qur'an not been protected and preserved by God Himself; and had its teachings been allowed to be manipulated by man, and so lost their meaning, there would certainly have been a need for yet another prophet to be sent to set the laws of Islam right. No doubt, in the same way that the old prophets were rejected, the new prophet would also be rejected by some of Muhammad's followers.

     As we said, God preserved the Qur'an, as He tells us in Su'rat Al-Hijr (Chapter 15 Verse 9), "Verily, We, it is We Who have sent down the Dhikr (i.e. the Qur'an) and surely, We will guard it (from corruption) (9)." (Study the Noble Qur'an — Word-for-Word).

إِنَّا نَحۡنُ نَزَّلۡنَا ٱلذِّكۡرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ ۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ 9))

     This simply means that God, the Almighty, has promised to protect the Holy Qur'an from tampering or any alterations. That is why the Qur'an is the same today as it was more than fourteen-hundred years ago. Moreover, in addition to reminding the lost society of the right path from which it went astray as a result of the tampering of the Torah and the Gospel, the Qur'an was brought to complete and perfect the religion of Islam.

The Long Awaited ‘Avatar’ in Hindu Religion

Reluctance to accept new prophets is also evident in the Hindu Religion. ln the following article we see that even Hindus refuse to accept what is explained in their own books. This is a chapter from a book written by a Hindu professor, commented upon by one writer. What may be even more interesting is that Hinduism is not a religion which was mentioned in the Qur'an; and Hindus are not among People of the Book. God only knows whether Hinduism and Buddhism were originally revealed by Allah and then went astray in the same way as the other revelations. In Su'rat An-Nisaa (Chapter 4 Verse 164), Allah said to Muhammad that He did not tell him about all the previous prophets. "And Messengers We have mentioned to you before, and Messengers We have not mentioned to you, - and to Musa (Moses) Allah spoke directly (164)." (Study the Noble Qur'an -Word-for-Word).

وَرُسُلاً۬ قَدۡ قَصَصۡنَـٰهُمۡ عَلَيۡكَ مِن قَبۡلُ وَرُسُلاً۬ لَّمۡ نَقۡصُصۡهُمۡ عَلَيۡكَ‌ۚ وَكَلَّمَ ٱللَّهُ مُوسَىٰ تَڪۡلِيمً۬ا (164)

     Was the Hindu religion, therefore, revealed by a prophet whom Allah had not made known to Prophet Muhammad?

The story goes as quoted below:-

     "Pundit Vedaprakash Upadhyay, a Hindu professor, in his stunning book, Kalki Avatar, claims that the description of ‘the Avatar‘ found in the holy books of the Hindu Religion, matches the Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). The book, recently published in India, has been the topic of discussion and speculation all over the country. Its author, Pundit Vedaprakash Upadhyay, is a learned and famous Hindu professor. He is a Hindu Brahmin of Bengali origin, a research scholar at Allahabad University. After years of research, he published his book, and no less than eight pundits (monks) have endorsed and certified his points of argument as authentic. According to Hindu belief, the Hindu world awaits ‘the guide and leader‘, named Kalki Avatar. However, the description as given in the holy scriptures of the Hindu points only to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) of Arabia. Therefore, the Hindus of the whole world should not wait any longer for the arrival of Kalki Avatar (the spirit) and should readily accept Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as Kalki Avatar. These are the facts verified and supported by eight other eminent pundits. What the author says is that Hindus, who are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of Kalki Avatar, are simply subjecting themselves to never ending pain, because, such a great messenger has already arrived and departed from this world fourteen centuries ago. The author produces the following sound evidences from the Vedas and other holy books of the Hindu religion in support of his claim:

     In the Puranas (Hindu scriptures), it is stated that Kalki Avatar would be ‘the last messenger of God in this world‘. He would be for the guidance of the whole world and mankind. According to the Hindu religion it is predicted that the birth of Kalki Avatar would take place in an island, which again according to Hinduism is Arabia or the Arabian Peninsula.

     In Hindu books, the names of the father and the mother of Kalki Avatar are given as Vishnubhagat and Sumaani respectively. If we examine the meaning of these names we shall come to some very interesting conclusion. Vishnu means God and Bhagat means slave, while Sumaanti means peace or calmness. So Vishnubhagat means ‘slave of God,‘ which is also the name of Prophet Muhammad's father ‘Abdullah,‘ which in Arabic again means ‘slave of God‘. Likewise, the name of Kalki Avatar's mother is Sumaanti which means ‘peace’ or (calmness) and the name of the Prophet's mother is Ameena, which also means ‘peace’ in Arabic.

     In the religious book of Hindus, it is mentioned that the staple food of Kalki Avatar would be dates and olives and he would be the most honest and truthful person in the region. Without any doubt the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is acclaimed to possess these qualities.

     It is stated in Vedas (holy book of Hindu Religion) that the birth of Kalki Avatar would take place in an honorable clan. This perfectly fits in with the Quraishi tribe in which Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) belonged.

     God would teach Kalki Avatar through His messenger (angel) in a cave. Allah taught Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through His messenger Jibreel (Gabriel), in a cave known as Ghaar-e-Hira.

     God would provide Kalki Avatar with a very speedy horse to ride and travel the whole world and the seven heavens. This is an indication of buraaq (horse) and me'raaj (the ascension) when prophet Muhammad (PBUH) travelled on the horse through the seven heavens.

     God would provide Kalki Avatar with Divine help. This was particularly proven in the battle of Uhud.

     Another interesting account given about Kalki Avatar was that he would be born on the twelfth of a month; whereas the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born on the twelfth of Rabbi al Awwal (Hijra calendar).

     Kalki Avatar would be an excellent horse rider and a swordsman. The author here draws the attention of Hindus that the real days of horses have gone and the present time is of guns and missiles. So it would be foolish on the part of those who still expect Kalki Avatar to come, that he would be an excellent rider and a swordsman. In fact, the sacred book, the Holy Qur'an, refers to qualities and signs attributed to Kalki Avatar reflecting on Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)." (End ofquote).

     While this story is not entirely related to the subject of my book, I have decided to mention it here because I find it is relevantly curious and interesting. What l find to be of most concern is, ‘how could a religion, older than even Judaism and Christianity, predict the coming of Prophet Muhammad and provide precise details such as the names of his parents, his birth place and date.’ This is curiously amazing, especially when considering that the Hindu Books were not mentioned in the Qur'an or in the Torah or the lnjil (Gospel). As I said earlier, could Hinduism (or even Buddhism), be among the revelations sent down through the Prophets whom Allah did not mention to Muhammad? If so, then perhaps these Books may also have been replaced by fresh Revelations in the same way the Torah and the lnjil were replaced by the Qur'an. The story also emphasizes the fact that people are always reluctant to accepting new prophets who are sent to redirect them to the Right Path.

Reference:

Major Sins & Sincere Repentance, by Abdullah Amor Al-Marhuby, pg: 57-72.