My Dear brothers & sisters in Islam, Assalamu Aleykum Wa Rahmatullah,

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

“لقد من الله على المؤمنين اذ بعث فيهم رسولا من أنفسهم يتلو عليهم آياته و يزكيهم و يعلمهم الكتاب و الحكمة و ان كانوا من قبل لفى ضلال مبين” سورة 3 آية 164

One of the most important aspects of our faith Islam is to understand, deeply love and most closely emulate the character of the Prophet – MUHAMMAD. This aspect of our faith is manifested when we pronounce Shahada —It consists of two inseparable parts. That Allah is one and that Prophet Muhammad is His last Prophet and Messenger.

Unfortunately, because of the heat of major challenges facing the Muslims we find that emulating the Prophet (s) stops at trying to copy his image; i.e. the way he looked without focusing on the way he behaved as he applied the Qur’aan to his character and his way of living. Many of us, especially those proclaimed leaders and Imams of the Muslims forget to teach the average Muslim to express his/her love of the Prophet by emulating his character.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

“لقد كان لكم فى رسول الله أسوة حسنة لمن كان يرجو الله و اليوم الآخر و ذكر الله كثيرا” سورة 33 – آية 21

و عندما سؤلت السيدة عائشة – زوجة الرسول – ص – عن خلقه قالت ” كان خلقه القرآن”

Michael Hart, who was born in a Christian family, in his book “The 100, New York, 1978” chose Muhammad (s) to be at the top of his list followed by Newton and Jesus. He states: “He was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both religious and secular levels.

Within 100 years this evolution of the Islamic System and model Ummah started by the Prophet Muhammad (s) has caused the decline and then the vanquishing of the Persian “Sassanian” and the Byzantine Empires. Islam swept through:

1. From Iran and Iraq to Bukhara, Uzbekistan in the east then to China and many other Asian lands, to
2. Syria / Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt and then North Africa to the West, to
3. Spain, and many European lands

Before Prophet Muhammad (s), people of uncivilized Arabia used to ride Camels, lived as nomads and their most recognized business was Poetry – Mushaa’arah – and trading. In 100 years Baghdad became the center of the Civilized World.

I have been raking my brain and asking: In a world that existed over 1,400 years ago with no radio, no TV and no radio & TV correspondents, no telephone and cellular phones, no fax machines, no copiers, no e-mail, no internet and other facilities we enjoy today how Islam spread that fast.

What was the Secret? Why the Prophet (S) and his trained successors and followers were so successful in capturing people’s imagination and becoming the leaders of the world?

First of all let me convey an important message of hope: “What is happening to the Muslims today is because what was not done in the many generations before us. I am sincerely optimistic about the future because what is being done today and was done in the past 40 years is yielding wonderful positive results that inshaa Allah will change not only the fortunes of the Muslims in America but also all people Muslims & non-Muslims in the world inshaa Allah.”

We need to remember and never forget that Islamic transformation, which was started in the age of the press, ensuring the preservation of the Qur’aan at all times, opened up new unexplored opportunities for the human race:

• It brought the age of democracy and freedom of speech to the world, and
• It helped make new discoveries possible in the world of science enabling man to use his most valuable gift, the mind and intellect, to seek religious truth and explore scientific phenomena to raise the standard and quality of life for all people.

Research on the evolution of the Islamic System & Ummah under the leadership of Prophet Muhammad that captured the imagination of the Arabs and the world and changed the course of world history was achieved at the cost of 1018 lives over a period of 23 years! Here are the facts:

• Number of Military Defense Expeditions: 80, the Prophet participated in some 27 of them and a small number did not even involve any fighting.
• Number of Muslims who died in battle 259, and
• Number of non-Muslims – mostly pagans – was 759.

Contemporary Muslim writers and speakers point with pride to the fact that this number is dwarfed by:

• The 13 million who died during the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the 20 million killed by Stalin,
• The thousands who were killed in the French Revolution and the Thousands who died in the American Civil war, and
• The thousands killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

We Muslims like these comparisons because it gratifies our pride. However, there is another comparison that many of us, Muslims, are silent about. That is the number of people who died in Islamic liberation efforts over the years and what was achieved? Of course no one wants the pain of such an admonishing fact but it is important to remember it and reflect on it. The 20th Century has seen grand “Islamic” revolutionary movements, great “holy wars” in the Muslim world. Here is the cost:

1. Two and a half million dead in the Algerian War of Liberation and independence
2. 500,000 martyrs in the Indian freedom struggle and East Pakistan – now Bangladesh,
3. 10 million lives lost in the formation of the Muslim state of Pakistan, and
4. Millions of people who died for Islam in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Syria, Yemen and various other countries.

And for all these sacrifices very little was realized!

Yet, at the cost of 1018 lives, the effect of the Prophet’s revolution was felt the world over while the “Islamic “ movements of modern times, on the other hand, cannot point to even a small success or achievement.

When the Prophet (s) was commissioned to become the final prophet and messenger of God to bring to the world Allah / God last message that includes all God’s prior messages to mankind – The Holy Qur’aan – Arabia was simply uncivilized and the situation in Arabia was so discouraging. Here is a summary:

1. The rich were getting richer and the poor were getting poorer and slavery was the order of the day,
2. The most fertile lands and border settlements of Arabia was occupied by the Byzantine / Romans and by the Persian Sassanites, and
3. The Kaabaa – the first house ever built to worship and glorify Allah – God – was full of over 370 idols,

Allah (subhanau) could have revealed to Prophet Muhammad:

1. Ya Muhammad – Start a social revolution by which assets are taken from the rich and given to the poor….but He almighty did not do that!
2. Ya Muhammad – prepare a popular uprising to liberate the lands of Arabia from the occupiers …did He do that? The answer is no!
3. Ya Muhammad – start a military campaign and fight the unbelieving pagans in order to recapture the Kaabaa and clean it out of the idols…did he do that? The answer is no!

We all know what the first revelation was:

“Chapter 96 – Al-Alaq – Iqr’aa”

Based on this, I started a small research on the reading habits of the Muslims and here is what I discovered:

Muslims cannot even read because many (over 70%) of the 1.2 billion – we boast about are illiterate – they cannot read & they cannot write,

Muslims who know how to read & write – DO NOT READ!! WE ARE NOT EDUCATED!

1. There are 57 member-countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), and all of them put together have around 500 universities; one university for every three million Muslims. The United States has 5,758 universities and India has 8,407. In 2004, Shanghai Jiao Tong University compiled an ‘Academic Ranking of World Universities’, and intriguingly, not one university from Muslim-majority states was in the top-500.
2. Some 98 per cent of the ‘literates’ in the Christian world had completed primary school, while less than 50 per cent of the ‘literates’ in the Muslim world did the same. Around 40 per cent of the ‘literates’ in the Christian world attended university while no more than two per cent of the ‘literates’ in the Muslim world did the same.
3. Muslim-majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims. The US has 4,000 scientists per million and Japan has 5,000 per million. In the entire Arab world, the total number of full-time researchers is 35,000 and there are only 50 technicians per one million Arabs (in the Christian world there are up to 1,000 technicians per one million). Furthermore, the Muslim world spends 0.2 per cent of its GDP on research and development, while the Christian world spends around five per cent of its GDP.
4. Oil rich Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar collectively produce goods and services (mostly oil) worth $500 billion; Spain alone produces goods and services worth over $1 trillion, Catholic Poland $489 billion and Buddhist Thailand $545 billion (Muslim GDP as a percentage of world GDP is fast declining).
5. The average number of books published per million in the Arab world is approximately 30 (0.7%), compared to about 212 in the US and 584 in Europe.
6. The average number of copies printed of a “best seller book” – outside the Holy Qur’aan is, 7000 to 10,000 copies compared to almost 225,000 copies sold in one week for Mrs. Clinton Book and over 2.5 million of Harry Potter sold in one night.
7. Daily newspapers per 1,000 people and number of book titles per million are two indicators of whether knowledge is being diffused in a society. In Pakistan, there are 23 daily newspapers per 1,000 Pakistanis while the same ratio in Singapore is 360. In the UK, the number of book titles per million stands at 2,000 while the same in Egypt is 20.
8. As for the Arab world: the average Arab reads ½ hour per year or the equivalent of ½ page per year as compared to the average American at 11 books per year and the average British at 7 books per year!!

Conclusion: the Muslim world lacks the capacity to: Produce, Diffuse, and Apply KNOWLEDGE.

My second reminder message to me, my family and each one of us – especially the mothers – is to PLEASE train your children the habit of reading from the youngest age possible.

* This khutbah was delivered at Masjid Al Falah, Singapore on March 09, 2007. Dr. Yahia Abdul-Rahman is from Whittier, CA 90603, USA and may be contacted via email at yarahman@msn.com or by phone 626-818-0855. He regularly contributes to these websites as well: www.lariba.com, www.whittierbank.com, www.lariba.com.eg, www.islam-in-usa.com

The Holy Qur’aan reveals (33:21): الأحزاب

لقد كان لكم فى رسول الله أسوة حسنة لمن كان يرجو الله و اليوم الآخر و ذكر الله كثيرا

“You have good example in God’s Apostle for anyone who look God and the Last Day and remembers God always.”

Today, I am thankful to Allah who has guided me to share with you over the next few khutbas some unique aspects of the Character and Seerah – record of life of the Prophet (s). In doing so, I sincerely pray that as many of us – including myself – will start a process of change to acquire many of these character traits of our beloved prophet and apply it – starting with ourselves. As we change to the better, people – Muslims & non-Muslims alike will see the positive change & will hopefully start to come home to Islam to La Ilaha Illa Allah – Muhammadun Rasool Ullah.

Prophet Muhammad received the mission on approx. February 12th, 610 AD. He was the last and the seal of all Prophet (33:40)

ماكان محمد أبا أحد من رجالكم و لكن رسول الله و خاتم النبيين و كان الله بكل شىء عليما”

The Prophets of God

Prophet Muhammad (s) provided a model of how man (m/f) should live individually and within the society.

The truths revealed to and taught by Prophet Muhammad stresses that this world did not spring up by itself, but was created by one God – Allah, who continues to watch over it. All men (Males & Females) are His servants, and responsible to Him for their actions. Death is not the end of man’s life, rather it is the beginning of another permanent world, where the good ones will enjoy the bliss of paradise and the wicked ones will be in raging hell fire.

God – Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (s) that life in this world is not the only life. It is not but a very small fraction of a continuum into the eternal life after we depart from this world. From that moment on, life took on a new meaning.

Prophet Muhammad changed the tide of human history and captured the imagination of the world, by the will of God – Allah. He taught the religion that is based on:

• The worship of an immortal God,
• Reality not superstition,
• Teaching man (m/f) to conquer nature instead of worshipping it thus paving the way for the scientific era.
• Giving political power to the people and not keeping it in the hands of one hereditary monarch or chieftains.
• Showing the people of the world – through the example of the Prophet (s) – how to live, cooperate and work together in justice and peace and not in cruelty and oppression.
• Teaching that: if man (M/F) fears displeasing and disappointing God there is nothing else one can fear;
• And that if one rises above negative impulses and pessimism, one can win over everyone, even his enemies and if one sacrifices this world for the next one will eventually have the best of both worlds. من تفاءل بالخير وجده

His preaching mission extended over 23 years. Prophet Muhammad was entrusted with propagating God’s words & message to others. It was this role that brought him on a collision course with his fellow country men and women. All forms of adversity – from the pain of hunger to the trepidation of battle – were inflicted on him. Yet through the 23 years of his mission, he always remained just and circumspect in his actions. His conduct was governed by his fear of displeasing God. During this mission he changed the history of Arabia & laid the foundation for a permanent change in world history.

Within 100 years this revolution has caused the decline and then the vanquishing of the Persian Sassanian and the Byzantine Empires. Islam swept through:

• From Iran and Iraq to Bukhara, Uzbekistan in the east,
• Syria, Palestine, Egypt and then North Africa to the West.

Contrary to the claims we hear today, the process of Islamic transformation of world history came with the objective of intensifying and confirming God’s revealed religions of Islam to Abraham, his off springs Ishmael and Isaac and their descendents Moses (Judaism), Jesus (Christianity).

This Process of Islamic transformation, which was started in the age of the press ensuring the preservation of the Qur’aan at all times, opened up new unexplored opportunities for the human race:

• It brought the age of democracy and freedom of speech to the world,
• It helped make new discoveries possible in the world of science enabling man to use his most valuable gift, the mind and intellect, to seek religious truth and explore scientific phenomena to raise the standard and quality of life for all people.

And the big question is: How did he (s) and his well trained believing companions and students do it? How in a very few years with very little human losses he was able to achieve all of this? Let us look at his character hoping that many of us – and that I will be the first – to emulate his character.

Prophet Muhammad’s Exemplary Conduct:

Prophet Muhammad had a perfectly balanced personality. He was tolerant, truthful, and magnanimous. He presented the highest example of human nobility. He disciplined himself to stay aloof and away from all quarrels, quibbles and disputes. He never indulged in foul utterances and abuse. He was called the truthful and trustworthy (Al-Sadiq – Al-Amin.)

He had every opportunity to live a comfortable life and even become the king of Arabia but he refused it in order to establish the new world order of Islam in pursuit of the truth of God.

He once said (Ibn Habban): a person should have some special moments:

• A moment of communion with God – Allah,
• A moment of self-examination,
• A moment of reflection over the mysteries of creation, and
• A moment which he puts aside for eating, drinking and enjoying.

Prophet Muhammad (s) was the example of Humility & Forbearance. Let us Visit Some of Stories from the Seerah:

Prophet Muhammad (s) lived among others as an equal. No bitter criticism or provocation would make him lose his composure and no praise should make him vain.

He (s) lived in such an awe of God that he was always an example of humility and meekness. He spoke little. He walked in a way that suggested his reverence and humbleness for God. Criticism never angered him. When he used to put on his clothes, he would say: “I am God’s servant, and I dress as befits a servant of God.”

He was very sensitive about relating and referring back all things to Allah God. Once a companion started to say: “If it be the will of God, and the will of the Prophet.” The Prophet showed his disappointment when he heard this and said: “are you trying to equate me with God?” One should say: “If God alone will.”

Towards the end of his life, his Egyptian wife, Mariyah Al-Qibtiyah bore him a beautiful child Abraham around the end of the 8th year of Hijra. When Abraham was a year and half in the 10th year of Hijra (January 632 AD), he died. The prophet (s) wept on the death of his son. In his deepest grief, he uttered these words: “Allah knows, Abraham, how we sorrow at your parting. The eye weeps and the heart grieves, but we will say nothing that may displease Allah.” The death of Abraham happens to coincide with a solar eclipse. People from ancient times believed that solar and lunar eclipses were caused by the death of some important person. The people of Madinah began attributing the eclipse to the death of his son Abraham. This caused the prophet a great displeasure. He gathered the people and in his address to them he said: “Eclipses of the sun and the moon are not due to the death of any human being; they are just two of God’s signs. When you see the eclipse, you should thank God and pray for God.”

On one of his journeys, the group embarked on roasting a goat. One volunteered to slaughter the animal, another to skin it, and another to cook it. The prophet (s) said that he would collect the wood. His companions protested. “Messenger of God, we will do all the work.” He responded: “I know you can do it all. But this amounts to discrimination, which I do not approve of. God does not like His servants to assert any superiority over their companions.”

Abu Dharr Al-Ghaffari, one day was sitting next to Muslim who was black. He addressed him as “black man.” The prophet (s) was very displeased and said to Abu Dharr: “whites are not superior to blacks.” Abu Dharr became conscious of his error. He cast himself to the ground in remorse, and said to the person he offended: “stand up and rub your feet on my face.”

He once saw a rich Muslim with a loose and flowing garment, gathering it up so he maintains a distance from a poor person sitting next to him. He told him: “are you afraid that his poverty might cling to you?”

Three years after migration to Medina, Makkan opponents mounted an assault against the newly emerging Muslim community and the battle of Uhud took place. In the beginning the Muslims had the upper hand till mistakes were committed in the battle field that caused the Makkans to attack from the rear. The Prophet was left alone, encircled by the armed forces of the enemy and they advanced on him. The Prophet started calling his companions. Abdullah ibn Shahab Zuhri through a stone at the Prophet and injured his face and he started bleeding profusely and fell down. When the companions found the Prophet he said: “how can people who wound their Prophet ever prosper? Even with this light objection Gabriel was ordered by the God to descend down with Sura 3:128 “It is no concern of yours whether He will forgive or punish them. They are wrongdoers.”

ليس لك من الأمر شىء أو يتوب عليهم أو يعذبهم فانهم ظالمون

The Prophet realized and he started praying, as Abdullah Ibn Masoud relates the prayer: “Lord, forgive my people, for they know not what they do.”

اللهم اغفر لقومى فانهم لايعلمون

* This khutbah was first delivered at the Islamic Center of S. California on 24 November 2006. Dr. Yahia Abdul-Rahman is from Whittier, CA 90603, USA and may be contacted via email at yarahman@msn.com or by phone 626-818-0855. He regularly contributes to these websites as well: www.lariba.com, www.whittierbank.com, www.lariba.com.eg, www.islam-in-usa.com

“ياأيها النبى انا أرسلناك شاهدا و مبشرا و نذيرا و داعيا الى الله باذنه و سراجا منيرا و بشر المؤمنين بأن لهم من الله فضلا كبيرا” سورة الأحزاب (33) الآية 45 الى 47

We have sent you to fulfill a number of major objectives in order to fulfill your mission:

1. شاهدا: A witness, an observer and an analyzer of the environment around you, the people & their behaviors & beliefs, the systems applied to conduct peoples’ affairs and peoples’ imagination. Sort out what is wrong and b invite people to correct it and identify what good and positive and reinforce it.
2. مبشرا: The bringer of glad tidings, bring the good news and great promises of Allah God about the rewards in this life and hereafter
3. نذيرا: A Warner of the outcome of deviating away from God’s way & path,
4. داعيا الى الله باذنه: Inviter to the Way of God Allah by His permission,
5. سراجا منيرا : A source of light to guides people, enlighten them, enrich them spiritually, intellectually and in a lively way.

Perhaps the greatest wave of immigration of Muslims to America started in the mid- 1960’s and brought with it some of “the crème de la crème” of the Muslim societies top quality graduate students, MD’s, engineers, administrators, accountants, bankers, businesspeople, investors, developers and merchants. This generation of immigrant American Muslims set up a network of Masajid (mosques), Islamic centers (about 1,600) and schools (about 500) that are now serving mostly every city in America and Canada.

In our course of interacting with America and becoming responsible American citizens we met many non-Muslim Americans who became interested in Islam and eventually reverted to become Muslims. In fact, this process was not planned in a missionary format. It was self propelled with little planning on our part. We enjoyed almost 35 years of an easy growth and development till the despicable events of 9-11 and what followed.

As I searched my soul and my heart after 9-11, I discovered that many Muslims including myself enjoyed living in America for almost 35 years without spending any effort to understand America, its historic and religious roots and that most of our knowledge of Christianity and Judaism are based on older Eastern Jewish traditions, Eastern and Greek Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church teachings that we learned in our countries of origin or from books that were authored in our countries of origin quoting the same orthodox sources.

It is a known fact that America is growing to be vibrantly religious. May be the trend was there but was only made clearer after 9-11 and the involvement of the religious forces in the re-election of President George W. Bush.

Here are some of the reasons of the rise of religious adherence in America:

• The ageing of America. It is a known fact that when people get old they become closer to God Allah.
• The proliferation of promiscuous cultures that resulted in:

1.  
   1. Corporate corruption like what happened with Enron,
   2. Homosexual activities that touched the lives of many leaders in our country and the resulting attempts to redefine marriage,
   3. The concern over religious fanatics from David Koresh in Waco, Texas to the bombing of the Federal building in Oklahoma by Christian fanatics and of course the crime of 9-11.

There are two fronts that are active in religious America. These are:

• The Bible (New & Old Testament) Prophecies front, and
• The front of how America lives as a society.

On the front of prophecies, we believe that only God Allah knows the future and we shall let the future decide on that as it did many times before since the dawn of history. However and most importantly, on the social and life style fronts we find that what the religious movement in America is asking for coincides perfectly well and are similar to what we Muslims believe in. I humbly believe that this is a great foundation and a golden strategic opportunity that we American Muslims must build on.

Here is a cross section of our religious America:

• The new Judeo-Christian Fundamentalist Evangelical movement (representing at least 75% of Americans) stands for purity in faith and belief in God, denounces homosexuality, corruption, promiscuous activities in TV and the media, government controls and asks for religion to become an important part of what the students are taught at school.
• America is the MOST religious country in the West:

1.  
   1. 95% believe in God as compared to 62% in France
   2. 57% belong to and are active members of a Church compared to 4% in France,
   3. 23% volunteer their time and resources to a churches compared to 3% in France.
   4. Protestants (born again Christians); i.e. Baptists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, and Presbyterians, represent 62% of the religions followed in America as compared to 27% for Catholics and 2% for Judaism, 2% for Islam and 1 – 1.5 % for Mormons. In fact 50% of Catholics in America can be counted within the born again Protestants making this group at least 75% strong within the religious fabric of America.
   5. There are around 200 Christian TV stations, 1500 Christian radio stations in America.
   6. Gallup poll found that around 70 million Americans watch Evangelical TV on 104 TV stations and over 1006 cable TV stations in the US.
   7. There are about 1300 Christian publishing houses and 7000 Christian bookstores in America with sales totaling over $5 billion annually.
   8. TV Evangelists Mr. Pat Robertson’s 700 Club TV program audience reached 1 million per day (16 to 20 million every month) and his CBN (Christian Broadcasting Network) reaches 60 nations in 40 languages and Mr. James Dobson’s “Focus on the Family” broadcasts to 5 million weekly and can be heard here in LA on KNX News Radio 1080.
   9. There are 20,000 Christian schools and over 1000 Christian colleges in America.

Unfortunately, Most of us Muslims know of Christianity according to Catholic and Greek orthodox sources, because they were the ones Muslims interacted with in their lands, and NOT the Protestant American sources. I humbly believe that this has been the main source of Muslims’ inability to communicate with and have a felt impact in America.

One of the most shocking experiences I personally went through was the name calling of the Muslims, the attacks against our faith, accusing Muslims of worshipping a different God and may be the devil and that the many insults and claims made against our beloved Prophet, then came many other attacks including the popular cartoons episode and the upcoming movies along the same lines.

November 16, 2001

STATEMENT MADE BY REV. FRANKLIN GRAHAM ON ISLAM and THE GOD OF ISLAM:

In a report aired Friday on “NBC Nightly News,” Rev. Franklin Graham stood by remarks he made about Islam last month at the dedication of a chapel in North
Carolina. At that event, Graham said: “We’re not attacking Islam but Islam has attacked us. The God of Islam is not the same God. He’s not the son of God of the Christian or Judeo-Christian faith. It’s a different God, and I believe it is a very evil and wicked religion.” In the NBC report, Graham said, “I don’t believe this [Islam] is this wonderful, peaceful religion.” SEE: http://www.msnbc.com/news/659057.asp?cp1=1

But the question that faces us today is how we should react and how to respond using the example of our beloved prophets Abraham and his decedents Moses, Jesus and that of Prophet Muhammad (s).

There are two levels of character, an ordinary and a superior:

• An Ordinary Character - Those possessed of such character offer only reflex responses to treatment by others, breaking with those who break with them, wronging those who wrong them and harming those who harm them.
• The higher level Superior Character - Those possessed of such a character deal with both friends and foes in the same manner, irrespective of how they themselves have been treated. They are reconciliatory, even joining with those who break with them. They are compassionate, even to those who seek to harm them. They are forbearing, even towards those who wrong them.

The author Soren Smith has written, “History shows that the closer one came to Prophet Muhammad (s), the more one was taken by his superior character and fine qualities. It was the magnanimity of the Prophet that gave him the power to capture people’s hearts and imagination.

Adopting high code of ethics means practicing what one preaches, treating the weak with the same courtesy and deference as one shows to the strong and affluent, setting the same standards for oneself as one sets for others, never budging from one’s principles, maintaining a high moral bearing even when others stoop to the depth of degradation. Aisha, the Prophet’s widow – at that time – was asked about her late husband’s – Prophet Muhammad (s) character. She said” “He was a personification of the Qur’aan.”

The Prophet’s character is most useful to those who pursue permanent change of societies. History teaches us that in many instances when worldly people gain power; the first things they do is to punish their opponents and try to get even! They proceed to remove them from their posts and install their own henchmen instead. Every person in power thinks in terms of supporters and opponents. Promoting supporters and demoting opponents is an essential part of their policy. But when the Prophet gained power in Arabia, he did quite the opposite. He did not look at matters in terms of supporters and opponents; he considered only what was right and fair and what benefited the newly emerging State-Ummah. He buried all grudges and dealt with every one as justice and compassion would demand. One of his sayings has been: “those who discriminate in hiring and NOT hire the most qualified regardless of faith then they betrayed God Allah and His prophets.” This is the character that will help us engage America and make a difference in America.

Winning the hearts, the minds and imaginations of America will certainly not be achieved:

• By shouting and complaining,
• By trying to assemble military power and armies, and/or
• By denouncing other faiths and hating others,

The force that will defeat hate mongering, religious discrimination prejudice, anger, greed and hate, the lust for power, vanity, and self-interest does not wear uniforms, own nuclear bombs, drive Humvees, or calls in air strikes. It does not have a high command, high security, or a high budget. The force that emulates Gods prophets Jesus and Moses, and Prophet Muhammad does battle quietly, clearing minefields and educating and vaccinating children. It undermines dictatorships, ignorance, bigotry, lobbyists and special interests. Where people feel powerless, this force helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, this force reminds them of their responsibility. This force is that of those who emulate Prophets Moses, Jesus and Prophet Muhammad.

The outstanding and amazing achievements of all prophets and that of Prophet Muhammad were the result of an extraordinarily simple training program, which the Qur’aan explains in Chap. 74 verses 1 to 7:

ياأيها المدثر – قم فأنذر – و ربك فكبر – و ثيابك فطهر – و الرجز فاهجر – و لا تمنن تستكثر – و لربك فاصبر””

سورة المدثر – Chapter 74 Verses 1 to 7

“You, who are wrapped up in your vestments, arise and give warning. Magnify your Lord, cleanse your garments and keep away from all pollution sources – both physically & spiritually. Bestow no favors expecting gain. Be patient for your Lord’s sake.”

A person develops inner strength when:

1. He becomes free of all selfish ties and inclinations, and
2. He attains a level of thinking in which all superficial considerations are cast aside, and as the Prophet put it, and sees things as they are.
3. His thoughts and actions are not guided by prejudice, anger, greed, hate, and the lust for power, vanity, self-interest or any such urges. This is what makes a strong character. A real brave believer makes all allowances for all eventualities, both probable and possible, in his decision making. The more people oppose him, the more he adheres to his position of truth and righteousness.

And before I leave I want to make the following conclusions:

1. I have notice a decline in the fervor of belief of the American Muslims especially after 9-11, and I want to invite myself and you all to follow the same order given to the Prophet Muhammad by God Allah in the Qur’aan. Never be afraid, rise and stand up to glorify Allah and invite others including all non-Muslims you meet to worship with us. It is our responsibility.
2. Study the American history especially its religious and national roots and understand the Protestant faith and the new arrangements of the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Wallahu Alam – Only Allah God knows the Truth.

* Dr. Yahia Abdul-Rahman is from Whittier, CA 90603, USA and may be contacted via email at yarahman@msn.com or by phone 626-818-0855. He regularly contributes to these websites as well: www.lariba.com, www.whittierbank.com, www.lariba.com.eg, www.islam-in-usa.com

Prophet Muhammad SWS was commissioned by Allah / God to be the FINAL Messenger and Prophet to mankind in the whole universe –

و ما أرسلناك الا رحمة للعالمين”

Contrary to many of the current practices of many Muslims in the world, he DID NOT come to dispute Jesus, Moses or any of the family of Prophets. He came – as one of my dearest reverted-Muslims – my son-in-law Rick told me– to intensify the messages of all Prophets and to establish, deepen and broaden those of Moses and Jesus in particular. So, we do not have a quarrel with the people of the Jewish faith or the Christian faith. We also have no quarrels with any body. If there is a wrong inflicting us, then we need to look in the mirror. The Qur’aan teaches: And whatever a misfortune or failure afflicts you it is usually made and earned by you كسبته أيديكم by you not by Allah as many think and believe.

I am reminding myself and you of this because of a highly publicized case in Afghanistan that was really started because of a domestic dispute but faith was used as a justification for it as, unfortunately is the case in many instances. The man’s name is Abdul Rahman and he converted to Christianity 16 years ago in Europe.

First of all, if many of us do not know it yet, there is a very active wave of Muslim conversion to Christianity these days in many of the areas in Africa, Asia and the Middle East and here in America. Here in LA there is a contingent of 100′s of new Christians who were Muslims from Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt and other Muslim countries.

Of course an immediate reaction would be to ban any missionary activity in the Muslim country in question as was done recently in Algeria. Another is to put on trial the person who converts as in the case in Afghanistan. But the big question is: WOULD THIS STOP THE TIDE? I humbly say: Definitely NOT. We need to look in the mirror and see who is to blame. It is the parents, the teachers and the leaders. I am reminded by an event that happened during the consummation of the “Treaty of Hudaybi’ya”. One of the conditions of the treaty was to return to the pagan camps any Muslim who reverts away from Islam. Indeed, it happened. The Prophet SWS ordered that person back against the many emotional outbursts of the Prophet’s camp. Why? Because it is better to know who is in your team and who wants to opt out. This way we have a fully committed community of believers.

A few years ago, I had a personal experience – A sister I met was talking about her son Abdullah – so I asked – which Masjid she goes to – she said: I was a Muslim but I stopped enjoying being a Muslim – going to the Masjid was not fun!

And the big question here is: How did the Prophet (SWS) capture the imagination of all these people and touched their hearts to become Muslims? I am sure that people then are same as people today! Unfortunately, what is different has been the messages and religious education used. It stressed solely on hardships but not on how the Prophet SWS became the Advisor of all people, the trusted Banker of all people, the trusted leader of the defense forces and the trusted manager of the Treasury and of peoples trading caravans.

The Islamic transformation brought by Prophet Muhammad SWS, which was started in the age of the press, ensuring the preservation of the Qur’aan at all times, opened up new unexplored opportunities for the human race:

• It brought the age of democracy and freedom of speech to the world, 
• It helped make new discoveries possible in the world of science enabling man to use his most valuable gift, the mind and intellect, to seek religious truth and explore scientific phenomena to raise the standard and quality of life for all

These outstanding and amazing achievements were the result of an extraordinarily simple training program, which the Qur’aan explains in Chap. 74 verses 1 to 7:

ياأيها المدثر – قم فأنذر – و ربك فكبر – و ثيابك فطهر – و الرجز فاهجر – و لا تمنن تستكثر – و لربك فاصبر””

سورة المدثر – Chapter 74 Verses 1 to 7

“You who are wrapped up in your vestments, arise and give warning. Magnify your Lord, cleanse your garments and keep away from all pollution sources – both physically and spiritually. Bestow no favors expecting gain. Be patient for your Lord’s sake.”

Before one calls others to Islam, one should make sure that he/she is FIRST a good Muslim:

قل انى أمرت أن أكون أول من أسلم””

“Say: I was commanded to be the first to submit to Him.” (6:15)

The act of being the first to submit to God is entirely individual but it has far-reaching implications for the whole society. A volcanic eruption starts within a mountain, invisible from the eyes of man. But when the eruption takes place, it illuminates the whole surrounding area with its glow and the lava it produced made the most fertile soil to cultivate new life, bring up new communities and establish new lands. This is exactly what happens with the one who submits to God. This same consequence is found in the Qur’aan. The first verses to be revealed dealt with personal reform. Later on came the chapters dealing with improving society at large. Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall, in the introduction of his translation of the Qur’aan, writes: “The inspiration of the Prophet progressed from inward things to outward things.”

In most cases people consider assault on the outside world to be the most worthwhile task in life. The Prophet’s method was exactly the opposite. He worked on strengthening the inside first. An individual who has consolidated himself from within becomes an irrisistible force when he erupts and breaks out in the open.

A person develops inner strength when he:

1. Becomes free of all selfish ties and inclinations, and
2. Attains a level of thinking in which all superficial considerations are cast aside, and as the Prophet put it, and sees things as they are.

His thoughts and actions are not guided by prejudice, anger, greed, hate, and the lust for power, vanity, self-interest or any such urges. This is what makes a strong character. A real brave believer makes all allowances for all eventualities, both probable and possible, in his decision making. The more people oppose him, the more he adheres to his position of truth and righteousness.

Divine truth should be embodied in one’s heart and mind

Rather than laying the blame of these difficulties on others, one should bear the responsibility for them in humbleness and humility.

When the Prophet erupted to the outside world, almost all the world capitulated to him. He captured their imagination and spirit. People just simply succumbed before his sublime character. The strength of his personality came from within.

It was this conduct of the Prophet that made him respected in the eyes of his enemies and made his followers stand by him through all kinds of hardship and misfortune. He provided mankind with an exemplary model of conduct.

* Dr. Yahia Abdul-Rahman is from Whittier, CA 90603, USA and may be contacted via email at yarahman@msn.com or by phone 626-818-0855. He regularly contributes to these websites as well: www.lariba.com, www.whittierbank.com, www.lariba.com.eg, www.islam-in-usa.com