9 Responses

1. Dr. Mohsen El-Guindy

   February 25, 2011 | Log in to Reply

   As I have noticed, people responsible for this site and other similar sites, strive to misguide their readers by accusing Islam of things that are not in the religion. They twist the words and take the Koranic verses out of their context to deliberately show that Islam is a bad religion urging its adherents to revolt and rebel and terrorize others.
   Since people of today do not read the mother books (the Koran for instance) in order to know the truth from its original source, I find myself compelled to expalin the term Jihad in Islam, a term that has been deliberately misinterpreted by Islamophobic hate mongers.

   The concept of Jihad is one of the highest concepts in Islam. The Islamic word”Jihad” in the western media is wrongly interpreted as “terrorist”, “fundamentalist” and “holy war”. Translating the word “Jihad” as “holy war” is due to the christian use of the term “holy war” to refer to the crusades of the Middle Age against Muslims. The term Jihad therefore should not be confused with holy war since the latter does not exist in Islam, nor will Islam allows its followers to be involved in a holy war like that of the medieval Christian crusaders.

   The term “Jihad” literally means “struggle”. In Islam there are two kinds of Jihad, big Jehad and small Jihad.

   a) Big Jehad.

   This kind of Jihad could be defined as the inner struggle of the soul against egoistic desires to live a life in the service of Allah. This is achieved by following the five pillars of Islam, and abiding by the Islamic principles mentioned in the Koran and the Sunna of the Prophet. This sort of Jihad is a war against man’s own selfishness, desires and bestial passion when they get in the way of serving Allah. It is indeed a struggle to put Allah ahead of one’s wealth, family, worldly ambition and life.

   Allah says in the Koran:

   Say: “If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your clan, your possessions that you have gained, commerce you fear may slaken, dwellings you love – if these are dearer to you than Allah and His Messenger, and to struggle in His way, then wait till Allah brings His command; Allah guides not the people of the ungodly (Al-Tawba 23, 24).

   The Prophet said:

   “The greatest Jihad is that for the conquest of self.”

   He also said:

   “The best Muslim among the believers is the one who does not harm the Muslims with either his tongue or his hand. The one with best belief among the believers is the one who has the best characters. The emigrant is the one who abandons all that Allah has forbidden. And the best Jihad (struggle for the sake of Allah) is to struggle against oneself for the sake of gaining the pleasure of Allah, to whom belongs might and majesty.

   Allah tests the believers in their faith and their steadfast:

   The Koran says:

   Or did you suppose you should enter Paradise without Allah knows who of you have struggled and who are patient? (Al-Imran, 142).

   Another Koranic verse says:

   Surely We will try you with something of fear and hunger, and dimunition of goods and lives and fruits; yet give thou good tidings unto the patient (Al-Baquarah, 155).

   A man asked the Prophet, “What kind of Jihad is better?” The Prophet replied, “A word of truth in front of an oppressive ruler.”

   The Messenger of Allah said:

   …the Mujahid (one who carries out Jihad) is he who strives against himself for the sake of Allah, and the Muhajir (one who emigrates) is he who abandons evil deeds and sin.” (Sahih ibn Hibbanm, No. 4826).

   The Prophet also said:

   “If you see evil, your duty is to stop it by your hand. If you cannot, you must oppose it by your mouth. But if you cannot, you should undo it in your heart”.

   Because Islam is the last testament to the world, and a Message of mercy, Allah specifically praises those who convey His Message:

   Who is better in speech than one who calls (other people) to Allah, works righteous, and declares that he is from the Muslims (Al-Hujurat, 33).

   The true believers in the sight of Allah are those who strive for His cause:

   The Koran states:

   The (true) believers are only those who believe in Allah and His Messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their selves for the cause of allah. Such are the truthful (Al-Hujurat, 15).

   b) small Jihad

   The second kind of Jihad is an armed conflict. Fighting in Allah’s cause is given the utmost impottance in Islam, and is one of the pillars on which the religion stands. Muslims are ordered to fight and sacrifice themselves for a noble cause like defending their homeland against the enemy, defending one’s life, family, property, land and religion. They call this fight ‘Jihad’ which means fighting in the cause of Allah.

   Abdullah bin Masud narrated that he asked the Messenger: “O Allah’s Messenger! What is the best deed?” He replied, “To offer prayers at their early fixed stated times.” I asked, “What is next in goodness?” He replied, “To be good and dutiful to your parents.” I further asked, “What is next in goodness?” He said, ” To participate in Jihad in Allah’s cause.” (Sahih Al Bukhari, Vol. 4, Hadith No. 41).

   When war is undertaken, it must be pushed with vigor, but only to restore peace, and freedom. In any case limits must not be transgressed: women, children, old and infirm men should not be molested, nor trees or crops cut down, nor peace withheld when the enemy comes to terms.

   Also Islam teaches its followers to be merciful and incline towards forgiveness even in time of war, it never teaches them to turn the other cheek.

   The early Muslims fought many battles against their enemies under the leadership of the Prophet. When the Arab pagans brought armies against the Prophet, the Muslims fought to defend their faith and community.

   The Koran says:

   Fight in the cause of Allah against those who fight you, but do not transgress the limits. Lo! Allah loves not transgression. .And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah. But if they desist let there be no hostility except against transgressors (Al-Baqarah 190, 193).

   The Koran also says:

   If they seek peace, then seek you peace. And trust in Allah for He is the One that Heareth and Knowest all things (Al-Anfal, 61).

   When Muslims fight to defend their land or religion, they seek not only to win, but also martyrdom. Martyrdom exists as an active and powerful force in the ideology of Islam. The Koran declares that those slain in Allah’s way are not dead but alive.

   Allah says in the Koran:

   And say not for those slain in Allah’s way, “They are dead”; rather they are living. But you are not aware (Al-Baqarah, 154).

   And those who emigrated in Allah’s way and were slain, or died, Allah shall provide them with a fair provision; and surely Allah is the best of providers. Truly, He will make them enter an entrance with which they shall be well-pleased, and verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Clement (Al-Hajj 58, 59).

   These verses of the Koran convey the undeniable message that for martyrs there is a unique and immediate reward. This belief in the special qualities of a martyr found immediate expression in the practice of Muslims so that, among the dead, only the bodies of martyrs need not to be washed before burial as they are rendered pure by the very act of martyrdom. The martyr has erased his past sins and purified himself by giving his life as a sacrifice in the service of Allah. The Koranic concept of martyrdom thus became embedded in the consciousness of Muslims.

   Not only does a martyr in the cause of Allah enters Paradise, but he does so automatically, his admission is guaranteed. Further rewards, as reported by the Prophet are that the fighters in Allah’s cause, will if killed in the struggle receive privileges otherwise unattainable: he escapes the test in the grave by the interrogating angels; he does not need to path through the purgatory limbo; he receives the highest of ranks in Paradise, sitting near the throne of Allah.

   The Prophet described “dar al-shuhada (house of martyrs) as the most beautiful abode of Paradise; on the Day of Judgment any wounds the martyr received in battle will shine and smell like musk; his death as a martyr frees him of all sin such that he does not require the intercession of the Prophet; he is purified by his act and so he alone is not washed before burial; awaiting him is a garden of cool breezes, beautiful companions, couches, fruit and drink, and nearness to Allah.

   The Prophet said:

   “No one who dies and enters Paradise would wish to come back to this world even if he were to be given ownership of the whole world and whatever is in it, except the martyr who on seeing the superiority of martyrdom, would like to come back to the world and get killed again.”

   The Apostle of Allah said:

   “If anyone fights in Allah’s path…Paradise will be assured for him. If anyone sincerely asks Allah for being killed (In His cause) and then dies or is killed (not in a battle), there be a reward of a martyr for him… If anyone is wounded in Allah’s path, or suffers a misfortune, it will come in the Day of Resurrection as copious as possible, in color saffron, and its odor musk; and if anyone suffers from alcers while in Allah’s path, he will have in him the stamp of the martyrs.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 14, No. 2535).

   Jihad is not at all to force the faith of Islam on others, as many westerners conceive of it. Jihad must not be interpreted as a way of the compulsion of the belief on others, since there is an explicit verse in the Koran that says:

   There is no compulsion in religion (Al-Baqarah, 256).

   In wartime as well as peacetime, Islam prohibits terrorism, kidnapping and hijacking when carried out against civilians. Whoever commits such violations is considered a murderer in Islam and should be punished. During wars, Islam prohibits Muslim soldiers from harming civilians, women, children, the elderly and religious men like rabbis and priests. Islam also prohibits cutting down trees, and destroying civilian constructions.

   Islam is an act of submission to Allah’s will that requires Muslims to live in peace with all communities on earth, including the Jews and the Christians. However, if any group of humanity engages in hostility against Muslims, then they are required to defend themselves. There is no blind friendship or loyalty in Islam. If friendship to any human being, regardless whether that person is a Muslim, Jew, or Christian leads to corruption in society, then Muslims are to shun such company and loyalty.

   Jihad in Islam also includes: helping allied people who may not be Muslims; removing treacherous people from power; defending through preemptive strikes; freeing people from tyranny; gaining freedom to convey the Message of Islam in an open and free environment.

   Muslims are instructed by the Koran and the Sunna of the Prophet to free people from the bondage of immorality, fear, crime, exploitation, prejudice, superstition and mythology. Justice and equity must prevail.

   Allah says in the Koran:

   Allah commands you to deliver trusts back to their owners; and when you judge between the people, that you judge with justice. Good is the admonition Allah gives you; Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing (An-Nisa, 58).

   Allah also says:

   Surely Allah bids to justice and good-doing and giving to kinsmen; and He forbids indecency, dishonor, and insolence, admonishing you, so that haply you will remember.
   Fulfill Allah’s conenant, when you make covenant, and break not the oaths after they have been confirmed, and you have made Allah your surety; surely Allah knows the things you do (An-Nahl 90, 91).

   As we read in the Koran:

   Those who if We establish them in the land, perform the prayer, and pay the alms, and bid to honor, and forbid dishonor; and unto Allah belongs the issue of all affairs (Al-Hajj, 41).

   There is a wrong claim that Islam has spread by the sword! The emphatic answer is no. The Koran states:

   No compulsion is there in religion. Rectitude has become clear from error (Al-Baqarah, 256).

   The Christian missionary, T.W. Aarnold wrote:

   “…of any organized attempt to force the acceptance of Islam on the non-Muslim population, or of any systematic persecution intended to stamp out the Christian religion, we hear nothing. Had the Caliphs chosen to adopt either course of action, they might have swept away christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam out of spain, or Louis XIV made Protestantism penal in France, or the Jews were kept out of England for 350 years. The Eastern Churches in Asia were entirely cut off from communion with the rest of Christendom throughout which no one would have been found to lift a finger on their behalf, as heretical communions – so that the very survivals of these churches to the present day is a strong proof of the generally tolerant attitude of Muhammedan governments towards them.”

2. Dr. Mohsen El-Guindy

   February 19, 2011 | Log in to Reply

   Bitter tea

   My answer to the falsehood of Bill Warner is so deep that you cannot understand. If the discourse of Bill Warner about the trio propject has convinced you, and my logic and rational answer to his raving and nonesense hasn’t, so I am sorry to say that you are not up to the level of my discourse.

   You are either an Islamophobic monger, or an ignorant who needs polishing and advice. People like you are found everywhere, either hired by haters of Islam to implement their agenda against Islam, or your views are based on prejudice and ignorance.

   But bitter tea, put in mind that Islam rises to the challenge and wins when it is attacked by people like you.

   Who are you to defy Allah, you moron!

3. Dr. Mohsen El-Guindy

   February 16, 2011 | Log in to Reply

   Sweet tea

   The interpretation I introduced is true and documented by evidences in order to convince Islamophobic mongers like you and your like. Bill warner’s analysis is a big joke, the man is misguiding hate mongers like you. In my view he is not scientific when dealing with Islam, a topic he knows nothing about. His analysis made me laugh at him and at you because you blindly believed him without searching or even thinking, thus sharing with him ignorance, fraud and deceit.

   Don’t you know that I am definite that whatever I write to defend Islam people like you and Bill Warner will never approve but only reject and oppose! I even suspect that you have read my article condemning your Bill Warner and his article.

   Go back and read the fate awaiting those attacking Islam without authority. Read the kortanic verses and guard yourself against a Fire its fuel are men and stones.

4. Sweet Tea

   February 10, 2011 | Log in to Reply

   Dear Dr. El-Guindy,

   Bill Warner’s analysis of islam really gets your goat, doesn’t it?

   The inability to reason and hold rational discourse should embarrass you, but it doesn’t, does it?

   The truth hurts and humiliates you, doesn’t it?

5. Dr. Mohsen El-Guindy

   February 2, 2011 | Log in to Reply

   I have read the trio project of Bill Warner and the results he arrived at. I must say that I have several comments to introduce. Since the subject is vast and comprehensive, I will deal here this time with the topic: “Translation of the Koran can never take the place of the Koran in Arabic”.

   The pagan Arabs before the advent of Islam, were known by their extreme eloquence in the Arabic language. The greatest of these literary masters had their poems transcribed and hung up on the walls of the Ka’ba as a badge of honor and an example for future generations. Individual’s mastery of the Arabic language was considered one of the primary distinguishing criteria in selecting tribal leaders. These progresses in the Arabic language reached their peak at the time Prophet Muhammad’s invitation to Islam.

   These were the people whom the Prophet challenge over 23 years to produce a work similar to the Koran. The Prophet challenged them in a field which they were the world’s foremost authorities in, and the source of their greatest pride. They were people who would go to war at the drop of a hat or the slightest disrespectful word. In spite of all that, when the Prophet brought them the Word of Allah, the Koran, they fell silent and refused to face the challenge.

   The foremost miracle of the Koran is in its text. The Arabs knew fluency and eloquence well enough to recognize whether the Koran was divine or non-divine.

   When the pagan Arabs first read the Koran and were struck by its divine eloquence and magnificent words and rythm, they accused Muhammad of sorcery and magic. Allah challenged them to join in hands until the Resurrection to bring the like of ten chapters or even one. That they are incapable of this is a proof of the Koran’s divine origin.

   Allah says in the Koran:

   Or do they say: “He has forged it.” Say: “Then bring ten forged chapters like it and call upon whom you can besides Allah, if you are truthful; but if they do not answer you, then know that it is revealed by Allah’s knowledge (Hud 13, 14).

   If you are in doubt concering what We have sent down on Our servant, then bring a chapter like it, and call your witnesses, apart from Allah, if you are truthful (Al-Baqarah, 23).

   And again the Koran alleges that they cannot do such:

   But if you do not – and you will not – then fear the Fire, whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the unbelievers (Al-Baqarah, 24).

   Say, “If men and jinn get united to produce the like of this Koran, they will never produce its like, even if they all backed one another (Al-Isra, 88).

   The words of the Koran express how Allah speaks in Arabic. He has his own divine language which is much more eloquent compared to the normal Arabic language. When the Koran was revealed, the Arabic language was subdivided into poetry, prose and Koran, a matter indicating that the Koran is a unique Arabic compared to the other two.

   The supernatural fluency and eloquence of the Koran made the pagan Arabs admit that the Koran was a miracle from Allah and that it was not invented by Muhammad. After all he lived among them for forty years and he was not a poet and his language was simple and quite different from that of the Koran. This miracle made the pagan Arabs enter into the fold of Islam in shoals followed by other nations.

   The Koran is divided into 114 suras (chapters), each of which is further divided into a number of ayat (verses). The chapter titles were taken from images or events included in the suras. The chapters are customarily classified as either Makkan or Medinan, in reference to the two cities in which Muhammad lived and received the revelations over a period of 23 years of his life.

   The arrangement of the Koranic verses however is peculiar to the Koran. Revelations of various dates and on different subjects are to be found together in one sura; verses of Medina revelation are found in Makkan suras; some of the Medinan suras, though of late revelation, are placed first and the very early Makkan suras at the end. The arrangement however is not haphazard. Closer study reveals a sequence and significance.

   The order of the suras therefore does not reflect the chronological order of the Koranic verses. During his lifetime, Muhammad would have individual verses revealed to him, these revelations occured unexpectedly and in surprising places. The prophet and his companions would memorize the revealed verses, and under the guidance of the angel Gabriel the Prophet organized these verses into the existing suras. The intervention of Gabriel in organizing the various verses was meant to guarantee not only the sanctity of the individual verses, but also the religious validity of the organization of these verses in the Koran.

   It is important to point out that the Arabic language cannot be compared to any other language in its intricate complexity, diversity of form, reachness of meaning, brevity of parlance, beauty of construct and power of dilivery.

   A fairly comprehensive and authoritative reference on the English language would be the “Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary” tenth edition, in 1500 pages. On the other hand, a common Arabic dictionary “Lisan Al-Arab” in 18 volumes, each covering about 650 pages, or about 11700 pages in all. Even if it were to disregard all the other aspects of the Arabic language, such as its grammar, we would still be faced with a language which is about 8 times as complex as the English language. It is not at all uncommon in the Arabic language to find over one hundred words that refer to the same entity, each one of them giving a slightly different detailed description than all the others.

   This has resulted in a language which can translate complete English sentences into only one Arabic word. But the Arabic language is not simply a list of words. Far from it, it is a very complex collection of literary sciences wich have been developed, refined, and fine-tuned for generations and millennia beyond counting. The end result of this is a group of literary sciences.which literally have no parallel whatsoever in the English literature, such as the science of “sarf” or the multifarious sciences of “Balagha,” among others.

   Even when the English language can lay claim to a parallel science to that of the Arabic language, such for example the science of grammer, even in this case anyone who has the slightest understanding of the Arabic language find that even these equivalent sciences fade nearly into oblivion when faced with the tremendous complexities and inestimable attention to the minutest detail in Arabic grammar which can literally reverse the meanings of a sentence simply by changing a single squiggle (diacritic) above the last letter of only one word in that sentence.

   The Koran is the Word of Allah, this is why it is unique in its composition and style. It does not conform to the normal conception of a book. The koran provides neither a chronology of Allah’s revelations to humanity nor a linear narrative of the life and time of Prophet Muhammad.

   The reader who is unaware of the Koran’s uniqueness is often puzzeled when he finds it contrary to his understanding of a book in general and a religious book in particular. Hence, the Koran may seem disorganized to him. However to those who understand its subject matter, aim and its central theme, the Koran is exactly the opposite. The subject matter of the Koran is essentially man; man in relation to his Lord and Creator Allah, man in relation to himself, and man in relation to the rest of creation. The main theme that runs throughout the Koran is that Allah alone deserves worship, and, thus, man should submit to Allah’s Laws mentioned in the Koran.

   If the reader keeps these basic facts in mind, he will find that from beginning to end the Koran’s topics are all closely connected to its main theme and that the whole Book is a well-reasoned and cohesive argument for its theme. The Koran keeps the same object in view whether it is describing the creation of man and the universe or events from human history.

   Allah descended the Koran on Prophet Muhammad with a number of magnificent charactiristics:

   1- It is clear and makes clear the laws which it contains.
   2-It is Allah’s firm rope that if strongly grasped, success in this life and the Hereafter will be attained by His Grace.
   3- It is the truth that cannot be affected by falsehood from any direction.
   4- It is free from the accusation by the disbelievers as being poetry, magic, or human speech.
   5- It is a miracle that no one can imitate even with the help of others.
   6- It consists of distinct chapters, each distinct from the other, perfected and preserved from any flaws or contradictions.
   7- It consists of clear verses showing Allah’s unique unity, the perfection of His attributes, and the goodness of His laws.
   8- It pertains two types of verses: ‘Muhkam’ i.e. verses with clear meaning, and ‘Mutashabeh’ i.e. verses with more than one meaning. The Islamic scholars have thoroughly investigated such verses and adopted correct methodologies that neither of them attributed anything to Allah that does not befit Him.
   9- It contains abrogated and abrogating verses. The Koran brought important changes in the life of the people to allow them to adjust to the new commandments. If we take as an example wine drinking, which was widespread in pre-Islamic times, the three verses which finally led to the prohibition of intoxicating substances were revealed in stages (Koran: 41, 32; 2, 219; 5, 93-94).
   10- It contains knowledge about which part of the revelation preceded another part.

   From these Koranic characteristics developed the sciences of the Koran which deal with its setting, framework and circumstances.

   These sciences are namely:

   1- Its revelation
   2- Its collection
   3- Its order and arrangement
   4- Its writing down
   5- Information about the reasons and occasions of revelation
   6- About what was revealed in Makka and what in Madina
   7- About clear and unclear verses
   8- The explanation of verses and passages by the Prophet himself, his companions, their followers and the later exegetes of the Koran
   9- The method of explanation
   10- The scholars of exegesis and their books
   11- Orientalists and the Koran
   12- Translations of the Koran
   13- Modern interpretation of the Koran
   14- Language of the Koran
   15- Reading and recitation of the Koran

   Because the foremost miracle of the Koran is in its Arabic text, one cannot translate a miracle no matter how he may try. The miracle is the literal Words of Allah descended upon Muhammad in a divine Arabic. The Arabic which made the most eloquent people of the time to loose their minds and accuse Muhammad the illiterate with sorcery and madness!

   Muslims make a distinction between the Koran and a translation of the Koran. This is in marked contrast with the Christian view, according to which the Bible is Bible, no matter what language it may be written in. For Muslims the divine Word assumed a specific Arabic form, and that form is as essential as the meaning the words convey. Hence only the Arabic Koran is the Koran, and translations are simply interpretations.

   The Koran cannot be translated; no translation to any other language could adequately express the exact meanings of the Koran. No translation could match the inimitable symphony, the very sounds which move men to tears and extacy. Those whose mother – tongue is Arabic are the only ones who can understand the beauty of its music and full meaning of its verses.

   The Koran has been translated dozens of times into English. Each translation represents one person’s understanding of the text, each is significantly different from the others, and none is the Koran itself. There is but one Word, but there are as many interpretations of that Word as there are readers.

   Many Westerners who have not been sympathetic toward Islam have offered their interpretations of the Koranic texts. There is no reason to suppose that such interpretations will help non-Muslims understand the text that reveals itself to Muslims.

   In addition, major barriers remain that prevent an appreciation of the Koran by non-Muslims or by those who do not have a thorough training in the Arabic language and the Islamic sciencess. Even such training does not guarantee access to the Book.

   Due to the fact that the Koranic Message is universal, and it is necessary to make the meaning of the Koranic text available to all, the Koran was translated to several other languages. These translations are however, considered to be glosses for personal use only, and have no weight in serious religious discussion. In case of the Koran, translation is an extremely difficult endeavor, because each translator must consult his opinion and aesthetic sense in trying to replicate shades of meaning in another language; this inevitably changes the original text. Thus a translation is often referred to as an “Interpretation,” and is not considered a real Koran.

   The language of the Koran is synthetic and imaginistic, each word has a richeness closely related to the genius of the Arabic language. Muslims naturally understand different meanings from the same verse.

   Far from being a hinderance to the spread of Islam, as some have imagined, the Arabic language has been an aid. Although the form of the text was fixed, the meaning was left with fluidity and adaptability. People who did not know Arabic, were forced to learn Arabic text and then understand it in terms of their own cultural and linguistic heritage. But no one’s ionterpretation could be final. The next generation could not depend exclusively upon the previous generation’ translation and commentary any more than it could ignore the understanding of the text established by the tradition. Each Muslim needs to establish his or her own connection with the Scriopture. All serious Muslims were forced to enter into this Arabic universe of discourse – a universe, indeed, which they considered divine.

   Because the Koran is a universal Message to the whole world, it had to speak a language that everyone could understand. And Islam did in fact spread vey quickly to most of the civilizations of the world, from China and South East Asia to Africa and Europe. These people although speak a great diversity of languages, they also speak the languages of the heart and mind. The Koran has been able to speak to all of them because of the peculiarities of its own mode of divine discourse.

   The richness of the Koranic language and its receptivity toward different interpretations help explain how this single Book could have given shape to one of the world’s great civilizations. If everyone had understood exactly the same thing from the text, the religion would never had spread as widely as it has. The Koran had to address both the simple and the sophisticated, the shepherd and the philosopher, the scientist and the artist. – this is indeed the miracle of the Koran.

   In addition to prayer, Muslim also worship Allah by reciting the verses of the Koran. The more they become closer to Allah by abiding to His commandments, the more the verses of the Koran disclose their divine secrets and give multiple inner meanings. Devout Muslims discover that the verses include meanings indefinite in their variety.

   While Muslims closers to Allah understand the exoteric meaning of the verses, they also conceive the esoteric (inner ) interpretation.

   For example, when the Koran affirms that the creation of the heavens and the earth and all creatures was for Allah, like the ‘creation of a single soul’, the exoteric interpretation will at most see here the simultaneity of the whole creation, while the esoteric interpretation at the same time deduces from it the intrinsic unity of the cosmos, which is constituted as a single universal being.

   Likewise, the divine warnings of destruction and annihilation, which are ‘from the outside’ applied to the damned, are also interpreted as describing the self-examination and extinction of the soul in spiritual realization.

   Having said that, I want to draw the attention of Bill Warner to certain points:

   1- To Muslims the Koran is the direct Word of Allah as communicated to the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims approach the Koran with an implicit acceptanve of its style and nature. They believe that through Allah do freedom, action and truth coincide.

   2- Non-Muslims tend to approach the Koran with the Old Testament and the Gospel in mind, and then get very perplexed because the Koran is not like that at all. The Old Testament begins with God’s creation of the universe and all it contains and then proceed with a straightforward history of the people of Israel and their Prophets. The Gospels give a choronological account of the life of Jesus as the central narrative thread through which his teachings are presented, then turn to the development of early Christianity. The Koran provides neither a chronology of Allah’s revelations to humanity nor a linear narrative of the life and times of the Prophet Muhammad.

   3- Th student of the Koran must purify his intention for the sake of Allah. The Koran is easy to understand for those who desire to learn wisdom from it and not for those who have a preconceived notion to nullify its teachings and refute its commandments.

   4- The reader of the Koran must first refrain from sins for the Koran is a light and Allah does not give His light to sinners or people of bad intentions. The Koran is a pure Book and can only be carried in pure hearts.

   5- Those who understand the Koran are those who studied it, memorized it, implemented it, and lived by it. It is not possible in the least for one to understand the Koran and not know Arfabic. They will be deprived of its sweetness, blessings, and more impoprtant, understanding the Words of Allah.

   6- Although there is profundity of meaning in the verses of the Koran, the Message was made clear to all people speaking Arabic, the cognizant and the incognizant; the literate and the illiterate; the ignorant and the knowledgeable. This simplicity and clearness is one of the miracles of the Koran.

   Allah says in the Koran:

   And We have made the Koran easy for remembrance. Is there any that will remember? (Al-Qamar, 15).

   7- The Koran introduces itself as a Book through which Allah causes many to stray while He guides others along the right path (2: 26).
   There are two ways of studying the Koran. One is with the intention of understanding with all seriuosness,
   what the Koran has to convey to its reader. The other way is to study it with the aim of molding it to the reader’s own mental make-up. In the former case, the Koran will become a source of guidance, while in the latter, it wil lead the reader astray. What the latter type of reader does is read his own desires and whims. This has been expressed in the Koran in these words:

   There are those who displace words from their places (4: 46).

   In other words, the reader takes verses out of their context in order to pervert their meanings to suit his own whims and desires. Treating the Koran in this manner is an act of insolence and blaspnhemy. One who studies the Koran with this insolent attitude can never receive guidance from it.

   Bill Warner and the Koran

   Bill Warner did not read the Koran to understan it, but to nullify it and reject its teachings. He invented what he called ‘Simple Koran’ under the pretension that the original Koran was deliberately made difficult to understand. Exactly as if Bill Warner were saying that Allah, the Lord of Creation had deliberately descended upon His servant Muhammad an obscure Message in order not to be understood by His servants!

   This erroneous statement shows clearly that Bill Warner does not belive in the first place that the Koran is a divine Book but rather the invention of Muhammad. This is why he gave himself the right to misuse the Koran by deplacing words from their original places under the pretension of correlating the Koranic verses with the tradition of the Prophet, thus inventing what he called ‘simple Koran’.

   Bill Warner should have known that the Koran as the Last Testament to the world, carries a divine guarantee of safeguard from interpolation and it combines the best features of the earlier Scriptures. That’s why it stood the test of time and stood like a monument for over fourteen centuries and shall remain distinguished and conspicuous until the Day of judgment. He should have known that the Message of Islam is immutable in the face of change in time and place.

   As it shows, Bill Warner’s intention from the beginning before even reading the Koran was to refute and nullify it and makes the Prophet appears as an evil man.

   Bill Warner created the trio project to strip away the confusion in the Koranic text! As any other Islamophobic monger, he had preconceived notions of profound hatred for Islam, and from there he proceeded by misleading the readers saying that he devised a mathematical statistical method that when applied to the Koran, a more simple one was produced.

   The statistical analysis Bill Warner underwent is really puzzeling. Is it possible to submit a divine, live , clear, conspicuousf and functioning Book to statistical analysis?
   Did he find divine random samples that need statistical analysis? Was he after significance testing or hypothesis testing? Did he use descriptive statistics or inferential statistics? All these statistical methods are not applicable to the Koran. The Koran and the Sunna of the Prophet are clear, distinct and manifest.

   Although the Islamic base of Bill Warner is primitive and rather scanty he pretended to be knowlegeable in Islam and produced a emaciated book whose verses are tampered with and replaced with others.

   No wonder his trio project came up with six big lies”

   1- Islam is far more a political system than a religion.
   2- There is no unmitigated good in Islam for the non-Muslim.
   3-Islam’s ethical system is dualistic and is not based on the golden rule.
   4-Islamic doctrine cannot be reconciled with our concepts of human rights and our constitution.
   5- The great majority (96%) of all Islamic doctrines about women subjugate them.
   The Sunna is more important than the Koran in a Muslim’s daily life.

   To answer the first lie: The prime Message of Islam is the unity of Allah, that the Creator of the world is one and He alone is worthy of worship and Muhammad is His Messenger and servant. Islam believes that each person is born pure. Allah has given human beings a choice between good and evil, and to seek Allah’s pleasure through faith, prayer and charity. Muslims must believe in Allah’s angels, previously revealed Books of Allah, all Prophets from Adam to Jesus, the Day of Judgment and indeed the decree of Allah. Islam’s main Message is to worship Allah, and treat all His creation with kindness and compassion. Rights of parents in old age, orphans, and the needy are clearly stated. Women’s rights were safeguarded for more than 1400 years ago when the rest of the world was in total darkness about emancipation.
   In Islam virtue does not connote forsaking the bounties of nature that are lawful. On the contrary one is encouraged to lead a healthy active life with the qualities of kindness, chastity, honesty, mercy, courage, patience and politeness. Islam has a perfect and complete code for the guidance of the individuals and communities alike.

   Isn’t that a great religion?

   To answer the second lie: In Islam, even with unbelievers, Allah forbids Muslims to fight them if they don’t fight the religion of Islam or drive Muslims out of their hoimes. Allah further commands Muslims to treat them justly and kindly.

   The Koran says:

   Allah forbids you not, as regards those who have not fought you in religion’s cause, nor expelled you from your habitations that you should be kind to them, and act justly towards them; surely Allah loves the just (Al-Mumtahana, 8).

   To answer the third lie: Muhammad said in his last sermon: “Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you.”
   He also said: “The most righteous of men is the one who is glad that men should have what is pleasing to himself, and who dislikes for them what is for him disagreable.”

   The Koran teaches that Muslims should worship Allah and not incorporate with him other dieties, and commit their parents to their kind care and display to them a friendly and kind disposition. The same kind and friendly disposition is also a duty incumbent upon Muslims to the kindered who are related by blood and to the orphans, to the poor and to the neighbor, to the associate, and to the wayfarer, and to those on hand, whether they be captives or reduced to servile state. And Muslims must realize that Allah detests every boastful who exalts himself unduly and displays inordinate self-esteem.

   Allah says:

   Serve Allah, and associate naught with Him. Be kind to parents, and the near kinsman, and to orphans, and to the needy, and to the neighbor who is of kin, and to the neighbor who is a stranger, and to the companion of your side, and to the traveller, and to that your right hands own, surely Allah loves not the proud and boastful (Al-Nisa, 36).

   Even among the enemies of Islam actively fighting against it, there may be individuals who may be in a position to require protection. Full asylum is to be given to them so that they may hear the Word of Allah, then he is escorted to where he can be secured.

   Allah says in the Koran:

   And if any of the idolaters seeks of thee protection, grant him protection till he hears the words of Allah; then do thou convey him to his place of security – that, because they are a people who do not know (Al-Tawba, 6).

   To answer the fourth lie: The Koran is all about human rights. Due to the narrow space here I will not mention the verses indicating the human rights issues in Islam but rather the issues themselves.

   The Koran dealt with the following issues of human rights:

   right to life; right to ownership; right to basic necessities of life; right to respect; protection of honor; brotherhood; right to justice; equality; right to privacy; right to freedom; right to protect against tyranny; freedom of expression; freedom of association; protection of religion sentiments; protection from arbitrary imprisonment; Equality before law; rulers are not above the law; the right to participate in the affairs of the state; right to acquire knowledge; right to good life; right to leave one’s home under oppressive conditions; justice and compassion in war; tolerance.

   Notice: they found in the library of the founder of the American constitution a copy of the Koran. He was surely incorporating in the American constitution some or all of the issues of human rights mentioned above.

   To answer the fifth lie: the koran is the only divine Book which gave women all their human rights they aspire to. Due to the limited place here I advise Bill Warner to read the rights of women in Chapter “Al-Baqarah” and chapter “womem” in the Koran

   To answer the six lie: The Sunna of the Prophet explains the Koran. Both are dear and precious to Muslims because they compliment each other.

   Conclusion

   Bill Warner is not qualified in the least to understand Islam because he is ignorant in Arabic and totally incognizant of the sophisticated sciences of the Koran as well as the mother books of Al-Sharia (Islamic Law). No wonder he came up from his rediculous study with a plot pouring erronous accusations against the Koran and its conveyer.

   There is none who could alter Allah’s Word. Bill Warner has exceeded his limits and he will be held responsible before Allah for his deception and for deliberately misleading many by covering up what is true with falsehood, and hypocrisy.

   Since Bill Warner is fond of statistical analysis, I would suggest that instead of statistically analysing the complete religion – Islam – it is better that he statistically verifies the Koranic commandments: Allah is one, Jesus was not crucifyed, salvation is to believe in one God crowned with good deeds, man has been born pure without original sin as opposed to trinitarianism,vicarious atonement, crucifixion and original sin in Christianity.

   Since the beginning of the 20th century and until now, the Christian apologetic scholars and phylosophers have found that the four Bibles have been adulterated by additions and curtailments from their authors. They all arrived at the fact that 20 to 25% of the four Gospel’s texts is the words of Jesus and the rest is the words of their authors.

   I would suggest that Bill Warner investigate the four Bibles and verify how far they are deviated from truth as compared with the Koran as the only reliable bdivine Book existing today and until the Day of Resurrection. The Book which stood the test of time and the Word given directly by Allah without human mediation.

   Consequences

   Those who raise the cry of forgery against Islam are in fact guilty of falsehood. There is not the least basis or even plausibility in their claims against the religion of Islam. Those who intentionally assert falsehood against Islam are but those who deny Allah’s revelations and it is they who lie in their teeth.

   Bill Warner shuns the truth. He simply runs riot beyond reasonable limits. His rebellion is only against his own soul. A brief enjoyment in this worldly life, then in the end unto Allah is his return, and He shall inform him of that which he used to do. Bill Warner follow nothing but conjecture, certainly conjecture can be of no avail against the truth.

   Bill Warner preferred blindness to guidance. All the lies he launched against Islam through his site will turn against him.

   Thus have Allah caused the Koran to enter the hearts of the sinners. They will not believe in it until they see the grievous penalty in the present life, then comes the torment of the Hereafter that shall be laid upon every guilty imposter.

   The Day will come when every person will be confronted with all the good he has done, and all the evil he has done, he will wish that there were a great distance between him and his evil deeds. His own limbs and faculties will be the strongest witness against him if he misuses them for evil deeds. All that he thought of hiding will be clear as day before Allah.

   As we read in the Koran:

   Upon the Day when Allah’s enemies are mustered to the Fire, duly disposed, till when they are come into it, their hearing, their eyes and their skins bear witness against them concerning what they have been doing, and they will say to their skins: “Why bore you witness against us?”
   They shall say, “Allah gave us speech, as He gave everything speech. He created you the first time and unto Him you shall be returned (Fussilat, 19-21).

   Dr. Mohsen El-guindy

6. Dr. Mohsen El-Guindy

   January 25, 2011 | Log in to Reply

   To the good Patriot USA

   What you said in your poster is exactly what we Muslims hear from your biased media about Islam. You people don’t read, but only acquire your knowledge from the prejudiced media owned by the haters of Islam.

   Islam is a religion of peace. It is the last divine revelation sent to mankind. The Koran urges all people to worship the only true and one God Allah. He is the only God of the universe and He is the one who sent His Message of Oneness to all the Prophets beginning with Adam, Abraham, Noah, Isaak, Jacob, Jesus, until the seal of the Prophets Muhammad. They all came with the Message of Islam which is believe in Allah the one God and worship none but Him alone. Believers must adhere to the principles of their divine Books and live a pious life until they meet their Lord, Allah. The reward will be either Heaven or Hell depending on their belief which is pure monotheisn, and good deeds.

   Since all previous divne Books were either obliterated or changed, and in order for all people not to say when standing before Allah on the Day of Resurrection: “No Book came to us and we just followed what our fathers worshipped, (sons, idols, saints, priests etc) Allah preserved the Koran and guarded it from loss.

   To answer your questions, we have in Islam two kinds of Jehad (1) major Jehad which is fighting hard the temptation of the soul; (2) minor Jehad which is fighting back the enemy attacking the Muslim soil, or those attacking the religion of Islam.

   Islam is a peaceful religion. The number of those killed in all the battles of Prophet Muhammad against his enemies do not exceed 600. All religions living under the banner of Islam flourished because Islam is based on the fact that man is either a brother in religion or a brother in creation. Both deserve utmost respect. Allah is the only one who will judge between the jarring sects.

   Those killed under the banner of Christianity beginning with Christian Rome, persecution of the Christians from the Catholic church in the Middle age, crusades against Muslims in Jerusalem, Napolion Bonapart’s wars in Europe, World War I, and those killed by the Christian Audolph Hitler in World War II, amounted to hundreds of millions. Let alone the millions killed in Hiroshima and Nagazaki!

   Muslims didn’t initiate any of these wars.

   Would I say after all this that Christianity is a violent religion? Of course not.. Religion must not be judged by the acts of its adherents. Muslims believe in Christianity, but only the way it was mentioned in the Koran. The Koran contains a whole chapter named Maryam (Mary) and there are several verses talking about the life of Jesus, his miracles and his teachings.

   I don’t take my information from sites designed especially to attack Islam. As a knowledgeable man I prefer to open the books and read. I don’t acquire my knowledge from biased media deliberately misguiding its watchers. What I read in your poster is exactly what I hear against Islam from these prejudiced media and sites.

   The problem with you people is that you don’t read, but only listen to the poison poured from such media. In this connection I invite you to know the truth by devoting some good effort to read the Koran.

   If you read the Koran you will find verses indicating freedom, democracy and consultation in state matters. You will be surprised to see that the Koran was the first to give women all their rights more than 1400 years ago. you will be surprised to see that man received all his human rights in this divine Book! This was 1340 years before the international conferences launched the human rights decree or decrees.

   Do you know that they found in the library of the founder of the American constitution, Thomas Jefferson a copy of the Koran? As it seems, he incorporated some of the principles of the Koran into the American constitution. No wonder you are proud of your constitution!

   While searching for the truth, relax and contemplate. Why you have 7 million Muslims in your country?

   Why there are now dozens of millions of Muslims in Europe? Why white Americans and Europeans enter Islam in groups everyday? Why Islam is also deeply rooted in all of Asia and the Middle East. Why among those who embraced Islam are catholic, evangelic, orthodox and protestant priests as well as white judges, chancellors, lawyers, doctors, actors, football players etc. Why Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world now?

   There must be an urgent need that pushed people towards the religion of Islam. Are all these people nuts? These people must have read something that squeezed their hearts and made them believe. They read the religion, they didn’t depend upon the biased media. They devoted some effort to know and search for the truth. Because their good intention was there while reading the divine Book searching for the truth, Allah opened their hearts and guided them to the right path..

   Frankly we Muslims don’t care much if people believe in our religion or not. In Islam there is no compulsion in religion for guidance comes from Allah. If He wants to guide someone He will guide him to the right path of salvation, if not He will leave him astray,

   What Muslims do care about is to deliver the Message of Islam to the world. It is incumbent upon every Muslim to deliver the Message of Mercy without any deviation. This is what we have been ordered to do. If people belive in it, it is for their own good, if not it is for their own loss.

   Now my dear fellow, go and read and educate yourself. seek the truth, from the original sources and not from the biased media and prejudiced website, who knows you may change your mind about what you think now about Islam.

   I will pray to Allah to guide you to the right path.

   Dr. Mohsen El-Guindy

7. Dr. Mohsen El-Guindy

   January 25, 2011 | Log in to Reply

   To Patriot USA

   Islam as a religion has nothing to do with the actions of its adherents. These actions are merely political and not religious.

   Terrorism from the adherents of the Christian faith over the centuries is immense and overwhelming. This doesn’t mean that the Christian religion is a violent religion.

   What would you say about the massacres of the Catholic church against hundreds of thousands of Muslims anf Jews in Andalusia?

   What would you say about the persecution the Catholic Church exerted against the Christians who opposed its belief 300 years ago? Thousands were killed and the lucky ones fled to the new world, America. Maybe you are the descendants of those who escaped from the persecution of the Church!

   What would you say about the Christian crusade which occupied Palestine (Jerusalem) in the MIddle age and killed hundreds of thousands of Muslims without mercy.

   What would you say about the hundreds of millions of Christians who were killed by the Christian Napoleon Bonapart?

   What would you say about the millions of Christian victims who were killed by the Christian Audolf Hitler in world war II? in addition to those killed in World War I of course.
   Muslims didn’t initiate these two blodyWorld wars!

   What would you say about the occupation of Iraq under the false pretension of weapons of mass destruction, and the killing of thousands of innocents until this very day? How about those being killed every day in Afghanistan by Christian forces? etc…

   You say we have freedon in our side!!

   If you read the Koran you will find the verses talking about consultation and democracy. If you really kinow the history of your country you would have known that they found in the library of the founder of the American constitution Thomas Jefferson a copy of the Koran. As it seems, he used it to incorporate into the American constitution some of the Koranic principles and ethics.

   The problem with you people of today is that you don’t read. You get your information from the poisonus and biased media against Islam. You also get it from biased online centers especially established to attack Islam and slander its Prophet.

   In order to know Islam, read the Book of Islam, the Koran. Read the Sunna of the Prophet, and then form your own ideas about the religion. Devote some efforts and search for the truth instead of hearing a word from here or there.

   While doing so, look around and ask yourself a question: Why there are 7 million Muslims in your country, and why there are millions of Muslims in Europe as well? Why hundreds of British women embrace Islam every day? Why there are one billion and 500 million Muslims living in the four corners of the world? Why white Christians in these countries enter into the fold of Islam in groups every day. This necessitates that you stop and think for a while. Are all these people nuts? there must be something important that rushed them to embrace the religion. Particularly when you realize that among these new adherents Catholic, evangelical and orthodox priests, as well as doctors, scientists, chancelors, judges, etc…

   Instead of running after the Islamophobe mongers and repeating their ugly words about Islam like a parrot, I will leave you to read the Koraan and discover the truth for yourself.

   We Muslims don’t care if non-Muslims believe in our religion or not, because guidance comes from Allah. If Allah wants to guide someone to His religion, so that person will be guided by Allah’s grace, if not, it will be for his own loss. What we care for is to deliver the Message of Islam, because it is a Messgae of Mercy. And Allah wants to take His servantsw to paradise.

   Those who fight Allah, His Koran, and His seal of the Prophets will never prosper. Death is hovering over our heads and will visit each one of us sooner or later.

   To Allah will be our return and He will charge all those who attacked His Book and slandered His Prophet.

   Find the truth for yourself before it is
   too late. Who knows you may be guided.

   Dr. Mohsen El-Guindy

8. PatriotUSA

   January 24, 2011 | Log in to Reply

   To the Good ‘Dr.’ Mohsen El- Guindy:

   Your rant and accusations are no better than what you are accusing the West, Jews, Zionists, ‘islamophobes of doing.

   How do excuse 1500 plus years of islamic
   murder, mayhem, persecution of the
   Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists,
   Armenians, and others too numerousto list here? Not to mention the persecution and
   subjugation of women through islamic
   honor killings, female genital mutilation,
   based on the merciful teachingsof ‘allah’
   through his perverted, pedophilic prophet
   mohammad? All Lies and fabrications I suppose?

   Solidarity of the Copts in Eygpt with the
   muslims there? Since when and offer us
   some proof of such nonsense.

   “This intentional provocation will lead however to nothing but to make Islam stronger and stronger, why? Because Allah fights for His religion.”

   No, allah commands you muslims to wage
   jihad and implement sharia law. What a great choice us kafirs have: convert, live
   a life of persecution as dhimmis, or die.

   Jihad is jihad, Dr. El-Guindy. You can try to sweeten islam, sharia law, whitewash it all you want but the truth will prevail as it has in the past and islam will not be victorious nor will it prevail over it’s enemies. Islam already torments it’s followers as inmates living in Hell in this world. Wherever islam
   spreads, violence, crime and unrest
   always follows. No other group brings such
   trouble to the lands they immigrate to like
   muslims and islam. Over 95% of ALL
   terrorist attacks are perpetrated by muslims. Need proof? Take a look at the site called”The Religion Of Peace.”
   There you will find an abundance of proof,
   WELL DOCUMENTED proof of crimes
   waged upon humanity by muslims because of islam.

   We have freedom and liberty on our side,
   something most muslims have never experienced as they are brainwashed from birth all the way to the grave by islam. It is
   NOT a religion but a political ideology that
   mandates no individual thoughts or
   freedom, especially for women.

   I would rather die than ever bow down to
   islam, and die fighting so my children never
   have to suffer under islam and sharia law.

   To Mr. Warner and those who assist him:
   Thank you so much for your diligence
   and hard work here at Political Islam. I have
   learned so much from here and your
   writings. I look forward to learning as much
   as I can and educatng others as you are
   doing here.

9. Dr. Mohsen El-Guindy

   January 23, 2011 | Log in to Reply

   Less than three years ago Pope Benedict said in a lecture addressed to students in a German university, “What Mihammad brought is inhuman and evil”!!. The Pope didn’t even apologize for his despicable remark when the Islamic world asked him to.

   His predecessor Pope John when the Koran was introduced to him as a gift during one of his visits to the Middle East, he bowed and kissed it. This is the difference betrween a modest Pope and an arrogant one.

   Al-Azhar didn’t forget this hostile behavior, although it didn’t react at the time.

   Recently, upon a deliberate conspiracy set against Egypt from foreign sources in order to hit the solidarity of Egyptian copts and Muslims, which resulted in the Sabotage of the Church, the Pope hastened to push the governments of the West to interfere in the internal affairs of Egypt under the pretension of saving the lives of the copts.

   The Egyptian copts and Muslims altogether stood side by side rejecting such interference and ascertained their solidarity and brotherhood.

   Since in Islam there is no priesthood or popship, and since the Pope is openly hostile to Islam, Sheikh Al-Azhar, Al-Imam Ahmad El-Tayeb decided to suspend interfaith talk with the Vatican.

   In this respect, I salute Sheikh Al-Azhar for such wise and firm decision.

   deliberate provocation against Muslims and Islam comes in fact from the West. We can see for example, online centers (American in particular), insulting the religion of Islam, its Prophet and even Allah the Creator of the universe! Namely, political Islam, answering Islam, Jehad Islam, Middle East forum, evangelical TV stations like club 700 and the like.

   In addition to that, we find Islamophobia launched from some Zionist organizations, Christian right wing, neoconservatives, Judo-Christian coalition, tea party, and also from the Republicans joining such organizations.

   No wonder Muslims react back by rejecting such useless and void attacks that will never be able to defeat Islam or prevent its spread to the land of the attackers.

   This intentional provocation will lead however to nothing but to make Islam stronger and stronger, why? Because Allah fights for His religion.

   The Islamophobic mongers think that Islam is not a true religion. This is why they are attacking the religion of Islam vigourously. But in fact they are piling over their heads sins over sins, and in the Hereafter they will face a severe torment.

   No wonder they are the inmates of Hell.

   Dr. Mohsen El-Guindy