Please take a look at that book,replying to your question is not available in the limits of the board...i believe that this book will insh'Allah give you some general meaning on Islam and Qur'an...

http://www.al-islamforall.org/litre/englitre/Undislam.htm - http://www.al-islamforall.org/litre/englitre/Undislam.htm  

Varshaken I have attempted to answer your question within my own limited capacity and I hope it will be of some use to you. The answer is too long and though I have tried to limit it I found it necessary to give some introductory background to why so many prophets were sent. I have put this under two posts, but please feel free to put any questions and I'll try to answer them if not I or someone else could refer you to some useful sources. Happy reading!

Every human being and everything in the universe is created by God. God has sent a great many messengers on earth to proclaim the simple truth that there is only ONE GOD. GOD who was neither begotten nor does HE beget and there is none like HIM. That they should put an end to idol worship and the practice of associating deities with God, they taught them the right way of living in accordance with God�s pleasure, and gave them laws to be followed and enforced in society. Throughout the history of mankind this message was sent by God through many messengers some very prominent ones being Abraham, Jesus, Moses, Yunus, Saleh, Noah, Hud, Lut etc. Each time a messenger came along and preached this truth, some people listened and followed him, but the great majority refuted the truth and some expelled them from the land and some even went to the extent of killing the messengers. Many of these populations who refuted the truth faced the wrath of God and were destroyed through severe calamities.

 Jesus (PBUH (peace be upon him)) was born of virgin birth and also brought this truth and also God gave him the power to perform many miracles such as he could speak in his cradle while an infant, he could heal the leper and perform many other great miracles. Eventhough he said � 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�, many people followed him, but gradually they started worshipping him as God himself and fell into error.

Centuries after Jesus (PBUH), when the mind of man was craving for a world religion Mohammed (PBUH) was born in Saudi Arabia. The Arabs during that time were pagans with very narrow outlook and extremely ignorant. They were lawless and were devoid of morals without any ability to distinguish the right from the wrong. Mohammed (PBUH) lost his parents as a child and even his grandfather who brought him up for a few years also died when Mohammed (PBUH) was young. He was deprived of any training and upbringing and tended flocks of sheep and goats along with other bedouins. He was completely illiterate and unschooled. Despite that he was completely different from the people among whom he was born. Even his worst enemies never accused him of telling a lie. He never used abusive or obscene language and had a charming personality and winning manners. He was honest and just in his dealings in trade and commerce and everyone who dealt with him had full confidence in his integrity. They gave him the title of Al-Amin (the Truthful and Trustworthy).

Amongst a people given to drinking and gambling and steeped in immodest behaviour he was the embodiment of modesty. He helped orphans and widows and was  hospitable to travellers. But he had enough of the darkness and ignorance that surrounded him. He would isolate himself for days and nights in the hills in total seclusion and meditation. He was in search of a light to melt away the encompassing darkness. At the age of forty whilst he was  married to a wealthy widow by name of Khadija, he received his first revelation in the cave where he had sat meditating. The angel Gabriel came to him and announced that God had chosen him as a messenger to all mankind. The first message revealed to Mohammed (PBUH) was:

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the All-Merciful. 

Read: in the name of thy Lord Who created, 
Created man from a clot 
Read: and thy Lord is the Most Bounteous, 
Who taught by the pen, 
Taught man what he knew not. (Quran 96:1-5) 

Mohammed (PBUH) was shaken up with this first experience of revelation as it was no ordinary experience. (I would rather leave this part for you to find and read if and when you read the biography of the Prophet Mohammed). He continued to receive revelations for 23 years, on topics ranging from the Oneness of God and His wondrous handiwork, stories of earlier prophets, morality and ethics and life after death.

For forty years he had lived as an Arab amongst Arabs yet he had not uttered a word about God, the Angels, the Revealed Books, life after death or Hell and Heaven. When he began to preach his message the whole of Arabia stood in awe and wonder and was bewitched by his wonderful eloquence and oratory. It was so unique that the whole legion of Arab poets, preachers and orators of the highest calibre failed to match it in beauty of language and splendour of diction when he threw the challenge to his opponents to produce even a single line like the ones he was reciting. It was so impressive and persuasive that his worst enemies were afraid of hearing it, lest it should penetrate deep into their hearts and convert them from their old religion and culture.

These revelations became collectively known as the Qur�an and we Muslims believe it to be the literal word of God.

For a Muslim, a Prophet does not primarily imply someone able to foretell the future although most of Mohammed�s predictions have already been fulfilled in astonishing ways but a man sent by God to call people to repent, have faith, and dedicate their lives to doing good, thereby helping them rediscover the purpose for which they were created. Prophets are not considered to be Divine, and are not prayed to or worshipped though they were men of outstanding character and spirituality who were protected from committing sins, performed miracles, received revelation and communed with God.

The historian Michael H. Hart wrote: �

"Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?" Lamartine, HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp. 276-277.

May Allah Bless all those people whose writings I have used in answering this question.

varshaken wrote: Hi Mr. Tasneem!!! Thank you for your reply. But how can we believe the words of a man when he says that he was sent by God etc.? Though he preached peace, he allowed to kill many people including women. He married many women, though this is not a bad quality, it lacks fidelity. How can we believe such a man? Thank you, Varshaken, the Samurai.

We believe the words of a man who did not claim to be God, even though (considering his credibility) he could and would have been followed. It is God who says that He has sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) and not Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself.

He preached submission to Allaah, peace was only a by-product of such submission... not the actual message. He never allowed to kill women, and he never allowed killing other than the one that would occur in the battlefield, or as an act of defence or an act of punishment for grave wrongdoings.

He married more than one woman, and was loyal to all of his wives without flirting around or commiting adultery... how can it possibly lack fidelity when his marriage was legal and his wives loved him dearly with much respect and cared for him. 

How can we not believe a man who gave without taking and who called not towards idolizing mortal-himself but to The Creator, The Eternal...? 

Muhammad - Peace and Blessings of Allaah be upon him!   

 JazakAllahKhair Mockba.

Thankyou Varshaken for your questions. Mockba has answered your questions in a nutshell. In addition to this I shall try to clarify some more for you from a historical context. You have asked three different questions and I shall attempt to answer each of them separately.

You have written: �Though he preached peace, he allowed to kill many people including women.�

First of all what is the source of your information? Can you please write to me where you obtained this information from or how you have come to this conclusion. You have to be very careful about the sources that you pick for gaining information on Islam. There are many sources whose aim is to discredit Islam through false and foul means. There are many websites on the Internet as well as publications which have been written by people who have no credibility in presenting historical facts. A lot of people fear the spread of Islam and try their very best to mislead those who seek to gain or improve their knowledge on Islam. So it is upto you to seek knowledge from the most authentic and credible sources.

First of all Mohammed (PBUH) did not allow Muslims to kill anyone unjustly. According to the Qur�an if you save one human being you have saved all mankind and if you have killed one human being unjustly, it is like killing whole of humanity. This is what Mohammed (PBUH) preached.

At the same time, unlike other religions we don�t turn the other cheek in submission. If oppressed God has permitted the Muslims in the Qur�an to retaliate and the retaliation should not exceed the injustice received. Also Muslims have been advised that forgiveness is better than retaliation. So, Mohammed (PBUH) did not allow Muslims to kill other people leave alone women unjustly.

Coming to the life of Prophet Mohammed, he faced a lot of hostility and persecution from his own people in the very city Mecca where he was born. He had to flee from Mecca to Madina as the enemies of Islam had resolved to kill him. But he was on a mission from God. He could not just sit in Madina to save his life. He had to face his enemies and cleanse Mecca of the idolatory that was being practised during that time. Despite all his kind words his enemies were bent on removing him to save the religion that there fathers and forefathers practised. Mohammed (PBUH) had no choice but to face these people (who had oppressed him and persecuted him) to fight them in the battle field. But there are no records to prove that he had been able to kill even one person!

The advice he gave his followers on military expeditions were not to do the following:

1. Do not kill women or children or an aged or infirm person.
2. Do not cut down fruit bearing trees.
3. Do not destroy an inhabited place.
4. Do not slaughter sheep or camels except for food.
5. Do not burn bees and do not scatter them.
6. Do not steal from the booty of war.
7. Do not be cowardly.
8. Do not attack people who take refuge in sacred places.
9. Do not act treacherously.
10. Do not mutilate.

There is no compulsion in religion in Islam. When a person reverts to Islam he/she should do so only from the bottom of their heart and not to please anybody. We do not go around giving goodies to people to convert to Islam. Even a person born to Muslim parents is not assured of God�s reward unless and until he/she believes and practises Islam.

I shall attempt to answer your other two questions soon.

You were saying "How can we not believe a man who gave without taking and who called not towards idolizing mortal-himself but to The Creator, The Eternal...?"
I did not understand what you meant. If you mean to say that he did not ask to pray him, then I say that praying to a man yields nothing. And anything cannot be taken, it can only be given. So even if Muhamad would have asked anything, he wouldn't have got. Hope you understand this. I mean to say when we ask for returns for what we do, then the sole purpose of our work will vanish and rendered useless.

I wonder one thing, one cannot give shape to God but one can give him names and call them "beautiful names". I feel its strange..........

Another question, isn't God omnipresent?

Thankng you

Varshaken, the Samurai.

Mr Varshaken the sources of your information are not authentic except for Islamicity which I have not checked. As this is an Islamic website dedicated to Islam and presumably run by all Muslims I think they would have reliable sources of information. But as I said I have not gone through it and hopefully when I find the time I will go through the sources. As for all the other sources that you are relying on such as muhammad.net, answers.com and about.com I would not use these sources as I have had a quick look at these sites and I am not convinced that they are Islamic sources. If you continue relying on these sources you are going to be awfully confused and your questions here will be endless.

You have asked a number of questions which I cannot answer soon due to other work commitments but I shall refer you to some very useful books and a very good site for reading the Qur'an. You have earlier mentioned that you tried to read the Qur'an and could not understand it. This particular site has the Qur'an translated into English by three different translators. As each verse of the Quran has three different translations I would hope you will not have difficulty understanding it. This is the link:

http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/ - http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/

Also you might find these sites useful:

http://www.wamy.co.uk/ - http://www.wamy.co.uk/

There are also many other very good sites but I will not confuse you by overloading you.

As for some very good books please get hold of Towards Understanding Islam by Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi  OR   A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam. This is generally available free of cost, but you can read it online on this wesite http://www.islam-guide.com/ - http://www.islam-guide.com/

I will briefly attempt to answer one of your many doubts. You've written: "I do not understand your opposition to idolatry. I know that God has no form. But why do you give him names and call them "beautiful names"? Is it not as bad as idolatry? What is the difference between form and name? When I write "Allaah" is it not a form? You may say that you do not worship or pray to the form "Allaah" but you directly pray to Allaah."

The names of God signify His qualities. These qualities include amongst many meanings such as "The Creator, The All Merciful, The most Compassionate, The most forgiving, The dominant, The Holy" These names cannot be given to any of His creation. Worshipping any thing besides Him is trying to demean Him by equating Him with His creation. God has created everything in the universe and how can you keep a stone in front of you and pray to a worthless object. This is associating His creation with Him. Muslims don't pray to the Kaaba. Muslims turn in the direction of the Kaaba. This is because we have been instructed to by God in the Qur'an. There are certain instructions from God which Muslims follow without questioning and one of these is to perform the Haj once in our life time. There are certain rituals in its performance. While we may not fully understand its significance but we follow the commands of God without questioning. This is because a true Muslim believes in the Qur'an completely and has the assurance in their heart that it is the Word of God, not a man made religion.

To me while obeying God's command in facing towards the direction of the Kaaba during prayer, I see the sense of unity. At every second someone somewhere in the world is praying to God in the direction of the Kaaba. I think this is beautiful.

Once more I suggest you please take the time to read and understand the Qur'an and make use of the sources I have directed you to. I think you would benefit more by reading and thinking.

varshaken wrote: Hi Mr. Mockba!!!!!!!!! Thank you for answering me. First of all forgive my english. I am not good at it, I am trying to improve. You were saying "We believe the words of a man who did not claim to be God, even though (considering his credibility) he could and would have been followed." Its strange.........how can we believe a man when he says that he is God?

No, we don't, but many do believe even when the man does not say so.

You said,"It is God who says that He has sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) and not Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself." To whom did God say that Muhamad was sent by Him?

To me, to you and the rest of mankind. 

Thank you for telling me the truth about peace. I thought Muhamad preached peace. I heard people saying Islaam means peace. So got confused.:)

Considering, and as you yourself admit that your English is not good (though it seems fine), may i suggest that you dont just start making wrong conclusions from my previous statement. Islam means submission, devotion, obedience to Allaah. Peace comes automatically. Islam does not extend a hand of peace and love to wickedness and evil, for example. If you want to learn about Islam, you should not learn  from what you "hear" people say about it... but from the source itself - the Qur'aan. [/QUOTE]

By fidelity I said fidelity to oneself. I can never imagine marrying any other woman excepting my loved one. I can never imagine sleeping with another woman excepting my loved one. I did not say that he flirted. Your meanings for fidelity, adultry, legal are totally different from mine. Legal means the law of the land. In Sri Lanka a man cannot have many wives or vice versa. What do you mean by fidelity and adultry?

Some can never imagine summer all year round. Just because one can't imagine does not mean it is not possible, does it? Your meaning of "winter" or "summer" is totally different from mine... same, goes with fidelity or adultery, i guess. In San Francisco, a man can marry a man and adopt a child... it is legal. I assume Sri Lanka has not caught up yet. Islamic rules are universal and are not man-made, they are not established by majority count, bribe or force. Islam is not about our imagination and dreams. Unlike other religions, Islam is not adjusted to what we feel is right or wrong... but we need to adjust ourselves accordingly. Adultery is relationship outside of marriage, more often of sexual nature. And fidelity means not committing adultery. If i am allowed to marry four, with certain conditions, why would anyone want to consider me an adulterer?

You were saying "How can we not believe a man who gave without taking and who called not towards idolizing mortal-himself but to The Creator, The Eternal...?" I did not understand what you meant. If you mean to say that he did not ask to pray him, then I say that praying to a man yields nothing. And anything cannot be taken, it can only be given. So even if Muhamad would have asked anything, he wouldn't have got. Hope you understand this. I mean to say when we ask for returns for what we do, then the sole purpose of our work will vanish and rendered useless.

Though lack of some understanding is reciprocal in this case, I am wondering wether you have started working, yet. And whether you get anything in return for what you do and let your work "vanish rendered useless".

I wonder one thing, one cannot give shape to God but one can give him names and call them "beautiful names". I feel its strange.......... Another question, isn't God omnipresent?

You sound like reincarnation of Bharatiya. Nevertheless, you are correct - God is omnipresent, the very reason why He cannot be an object... and does not need to be shaped.  

no one gave allah names it's mentioned in the quran, i don't know where you got the idea that muhammed(sas) butcher women, infact it's against islam to kill the old, the young, and the woman, it's also against islam to terrorize them when the muslims are going to campaigns.

Praying is one of the pillars of islam, without praying some scholars consider the person a kaffir. the first thing that will be checked on the day of Judgement will be the prayer. we concentrate on god and asking allah and thanking him, again it's a step by step process. do you wan't to know why we pray, or how we pray.

http://www.geocities.com/teachmesalaat/ - http://www.geocities.com/teachmesalaat/

here is a website teaching how to pray and why we pray. and who do we pray for. follow the instructions, you have to right-click and click save target as and save it to your desktop then click open.

1.   Do you believe or does Koran say that God or Allaah is Omnipresent?

Yes, I believe that God is everywhere and the Qur�an also says so. Here are some of the verses from the Qur�an:

002.115: To Allah belong the east and the West: Whithersoever ye turn, there is the presence of Allah. For Allah is all-Pervading, all-Knowing.

002.186: When My servants ask thee concerning Me, I am indeed close (to them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calleth on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That they may walk in the right way.

034.050: Say: "If I am astray, I only stray to the loss of my own soul: but if I receive guidance, it is because of the inspiration of my Lord to me: it is He Who hears all things, and is (ever) near."

3.     Its a common sense and common truth that hatred cannot be countered by hatred. Its love alone which conquers both body and mind. You said that you do not submit another cheek, but slapping him also will not solve the problem.:)
You say that God "permitted" Moslems.............. God save me............. I am afraid when you say such statements.:-((

4     " You initially said that Muhamad said forgiveness is better. But then he sought to fight the one who persecuted him......If war was a solution, then there would have been no world. War is just an effect.

5.     But asking others to wage a war itself is a biggest mistake. Isnt it?

6. I am not basing these on some illogical premises. Just see, after Muhamad passed away, the war did not stop, it continued until Moslems conqured India. And you still see that same mindset followed for evil purposes in many countries. Sometimes they call it Jihad.

So far we have been discussing Islam, and I would like to dwell upon just religion - Islam. Muslims and Islam are two different entities. I cannot judge the actions of another Muslim and come to a conclusion whether it is right or wrong. I would need to gather all evidence from all sides for every specific event. Generalisation has no place in making a just opinion.

I cannot say that every Hindu is a murderer only because Nathuram Godse killed Mahatma Gandhi. I cannot say that every Irish person is a killer only because IRA engaged in such operations. I cannot say that every American is a bomber only because Timothy McVeigh was a bomber. But one thing I can say is that a person who follows Islam properly according to the commands of God is a good Muslim.

 Mr Varshaken, it matters little to me whether you believe it or not.  You will not be questioned for my sins nor will I be questioned for yours. I truly and sincerely believe in everything that God has revealed to me in the Qur�an and that when I come to the end of my journey here, I will have to give account of all my doings here. I will hope and pray (as I have said under the answer for namaz, that practising Muslims seek God�s guidance to the right path everyday atleast 22 times) that God guides every seeker of truth to the right path.

Now in answer to idol worship which goes under associating partners with God, there are too many references in the Qur�an. And God has promised that He will forgive all sins (for those who sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness) except one and that is associating partners with Him. It is the most heinous of crimes and that is why Muslims shudder when they see anyone worshipping anything other than the True and Only ONE GOD. Here are a few of the references:

016.020: Those whom they invoke besides Allah create nothing and are themselves created.

016.021: (They are)  dead, lifeless: nor do they know when they will be raised up

021.021Or have they taken (for worship) gods from the earth who can raise (the dead)?

021.024 Or have they taken for worship (other) gods besides him? Say, "Bring your convincing proof: this is the Message of those with me and the Message of those before me." But most of them know not the Truth, and so turn away.

034.022: Say: Call upon those whom you assert besides Allah; they do not control the weight of an atom in the heavens or in the earth nor have they any partnership in either, nor has He among them any one to back (Him) up.

034.023: And intercession will not avail aught with Him save of him whom He permits. Until when fear shall be removed from their hearts, They shall say: What is it that your Lord said? They shall say: The truth. And He is the Most High, the Great.

034.024: Say: "Who gives you sustenance, from the heavens and the earth?" Say: "It is Allah; and certain it is that either we or ye are on right guidance or in manifest error!"

067.006: And for those who disbelieve in their Lord there is the doom of hell, a hapless journey's end!

067.009: They will say: "Yes indeed; a Warner did come to us, but we rejected him and said, 'Allah never sent down any (Message): ye are in nothing but an egregious delusion!'"

Ok, so what happens to someone who dies a good, devout, pious Christian? Christians, by your definition, associate Jesus alongside God.

(Don't even get me started on the whole praying-to-saints-thing)

And what about the isolated people (going back to that topic) who never come into any contact with Muslims at all? Like, for example, Brazilian communities in the rain forest who only know each other and maybe some Christians. Will they go to heaven because they did their best within the bounds of what they knew?

Kim...

Kim

God does not deny anyone their reward for any good that they have done and they receive that reward in this life. If after the message has come to them and they deny it and persist in their disbelief in His Unity and continue to associate partners with Him He does not forgive them. If you want to read some verses from the Qur'an pertaining to Jesus and Christianity please read my quotes under Islam and Christianity alternatively please read from the Qur'an which is the best source.

I do not understand your statement: "(Don't even get me started on the whole praying-to-saints-thing)"

I have'nt discussed this anywhere as far as I can recall. In any case it is equally wrong.

As for those communities who have never come in contact with the true Message or for that matter children or infants who die young, I would assume that God would not punish them. He is the Best dispenser of justice and is the Most Compassionate and Merciful.

Salam to all,

Allah hu Alim (Allah is the judge). Among Muslims this concept is so well known that I will go out on a limb and not quote sources for this. If I am challenged by my Muslim brothers or sisters on this point, then I will quote sources for this.

We as Muslims are not given the authority nor responsibility of deciding who will go to heaven or hell. We are told simply to encourage the good, and forbid the wrong according to the commandments of Islam. The wise Muslim is so preoccupied with attempting to secure his own salvation that he does not have any inclination to ponder on the final destination of others. Eternal salvation is not guaranteed, we all must WORK for it (although we cannot, strickly speaking, earn it and we all depend on the grace and mercy of Allah).

Assalamu'alaikum Brother Tasneem,

You are doing tremendous effort, masha Allah. However, it seems that your message is falling on varshaken's 'deaf ears'. All he does is thanking you and starting off another wide-open question...   

Tasneem wrote:   I do not understand your statement: "(Don't even get me started on the whole praying-to-saints-thing)" I have'nt discussed this anywhere as far as I can recall. In any case it is equally wrong.

Thanks, and no - I know you didn't mention it, that's why I put it in brackets to indicate it was just a thought popping into my head while I was typing.

I know there are some Christians around who believe that Catholics are not Real Christians (TM) because they prey (OOOPS!), I mean _pray_ to the saints, instead of praying straight to God. Silly really, I mean - does God need secretaries?

Kim...

Mockba: Please don't judge anyone by what they write. What is the mind for? It is for everyone to think and make up their minds according to the faculties God has blessed us all with. Let us all pray that God guides us all to the Right path, irrespective of where we are born -  in a Muslim household or a non-Muslim household. It is easy for those of us who are born as Muslims to seek knowledge on Islam and I have nothing but appreciation for those born in other faiths to have the courage, the interest or curiosity to seek knowledge on Islam. I am happy with Varshaken's questions and I shall try to answer according to my limited capacity. And thankyou for your appreciation. The help is from Allah alone.

Thankyou also Kim. Unfortunately, it is not the Catholics alone who pray through saints, but there are some ignorant Muslims also in India who think it is alright to reach God via saints. Slowly the true message is reaching them. The approach to God for every human being is direct and this is what the Qur'an says.

Mr Varshaken, I shall reply to you tomorrow God willing.

Mr Varshaken, I shall try to answer your question on hell & heaven, but before I do so I will need to give some introduction on why I believe in heaven & hell.

Recently, the world has experienced how hundreds and thousands of lives were wiped away in no time by the Tsunami. The devastating effect was so great that it swept through countries so far apart such as the distance between Indonesia and the Maldives for example. And it was over so soon and bodies were strewn like moths and the land became unrecognisable. This was a spectacle that the entire world watched in horror and to forget this event we would be doing it at our own peril, in my opinion. This event clearly demonstrated that God can accomplish whatever He chooses and He only needs to say �BE� and it is. No matter what explanation the scientists give to this phenomenon, they cannot prevent it. It is not for me to make a judgement about this event. All that I am trying to say is that it reinforces by a real life example that God can accomplish whatever He wishes and it is for us to fear Him and seek His forgiveness.

A number of these kind of events have been shown as examples to us in the Qur�an where entire nations were wiped out by God�s wrath, and for those of us who have read the Qur�an and witnessed the terrible Tsunami it should strengthen our belief in God and whatever has been said in the Qur�an is entirely true.

Allah has said in the Qur�an that we are going to be raised up on the day of Judgement and we will receive our reward for whatever good or bad we have done. That terrible day has been described quite vividly in the Qur�an. Many sceptics argue how can we be raised up when we are dust and bone, especially so when bodies are cremated they become ash. Living in an era when the scientists are able to clone a living being from a somatic cell, I wonder if the sceptics can still continue to argue if God can raise us up when we are dust and bone. When man created from a despicable fluid is able to create one like himself, what cannot God do?

I will again quote some verses of the Qur�an for the description of Judgement day, heaven and hell. Now please keep in mind one thing, that our comprehension of the unseen is only limited to our experiences on this earth and to our ability to think. I have read elsewhere that we cannot even imagine Heaven, because it is far beyond our comprehension. God knows best. So the description in the Qur�an is limited to whatever we have seen or experienced or able to think/comprehend in this life. Here are only a few verses, there is a lot more in the Qur'an with even more description. :

Day of Judgement:

036.049: They will not (have to) wait for aught but a single Blast: it will seize them while they are yet disputing among themselves!

036.050: No (chance) will they then have, by will, to dispose (of their affairs), nor to return to their own people!

036.051: And the trumpet shall be blown, when lo ! from their graves they shall hasten on to their Lord.

036.052: They will say: "Ah! Woe unto us! Who hath raised us up from our beds of repose?"... (A voice will say:) "This is what (Allah) Most Gracious had promised. And true was the word of the messengers!"

036.053: It will be no more than a single Blast, when lo! they will all be brought up before Us!

036.054: Then, on that Day, not a soul will be wronged in the least, and ye shall but be repaid the meeds of your past Deeds.

036.055: Verily the Companions of the Garden shall that Day have joy in all that they do;

036.056: They and their associates will be in groves of (cool) shade, reclining on Thrones (of dignity);

036.057: (Every) fruit (enjoyment) will be there for them; they shall have whatever they call for;

036.058: "Peace!" - a word (of salutation) from a Lord Most Merciful!

036.059. "And O ye in sin! Get ye apart this Day! 036.060. "Did I not enjoin on you, O ye Children of Adam, that ye should not worship Satan; for that he was to you an enemy avowed?-

036.062. "But he did lead astray a great multitude of you. Did ye not, then, understand?

036.063. "This is the Hell of which ye were (repeatedly) warned!

036.064. "Embrace ye the (fire) this Day, for that ye (persistently) rejected (Truth)."

036.065. That Day shall We set a seal on their mouths. But their hands will speak to us, and their feet bear witness, to all that they did.

Surah 88. The Overwhelming, The Pall

1. Has the story reached thee of the overwhelming (Event)?

2. Some faces, that Day, will be humiliated,

3. Labouring (hard), weary,-

4. The while they enter the Blazing Fire,-

5. The while they are given, to drink, of a boiling hot spring,

6. No food will there be for them but a bitter Dhari' (thorns)

7. Which will neither nourish nor satisfy hunger.

8. (Other) faces that Day will be joyful,

9. Pleased with their striving,-

10. In a Garden on high,

11. Where they shall hear no (word) of vanity:

12. Therein will be a bubbling spring:

13. Therein will be Thrones (of dignity), raised on high,

14. Goblets placed (ready),

15. And cushions set in rows,

16. And rich carpets (all) spread out.

17. Do they not look at the Camels, how they are made?-

18. And at the Sky, how it is raised high?-

19. And at the Mountains, how they are fixed firm?-

20. And at the Earth, how it is spread out?

21. Therefore do thou give admonition, for thou art one to admonish.

22. Thou art not one to manage (men's) affairs.

23. But if any turn away and reject Allah,-

24. Allah will punish him with a mighty Punishment,

25. For to Us will be their return;

26. Then it will be for Us to call them to account.

Hi Mr. Tasneem!!!!!!

Thank you for your reply.

This was a good explanation, but I need the meaning of the versus,

036.065. That Day shall We set a seal on their mouths. But their hands will speak to us, and their feet bear witness, to all that they did.

Mr Varshaken, I am not a scholar and my knowledge is limited to whatever is plain in the Qur'an and easy to follow. Also we have been advised:

003.007: He it is Who has sent down to thee the Book: In it are verses basic or fundamental (of established meaning); they are the foundation of the Book: others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perversity follow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Lord:" and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.

011.107: They will dwell therein for all the time that the heavens and the earth endure, except as thy Lord willeth: for thy Lord is the (sure) accomplisher of what He planneth.

"036.065. That Day shall We set a seal on their mouths. But their hands will speak to us, and their feet bear witness, to all that they did.

041.019 On the Day that the enemies of Allah will be gathered together to the Fire, they will be marched in ranks. 
041.020: At length, when they reach the (Fire), their hearing, their sight, and their skins will bear witness against them, as to (all) their deeds.

041.021: They will say to their skins: "Why bear ye witness against us?" They will say: "Allah hath given us speech,- (He) Who giveth speech to everything: He created you for the first time, and unto Him were ye to return.

041.022: Ye did not seek to hide yourselves, lest your hearing, your sight, and your skins should bear witness against you! But ye did think that Allah knew not many of the things that ye used to do! 

Explanations of every verse may not be available but some scholars have done a tremendous job of translating and providing commentary of certain verses. May God bless them for the wonderful work that they have done. Many of us Muslims don't understand Arabic the language in which the Qur'an was revealed. Without the hard work of these scholars we would have been very ignorant. However, we have to remember that these scholars who have helped us understand the Qur'an are also human beings and everyone may not agree with everything they have said. So if I recommend to you certain scholars whose works I find appealing, you may also come across people who would not approve of their works. So if you have a thirst for knowledge on Islam I would suggest that you try and read from the commentaries of also a couple of other noted scholars.

I have found the works of Abdullah Yusuf Ali very useful, though in some instances I may differ. Other translators and commentators widely used are Maulana Maududi and Pickthall. Again not everyone finds agreement with them. It is very hard to find the commentaries on the web. You may need to either visit an Islamic bookshop or if you know some good Muslims in Sri Lanka, please ask for their help in getting an English translation of the Holy Qur'an with commentary by a well recognised and accepted scholar.

Here is a website that is said to contain the commentary by Yusuf Ali which may help you. I have only done a very brief survey of this website and I request other readers of this post to alert if this website is unsafe in any form along with reasons.

http://www.shaplus.com/free-quran-software/quran-multiple-translation-software/QuranTrans/qurantrans-features.htm - http://www.shaplus.com/free-quran-software/quran-multiple-tr anslation-software/QuranTrans/qurantrans-features.htm

Happy reading! May Allah guide you to the Right Path! http://www.muslim.org/english-quran/quran.htm -

you want to read the translation of the quran or download one. try http://www.divineislam.com - www.divineislam.com download the quran, with recitations and stories of the prophet by imam ibn kathir (very famous). all the prophets that are mentioned in the quran and some from the bible.

Hello Mr Varshaken

"Islam" means submission or surrender to the ONE & ONLY GOD. From this you cannot infer "that only Muslims are fit for heaven". A person who truly believes in his/her heart that there is only One God, will hasten to obey God and to seek His love and His forgiveness. Believing in the ONE and Only true God does not mean simply saying that one believes in the One God, it also means that he/she would obey His commands which are in the Qur'an the speech of God. The message of Islam - meaning submission, was the same message that was brought to mankind by all the Messengers of God. As I have written in one of my earlier posts this Message (of God's oneness) was not adhered to by the populations to which this Message came. It was changed wherein they associated partners with God thereby falsifying the essence of the Message. Islam is the only religion that professes the unity of God. Many other religions also claim that they believe in only one God but a closer inspection reveals too many gods/dieties etc are worshipped too in order to reach the one God, which is prohibited in Islam. In Christianity too Jesus is regarded as God/son of God and is worshipped and this is not acceptable in Islam.

A Muslim in the true sense of the word is one who has surrendered to God which encompasses not mere belief but also obeying His commands, His Apostle, belief in the angels and belief in the hereafter. A person simply by virtue of hs birth as a Muslim does not become a Muslim unless he believes in God's oneness and obeys His commands.

Regarding my post that you have quoted let me explain again. Allah has said in the Qur'an that everyone will be rewarded for whatever good they have done and also for their evil deeds. There will be no injustice done to anyone. He has also promised that He will forgive all sins for those who sincerely repent and ask his forgiveness EXCEPT ONE and that is if they associate any partners with GOD. So people who have heard the truth about the Message of Islam continue to persist in their disbelief and associate partners with God they will not be forgiven in the hereafter and for whatever good they have done they will receive their reward in this life. For the true believers the reward could be in this life and God willing in the hereafter. I hope this explains it.

God willing, i shall get back to you about the second part of your question.

Hello Varshaken!

1- Islam is the name of massage from Allah to human being throug Noah and Muhammad PBUH. So, Muhammad PBUH is not the only prophet of Islam, he is the last prophet of Islam. If you think that everything like planets, animals, plants, mountains etc are muslims, you can make it more clear.

2- Our prophet says that in the judgment day the ones who've earned the heaven will be on the right side of the judgement place. The ones who will go to hell will ve on the left side. ( righteousness)

Mr Varshaken

I still have to find the answer to the second part of your first question and I have'nt found the time to, but I will look up and let you know God willing, otherwise perhaps Mr Shakur or Mr Muratkose may provide the answer before me.

I have a little time now and I found your questions very reasonable and something many of us ask when we are learning about Islam. About my answer that you have quoted, let us never forget that God is the best dispenser of justice. Why would He punish an infant or anyone who has not come in contact with the true message? But why are they sent on earth? Allah knows best, everyone is sent for a purpose. He accomplishes that purpose in whatever way He wants. This is beyond our knowledge and what is beyond our knowledge it is best not to speculate over it. As you continue to read the Qur'an you will perhaps be able to understand more about this when you read the Sura on the Cave and also Yusuf.

About your second last para Allah has given everyone of us a mind and a choice which He has not granted to any other living creature to the same extent as He has granted to the human mind. It is left to us to exercise this mind in thinking, pondering and following the right path. Most of us get too engrossed in the glitter of this world and we fear man more than anyone else. But we know from the Qur'an that this life is not the be all and end all and to Allah is our return. If we do not exercise our mind properly then it is our own loss. IN Islam we do not believe in pre-destination. This world is a test ground for each one of us and we are given the choice to follow path A or path B. In the Qur'an it has been clearly mentioned that we are going to be held accountable for all our deeds. Allah has said that no one knows the exact moment when and where the rain is going to fall, the future of the baby that is in its mother's womb, where we are going to die and when, however, where the life hereafter is concerned He has given us the choice to work towards it.

Also Allah has said in the Qur'an that whatever good we get it is from Allah and whatever evil befalls us it is from our ownselves. So to prevent the bad Allah has given us the choice to obey Him, to follow His commands, to fear Him, to repent and seek His forgiveness.

Mr Varshaken, the teacher knows the student's capability and performance, yet the student does not give up hope and appears for the exam doing his best with the desire and hope that his better performance would please his teacher and he would pass his exam. Is it not the case? We know that some of us will pass the exam and some will fail but we don't abscond from sitting the exam only because we think we are going to fail, do we? Similarly, a true believer never gives up hope. Giving up hope is fatalistic. Allah has promised His forgiveness for those who sincerely repent, His bounties are open to all. Yes, Allah knows each ones place but do we? He gives us every opportunity to repent and do good to protect us, yet after all the guidance if we continued to abide in sin it is our own fault isn't it? About this aspect I don't think I can clarify more. The only thing I can say is never give up hope in His Mercy and obey His commands & seek HIs forgiveness.

The explanation that A Yusuf Ali has provided for the following verses:

"56:8 : Then (there will be) the Companions of the Right Hand;- What will be the Companions of the Right Hand?"
"56:9 : And the Companions of the Left Hand,- what will be the Companions of the Left Hand?"

is this:

"There will be a sorting out of Good and Evil. There will be 3 main classes. Among the good there will be the specially exalted class, those nearest to God, and the righteous people generally, called the Companions of the Right Hand. And there will be those in agony, the Companions of the Left Hand. Many who were high and mighty in this life will be brought low for their sins, and many who were lowly but virtuous will be exalted to various ranks and degrees. The old landmarks will be lost in the inner world, as they will be in the outer world."

056.010
YUSUFALI: And those Foremost (in Faith) will be Foremost (in the Hereafter).

056.011
YUSUFALI: These will be those Nearest to Allah:

Mr Varshaken, the translation from Arabic to English or any other language cannot be completely accurate. There are some words in the Qur'an for which the translators have not been able to find the exact equivalent words. So they have done their best to present it in a manner that we readers can understand from our own perspectives. It is true God is everywhere and He knows the secrets of every heart. Here we are talking about the day of Judgement when this world that we live in bears absolutely no resemblance to what we have seen. As I've said before our ability to think is limited by our experience and the capacity of our mind only. What we have not seen is beyond our imagination. The word "hand" could also mean those who are given their books (their book of deeds) in their right hand who are the fortunate ones, and those given in their left or behind their backs could be the sinners.

When I started reading the Qur'an and understanding my religion I too had some questions, but the more I read, I felt that it is safer for me to understand the plain meaning as I grasp it at that moment. Also I read the commentary that was provided by the scholars, but the commentary is not exhaustive.  The Qur'an is not a book to be read once or twice and kept in a safe place. Unfortunately many of us do not read it constantly, I have heard people (Muslims) say yes I've read the translation once or twice. The more you read it the more you understand its meaning according to when God wants to make things clear to you. To me it is the source of Divine Guidance and so to many Muslims, and we read it everyday of our lives and are grateful to God for having bestowed it on mankind. My advise to you is don't stop if you cannot understand any particular aspect, move on to the next and keep reading. If your search for the truth is sincere, Allah will guide you and help you understand and make it easy for you.

Mr Varshaken, I have been trying to explain to you the meanings of most of the verses about which you have asked as well as I have explained the message of oneness of God and about the Prophets. The only question to which you are not satisfied with my answer is why Allah tests us despite knowing who He will put in Heaven or Hell. Even to this I have tried my best to answer, and because you are not convinced I suggested that you continue to read the Qur'an ie the translation. I have earlier suggested to you the best site that I found. I am once again giving this site link which has translations by three translators: http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/ - http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/  Before every sura there is the introduction provided by a very good scholar, which would help you understand. There are a lot of books available explaining Islam. Once again it worries me that people sincerely intersted in learning about Islam may unfortunately get hold of the wrong sources of information or the advise of people who are seen to be following Islam but belong to completely different sects from main stream Islam. Their teachings are in many ways contrary to what the Qur'an says and relate more to historical facts etc.

IN one of my earlier posts I have also suggested some books as well as a site. Please refer to that. The following sites also may be helpful to you: http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ln=eng&ds=qa&lv=browse&CR=218&dgn=4 - http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ln=eng&ds=qa&lv=brows e&CR=218&dgn=4 . This site is called Islam Q & A.

http://www.islaam.com/ - http://www.islaam.com/  May be this may help. If you want some books mailed to you free of cost you can send your address by private message and I could get them mailed out. Islamicity may also offer this service, you could also check with them.

Please do not think that I am tired of your questions. You can continue to ask and I will try to explain to the best of my ability. However, as I have said earlier that I am not a scholar but only someone who is seeking Allah's guidance and struggling to earn His pleasure. So do not hesitate to pick up some good sources of information (books or learned scholars) - from amongst the Sunni or main stream Islam). Most of the non-Arabs don't understand Arabic and all that we do is to understand the meaning of the verses that we recite in our namaz so that we can increase our concentration and be mindful of what we recite. Some people do learn the language but I would think it would be easier to learn if you are in the company of Arabs or in an Arabic speaking country. But we all have our limitations and we can only try our best with whatever Allah has blessed us with and seek His forgiveness.

Salam to everyone!

First of all the life after death some where that we can not imagine. The people can think buy considering what they can see. for example if we try to desing a creature living in another planet, we always use the known lives. we just switch the place of their organs and we try to built a new organism. If it were possible to communicate with a core of a cell how can you describe it a body?!! even if you describe it can never understand. therefore you have to use metaphor.

Its the same with afterlife. While we are thinking about judgement day, heaven, hell etc... we must consider that these concepts are explained so that we can understand.

before thinking if it is possible to become near or far to Allah physically, we must know that we can never imagine Allah himself. we can know Him only with His adjectives. He is creator, mercifull, gracious ... Our prophet says do not think about Allah himself. But think about his attributes. The aleems (islamic scholars) say "whatever you think about Allah's physical features He is different than that."

Could I make myself clear?

good day.

Assalam-alaikum

First of all I'm sorry I have not come on to the forum for the last few days and I didn't recieve any emails about all these responses. I am glad that so many brothers/sisters have taken the time to answer questions of Mr Varshaken.

Thankyou Mr Shakur and my wishes to you are the same and May Allah guide everyone of us to the right path, Ameen! 

Mr/Ms Perception has answered Mr Varshaken's questions at length and most beautifully with direct verses from the Qur'an. I am sure one of us will be happy to explain if you have any more questions Mr Varshaken.

Just one point I wish to emphasise - one must reflect & ponder upon every verse in the Qur'an and it is not something to be read in the form of any other light reading. Also Allah knows your true intentions and accordingly you will receive your reward. If you are reading with the intention of truly searching for the truth your understanding will be different from the one who reads only to find fault with Islam. Mr Varshaken please note I am not directing this comment at you or anyone on this forum, but after S11 there are many people who are reading the Qur'an and some are using it to find flaws with Islam by taking some verses in isolation, so please try to take every care while reading the Qur'an ie cleanliness of body, mind and intention.

032.017:Now no person knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden (in reserve) for them - as a reward for their (good) deeds

032.018:Is then the man who believes no better than the man who is rebellious and wicked? Not equal are they.

032.019 :But as for those who believe and do good works, for them are the Gardens of Retreat - a welcome (in reward) for what they used to do.

In the Name of Allah, most Merciful, most Benificent

I will try to answer the following questions as I have studied these areas of 'aqeedah and if I am wrong, it is not from Allah, it is from my own nafs or shaitain. And Allah Hears and Sees all.

1. "And does death means sleep, I mean we will be sleeping in our grave until Allaah raises us?"

- The Torment of the Grave is a well known concept, often described in hasan saheeh reports from the ahadith of the sunan of the Prophet Muhammad saw. It is described that everyone is subject to the torment of the grave, including shaheed(martyrs of Islam). You are not asleep but there is a barrier that enables you to see you future(either in Hell or in Paradise, may Allah protect all the believers.) and you will be able to see the world. From this point your pleas for forgiveness are no longer accepted. For the best among mankind in regardsw to faith, their grave is illuminated and expanded for them and they will reside in comfort with glad tidings of Paradise and will feel comfort until the Last Day.

There are many reports in both Saheeh Bukhari and Muslim, most of which have saheeh hasan isnad or better.

It is reported in the Sahih of Muslim that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: �It has been revealed to me that you people will be put to trial nearly like the trial of Ad-Dajjal (antichrist), in your graves. If it were not for the reason that you would stop burying (your dead) in the graves on listening to the torment in the grave which I am listening to, I would have certainly made you hear that.�

It is reported also in the Sahih of Muslim that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: �When any one of you completes the last Tashahhud, he should seek refuge with Allah from four (trials): the Torment of Hell, the Torment of grave, the trial of life and death, and the evil of the trial of al-Masikh Ad-Dajjaal (Antichrist).�

2. "And if anyone goes to hell, then does he stay there forever?"

The Prophet said, "When the people of Paradise will enter Paradise and the people of Hell will go to Hell, Allah will order those who have had faith equal to the weight of a grain of mustard seed to be taken out from Hell.

So even the worst among the believer will eventually be released from the tormet of the Fire, but it is not known for how long they will reside in it. It is well accepted and known through saheeh reports that the mushrikeen(polytheists, disbelievers, idolators, etc) that they will abide in Hell forever.

�Verily, Allaah has cursed the disbelievers, and has prepared for them a flaming Fire (Hell). Wherein they will abide for ever� [al-Ahzaab 33:64-65]

�Verily, those who disbelieve and did wrong; Allaah will not forgive them, nor will He guide them to any way � Except the way of Hell, to dwell therein forever; and this is ever easy for Allaah� [al-Nisaa� 4:168-169].

�and whosoever disobeys Allaah and His Messenger, then verily, for him is the fire of Hell, he shall dwell therein forever� [al-Jinn 72:23]

So it is clear that there is no place in Heaven for the disbeleiver.

"036.065. That Day shall We set a seal on their mouths. But their hands will speak to us, and their feet bear witness, to all that they did.

The interpretation of this verse and agreed upon by the scholars of the Salaaf that waht the brother above said is true, in that they will bear witness to the evil things in which they did on the account of the person who controls them. I.E - You eyes for instance bear witness against you if you were to look at pronohraphy..and your hands against you if you stole with them, etc.

I hope this helps some and verily Allah is the All-Knowing and Most Wise. May He be pleased with the believers and grant us all Firdose-ul Jannat(the higest level of Paradise) Ameen.

ok, do you care telling us who created the universe.

if there is a creation then their must be a creator especially something as big as the universe.

never mind that who created you if there is no god do you came by chance, i guess then 6 b people came by chance, huh?

that's an absurd reasoning.

Hello Zenman

Thankyou for enlightening us on Buddhism. Varshaken ofcourse started this thread to learn about Islam and he wasn't interested in discussing Buddhism as he stated elsewhere. From your post it seems that Buddhism is very abstract and hard to understand for ordinary people like myself and I am not surprised that I have a few friends who were Buddhist and have now reverted to Islam. I loved the Zen story of the wooden statue but why were the monks shocked? obviously their understanding of their religion was different. I have heard that in Sri Lanka there are some Buddhist monks who are fasting to death because they don't want the Tsunami money to be given to the Tamils. This has shocked me. How can the religious monks be so cruel, if Buddhism teaches the noble eightfold path?

When you are in trouble do you pray? If so, who do you pray to? And do you receive answers to your prayers? You say you have read the Quran? Can you please let us know who was the translator?

My dear bro Zenman, as I read your ideas about science and Buddhaism viz a viz the intellectual elite, I hope you must have a solid foundation of your beliefs. So in that respect can you guide me to the origins of these buddhist beliefs that you talked about? I mean, do you find them in Tripitika or a book that contains these ideas? Do they have origin from Gotama Buddha or from any other Buddha?

Secondly, if you have read about Islam through the periscope of Old Testament or New Testament, then obviously you would find a reflection of a tribal God, but its really not that true at all. Just look at the 99 attributes of God (infinite in all of them) through which we can apprehend His divinity as being limited physical being. I think this is a perfect way of realising an infinite God yet through the human perception of a limited being. 

Thankyou Zenman for your response. I have not heard of this Alfred Guilliame and who or what religion he belongs to. I am not sure what has attracted you to Islamicity, but if you wish to get a proper understanding of Islam it would be beneficial if you read a good translation of the Qur'an by a well renowned scholar such as Abdullah Yusuf Ali or Pickthall. Many sites have these translations online and I invite you to read from these to get a better perspective on Islam. One of the sites I frequent is: http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/ - http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/

You have said that you got a better perspective of God from sufism. Would you like to share your knowledge with us?

Tasneem wrote: If the Zen branch of Buddhism is for the "intellectual elite" don't you think it discriminates on the basis of ones brainpower or "cleverness"? So people who are not quite as bright should miss out on its teachings? It seems to me quite contrary to the teachings of Islam. Because Islam is easy to understand and mostly logical. Most of the first converts to Islam were the poor and those who were looked down upon. Should'nt a religion accept anyone irrespective of a person's intellect, background, wealth or any criteria? I have written this just for the sake of discussion. If you have found all the answers to the complexities of life and this universe in Buddhism that is really good. How do you find Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation? Is it much different from Alfred Gulliame's?

Well Zen does not prohibit anyone form coming or going it has respect for other traditions of Buddhism. Our feeling is there are many school that are availble to evreyone according to theri disposition and upbrinigng. There is a good deal of camaradeship with some of those as well.It is not uncommon for a monk or lay person to study in several traditions.its like one big Unversity you can major in english or history etc,but it is still the same university.Surely in Islam you have teaching that are very profund and require a good deal of study,and some that do not.Therefore a muslim can study with a particular teacher to learn something new,I would think. Zen is not the pinacle however of difficult or esoteric school there are several which have very small membership and require tremendous scholarship as well as meditation. i got as copy of Koran Yusuf Ali's translation from a Muslim Widow who my wife befriended she gave us both a copy.Alis' scholarship is far superior to the Englishmans but as I said my old Professor corrections. much of that and his corrections and Alis' text are very concistent.

copenhagen wrote: What I think is so odd about zen et al, is that I frequently hear the importance of simplicity, but it's burried in big words.

lol, you have a point there

But you also have something like the "Tao of Pooh" written as a childrens book.

hey, I have that book, a little mini book

Zenman wrote: Surely in Islam you have teaching that are very profund and require a good deal of study,and some that do not.Therefore a muslim can study with a particular teacher to learn something new,I would think. Zen is not the pinacle however of difficult or esoteric school there are several which have very small membership and require tremendous scholarship as well as meditation.

I'm sorry, since the last few days I have not been able to come onto this forum and I had'nt seen your posts. I'd like to ask what you consider "profound" in Islam, that is difficult to comprehend? Are you talking about life after death and Heaven & hell?