religions that claim to be "monotheistic" is not
because they are<br> "polytheistic" in the classic sense,
but because they direct various forms<br> of worship
to other than Almighty God. We will discuss the
meaning of<br> worship in Islam below, however, before
moving on it should be noted<br> that many non-Muslims
are unaware of the distinction between simply<br>
believing in the existence of only One God and reserving
all worship<br> for Him alone. Many Christians are
painfully unaware of this point, and<br> thus you often
find them asking how Muslims can accuse the
followers<br> of Jesus, peace be upon him, of being
"polytheists" when they were all<br> "monotheistic Jews". First
of all, it should be clarified that the word<br>
"polytheist" doesn't really sound right in this context, since
to many it<br> implies simply believing in the
existence of more than one God. So in an<br> Islamic
context, "associators", "man-worshippers" or "creature<br>
worshippers" might be more accurate and appropriate terms -
especially<br> since Christians believe Jesus to be both "100%
God and 100% man",<br> while still paying lip-service
to God's "Oneness". However, as we're<br> previously
touched upon, what is really at the root of this problem
is the<br> fact that Christians - as well as the
members of other religions - don't<br> really know what
"monotheism" means - especially in the Islamic sense.<br> All
of the books, articles and papers that I've read
which were written by<br> Christians invariably limit
"monotheism" to believing in the existence of<br> "One
Sovereign and Creator God". Islam, however, teaches much
more<br> than this. <br><br> Suffice it to say that just
because someone claims to be a "monotheistic"<br> Jew,
Christian or Muslim, that doesn't keep them from falling
into<br> corrupt beliefs and idolatrous practices. Many
people, including some<br> Muslims, claim belief in "One
God" even though they've fallen into acts<br> of
idolatry. Certainly, many Protestants accuse Roman
Catholics of<br> idolatrous practices in regards to the
saints and the Virgin Mary.

even when they are<br> speaking other languages.
This is not unique to the word "Allah", since<br> many
Muslims tend to use Arabic words when discussing Islamic
issues,<br> regardless of the language which they speak. This
is because the<br> universal teachings of Islam -
even though they have been translated in<br> every
major language - have been preserved in the Arabic
language. <br><br> It is interesting to note that the
Aramaic word "El", which is the word<br> for God in the
language that Jesus spoke, is certainly more similar
in<br> sound to the word "Allah" than the English word
"God". This also holds<br> true for the various Hebrew
words for God, which are "El" and "Elah",<br> and the
plural form "Elohim". The reason for these similarities
is that<br> Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic are all
Semitic languages with common<br> origins. It should also
be noted that in translating the Bible into
English,<br> the Hebrew word "El" is translated variously as
"God", "god" and<br> "angel"! This imprecise language
allows different translators, based on<br> their
preconceived notions, to translate the word to fit their own
views.<br> The Arabic word "Allah" presents no such
difficulty or ambiguity, since<br> it is only used for
Almighty God alone. Additionally, in English, the only<br>
difference between "god", meaning a false god, and "God",
meaning the<br> One True God, is the capital "G". In the
Arabic alphabet, since it does<br> not have capital
letters, the word for God (i.e. Allah) is formed by<br>
adding the equivalent to the English word "the" (Al-) to
the Arabic word<br> for "god/God" (ilah). So the
Arabic word "Allah" literally it means "The<br> God" -
the "Al-" in Arabic basically serving the same
function as the<br> capital "G" in English. Due to the
above mentioned facts, a more<br> accurate translation
of the word "Allah" into English might be "The
One<br> -and-Only God" or "The One True God". <br><br>
More importantly, it should also be noted that the
Arabic word "Allah"<br> contains a deep religious
message due to its root meaning and origin.<br> This is
because it stems from the Arabic verb ta'allaha (or
alaha),<br> which means "to be worshipped". Thus in Arabic,
the word "Allah"<br> means "The One who deserves all
worship". This, in a nutshell, is the<br> Pure Monotheistic
message of Islam. You see, according to Islam,<br>
"monotheism" is much more than simply believing in the
existence of<br> "only One God" - as seemingly opposed to
two, three or more. If one<br> understands the root
meaning of the word "Allah", this point should<br> become
clear. One should understand that Islam's criticism of
the o

Some of the biggest misconceptions that many
non-Muslims have about<br> Islam have to do with the word
"Allah". For various reasons, many<br> people have come to
believe that Muslims worship a different God than<br>
Christians and Jews. This is totally false, since "Allah" is
simply the<br> Arabic word for "God" - and there is only
One God. Let there be no<br> doubt - Muslims worship
the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses,<br> David and Jesus
- peace be upon them all. However, it is
certainly<br> true that Jews, Christians and Muslims all have
different concepts of<br> Almighty God. For example,
Muslims - like Jews - reject the Christian<br> beliefs of
the Trinity and the Divine Incarnation. This,
however, doesn't<br> mean that each of these three
religions worships a different God -<br> because, as we
have already said, there is only One True God.
Judaism,<br> Christianity and Islam all claim to be "Abrahamic
Faiths", and all of<br> them are also classified as
"monotheistic". However, Islam teaches that<br> other religions
have, in one way or another, distorted and nullified a
pure<br> and proper belief in Almighty God by neglecting
His true teachings and<br> mixing them with man-made
ideas. <br><br> First of all, it is important to note
that "Allah" is the same word that<br> Arabic-speaking
Christians and Jews use for God. If you pick up an<br>
Arabic Bible, you will see the word "Allah" being used
where "God" is<br> used in English. (Click here to see
some examples of the word "Allah" in<br> the Arabic
Bible.) This is because "Allah" is the only word in
the<br> Arabic language equivalent to the English word
"God" with a capital "G".<br> Additionally, the word
"Allah" cannot be made plural or given gender<br> (i.e.
masculine or feminine), which goes hand-in-hand with the
Islamic<br> concept of God. Because of this, and also because
the Qur'an, which is<br> the holy scripture of
Muslims, was revealed in the Arabic language,<br> some
Muslims use the word "Allah" for "God",

Two Suitors Seeking to Marry the Same
Girl<br><br>The Prophet (peace be upon him) disapproved of two
persons competing with one another to<br>secure marriage
with the same girl. This is because such a situation
is likely to develop bitter enmity<br>between two
Muslim brothers.<br><br>The Prophet said,<br><br> "A
believer is a brother of a believer. Hence it is not
lawful for him to bargain upon the<br> bargain of a
brother, nor propose for (the hand of a girl) after the
marriage proposal of<br> his brother, until the latter
(voluntarily) withdraws the proposal."<br><br>Imam Abu Hanifa,
Imam Shafi'i, and Imam Malik, all hold the view that
it is a sin to put a proposal<br>of marriage against
the proposal of another Muslim brother. However, if a
marriage is contracted in<br>this wrongful way it will be
sufficient if the second suitor who was successful seeks the
forgiveness of<br>the first suitor and of Allah. But Imam
Dhahiri considers such a marriage void. It is
respectfully<br>submitted that the former view is more rational and sound.

A great wisdom lies behind these prohibitions on
the grounds of consanguinity, affinity,
and<br>fosterage. No social cohesion can exist if people do not
keep these prohibitions in their minds
while<br>contracting marriages.<br><br>Temporary prohibitions are
those which arise only on account of certain special
circumstances in<br>which the parties are placed. If the
circumstances change, the prohibition also disappears. They
are<br>as follows:<br><br> 1.A man must not have two
sisters as wives at the same time nor can he marry a girl
and her<br> aunt at the same time. <br> 2.A man must
not marry a woman who is already married. However
this impediment is<br> removed immediately if the
marriage is dissolved either by the death of her former
husband, or<br> by divorce followed by completion of the
period of 'iddah (retreat). <br> 3.A man must not have
more than four wives at one time. This impediment is,
of course,<br> removed as soon as one of the wives
dies or is divorced. <br> 4.A man must not marry a
woman during her 'iddah. <br><br>Regarding this last
prohibition, the Qur'an expects Muslims to act with the utmost
propriety and<br>righteousness. It lays down:<br><br>
...but do not make a secret contract with them except in
honourable terms, nor resolve<br> on the tie of marriage
till the term prescribed is fulfilled.
(2:235)<br><br>This means that a man must not make a specific
proposal of marriage to a woman during the time of<br>her
'iddah after the death of her husband or an irrevocable
divorce. However, he can send a<br>message saying, for
instance, "I wish to find a woman of good character". But
if a woman is in the<br>'iddah of a divorce which is
revocable where raja' (return) is possible, a man must not
send her even<br>an implied invitation to marry him,
because she is still considered as the lawful wife of the
first<br>husband. In fact, this restriction is most beneficial
because it prevents a man from becoming an<br>instrument
of breaking up a family where there are still
chances of reconciliation between the wife<br>and husband
even though they are moving away from each other.

Prohibited Marriage Partners<br><br>Under the
Shari'ah, marriages between men and women standing in a
certain relationship to one<br>another are prohibited.
These prohibited degrees are either of a permanent
nature or a temporary.<br>The permanently prohibited
degrees of marriage are laid down in the Holy Qur'an
:<br><br> And marry not those women whom your fathers
married, except what has already<br> happened (of that
nature) in the past. Lo! it was ever lewdness and
abomination, and<br> an evil way. Forbidden unto you are your
mothers and your daughters, and your sisters<br> and your
father's sisters and your mother's sisters, and your
brother's daughters and<br> your sister's daughters, and
your foster-mothers and your foster-sisters, and
your<br> mothers-in-law and your step-daughters who are
under your mother-in-law and your<br> step-daughters
who are under your protection (born) of your women
unto whom you<br> have gone into -- but if you have
not gone into them, then it is no sin for you (to
marry<br> their daughters) -- and the wives of your sons
from your own loins, and that you should<br> have two
sisters together, except what has already happened (of
that nature) in the<br> past. Allah is ever-Forgiving,
Merciful. (4:22 - 24)<br><br>From the above verses, it is
clear that a Muslim must never marry the
following:<br><br> 1.His mother <br> 2.His step-mother (this
practice continues in Yoruba land in Nigeria, where in
some cases the<br> eldest son inherits the youngest
wife of his father) <br> 3.His grandmother (including
father's and mother's mothers and all preceding mothers
e.g. great<br> grandmothers ) <br> 4.His daughter
(including granddaughters and beyond ) <br> 5.His sister
(whether full, consanguine or uterine) <br> 6.His father's
sisters (including paternal grandfather's sisters) <br>
7.His mother's sisters (including maternal
grandmother's sisters) <br> 8.His brother's daughters <br>
9.His foster mother <br> 10.His foster mother's sister
<br> 11.His sister's daughter <br> 12.His foster
sister <br> 13.His wife's mother <br> 14.His
step-daughter (i.e. a daughter by a former husband of a woman
he has married if the<br> marriage has been
consummated. However, if such a marriage was not consummated,
there is<br> no prohibition) <br> 15.His real son's
wife

Importance of Marriage in Islam<br><br>Allah has
created men and women as company for one another, and so
that they can procreate and<br>live in peace and
tranquillity according to the commandments of Allah and the
directions of His<br>Messenger. The Qur'an says:<br><br> And
among His signs is this, that He created for you mates
from among yourselves, that<br> you may dwell in
tranquillity with them, and He has put love and mercy between
your<br> hearts. Undoubtedly in these are signs for those
who reflect. (30:21) <br><br> And Allah has made for
you your mates of your own nature, and made for you,
out of<br> them, sons and daughters and
grandchildren, and provided for you sustenance of the<br> best.
(16:72) <br><br>These verses of the Noble Qur'an clearly
show that in contrast to other religions like
Christianity,<br>Buddhism, Judaism etc. which consider celibacy or
monasticism as a great virtue and a means of<br>salvation,
Islam considers marriage as one of the most virtuous
and approved institutions. The<br>Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) declared, "There is no monasticism
in Islam." He further<br>ordained,<br><br> "O you
young men! Whoever is able to marry should marry, for
that will help him to<br> lower his gaze and guard his
modesty." (Al-Bukhari) <br><br>Modesty was regarded as a
great virtue by the Prophet. He said, "Modesty is part
of faith."<br>(Al-Bukhari)<br><br>The importance of
the institution or marriage receives its greatest
emphasis from the following hadith<br>of the
Prophet,<br><br> "Marriage is my sunna. Whosoever keeps away from
it is not from me." <br><br>With these Qur'anic
injunctions and the guidance from the Prophet (peace be upon
him) in mind, we<br>shall examine the institution of
marriage in the Shari'ah.<br><br>The word zawaj is used in
the Qur'an to signify a pair or a mate. But in common
parlance it stands<br>for marriage. Since the family is
the nucleus of Islamic society, and marriage is the
only way to bring<br>families into existence, the
Prophet (peace be upon him) insisted upon his followers
entering into<br>marriage The Shari'ah prescribes rules to
regulate the functioning of the family so that both
spouses<br>can live together in love, security, and
tranquillity. Marriage in Islam has aspects of both
'ibadah<br>(worship) of Allah and mu'amalah (transactions between
human beings).<br><br>In its 'ibadah aspect, marriage
is an act pleasing to Allah because it is in
accordance with his<br>commandments that husband and wife
love each other and help each other to make efforts
to<br>continue the human race and rear and nurse their children
to become true servants of Allah. <br><br>In its
mu'amalah aspect, marriage being a lawful response to the
basic biological instinct to have<br>sexual intercourse
and to procreate children, the Shari'ah has
prescribed detailed rules for translating<br>this response
into a living human institution reinforced by a whole
framework of legally enforceable<br>rights and duties, not
only of the spouses, but also of their
offspring.<br><br>These aspects are beautifully explained in a tradition
of the Prophet. It is narrated by Anas that
the<br>Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,<br><br> "When
a man marries, he has fulfilled half of his
religion, so let him fear Allah regarding<br> the remaining
half." <br><br>The Prophet considered marriage for a
Muslim as half of his religion because it shields him
from<br>promiscuity, adultery, fornication, homosexuality etc., which
ultimately lead to many other evils like<br>slander,
quarreling, homicide, loss of property and disintegration of
the family. According to the<br>Prophet (peace be
upon him) the remaining half of t

Salaam Alykom brother here is some info for
you!<br>Conditions of Marriage<br><br>Careful consideration of the
Qur'anic injunctions and the traditions of the Prophet
(peace be upon<br>him) clearly show that marriage is
compulsory (wajib) for a man who has the means to easily pay
the<br>mahr (dowry) and to support a wife and children, and
is healthy, and fears that if does not marry,
he<br>may be tempted to commit fornication (zina). It is
also compulsory for a woman who has no other<br>means
of maintaining herself and who fears that her sexual
urge may push her into fornication. But<br>even for a
person who has a strong will to control his sexual
desire, who has no wish to have<br>children, and who
feels that marriage will keep him away from his
devotion to Allah, it is<br>commendable
(mandub).<br><br>However, according to the Maliki school, under certain
conditions it is obligatory (fard) for a Muslim<br>to marry
even if he is not in a position to earn his
living:<br><br> If he fears that by not marrying he will commit
fornication (zina). <br> If he is unable to fast to control
his passions or his fasting does not help him to
refrain from<br> zina. <br> Even if he is unable to find
a slave girl or a destitute girl to marry.
<br><br>However some jurists suggest that if a man cannot procure
a lawful livelihood, he must not marry<br>because
if he marries without any hope of getting lawful
bread, he may commit theft, and in order to<br>avoid one
evil (his passions) he may become the victim of
another (theft). <br><br>The Hanafi school considers
marriage as obligatory (fard) for a man: <br><br> If he is
sure that he will commit zina if he does not marry.
<br> If he cannot fast to control his passions or even
if he can fast, his fast does not help him to<br>
control his passion. <br> If he cannot get a slave-girl
to marry. <br> If he is able to pay the dowry (mahr)
and to earn a lawful livelihood. <br><br>Marriage is
forbidden (haram) to a man, according to the Hanafi school,
if he does not possess the<br>means to maintain his
wife and children or if he suffers from an illness,
serious enough to affect his<br>wife and
progeny.<br><br>It is not desirable (makruh) for a man who possesses
no sexual desire at all or who has no love
for<br>children or who is sure to be slackened in his religious
obligations as a result of marriage.<br><br>In a beautiful
tradition the Prophet (peace be upon him) has given the
most important point that<br>should weigh with every
Muslim in selecting his bride:<br><br> "Whoever marries
a woman solely for her power and position, Allah
will only increase<br> him in humiliation. Whoever
marries a woman solely for her wealth, Allah will
only<br> increase him in poverty. Whoever marries a woman
because of her beauty, Allah will<br> only increase him
in ugliness. But whoever marries a woman in order
that he may<br> restrain his eyes, observe
cautiousness, and treat his relations kindly, Allah puts a<br>
blessing in her for him and in him for her."<br><br>In
order that problems should not arise after marriage the
Prophet (peace be upon him)<br>recommended that, in the
selection of his bride, a man should see her before
betrothal lest blindness<br>of choice or an error of
judgment should defeat the very purpose of marriage. But
this "seeing" is not<br>to be taken as a substitute
for the "courtship" of the West. The man should not
gaze passionately at<br>his bride-to-be, but only have
a critical look at her face and hands to acquaint
himself with her<br>personality and beauty. However, if a
man so desires, he may appoint a woman to go and
interview<br>the proposed bride, so that she may fully describe
the type of girl she is.<br><br>Since believing men
and women are referred to in the Qur'an, a woman also
has the right to look at<br>her potential
husband.<br><br>The special permission for men and women to see each
other with a view to matrimony does not<br>contravene
the code of conduct for believing men and women

Salam Alaikum,<br><br>I understand that a man is
permited to marry a woman if she is from the people of the
Book, that is Christian or Jewish. However, he is not
permitted to marry someone who is, let's say Hindu or
Buhddist, since they are not of the People of the Book.
Muslim women are not allowed to marry any man who isn't
Muslim. Of course, it is better for a man to marry a
woman who is Muslim-born or a convert to Islam. I hope
this helps you.<br><br>Nerissa

Salaam Alykom everyone!<br><br>Thank you for inviting me to this great
place.<br>Since i am here can some one answer me this please.<br>Marriage with
none muslims?<br><br>thank you

read the<br>baptismal<br> service, Cordovas
teachers created a library of Alexandrian<br>dimensions.
(800-1000<br> C.E.)<br><br><br><br> Dozy in 'The Moslems in
Spain.'<br><br> Cruel and fanatical, the Leonese rarely gave
quarter; when<br>they<br>captured a town they<br> usually
put all the inhabitants to the sword.
Tolerance<br>such as that<br>accorded by the<br> Muslims to the
Christians could not be expected of them.<br><br><br><br> H.
Kamen, 'The Spanish Inquisition.'<br><br> "As a result
of his (Cardinal Ximenes' coercive)<br>endeavours,
it is<br>reported that on l8th<br> December 1499
about three thousand Moors were baptized by<br>him and
a<br>leading<br> mosque in Granada was converted into a church.
'Converts'<br>were<br>encouraged to<br> surrender their Islamic books, several
thousands of which<br>were<br>destroyed by Ximenes<br> in a
public bonfire. A few rare books on medicine were
kept<br>aside for<br>the University of<br> Alcala...(Ximenes)
claimed...the Moors had forfeited all<br>their rights<br>under
the terms of<br> capitulation (of Granada). They
should therefore be given<br>the choice<br>between<br>
baptism and expulsion...At Andarax the principal mosque,
in<br>which the<br>women and<br> children had taken refuge,
was blown up with<br>gun-powder...all books<br>in
Arabic,<br> especially the Qur'an, were collected to
be<br>burnt...Cardinal<br>Ximenes:...was reported<br> during his conversion
campaign among
the Granada Moors in<br>1500 to<br>have burnt in
the<br> public square of Vivarrambla over 1,005,000
volumes<br>including unique<br>works of<br> Moorish
culture."<br><br><br><br> H.C. Lea, 'The Moriscos of Spain.'<br><br>
"...that cemeteries could be established near the
churches<br>changed<br>from mosques, but<br> old Christians were not to be
debarred from burial there if<br>they<br>wished....it
continued<br> until 1591 when it was ordered that they should
be buried<br>inside of<br>the churches, which<br>
was so abhorrent to them that they vainly offered
more than<br>thirty<br>thousand ducats if<br> king or
pope would allow them to be interred
elsewhere,<br>even though<br>in dunghills.<br><br> "... tailors were
not to make garments nor silver-smiths<br>jewels
after<br>their (Moorish)<br> fashion; their baths were
prohibited; all births were to be<br>watched<br>by
Christian<br> midwives to see that no Moorish rites were
performed;<br>disarmament was<br>to be<br> enforced by a rigid inspection
of licences; their doors<br>were to be<br>kept open
on<br> feast-days, Fridays, Saturdays, and during
weddings, to see<br>that<br>Moorish rites were<br>
abandoned and Christian ones observed...no Moorish
names<br>were to be<br>used and they<br> were not to keep
'gacis' or unbaptised Moors either free
or<br>as<br>slaves."

In<br> this way both these studies went on
simultaneously in two<br>different<br>ways and thus the<br> door
on a new era of the study of this science was
opened<br>by the<br>Arabs. Suffice it for<br> the proof of the
vast Arab knowledge of the plant kingdom<br>that
they<br>made addition of<br> two thousand herbs to those of
Zulefuredas. There were many<br>herbs in<br>their pharmacy<br>
that the Greeks had not even dreamt
of."<br><br><br><br> Sideo<br><br> "During the middle ages, the Arabs
alone were the<br>standard-bearers of<br>a<br>
civilisation."<br><br> "When the Arabs gained expertise in Astronomy,
they paid<br>special<br>attention to<br> Mathematical
sciences and gained a high degree of<br>excellence and
they<br>were really our<br> teachers in this field....When we
take stock of all that<br>got<br>transferred from
Arabic to<br> Latin, we find that a great doorway was
made in the name of<br>Gerbert<br>Sylvester II,<br>
through which during the period between 970-980 AD,
all<br>those<br>sciences he had<br> acquired in Andalusia had entered
Europe."<br><br> ..."Our searching gaze rests on the Malikite Law,
since we<br>have had<br>contacts with<br> Africa, and
France had ordered its competent learned men
to<br>translate<br>into French the<br> short compendium on Fiqh
(jurisprudence) compiled by Ishaq<br>bin Yaqub<br>(d. 1242
AD,<br> his book titled "Kitab-e-Khalil")<br><br> ..."For
full six hundred years his (Ibn Sina,
Avicenna)<br>works held<br>sway over the<br> educational
institutions of Europe. His book Al-Qanun<br>(Canon)
was<br>translated in five<br> volumes and had repeated reprints,
since the instruction in<br>the<br>universities of
France and<br> Italy totally depended on
it."<br><br><br><br> Martin Hume in 'Spainish People'<br><br> "The
Sultan Abd-er-Rahman was one of the Heaven-sent
rulers<br>of men.<br>Prompt yet<br> cautious in council and in
war, unscrupulous, overbearing<br>and proud,<br>he was
as ready<br> to wreak terrible vengeance, as he was
politic to forgive<br>when it<br>suited him. Berber
and<br> Yamanite alike acknowledged that at last they had
found<br>their<br>master....He ruled until<br> his death, in 788, with the
tempered severity, wisdom, and<br>justice<br>which made
his<br> domain the best organized in Europe, and his
capital the<br>most<br>splendid in the
world."<br><br><br><br> S.P. Scott in 'The History of the Moorish Empire
in<br>Europe.'<br><br> "Yet there were knowledge and learning everywhere
except in<br>Catholic<br>Europe. At a<br> time when even
kings could not read or write, a Moorish<br>king had
a<br>private library of<br> six hundred thousand books. At a
time when ninety-nine<br>percent of the<br>Christian
people<br> were wholly illiterate, the Moorish city of
Cordova had<br>eight hundred<br>public schools,<br> and
there was not a village within the limits of the
empire<br>where the<br>blessings of<br> education could not be
enjoyed by the children of the
most<br>indigent<br>peasant, ...and it<br> was difficult to encounter even a
Moorish peasant who could<br>not read<br>and
write."<br><br><br><br> Thomson in 'The Muslims in Andalusia.'<br><br>
Europe was darkened at sunset, Cordova shone with
public<br>lamps;<br>Europe was dirty,<br> Cordova built a thousand baths;
..., Cordova changed its<br>undergarments daily;
Europe<br> lay in mud, Cordovas streets were paved; Europes
palaces<br>had<br>smoke-holes in the<br> ceiling, Cordovas arabesques were
exquisite; Europes<br>nobility could<br>not sign its
name,<br> Cordovas children went to school; Europes monks
could not

offered by her history."<br><br><br><br> Conde as
Quoted in Prescott, Philip II of Spain,
Vol.<br>III.<br><br> "And so vanquished for ever from the Spanish
territory this<br>brave,<br>intelligent and<br> enlightened
people, who with their resolution and
labour<br>inspired<br>life into the land, which<br> the vain pride of the
Goths condemned to sterility, and<br>endowed it<br>with
prosperity and<br> abundance and with innumerable canals,
this people whose<br>admirable<br>courage was<br>
likewise, in happiness and adversity, a strong rampart
to<br>the throne<br>of the Caliphs,<br> whose genius,
progress and study raised in its cities
an<br>internal<br>edifice of light which sent<br> its rays into Europe and
inspired it with the passion of<br>study, and<br>whose
magnanimous<br> spirit tinted all its acts with an unrivalled
colour of<br>grandeur and<br>nobility, and endowed
it<br> in the eyes of posterity with a sort of
extraordinary<br>greatness and<br>charming colour of<br> heroism which
invokes the magical ages of Homer and
which<br>presents<br>them to us in the<br> garb of Greek half-gods.<br><br>
"The Arabs suddenly appeared in Spain like a star
which<br>crosses<br>through the air with its<br> light, spreads its flames on
the Horizon and then vanishes<br>rapidly<br>into
naught. They<br> appeared in Spain to fill her suddenly
with their activity<br>and the<br>fruit of their
genius, and<br> endowed her with a glorious glamour which
enveloped her<br>from the<br>Pyrenees to<br> Gibraltar and
from the oceans to the Barcelona. But a<br>burning
love<br>for liberty and<br> independance, a fickle character
disposed to frivolty and<br>merriness,<br>neglect of
old<br> virtues, an unfortunate disposition of
revolution, provoked<br>always by<br>an inflamed<br>
imagination, violent passions and ambitions, a spirit
to<br>dominate,<br>and other factors of<br> decay, worked in the course
of time, to demolish this grand<br>edifice<br>raised
by men like<br> Tariq, 'Abdul Rahman al-Nasir,
Muhammad ibn al-Ahmer, and<br>led the<br>Arabs to
internal<br> dissention, which sapped their power and pushed
them to the<br>abyss of<br>naught.<br><br> "Millions
of Moors quitted Spain carrying their
property<br>and arts -<br>the patrimony of<br> a state. What have
the Spaniards created in their place? We<br>could
say<br>nothing, but an<br> eternal sorrow fills this land in
which the gayest natures<br>breathed<br>before. Indeed
there<br> are some ruined monuments which still look upon
these<br>gloomy<br>districts, but a real cry<br> resounds from the depths of
these monuments and ruins:<br>honour and<br>glory to
the<br> conquered Moor and decay and misery to the
victorious<br>Spaniard!"<br><br><br><br> Gustav Lebon<br><br> "For five to six
hundred
years general books in Arabic<br>language
and<br>particularly on<br> various disciplines have been almost the
only source of<br>learning and<br>teaching in the<br>
European universities. And we can safely assert that
in<br>certain<br>disciplines like medicine<br> the impressions of the Arabs
are still at work in Europe.<br>The
medical<br>writings of Ibn<br> Sina (Avicenna) have been explained
about the close of the<br>last<br>century in<br>
Monabiliah."<br><br> "Roger Bacon, Leonard, Erno Al Felquni, Raymond
Lot, San<br>Thoma, and<br>Azfonish X<br> Qashqani have
solely depended on Arabic Books."<br><br><br><br>
Renan<br><br> "Albert, the Great, is indebted to Ibn Sina and
San Thoma<br>owes it all<br>to Ibn Rushd<br>
(Averroes)."<br><br><br><br> Homeld on Science<br><br> "It was the Arabs who
for the first time invented the<br>method
of<br>chemical preparation of<br> medicines, and it was from
this source that sound advice<br>and the<br>procedure
of<br> experiments came to us, which were taken up by
the School<br>of Saliram<br>and from there<br> after
a long time spread to southern Europe. The
medicine<br>and the<br>natural elements on<br> which medication
entirely depends became the cause of
study<br>of<br>plants'

intermarried<br>with various nationalities
including the native Spanish-Muslim<br>population,<br>with
the result that Spain became a fairly homogeneous
country<br>within a<br>few generations. During the reign of
Abdur-Rahman, the 'Falcon<br>of<br>Andalus' (755-788), they
began the work of building an Islamic<br>civilization
similar to the one already flourishing in
Damascus,<br>Baghdad<br>and its many regional centers. Within a century of
their<br>activity, they<br>had developed a civilization far in
advance of any in Europe. <br>Their great<br>contribution
is commonly known as the Moorish
Civilization.<br><br><br>SOME QUOTESD FROM NOTABLE PEOPLE REGARDING MUSLIMS IN
SPAIN:<br><br>Stanley Lane-Poole in The Moors in Spain:
Introduction.<br><br> "For nearly eight centuries, under the Mohamedan
rule,<br>Spain set all<br>Europe a shining<br> example of a
civilized and enlightened state. Her
fertile<br>provinces<br>rendered doubly<br> prolific, by the industrious
engineering skill of the<br>conquerors bore<br>fruit a
hundredfold,<br> cities innumerable sprang up in the rich valleys
in the<br>Guadalquivir<br>and the Guadiana<br> whose
names, and names only commemorate the
vanished<br>glories of their<br>past.<br><br> "...To Cordoba belong
all the beauty and ornaments that<br>delight
the<br>eye or dazzle the<br> sight. Her long line of Sultans
form her crown of glory;<br>her necklace<br>is strung
with the<br> pearls which her poets have gathered from
the ocean of<br>language; her<br>dress is of the<br>
banners of learning, well-knit together by her men
of<br>science; and<br>the masters of every<br> art and industry
are the hem of her garments.<br><br> "Art, literature
and science prospered as they then<br>prospered
nowhere<br>else in Europe...<br><br> "Mathematics, astronomy,
botany, history, philosophy and<br>jurisprudence were to
be<br> mastered in Spain, and Spain alone. Whatever
makes a<br>kingdom great<br>and prosperous,<br>
whatever tends to refinement and civilization, was found
in<br>Muslim<br>Spain...<br><br> "With Granada fell all Spain's greatness. For a
brief<br>while, indeed,<br>the reflection of the<br> Moorish
splendour cast a borrowed light upon the history of<br>the
land<br>which it had once<br> warmed with its sunny radiance.
The great epoch of<br>Isabella, Charles<br>V and
Philip II, of<br> Columbus, Cortes and Pizarro, shed a
last halo about the<br>dying<br>monuments of a
mighty<br> state. When followed the abomination of
dissolution, the<br>rule of<br>inquisition and the<br>
blackness of darkness in which Spain has been plunged
ever<br>since.<br><br> "In the land where science was once supreme, the
Spanish<br>doctors<br>became noted for<br> nothing but their ignorance and
incapacity. The arts of<br>Toledo and<br>Almeria faded
into<br> insignificance.<br><br> "The land deprived of
skillful irrigation of the Moors,<br>grew<br>improvished
and neglected,<br> the richest and most fertile
valleys languished and were<br>deserted,<br>and most of
the<br> populous cities which had filled every district
in<br>Andalusia, fell<br>into ruinous decay; and<br> beggars,
friars, and bandits took the place of
scholars,<br>merchants<br>and knights. So low<br> fell Spain when she had
driven away the Moors. Such is
the<br>melancholy<br>contrast

By: Dr. A. Zahoor<br>(web source:
<a href=http://www.erols.com/zenithco/quote3.html
target=new>http://www.erols.com/zenithco/quote3.html</a>)<br><br>The Muslims of
the Iberian Peninsula, who ruled Spain
between<br>711 and 1492<br>C.E., are commonly known as the
Moors. They called their land<br>Andalus<br>which in the
early period of their history also included<br>Portugal
and<br>southern France and in the last period only the Kingdom
of<br>Granada. The<br>word Andalusia is derived from the Arabic
word Al-Andalus which<br>has<br>several meanings. One
of them is to become green after a long<br>summer
or<br>drought, and the history of the Iberian Peninsula over the
ages<br>attests to<br>this phase when Muslims ruled
Spain.<br><br>In the earliest setback in southern France, the
Muslims were<br>defeated at<br>Tours-Poitiers (about
two-thirds of the way to Paris) during the<br>month
of<br>Ramadan in 732 CE. This place is known as 'The Pavement
of the<br>Martyrs'<br>and in Muslim cronicles as
Balaat ash-Shuhada'. Muslim control<br>of<br>Toulouse,
Narbonne, Lyon and nearby territories varied from
time<br>to time,<br>as some of the territories were lost,
regained, and then lost.<br>This went<br>on until 975
C.E.<br><br>The word Moors is a corrupted word referring to the
people who<br>came from<br>Morocco. The Christians of
the Iberian Peninsula began to use<br>this
term<br>exclusively for Muslims when the Muslims lost
administrative<br>control of<br>northern parts of Spain and Portugal.
Later, other words such<br>as Moriscos<br>and Mudejares
were used for them beginning in the
mid-thirteenth<br>century.<br><br>When Muslims first arrived in Spain in 711
C.E.,
they<br>constituted mainly<br>Arabs and Berbers of North Africa.
Within two decades a majority<br>of the<br>inhabitants
of Andalus, especially most of the
Unitarian<br>Christians and<br>the oppressed class, accepted Islam freely
in recognition of the<br>peace,<br>security and the
freedom of religion and expression under the<br>Muslim
rule.<br>(Gothic Princess Sara). By 770 C.E. people of all races
from<br>North Africa<br>and Arabia migrated to Andalusia (Spain
and Portugal). They

...assistance please do not hesitate to ask.  I will try to be attentive and to
learn as well as share what I know...<br><br>ma'salaam,<br>Ali Abdul Lateef

Assalaamu'Alaikum<br><br> I became a Muslimah March 12th 1999 to better myself
and alhamdulah it has.

Salaam, everyone!  Thank you very much for inviting me to the club,
totaltest...I look forward to learning more about all of you!

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa
barakatuh<br><br>Jazakallah for inviting me to this club and I hope that it
proves fruitful for all of us . <br>Ameen<br><br>Wa
Salaam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most
Merciful. <br><br>Salaam alykom!<br><br>I thank you for
joining this club (jazakolkaron). Islam is not only here
for us but it is for all human kind and it is our
duty to spread the message of Allah (swt) to whoever
we come across to.<br><br>&gt;&gt;&gt;<br><br> 3:104
Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting
to all that is good, enjoining<br> what is right,
and forbidding what is wrong: They are the ones to
attain felicity.<br>&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>12:108 Say thou:
"This is my way: I do invite unto Allah,- on evidence
clear as the<br> seeing with one's eyes,- I and whoever
follows me. Glory to Allah. and never will I join<br>
gods with Allah."

Salam 'totaltest' & everyoone. Thank you 'totaltest' for the invite, Hope this
club grow to be a useful feature for people online.<br><br>Good Luck

Salam alaikum everyone and thank you for inviting me to your club. 
<br><br>Nerissa

In the name of Allah. the Most Beneficent, the
Most Merciful <br><br>Which is the True Religion of
God? <br><br>Each person is born in a circumstance
which is not of their own choosing. The<br>religion of
their family or the ideology of the state is thrust
upon them from the very<br>beginning of their
existence in this world. By the time a person reaches their
teens,<br>they are usually fully brain-washed into believing
that the beliefs of their particular<br>society are
the correct beliefs that everyone should have.
<br><br>However, when some people mature and are exposed to other
belief-systems, they<br>begin to question the validity of their
own beliefs. The seekers of truth often reach<br>a
point of confusion upon realising that each and every
religion, sect, ideology and<br>philosophy claims to be the
only one correct way for mankind. Indeed, they
all<br>contain some valid and reasonable points and they all
encourage people to do Good.<br>So, which one is right?
They cannot all be right since each claims that all
the others<br>are wrong. How then does the seeker of
truth choose the right way'? <br><br>God gave us all
minds and intellects to enable us to make this crucial
decision. It is<br>the most important decision in the life
of a human being. Upon it depends their<br>future.
Consequently, each and every one of us must examine
dispassionately the<br>evidence presented and choose what appears
to be right until further evidence<br>arises.
<br><br>Like every other religion or philosophy, Islam also
claims to be the one and only<br>true way to God. In
this respect it is no different from other systems.
<br>This document intends to provide some evidence for the
validity of that claim.<br>However, it must always be kept
in mind that one can only determine the true
path<br>by putting aside emotions and prejudices, which
often blind us to reality. Then, and<br>only then, will
we be able to use our God-given intelligence and
make a rational and<br>correct decision. <br><br>There
are several arguments which may be advanced to
support Islam’s claim to be<br>the true religion of God.
The following are only three of the most obvious. The
first<br>argument is based on the divine origin of the names of the
religion and the<br>comprehensiveness of its meaning. The
second deals with the unique and<br>uncomplicated
teachings concerning the relationship between God, Man,
and<br>creation. The third argument derives from the fact that
Islam is universally<br>attainable by all men at all
times.<br>&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;<br>Please see
here for the
rest.........<br><br><a
href=http://www2.unl.ac.uk/~msb001/beghnet/scp98/religion.html
target=new>http://www2.unl.ac.uk/~msb001/beghnet/scp98/religion.html</a>

Islam is not the name of some unique faith
presented for the first time by Mohammad (peace<br> be upon
him) who should, on that account, be called the
founder of Islam. <br>The Quran makes it abundantly clear
that Islam, the complete submission of man before God,
is the<br>one and only faith consistently revealed
by God to mankind from the very beginning.
Noah,<br><br>What distinguishes Mohammad (pbuh) from other
Prophets? <br>(a) He was the last Prophet of God; (b) God
revived through him the same genuine faith which
had<br>been conveyed by all the Prophets; (c) This original
message was corrupted, and split into
various<br>religions by peoples in different ages, who indulged in int
erpolations and admixture. These alien<br>elements were
eliminated by God and Islam, in its pure and original form,
was transmitted to<br>mankind through Mohammad
(pbuh); (d) Since there was to be no messenger after
Mohammad<br>(pbuh), the Book revealed to him wa s preserved word for
word so that it should be a source of<br>guidance for
all times; (e) The life of Mohammad (pbuh), and the
manner in which he conducted<br>himself, was also
recorded in a unique manner by his companions and by later
compilers of the<br>Traditio n. A more complete and
authentic account of the life , sayings and actions of any
Prophet or<br>historical personage, has never been
compiled; (f) In this way, the Quran and the authentic
Sunnah of<br>the Prophet together became a reliable
source of knowing Is lam.
<br><br><a
href=http://www.cs.umb.edu/~oazzam/HtmlFiles/ISLAM/WhatIslamStandsFor.html
target=new>http://www.cs.umb.edu/~oazzam/HtmlFiles/ISLAM/WhatIslamStandsFor.html\
</a><br>Abraham, Moses and Christ - Prophets who appeared at
different times and places all propagated<br>the same
faith. They were not founders of faiths to be named
after them. They were each reiterating<br>the faith of
his predecessor.

27) Islam and so-called "Nation of Islam" are two
different religions. Islam is a religion that
was<br>revealed to Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century A.D.
It is a religion for all races of people<br>and
enjoins the worship of the One unseen God Allah who has
no sons, daughters, or partners and<br>who never
took human form. The "Nation of Islam", on the other
hand, is a movement geared<br>towards non-whites for
the upliftment of minorities on a social scale. It
teaches that God appeared in<br>the form of Fard Muhammad
in Detroit in 1930 A.D. and that Elijah Muhammad was
a prophet of<br>God. These beliefs clearly
contradict the fundamental beliefs and teachings of true
Islam and The<br>Holy Qur'an. The followers of "the
Nation" adhere to some Islamic principles that are mixed
up with<br>many other teachings. To understand the
difference between the two more clearly, read the
story<br>about Malcolm X, his pilgrimage to Mecca, and his
subsequent comments to the media. Islam<br>teaches unity and
equality amongst the races. (Holy Qur'an 49:13)<br><br>28)
All Muslims are not Arab. Islam is a universal
religion and way of life which includes followers<br>from
all races of people. There are Muslims in and from
Europe, China, Japan, South America,<br>Russia,
Australia, Jamaica, the Philippines, and throughout North
America! Arabs only constitute<br>about 20% of Muslims
worldwide. Indonesia has the largest concentration of
Muslims at about 120<br>million!<br><br>29) In the formal
prayer Muslims face the Kaaba in Mecca, Arabia. It is a
cube-shaped stone<br>structure that was originally built by
Prophet Adam and later rebuilt by Prophet Abraham.
Muslims<br>believe that the Kaaba was the first house of worship on
Earth dedicated to the worship of one god.<br>It serves
as a central focal point for Muslims around the
world, unifying them in worship and<br>symbolizing their
common belief, spiritual focus and direction. Muslims do
not worship the Kaaba.<br>Interestingly, the inside
of the Kaaba is empty.<br><br>30) The hajj is a
simultaneous pilgrimage to the Kaaba made by able-bodied
Muslims each year. It<br>is performed namely to
commemorate the struggles of Abraham, his son Ismail, and his
wife Hagar in<br>submitting their wills to God.

19) Muslims do not believe in the concept of
"vicarious atonement" but rather believe in the
natural<br>law of personal responsibility. Islam teaches that
each person is responsible for his or her
own<br>actions. On the Day of Judgment Muslims believe that every
person will have to answer to God for<br>their every
word, thought, and deed. Consequently, a practicing
Muslim is always striving to be<br>righteous.<br><br>20)
Terrorism and unjustified violence are not allowed in
Islam. Islam is a religion of peace. The<br>extreme
actions of those who claim to be Muslim may be a result
of their anger, ignorance, and/or<br>traditional
beliefs.<br><br>21) "Islamic fundamentalism" does not mean "Islamic
terrorism". Since Islam means "peace" such a<br>term would be
an oxymoron. How is it possible to have "peaceful
terrorism"? Actually, Islamic<br>fundamentalism is adherence
to Islam's fundamental beliefs and
practices.<br><br>22) The word "jihad" does not mean "holy war".
Instead, it means the inner struggle that one
endures<br>in trying to practice Islam. Some Muslims may say
they are going for "jihad" when fighting in a war
to<br>defend their faith; but they only say this because they
are conceding that it will be a
tremendous<br>struggle. There are many forms of jihad (struggle) such as
the struggle against self-desire, against a<br>tyrant
ruler, against the Devil himself, etc., etc.<br><br>23)
Islam was not spread by the sword. It was spread by the
word of truth and the example of its<br>followers.
Islam teaches that there is no compulsion in religion.
(the Holy Qur'an 2:256 and 10:99)<br><br>24) Women are
not oppressed in Islam. Any Muslim man that oppresses
a woman is not following<br>true Islam. Prophet
Muhammad once said, "...the best among you are those who
treat their wives<br>well." (Related by Imam
Tirmidhi)<br><br>25) Arranged marriages are allowed in Islam but are
not required. The decision in marriage
is<br>ultimately up to the individual. "Forced" marriages are
cultural practices and un-Islamic.<br><br>26) Divorce is
permissible in Islam, however, reconciliation is what's most
encouraged. Indeed, if<br>there are irreconcilable
differences, then a fair and just annulment usually is best.

1) "Islam" literally means "peace through the
submission to God".<br><br>2) "Muslim" literally means
"anyone or anything that submits itself to the will of
God".<br><br>3) Islam is not a cult. Its followers number over
one billion worldwide. Along with Judaism
and<br>Christianity, it is considered to be one of the three Abrahamic
faiths.<br><br>4) There are five pillars of practice in Islam.
These practices must be undertaken with the best
of<br>effort in order to be considered a true Muslim: A)
Shahadah - declaration of faith in the oneness of<br>God
and that Muhammad is the last prophet of God. B)
Formal prayer five times a day. C) Fasting<br>during the
daylight hours in the month of Ramadan. D) Charity - 2.5%
of one's savings given to the<br>needy at the end of
each year. E) Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once, if
physically and financially able.<br><br>5) There are six
articles of faith in Islam. These are the basic beliefs
that one must have in order to be<br>considered a true
Muslim. They are belief in: A) the One and only God B)
all the prophets of God<br>C) the original books
revealed to Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad D) the
angels E) the Day of<br>Judgment and the Hereafter F)
pre-destination.<br><br>6) Islam is a complete way of life that governs all
facets of life - moral, spiritual, social,
political,<br>economical, intellectual, etc.<br><br>7) Islam is the fastest
growing religion in the world. Approximately one out of
every five people<br>today designate their religion as
Islam.<br><br>8) "Allah" is an Arabic word that literally means
"the God". Muslims also believe that "Allah" is
the<br>personal name of God.<br><br>9) Allah is not God of the
Muslims only. He is the God of all people and all
creation. Just because<br>people choose to call God by
different names does not mean that they are different
gods.<br>Interestingly, most Arab Jews and Arab Christians also refer to
God as "Allah".<br><br>10) The Islamic concept of God
is that He is loving, merciful, and compassionate.
But Islam also<br>teaches that He is just and swift
in punishment, much like a father is to his child.
Nevertheless, Allah<br>once said to Muhammad "My Mercy prevails
over my wrath." (Hadith Qudsi)<br><br>11) Muslims
believe that God has revealed 99 of His names (or
attributes) in the Qur'an. It is<br>through these that one
can come to know the Creator. Some names are: the
All-Merciful, the<br>All-Knower, the Protector, the Provider,
the Helper, the Near, the One, the Source of
Peace.<br><br>12) Muslims believe in and acknowledge all the
prophets of old, from Adam to Jesus. Muslims<br>believe
that they brought the message of peace and submission
(islam) to different nations at different<br>times.
Muslims also believe that these prophets were "muslims"
because they submitted their wills to<br>God.<br><br>13)
Muslims accept the original unaltered Torah (the Gospel
of Moses) and Bible (the Gospel of<br>Jesus) since
they were revealed by God. However, none of those
original scriptures are in existence<br>today. Therefore,
Muslims follow the subsequent, final, and preserved
revelation of God - The Holy<br>Qur'an.<br><br>14) Muslims
neither worship Muhammad nor pray through him. Muslims
solely worship the unseen<br>and Omniscient Creator,
Allah.<br><br>15) The Holy Qur'an was not authored by Muhammad. It
was authored by God, revealed to<br>Muhammad, and
written into physical form by Muhammad's
companions.<br><br>16) The Holy Qur'an has no flaws or contradictions.
The original Arabic scriptures have never
been<br>changed or tampered with.<br><br>17) An actual seventh
century Qur'an, complete and intact, is on display in a
museum in Turkey and<br>many other places around the
world.<br><br>18) If all Qur'ans in the world today were burned and
destroyed, the original Arabic would still<br>remain. This
is because millions of Muslims (called Hafiz or
"preservers") have memorized the text<br>letter for letter from
beginning to end - every word and syllab

Besmiallah<br><br>Salaam alykom brothers and
sister!<br><br>I formally welcome you humbly in this club, this
club will be inshallah in continuation of the old
"Convert to Islam" club which is no longer operational.
And of course my intentions are only to please Allah
(swt).<br>Inshallah this club will free from all kinds of fitna, and
those who are propagating it.<br>Dowat and helping none
Muslims understand about the religion of Allah (swt) is
our primary duty.<br> If you have any question about
this club or any comments you can reach me at :
totaltest@...<br><br>Thank you for joining this club and

Other Religions <br><br>Islam is the religion of
all prophets. Muslims believe that all the prophets
were sent to their respective peoples from God
(Allah). They all had the same mission and message -
guiding people to the right path. <br><br>The three
revealed, monotheistic religions, Islam, Christianity, and
Judaism, go back to Abraham. The prophets of these
religions were directly descended from him - Moses, Jesus
and others from Isaac, but Muhammad from IsmaŒil. It
was Prophet Abraham who had established the
settlement which today is the city of Makkah, and with his
son IsmaŒil built the KaŒbah, which Muslims all over
the world face when they pray. <br><br>Christians and
Jews hold a special place in Islam. They are called
the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab), since the
original Torah and Gospel were also divinely revealed and
they shared in the prophetic tradition. Islamic states
have nearly always shown their religious minorities
tolerance and respect and those communities flourished
under Islamic rule. God says: <br><br>"...[T]hose who
believe (in the message of Islam), and the Jews, the
Sabaeans, and the Christians - all those who believe in
Allah and the Last Day, and act righteously - no fear
shall come upon them..." [5:69] <br><br>Setting up the
Islamic state in Madinah, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) further
warned: <br><br>"Whoever oppresses any Dhimmi (non-Muslim
citizen of the Islamic state), I shall be his prosecutor
on the Day of Judgment." <br><br>In setting up the
Islamic state, Prophet Muhammad made it inclusive of the
Arabian Jews and Christians. Their persons, properties,
churches and synagogues were protected, freedom of worship
was guaranteed, and they controlled their own
community affairs with their own civil and religious laws
and courts. For most of the first century of the
Islamic state, in fact, the majority of the citizens were
Christians, enjoying peace and liberty such as they had not
had even under Christian Rome or Byzantium.
<br><br>The Jews, from the very beginning in Madinah, and
later everywhere else, were lifted from the burden of
being clients of individual Arab tribes to being
citizens of the state, thus freeing them to focus on their
Jewishness. When the Islamic state expanded outside Arabia
the Jews of other lands were treated for the first
time as liberated citizens. Judaism flourished as
never before, with Jews even serving in Muslim armies
and administrations while their culture bloomed in
the arts, sciences, medicine and philosophy. This
knowledge they transmitted to their brethren in the hostile
climate of Christian Europe. Even Jewish mysticism
originated under the influence of sufism and spread to
northern Europe. <br><br>When Islam reached Persia the
concept of People of the Book was extended to the
Zoroastrians as well. Later, when the Muslims conquered parts
of India and encountered Buddhists and Hindus, who
appeared to worship idols, the question was referred to
the ulema (council of scholars), who judged that even
they could have the same protected status as the Jews
and Christians, so long as they did not fight Islam
and they paid the Jizyah tax.

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