Muslim Scientists contributions to the Modern World

Although it is unlikely that we will ever know if the Muslims played a role in the development of the telescope, there are several well documented artistic and scientific accomplishments that were either discovered or perfected during The Golden Age of Islam (800-1000 ). During this time, Islamic scholars translated Greek, Indian and Persian texts, studied them, and helped to further investigations in the areas of math, science and medicine. The Renaissance and the Scientific Revolution in Europe drew upon the discoveries and contributions made by the Muslims to the fields of mathematics and the sciences. Yet these accomplishments often remain unappreciated. Please see the following link know about the contributions of Muslim Scientists to the Modern World. 

• Golden Age of Islam - http://regentsprep.org/Regents/global/themes/goldenages/islam.cfm
• The Zakat - http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/Zakat/
• How Islam Influenced Science - http://www.ais.org/~bsb/Herald/Previous/95/science.html

Alegbra

• Classical Roots of the Scientific Revolution, http://metalab.unc.edu/expo/vatican.exhibit/exhibit/d-mathematics/Greek_math.html
• The Origins of Algebra, http://vmoc.museophile.org/algebra/section3_1.html
• List of Arabic Mathematicians, http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/mathhist/arab.html
• Highlights in the History of Algebra, http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/~sxw8045/history.htm
• Arab contributions to mathematics and the introduction of the Zero, http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/980422/1998042208.html

Geometry

• Symmetric Patterns at the Alhambra, http://weasel.cnrs.humboldt.edu/~spain/alh/index.html
• Dome of the Rock, http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Dome_of_the_Rock.html
• Islam and Islamic History in Arabia - Mosque, http://www.islam.org/Mosque/ihame/Sec12.htm
• Islam, Knowledge, and Science, http://cwis.usc.edu/dept/MSA/introduction/woi_knowledge.html#29
• History of Geometry, http://members.aol.com/bbyars1/contents.html

Astronomy

• Greek Astronomy, http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/vatican.exhibit/exhibit/d-mathematics/Greek_astro.html
• Islamic Astronomy, http://physics.unr.edu/grad/welser/astro/arab.html
• Islam, Knowledge, and Science, http://cwis.usc.edu/dept/MSA/introduction/woi_knowledge.html#27
• Muslim, Scientists, Mathematicians and Astronomers, http://www.cyberistan.org/

Medicine

• Arabic (or Islamic) Influence on the Historical Development of Medicine, http://www.levity.com/alchemy/islam19.html
• Arab Roots of European Medicine, http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/index.htm
• Islam, Knowledge, and Science - Medical Sciences, http://cwis.usc.edu/dept/MSA/introduction/woi_knowledge.html#34
• Islam and Islamic History in Arabia and The Middle East, http://www.islam.org/Mosque/ihame/Ref4.htm
• Medicine in Medieval Islam, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/islamic_medical/islamic_02.html

Golden Age of Muslims in Science & Technologies

Rising of Golden Age

During the early Muslim conquests, the Muslim Arabs led by Khalid ibn al-Walid conquered the Sassanid Persian Empire and more than half of the Byzantine Roman Empire, establishing the Arab Empire across the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa, followed by further expansions across Pakistan, southern Italy and the Iberian Peninsula.

Rosanna Gorini writes:
"According to the majority of the historians al-Haytham was the pioneer of the modern scientific method. With his book he changed the meaning of the term optics and established experiments as the norm of proof in the field. His investigations are based not on abstract theories, but on experimental evidences and his experiments were systematic and repeatable."

Robert Briffault wrote in The Making of Humanity:
"The debt of our science to that of the Arabs does not consist in startling discoveries or revolutionary theories; science owes a great deal more to Arab culture, it owes its existence. The ancient world was, as we saw, pre- scientific. The astronomy and mathematics of the Greeks were a foreign importation never thoroughly acclimatized in Greek culture. The Greeks systematized, generalized and theorized, but the patient ways of investigation, the accumulation of positive knowledge, the minute methods of science, detailed and prolonged observation, experimental inquiry, were altogether alien to the Greek temperament. What we call science arose in Europe as a result of a new spirit of inquiry, of new methods of investigation, of the method of experiment, observation, measurement, of the development of mathematics in a form unknown to the Greeks. That spirit and those methods were introduced into the European world by the Arabs."

Science is the most momentous contribution of Arab civilization to the modern world, but its fruits were slow in ripening. Not until long after Moorish culture had sunk back into darkness did the giant to which it had given birth, rise in his might. It was not science only which brought Europe back to life. Other and manifold influences from the civilization of Islam communicated its first glow to European life."


George Sarton, the father of the history of science, wrote:
"The main, as well as the least obvious, achievement of the Middle Ages was the creation of the experimental spirit and this was primarily due to the Muslims down to the 12th century."

Oliver Joseph Lodge wrote in the Pioneers of Science:
"The only effective link between the old and the new science is afforded by the Arabs. The dark ages come as an utter gap in the scientific history of Europe, and for more than a thousand years there was not a scientific man of note except in Arabia."

Muhammad Iqbal, Allama wrote in "The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam":
"Thus the experimental method, reason and observation introduced by the Arabs were responsible for the rapid advancement of science during the medieval times."

A number of important institutions previously unknown in the ancient world have their origins in the medieval Islamic world, with the most notable examples being: the public hospital (which replaced healing temples and sleep temples) and psychiatric hospital, the public library and lending library, the academic degree-granting university, the astronomical observatory as a research institute (as opposed to an observation post as was the case in ancient times) and the trust

The first universities which issued diplomas were the Bimaristan medical university-hospitals of the medieval Islamic world, where medical diplomas were issued to students of Islamic medicine who were qualified to be practicing doctors of medicine from the 9th century.

Sir John Bagot Glubb wrote:
"By Mamun's time medical schools were extremely active in Baghdad. The first free public hospital was opened in Baghdad during the Caliphate of Haroon-ar-Rashid. As the system developed, physicians and surgeons were appointed who gave lectures to medical students and issued diplomas to those who were considered qualified to practice. The first hospital in Egypt was opened in 872 AD and thereafter public hospitals sprang up all over the empire from Spain and the Maghrib to Persia."

The Guinness Book of World Records recognizes the University of Al Karaouine in Fez, Morocco as the oldest university in the world with its founding in 859. Al-Azhar University, founded in Cairo, Egypt in the 10th century, offered a variety of academic degrees, including postgraduate degrees, and is often considered the first full-fledged university.

A number of distinct features of the modern library were introduced in the Islamic world, where libraries not only served as a collection of manuscripts as was the case in ancient libraries, but also as a public library and lending library, a centre for the instruction and spread of sciences and ideas, a place for meetings and discussions, and sometimes as a lodging for scholars or boarding school for pupils. The concept of the library catalog was also introduced in medieval Islamic libraries, where books were organized into specific genres and categories.

Another common feature during the Islamic Golden Age was the large number of Muslim polymaths or "universal geniuses", scholars who contributed to many different fields of knowledge. Muslim polymaths were known as "Hakeems" and they had a wide breadth of knowledge in many different fields of religious and secular learning, comparable to the later "Renaissance Men", such as Leonardo da Vinci, of the European Renaissance period. Polymath scholars were so common during the Islamic Golden Age that it was rare to find a scholar who specialized in any single field at the time. Notable Muslim polymaths included al-Biruni, al-Jahiz, al-Kindi, Abu Bakr Muhammad al-Razi, Ibn Sina, al-Idrisi, Ibn Bajja, Omar Khayyam, Ibn Zuhr, Ibn Tufayl, Ibn Rushd, al-Suyuti Geber, al-Khwarizmi, the Banu Musa, Abbas Ibn Firnas, al-Farabi, al-Masudi, al-Muqaddasi, Alhacen, Omar Khayyám, al-Ghazali, al-Khazini, Avempace, al-Jazari, Ibn al-Nafis, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, Ibn al-Shatir, Ibn Khaldun, and Taqi al-Din, among many others.

Decline of Golden Age

Islamic science and the numbers of Islamic scientists were traditionally believed to have begun declining from the 12th or 13th centuries. It was believed that, though the Islamic civilization would still produce scientists, that they became the exception, rather than the rule. Recent scholarship, however, has come to question this traditional picture of decline, pointing to continued astronomical activity as a sign of a continuing and creative scientific tradition through to the 16th century, of which the work of Ibn al-Shatir (1304–1375) in Damascus is considered the most noteworthy example.This was also the case for other areas of Islamic science, such as medicine, exemplified by the works of Ibn al-Nafis and Serafeddin Sabuncuoglu, and the social sciences, exemplified by Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah (1370), which itself points out that science was declining in Iraq, al-Andalus and Maghreb but continuing to flourish in Persia, Syria and Egypt.

One of the traditional reasons given for the scientific decline was when the orthodox Ash'ari school of Thought challenged the more rational Mu'tazili school of Thought, with al-Ghazali's The Incoherence of the Philosophers being the most notable example. Recent scholarship has questioned this traditional view, however, with a number of scholars pointing out that the Ash'ari school supported science but were only opposed to speculative philosophy and that some of the greatest Muslim scientists such as Alhazen, Biruni, Ibn al-Nafis and Ibn Khaldun were themselves followers of the Ash'ari school. Other reasons for the decline of Islamic science include conflicts between the Sunni and Shia Muslims, and invasions by Crusaders and Mongols on Islamic lands between the 11th and 13th centuries, especially the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. The Mongols destroyed Muslim libraries, observatories, hospitals, and universities, culminating in the destruction of Baghdad, the Abbasid capital and intellectual centre, in 1258, which marked the end of the Islamic Golden Age.

From the 13th century, some traditionalist Muslims believed that the Crusades and Mongol invasions may have been a divine punishment from God against Muslims deviating from the Sunnah, a view that was held even by the famous polymath Ibn al-Nafis. Such traditionalist views as well as numerous wars and conflicts at the time are believed to have created a climate which made Islamic science less successful than before. Another reason given for this decline is the disruption to the cycle of equity based on Ibn Khaldun's famous model of Asabiyyah (the rise and fall of civilizations), which points to the decline being mainly due to political and economic factors rather than religious factors.
Muslim Pakistani Philosopher, Hammad Yousuf says in his book MetaExistence, "The major factor of decline of the Muslim golden age is mysticism (Sufism). when Muslims involved in the mysticism activities, their educational activities were directly affected. Mysticism played a key role in the decline of Muslims golden age."

With the fall of Islamic Spain in 1492, the scientific and technological initiative of the Islamic world was inherited by Europeans and laid the foundations for Europe's Renaissance and Scientific Revolution.

Related Post: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Islamic_science_and_technology

[Source: Internet]

Spam Email related to "Employment"

Another example of fake email related to Employment.Don't believe in this kind of email.....
 
"Dear Applicant,

Recently we came across your Career Profile and upon an initial review, we think that you may make an excellent addition to the Usha Martin family. Welcome to Usha Martin Ltd. One of the ten best Indian source for quality Steel and Metallurgic Products. Visit our website www.ushamartin.com for more information about us and placing orders.

Meanwhile, We are experiencing enormous challenges in attending promptly to our customers demand due to increased demands from the U.S which we have not been able to process competently since we do not have a Financial Officer in U.S. Hence, We decided to employ Contract home employees (Telecommuters) to help us in this regard in processing payments, You are not involved in any sales, you will also serve as an Usha Martin represent Martin representative in your Country and as such you would be in a conduit for the payments coming from customers in your region.

BENEFITS:

*You will earn an enviable monthly salary of $4,000.
*You have salary option of Monthly or Bimonthly payment.
*You will work for a little less than 7hrs a week.

Should you be interested in taking up this job position send a reply containing the following information to our Head of human resources department Thomas Raji via email: inquiries.raji@gmail.com

Full Names:
Contact Address(P.O. Box not allowed):
City/State/Zip Code:
Home/Cell Phone Numbers:
Email Address:
Age:
Sex:
Marital Status:
Present Occupation:

We shall get back to you after receiving these information to confirm your placement in our company.

Yours faithfully,
Rocky Gupta.

Director of Finance
Usha Martin Ltd, Kolkata
India"

Spam Email from Mrs Akuvi Akume,Regional Manager,Standard Chartered Bank ,Ghana Tamale Branch

Another example of fake email.Don't believe in this kind of email.....

"The Regional Manager,
Standard Chartered Bank of Ghana,
Tamale Branch.

Greetings to you,

My name is Mrs Akuvi Akume, I am the regional manager of Standard Chartered Bank of Ghana Tamale Branch. Am writing you this mail for something very important, I am happily married with four lovely kids. I have been a banker for almost 10 years. I have packaged a financial transaction that will benefit you and I, as the regional manager of my branch it is my duty to send in a financial report to my head office in the capital city Accra at the end of each business year.

On the course of the last year 2010 business report, I discovered that my branch in which I am the manager made eight million six hundred and twenty thousand united state dollars ($8,620,000.00) USD. I have placed this funds on what we call escrow call account, this account is strictly for onward transfer, with no beneficiary.

As an officer of this bank I cannot be directly connected to this money in any way, so my aim of contacting you is to assist me receive this money in your bank account and get 40% of the total funds as commission, while 60 percent comes back to me. I placed you on 40% because I believe this business now belongs to the both of us, and your efforts and support is highly going to be involved as well. Up till date, no one has the knowledge of the $8,620,000.00 USD you are about to receive in your bank account, and no one will ever know of it.

All you need to do is stand and claim as the original depositor and beneficiary of the fund in my branch so that my head office can order the transfer of the fund to your designated bank account.There are practically no risks involved, it will be a bank-to-bank transfer. From the day you applied, within 6 days the money should have been transferred and cleared in your account if all things work out well. Then I will get back my 60% through any means we find best to do so.

Please note that all I need from you is your trust and sincerity as to seeing this through. Am expecting your soonest reply to enable us start doing something about this immediately.

Thanks yours faithfully,
Mrs Akuvi Akume."

10 Standards related to Health

স্বাস্থ্য সম্পর্কিত ১০টি মানদণ্ড হলো-

1. কর্মশক্তি-সম্পন্ন, স্বাভাবিকভাবে জীবনের বিভিন্ন কাজ মোকাবেলা করতে পারে।
2. আশাবাদী, সক্রিয় দৃষ্টিভঙ্গিতে কাজ করতে পারে।
3. নিয়মিত বিশ্রাম নেয়, ঘুম ভাল।
4. পরিবেশের সঙ্গে খাপ খাওয়াতে পারে, বিভিন্ন অবস্থার মোকাবেলা করতে পারে।
5. সাধারণ সর্দি ও সংক্রামক রোগ প্রতিরোধক শক্তি আছে।
6. ওজন সঠিক, শরীরের সংগঠনিক দিক সঠিক।
7. চোখ উজ্জ্বল, কোনো প্রদাহ রোগ নেই।
8. দাঁত পরিষ্কার এবং সতেজ, ব্যাথা নেই, দাঁতের মাড়ির রং স্বাভাবিক।
9. চুলে উজ্জ্বতা আছে, খুশকি নেই।
10. হাড় স্বাস্থ্যবান, পেশি ও ত্বক নমনীয়, হাঁটাহাঁটি করলে কোনো অসুবিধা নেই।

এবার তাহলে নিজের সাথে মিলিয়ে নিয়ে দেখুন আপনি কেমন স্বাস্থ্যের অধিকারী

[Source: Collected from Internet]

How to stop SMOKING?

ধূমপান স্বাস্থ্যের জন্য মারাত্মক ক্ষতিকর। ধূমপানের কুফল হিসেবে ফুসফুসের ক্যান্সার, হার্টের রক্তনালী সরু হয়ে হার্ট এ্যাটাকের ঝুকি বৃদ্ধি, মস্তিস্কে রক্ত চলাচলে বাধা, যৌন ক্ষমতা হ্রাসসহ নানা ক্ষতিকর দিক রয়েছে ধূমপানের। অনেকেই ধূমপান নামক এই ঘাতককে চিরতরে নির্বাসনে দিতে চান কি‘ নানা কারণে ধূমপান আর ছাড়া হয় না। বিশেষজ্ঞগণ ধূমপানের আসক্তি থেকে নিজেকে রক্ষার ১৩টি উপায় বলে দিয়েছেন। এসব অনুসরণ করলে অবশ্যই ধূমপান ছাড়া সম্ভব।
উপায় হচ্ছে-

1. প্রথমে সিদ্ধা- নিন কেন ধূমপান ছাড়া আপনার জন্য জরুরী। অর্থাৎ কি কারণে ধূমপান ছাড়তে চান। যেমন ক্যান্সার ও হার্ট এ্যাটাকের ঝুকি কামাতে।
2. কোন ধরনের থেরাপি বা মেডিকেশন ছাড়া ধূমপান ছাড়া ঠিকনয়। কারণ সিগারেটের নিকোটিনের ওপর ব্রেইন অনেক ক্ষেত্রে নির্ভরশীল হয়ে পড়ে। ছেড়ে দিলেই নানা উপসর্গ শুরু হয়। তাই সিগারেটের বিকল্প থেরাপির কথা চিন্তা করতে হবে। ০ নিকোটিনের বিকল্প গাম, লজেন্স ইত্যাদি ব্যবহার করতে হবে।
3. নিকোটিনের বিকল্প ওষুধ সেবন করা যেতে পারে।
4. একা একা ধূমপান না ছেড়ে পরিবারের অন্যান্য সদস্য (যদি ধূমপায়ী থাকেন), বন্ধু-বান্ধব ও সহকর্মীদের উৎসাহিত করে একসঙ্গে ধূমপান ত্যাগের ঘোষণা দিন।
5. মানসিক চাপ কমাতে চেষ্টা করুন। প্রয়োজনে হালকা ম্যাসাজ নিন।
6. অ্যালকোহল পরিহার করুন।
7. মনোযোগ অন্যদিকে নিতে ঘর পরিষ্ক্ষার করতে চেষ্টা করুন।
8. ধূমপান ত্যাগের জন্য বার বার চেষ্টা করুন। একবার ছেড়ে দিলে দ্বিতীয় বার আর ধূমপান করবেন না।
9. নিয়মিত ব্যায়াম করুন।
10. প্রচুর পরিমাণ সবুজ শাক-সবজি ও রঙিন ফলমুল খান।
11. ধূমপান বন্ধ করে যে আর্থিক সাশ্রয় আপনার হবে তার একটা অংশ হালকা বিনোদনে ব্যয় করুন।
12. আর ধূমপান ছাড়-ন বন্ধু-বান্ধব বা প্রেমিককে খুশী করার জন্য নয়, বরং আপনার সুস্বাস্থ্যের জন্যই এটা করেছেন। এমন জোরালো অবস্থান নিন।

[Source: Collected from Internet]

Why SMS limited to 160 characters?

GSM mobile has a character limit of 256. But network system need 96 characters to send a SMS (Short Message Service). So amount of space available for users is 256-96 = 160. This is why, we can send 160 characters in a SMS and rest of the characters is used by Network System.

Johann Goethe's comment regading Al-Quran

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German writer, pictorial artist, biologist, theoretical physicist, and polymath. He is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. His works span the fields of poetry, drama, prose, philosophy, and science. His Faust has been called the greatest long poem of modern European literature.His other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther.

"The teachings of Islam can fail under no circumstances. With all our systems of culture and civilization, we can not go beyond Islam and, as a matter of fact, no human mind can go beyond the Qur'an."

Is Iblis angel or jinn?

The Qur’an in several places says that Iblis was an angel, but in Surah Kahf it says that Iblis was a Jinn. Isn’t this a contradiction in the Qur’an?

Incidence of Iblis and Angels mentioned in the Qur’an
The story of Adam and Iblis is mentioned in the Qur’an in various places in which Allah (swt) says, "We said to the angels bow down to Adam: and they bowed down: not so Iblis".

 This is mentioned in:

• Surah Al Baqarah chapter 2 verse 43
• Surah Al ‘Araf chapter 7 verse 17
• Surah Al Hijr chapter 15 verses 28-31
• Surah Al Isra chapter 17 verse 61
• Surah Ta Ha chapter 20 verse 116
• Surah Sad chapter 38 verses 71-74

But in Surah Al Kahf chapter 18 verse 50 the Qur’an says: "Behold! We said to the angels, "Bow down to Adam." they bowed down except Iblis He was one of the Jinns." [Al-Qur’an 18:50]

Arabic Rule Of Tagleeb
The English translation of the first part of the verse ‘We said to the angels bow down to Adam: they bowed down except Iblis’, gives us the impression that Iblis was an angel. The Qur’an was revealed in Arabic. In Arabic grammar there is a rule known as Tagleeb, according to which, if the majority is addressed, even the minority is included. If for example, I address a class containing 100 students of whom 99 are boys and one is a girl, and if I say in Arabic that the boys should stand up, it includes the girl as well. I need not mention her seperately.

Similarly in the Qur’an, when Allah addressed the angels, even Iblis was present, but it is not required that he be mentioned separately. Therefore according to that sentence Iblis may be an angel or may not be an angel, but we come to know from Surah Al Kahf chapter 18 verse 50 that Iblis was a Jinn. No where does the Qur’an say Iblis was an angel. Therefore there is no contradiction in the Qur’an.

Jinns have free will and can disobey Allah
Secondly, Jinns have a free will and may or may not obey Allah, but angels have no free will and always obey Allah. Therefore the question of an angel disobeying Allah does not arise. This further supplements that Iblis was a Jinn and not an angel.

Hinduism and Islam by Jayaram V

Islam originated in the desert sands of Arabia as a reaction against prevailing native traditions based on the revelations received by Prophet Muhammad. Hinduism originated in the temperate climate of the Indian subcontinent as a result of the synthesis of different indigenous and foreign traditions and in continuation of the prehistoric religious beliefs of lost civilizations. Although founded by a prophet, in Islam we find echoes of ancient Judo Christian beliefs, with some deviations that are unsettling for both. If in Islam we find the vibrancy of a young and recent religion that is intent upon conquering the world in its zeal to embrace the humanity, in Hinduism we find the patience and tolerance of an ancient tradition, which is willing to let the world takes its own time to appreciate its wisdom and understand its universal appeal.

Definition and Antiquity
The word "Islam" is derived from the Arabic root word "salaama,"1 meaning peace, obedience, purity, and submission. Islam means abiding peace and unconditional obedience to the will of God and His divine law. While other religions derive their names from either a tribe (Judaism), or a geographical area (Hinduism), or a founder (Zoroastrianism, Buddhism and Christianity), Islam derives its name from its central doctrine of peace and submission to God. Thus the chief message of Islam is hidden in its very name. While the followers of other religions may call themselves as Christians, Jains, Buddhists etc., the followers of Islam refer themselves as Muslims or Mussalmans, but never as "Muhammadans," which some non-Muslims however tend to call them erroneously.

Islam by all means is a religion founded by a prophet. Hinduism, in contrast, is a group of religious traditions, established over a period of time, through the revelations received by innumerable saints, seers, incarnations and emanations of God. It contains various traditions such as Saivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism that are religions by themselves. In Hinduism personalities do not count as much as the divine law or the dharma. So it is in Islam, where the message of Islam is far more important than the person of Muhammad himself. Muslims therefore do not worship their prophet, unlike the Christians.

The word "Hindu" or "Hindoo" is derived from the Sanskrit root word "Sindhu" and used by Persians, ancient Greeks and many foreigners to denote the people who lived beyond the river Indus, whom Alexander could not conquer. During the medieval period, Islamic scholars and Muslim travelers referred the Indian subcontinent as Hindustan or the land of the Hindus. The word stuck for several centuries and throughout the Islamic Caliphate. During the British rule, the word Hindu was used to distinguish the native Indians who were not Christians, nor Muslims, nor Sikhs, nor Jains, nor Buddhists. The word Hinduism was coined in the 1830s by British scholars to denote the religious traditions of the native Indians to distinguish them from other recognized religions. While they are now popular all over the world under the generic name Hinduism, for generations Hindus recognized their religious traditions as aspects of one eternal Truth that went by the name "sanatana dharma" or eternal law. It is interesting that for over 6000 years, Hinduism went by many names but Hinduism.

Sources of Doctrine
The message of Islam came to Muhammad for the first time through the angel Gabriel, when he was 40 years old, in the year 610 AD, on Mount Hira, near Jabal alNur, the Mountain of Light, in a cave, where he usually used meditate. He continued to receive the revelations for the rest of his life, which were compiled into the Qu'ran, the chief holy book of Islam. The word Qu'ran means something that is read or recited. For the Muslims, it is the inviolable and unchangeable law of God. Every word in it is believed to be the "actual and literal" word of God that cannot be interpreted other than what it is. Divided into 114 chapters (surahs), containing 6000 verses (ayats) and composed in beautiful poetic Arabic, it is recited in every household of the Islamic world and memorized by many by heart. The second most important text of Islam is Hadith, which contains the sayings and deeds of Muhammad, known popularly as Sunnah (the well trodden path). While the Qu'ran is indisputable, the statements of the Hadith often pose problems to the Muslim scholars with regard to their interpretation. Another important source of Islamic practice is Sharia, the Muslim law, which is derived from both the Qu'ran and the Hadith.

Hinduism considers the Vedas (knowledge) to be the revelations of God, which are inviolable and eternal, revealed to the mankind in every age for their welfare and spiritual liberation. It constitutes the very foundation of Dharma, or the Law of God, upon which rests the entire creation. The end part of the Vedas are the Upanishads, which constitute the philosophical base of Hinduism known as Vedanta and which contain the elements of monotheism and descriptions of God as the Supreme Lord of the universe. Perhaps if there is one scriptural source of Hinduism that sums up the vision of Islam concerning God and His glory, it is the Vedanta. Other important sources of Hinduism are the works explaining the six schools of Hinduism, the Vedangas or the limbs of the Vedas, the Puranas or the chronicles of ancient legends and history, the Bhagavadgita, the Agamas or the scriptures of Saivism, the Tantric texts, the epics like the Mahabharat and the Ramayana and the works and sayings of many seers, sages, masters and great souls such as Sri Shankaracharya, Sri Ramanujacharya, Sri Madhavacharya, Abhinvagupta, Lakulisa, Ashtavakra and so on. The Dharmashastras such as Mansusmriti, Apastamba Sutras etc., constitute the chief law books of Hinduism, which prescribe code of conduct for the preservation of social order and promotion of virtue and welfare of people

The Chief Practices
Central to the practice of Islam are the five pillars, namely Shahada, Salat, Saum, Zakat and Hajj.

• Shahada is the daily recitation of the declaration (tawhid) of Islamic creed concerning Allah and His messenger, based on the firm conviction that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His messenger.
• Salat is the observation of ritual prayers to be performed five times a day (at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and night). The prayers are in conformity with the Islamic belief that worshippers can communicate with God directly without the intervention of intermediaries such as priests and mullahs.
• Saum is fasting every year from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadan which include abstinence from food, liquids and sexual union between married couple.
• Zakat is payment of charity tax as a specified percentage of one's earnings to the poor and the needy in order to accomplish inner growth and purification of ones possessions.
• Hajj is making a pilgrimage to Mecca, to pay a visit to the Ka'ba, the holy shrine, at least once in a life time.

Together these five pillars constitute the Islamic way of life and provide an opportunity to the faithful to adhere to the principles and practices of Islam as established in its sacred texts. The main festivals of Islam are Id al-Adha, which is celebrated to commemorate the end of the Hajj and Id al-Fitre, which is used to celebrate the end of the Ramadan month.

In Hinduism God is worshipped in many different ways. It is essentially by honoring the dharma or the law of God, which consists of performing obligatory duties that are specific to the caste, profession, gender and the age of a person, and the pursuit of the four chief aims of human life (purusharthas), namely dharma (virtue), artha (wealth), kama (sensual pleasures) and moksha (liberation). Public and domestic sacrificial rituals are prescribed for various castes of Hindus. These rituals are either daily (nitya) or occasional (naimittaka), as prescribed in the Grihya Sutras and Srauta Sutras. The daily rituals are performed by an individual during different times in a day, in which offerings are made to the gods, the elements, one's ancestors, animals and the humans. The occasional rituals are performed by an ordained priest according the procedures established in the scriptures. In addition, there are several rites of passage or sacraments (samskaras), performed during different periods of a person's life, starting from his conception till his death. Not all Hindus however practice these rituals and sacraments. Many follow the devotional path and offer prayer and worship to their personal deities, either by visiting a temple or in their own houses.

Pooja is the most popular form of worship in which prayers, chants, flowers, incense and other ritual material are offered to one's personal deity, considering Him or Her to be the highest and the supreme. Pooja is the means to communicate with gods directly, with or without the intervention of an intermediary. Devout Hindus also participate in satsangs or religious gatherings, devotional singing or chanting and recitation of the names of God. They also spend time listening to religious discourses in public gatherings. Hindus who are on the path of spiritualism, practice some form of yoga and meditation, usually under the guidance of an adept guru. Many Hindus practice fasting on specific days in a week or on some specific occasions such as festivals. In Hinduism, the paths to God are many and each path demands its own code of conduct. The most popular ones are

• karma-marg, the path of good actions,
• bhakti-marg, the path of surrender and devotion,
• jnana-marg, path of knowledge and wisdom and
• sanyasa-marg the path of renunciation.

Hindus make pilgrimages to various temples and sacred places that are associated with the lives, legends and miracles of various gods, goddesses and saintly people. A visit to Varanasi for a dip in the Ganges is considered very auspicious, purifying and spiritually uplifting. Hindus celebrate many festivals, with zest, all the year around. Some of the most popular ones are the Diwali, Dassehara, Ganesh Chaturdhi, Maha Sivarathri, Holi and so on. There are some festivals which come once in several years such as the Kumbh festival.

Important Beliefs and Concepts
Muslims worship and submit themselves to none but Allah, the one and only God, who is Merciful, Eternal, Mighty and Infinite. He is the Creator, the Provider and Sustainer of all creatures and the entire creation. He is considered to be not just the highest God of Muslims, but of all the people in the world, including the Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists, agnostics and others. Allah is the ruler of the heavens, the earth and all that is between them. Yet He is closer to His pious and thoughtful worshippers, to whom He responds with overflowing love, forgives their sins and grants peace, happiness, knowledge and abundant wealth. Although He is known to most by His popular name Allah, He has 99 other names, which are enumerated in the Qu'ran. According to the Hadith, he who memorizes all the names of Allah, would go to paradise.

Islam acknowledges the succession of prophets and messengers of God, starting from Adam and Noah. Also included in the list are Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus. Muhammad is considered to be the last of the prophets and messengers of Allah. Islam perceives all the prophets and messengers as human beings, chosen by God for the specific purpose of passing on His revelations for the benefit of the mankind. Islam also recognizes the presence of Angels, who are believed to be invisible and never tiring, requiring neither food, nor rest, nor drink, and who spend their time in the service of Allah, obeying His commands and implementing His will. Gabriel, the Angel who passed on the messages of Allah to Muhammad, is considered to be the only messenger Angel. Other important aspects of Islam are:

• Belief in the resurrection of the dead and the Final Judgment Day.
• Belief in fate and free will. God is the only source of everything that happens in the world. He uses Qadaa and Qadar, eternal knowledge and mighty power, to execute His will. He knows everything that happened, that has been happening and that will happen. He is responsible for all that happens or not happens. Yet He has endowed the humans with free will and thereby made them responsible for their actions and choices.
• Belief in Jihad or the struggle for a divine cause. The struggle involved in leading a pious Muslim life, building Muslim community, exercising self-restraint and defending Islam or a Muslim nation, are considered to be Jihad.
• Conversion to Islam is easy. According to Islamic tradition, any one who sincerely proclaims the glory of Allah and declares Muhammad to be His messenger becomes a Muslim.
• Islam does not recognize the intervention of middle agents between God and His followers. Islamic faith is a matter of individual faith and commitment to the will of Allah. A follower of Allah can communicate with Him directly through his prayers and virtuous actions.

Hinduism believes in the existence of Brahman, the supreme Lord of the visible and invisible universe, who is eternal, stable, unchanging, indestructible, unborn, blissful, and who goes by many other names such as Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. He is both manifest and unmanifest, known and unknown, high and low, envelops every thing, contains every thing and also resides in everything. He is the Supreme Lord, the Highest Self, the only Truth, who is the creator, sustainer and destroyer of all that is and that will ever be. He manifests Himself as everything and in every thing. He is both the material and instrumental cause of the universe. He creates Rta, the universal order, Dharma, the universal divine law and many divinities to uphold them and manage them. The three gods, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva are but His three highest functional aspects, endowed with the responsibilities of creation, preservation and destruction. Nature or Prakriti is His dynamic energy and primal matter, in which He becomes involved partially to manifest all the beings and objects of His creation. He maintains and upholds Dharma, the eternal law through His various aspects, dimensions, divinities, incarnations, emanations and also through many great souls, who come to the earth from time to time to spread the message of God.

During creation, Brahman, the Supreme Self, who is absolute, subjective consciousness, diversifies Himself, in the form of an objective relative reality, into innumerable beings and objects and enters into them as individual self or Atman. Atman is Brahman in its essence, but, because of its involvement with the elements, qualities and principles of nature, it becomes deluded and suffers from the impurities of delusion or ignorance, desire oriented actions and egoism. It remains chained to the cycle of births and deaths and the law of karma, till it becomes free through the grace of God or by its own good deeds and inner transformation. A person may go to either heaven or hell or the world of ancestors, depending upon his or her deeds upon earth. However afterlife in these worlds are temporary. Upon exhausting their good or bad karma, beings have to return to earth to continue their existence. True liberation comes only when they transcend their limitations, realize their supreme Brahman nature and become one with Him in consciousness.

According to Hinduism, God can be worshipped and approached in various ways. Because He is unconditional love, He grants free will to the beings and makes Himself visible to them in whatever form He is envisaged. Most Hindus worship Him as a personal deity of their chosen form, which may also include His feminine forms and aspects. However of all the forms of worship, He considers the path of single minded devotion, self-surrender and inner purity to be the best and the most effective. Out of unbound love, He also manifests Himself in the images men make to worship Him. Depending upon who created them, how they are created and where they are installed, the images of God contain the potency and presence of God Himself, rendering them worthy of worship and adoration. Thus Hinduism sanctions the worship of the living presence of God in an image or a statue or a symbol or an object.

Similarities Between Hinduism and Islam

1. Both Hinduism and Islam accept God as the Supreme Being and Absolute Lord of the universe. He is the creator and sustainer of all creatures and the entire creation. He is the source and cause of the divine law (dharma in Hinduism) which He upholds through His inviolable will.
2. Both religions acknowledge that while God has the knowledge and the power to execute and enforce His will, by which everything in the universe moves or moves not, God is generous enough to endow human beings with free will, so that they become responsible for their actions and the choices they make.
3. The Allah of Islam is known by 99 names. The Brahman of Hinduism is also known by several names and by knowing them and chanting them one can attain Him.
4. Both Hinduism and Islam acknowledge that God responds to the prayers and aspirations of His followers and grants them peace, happiness, success and knowledge. He loves those who love Him dearly and forgives them for their ignorant and sinful actions.
5. In Hinduism there is a belief that God is the Supreme Self and that the entire creation is His body. Islam believes that the believers of God are like a body who share the same experiences in their love, mercy and kindness towards one another.
6. Both religions believe that God rescues the faithful in times of distress and responds to their calls for help according to their faith and devotion.
7. Both religions believe in the moral responsibility of each individual towards others and in the practice of such virtues as charity, doing good, righteousness, forgiveness, moderation in eating and drinking, tolerance, mercy or compassion, self-control, brotherhood, friendliness, patience and gratitude.
8. Hinduism believes in the law of karma. Islam believes in God's reward for good deeds and punishment for bad deeds. Thus declares the Qu'ran, "Whoever does good deed, he shall be repaid ten-fold; and whoever does evil, he shall be repaid with evil." (5.32)
9. Both religions advocate non-violence and non killing of human life. Says Qu'ran "According to Jewish tradition...whoever kills a human life...it is as thouh he kills all mankind; and whoever saves a life, it is as though he saved all mankind." (6.160).
10. Both religions believe in the company of the pious and not responding to evil. "And when they hear slander against them, they turn aside from it and say: 'We shall have our good deeds and you shall have your deeds. Peace be on you, we do not desire the company of the uninformed." (28.54).
11. Hinduism is a tolerant religion. Hindus believe that each individual has a choice to pursue a path in accordance with his or her inner inclination and religious beliefs and interfering with it would tantamount to taking responsibility for another's salvation and also karma. In Hinduism pursuit of Truth is far more important than belief or disbelief in God or a particular divinity. Islam does not recognize other religions, unless they are specifically mentioned in the Qu'ran. But it truly respects all those whoever believe in God, who are pious, who are not evil, irrespective of the religion to which they belong. Following are some of the quotations from Qu'ran in support of this view: There is to be no compulsion in religion. (2.256) When those come to you who believe in Our signs, Say: "Peace be on you. Your Lord hath decreed mercy for Himself." (6.54). Be courteous when you argue with the people of the Scriptures, except for those who do evil. Say to them, " We believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you, and our God and your God is One, and to Him do we submit." (29.46)
12. Both Hinduism and Islam believe in the efficacy of prayers and in remembering and reciting the names, words and deeds of God, for inner purification, God's forgiveness and mercy.
13. Barring the differences in the details, both religions believe in the ultimate destruction of the world and the rescue of the pious and the pure by God.

Dissimilarities Between Hinduism and Islam

1. Muslims believe in none but Allah, the one Supreme God and follow only Qu'ran. Hindus worship one God, but in many forms, aspects, incarnations and emanations. They are not particular about the name or the method of worship. They also worship the various gods and goddesses either as the highest God Himself or as an aspect of Him or even as a separate entity. They follow not only several scriptures but also the sayings of several saints and seers.
2. A person converts to Islam by proclaiming faith in the supremacy of Allah and accepting Muhammad as His messenger. Technically, a firm declaration of faith in Allah and the prophet is sufficient to convert to Islam. In contrast, a person becomes a Hindu either by birth or by personal choice, but without the need to confirm his faith in any particular God, scripture or messenger. A Hindu may be a theist or an atheist, a believer in absolute God or a local deity. Whatever path he may choose, he needs to be a seeker of Truth and upholder of Hindu Dharma.
3. Islam does not recognize any intermediary between man and God. A worshipper can reach out to Him directly through his prayers. In Hinduism there is a choice. A person can worship God directly or seek the intervention of a priest or a Guru for assistance.
4. Hinduism believes in the law of karma. Islam acknowledges that God rewards people for their good deeds and punishes them for their evil actions. However Islam does not recognize any law other than the law of God which is declared in the Qu'ran. Unlike Christianity, Islam does not proclaim that men are born in sin. Men are born pure, free of sin, by the grace of Allah and shall remain so as long as they have abiding faith in Him, follow His law and worship Him, practicing virtue and avoiding evil. Hence no need to seek forgiveness through a priest.
5. Islam does not recognize any hierarchy of priests, bishops, monks and Popes. In Hinduism there is no central authority like that of a Pope. But it has priests, Shankaracharyas, guru sampradayas (traditions of gurus), ascetic traditions and sectarian organizations that regulate the religious affairs of the individuals, who follow them or seek their help. The Muslim Imams are but religious scholars with no particular divine authority and pious servants of God, serving the faithful as His true followers.
6. Islam does not believe in rebirth, but only resurrection and the Last Judgment Day. In contrast to Islam, Hinduism considers life in heaven and hell as temporary. A soul regains freedom forever only through self-realization.
7. Hinduism does not have a concept of prophets and messengers, but incarnations, seers, sages, gurus and divinities who pass on the revelations of God to the mankind.
8. Sharia, the Muslim law, is imposed through Muslim clerics, well versed in Qu'ran and Hadith, to punish those who disobey the commands of Allah as declared by Him in the Qu'ran. Hindu religious law is presently not imposed through an independent religious authority, but, portions of it, through the government judiciary, according to Hindu civil code.
9. Islam considers God and his creation to be two distinct things. God exists everywhere in His creation. But in a theological sense He is not His creation. So is the case with creatures and the people He creates. He is closer to them and ever watchful and heedful, but He is separate from them and never unites with them. He may reward them for their faith and good deeds by ensuring them a place in heaven, but there is no such concept as liberation through self-realization. Many schools of Hinduism, however, consider God and His creation to be the same. There is either no distinction or very little. God is both the material and instrumental cause of His creation. He exists as the Supreme Lord of the entire creation and also as the individual self (atman) in all beings and objects. The individual self is the same in essence as the Highest Self and when it regains its true consciousness it has the same consciousness as that of God.
10. Hindus consider the world in which we live to be illusory and unreal. It exists in relation to the senses and to the extent they can grasp it and make sense out of it. It is unreal in the sense that it is ever changing, destructible, impermanent, created and relative. We are not sure whether what we see is the reality or the truth, because the senses are such imperfect and unreliable instruments of truth. The best means to arrive at truth are direct experience, the experience of others, the inferences based on the things that exist or do not exist or may exist and may not exist, and scriptural authority. The concept of maya or illusion, the existence of Prakriti or nature, either as a dependent or independent aspect of God, and the role of senses in the delusion of the individual beings are alien to Islam. According to Islam the word here is as real as the heaven or hell. They are God's creation and rest in Him.
11. Hinduism do not see much distinction between man and the rest of the beings. Man is but one stage in the liberation of soul from the bondage to the cycle of births and deaths. In Islam there is a clear demarcation between humans and animals. Only man can be a true believer and follower of God. The rest of the creatures in the world are created by God for the benefit of man.
12. Like Christianity, Islam believes in a Devil known as Iblis. But unlike in Christianity, he is not considered a fallen angel, but a Jinn. In Hinduism there are Asuras who are fallen gods and who are forever in conflict with gods. There are also demonic beings called Rakshasas who are cruel and mischievous and defy the authority of God at the slightest pretext, although they chose to worship Him for selfish and egoistic reasons and try to misuse their power for doing evil deeds and causing unrest. In the highest sense, in Hinduism as in Islam, God is the ruler of all the worlds and evil is but an instrument of God to punish the wicked and if possible reform them. However, unlike in Islam, the Hindu hell is ruled by a pious god known as Lord Yama, who is considered to be an epitome of justice and virtue.
13. The Islamic cosmology essentially consists of the heaven, the hell and the earth. The Hindu cosmology is more complicated. Hinduism recognizes innumerable worlds and planes of existence. God is all these and also beyond them. No one can truly fathom His worlds or the extent of His manifestation.
14. In Islam there is no concept of Trinity. God is one and indivisible. Hinduism recognizes three highest functional aspects of God in the form of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva, who are called the Three Deities (Trimurthis), depicted either as one or separate deities, who carry out the three primary functions of God's manifestation, namely creation, preservation and destruction. Each of these three are also recognized as God Himself by their followers.

Comparison of Hindu and Islamic Practices
Apart from the above, following are some important differences between the two religions, with regard to their respective religious practices.

1. Despite the tradition of polygamy, Hindus are now strictly monogamous. Islam permits polygamy.
2. Muslims celebrate mainly two festivals, Id al-Fitre and Id al-Adha. Hindus celebrates many festivals throughout the year. They have festivals in every season, for every planetary configuration, auspicious occasion and for every major god or goddess. Perhaps no other religion has so much cause to celebrate as Hinduism. In a way it is a celebration of time itself and the journey of man upon earth. In worldly matters Islam is an austere religion and Hinduism liberal.
3. Islam prescribes a specific dress code for Muslims based on the principle of modesty. They are advised not to wear clothes that are too thin or too tight. Women are expected to wear burkha in public. In Hinduism there is no specific dress code either for men or women, except on specific occasions or to perform certain rituals. Widowed women are expected not to wear ornaments or colorful dresses. Obscenity and public nudity are not tolerated.
4. Both Hinduism and Islam do not approve of close and intimate mingling of opposite sexes outside marriage and family relationships. Kissing in public is a taboo. Dating is considered both irreligious and immoral. Both religions proclaim marriage as a bond between a man and a woman, established through mutual consent, with God as the witness. In Islamic society there is no disrespect for eunuchs. In fact, in medieval India they were an important part of royal harems and court politics. But gays are regarded as contemptible and liable for punishment. Premarital sex, extra marital relationships and adultery are considered immoral in both religions. In Islam they attract physical punishment. Married people can seek divorce on certain valid grounds and the aggrieved parties are entitled for compensation.
5. Both religions prescribe a code of conduct with regard to food and drinks. For the Hindus the cow and the bull are sacred and should not be slaughtered. So they are forbidden from eating beef. For the Muslims, the pig is an unclean animal. So pork is forbidden. Islam explicitly prohibits intoxicating drinks and substances. As in Judaism, Muslims cannot eat meat unless it is prepared in accordance with prescribed rules.
6. In Islam abortion is equated with murder and not permitted unless the mother's life is in danger. In Hinduism also abortion is equated with murder. According to the Vashishta Sutras, "He is called Bhrûnahan who kills a Brâhmana or destroys an embryo (the sex of) which is unknown." The notorious practices of sati (widow burning on the funeral pyre of her husband) and drowning of girl children for economic or religious reasons are now, thankfully, things of the past. Male children usually enjoy more privileges in Hinduism than female children, because of the religious duties assigned to them towards their parents and ancestors and for continuing the family lineage, which is so important for the continuation of dharma upon earth. In Islam the distinction between men and women is mostly social and economic rather than religious in nature.
7. Hindu society is characterized by caste system. The distinction is based not so much according to racial or social differences, but birth and family status. In Islam there is no distinction based on the birth or family status of a person. All believers are equal and equally dearer to Allah. If there is any distinction among people, it is between believers and non-believers, those who acknowledge Allah and His messenger and those who do not and the pious and the evil.

Confrontation and Consequences
Hinduism and Islam confronted each other during the medieval period, with little scope for possible reconciliation between the two, because of some irreconcilable differences that could not be just wished away, especially when one of the two factions involved in it were as uncompromising in their beliefs and practices as the Islamic rulers and nobility. Islam came to India as the religion of the conquerors, while Hinduism remained for centuries as the religion of the vanquished. Most of the Muslim rules who ruled India pursued a policy of religious intolerance, either for the sake of petty and personal politics or to receive the appreciation of other Muslim rules or to present themselves to the Muslim world as upholders of Islamic faith. They indulged in the wanton destruction of many Hindu temples, large scale massacre of Hindus and conversion of many through force and fear. Not all Muslim rulers were cruel. But some of them were excessively so. While the Islamic rulers succeeded in creating pockets of Muslim influence, they failed comprehensively in reaching out to a large section of the Indian population and converting them the new faith, either because the latter shunned them for fear or prejudice or because they remained under the protection of Hindu rulers who still managed to retain political power in areas where the Muslim rulers could not reach.

To the early Muslim rulers, the native Indians presented themselves as an arrogant and uncompromising lot, who believed themselves to be morally and ethically superior, while to the Hindus the Muslim rulers appeared as perpetrators of religious monstrosity. However such was the political and social conditions of the times and the need for prudence that the barriers to communication and the distrust between the two groups could not be maintained for long. The situation is well described by a modern historian in the following words, "The arrogance of Hindu was gone during course of thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, that of the Muslim by the beginning of the fifteenth. Both were ready to meet each other, and both sat at the feet of masters like Kabir and Nanak to learn that their quarrels were futile and in the ultimate analysis the essence of all religions was but the same."

The Muslim rulers played an important role in shaping India and its cultural and social milieu for nearly a thousand years. They also saved the subcontinent from the more destructive and cruel invaders like the Mongols. It is difficult to estimate the course of Indian history had they failed. The confrontation between Hinduism and Islam resulted in two significant developments within Hinduism. The intolerant policies of Muslim rulers made the Hindu caste system very rigid and uncompromising. Secondly, some democratic aspects of Islam found their way into Hinduism in the form of social and religious reforms, which aimed to eliminate social and caste based distinctions within Hindu society and the procedural and scriptural complexity involved in worshipping God.

Conclusion
Hinduism and Islam are two of the worlds major religions, with sizeable following in various parts of the world. They have some core ideals and flashes of a grand vision which they share. If we accept religion as a product of the environment in which it arises, chosen by God to deal with certain predominant problems of human existence peculiar to the times and the place in which they originate, we will understand why both Hinduism and Islam remained unfamiliar to each other till they stood face to face. Yet God has not rendered them entirely new so that He could keep the theologians on both side busy and arguing, but made provision for bridges of understanding. Hidden in the bosom of Islam are some of the finest and the best ideals of human life and religious aspiration, which also find their unmistakable expression in the core concepts of Hinduism, pulsating with vibrant energy, that are difficult to ignore even by a superficial glance. The differences are in relation to practice, code of conduct and interpretation of scriptures and traditions that should not, if we want to live in peace and harmony all over the world and fulfill the will of God for peace and universal amity, interfere with the process of normalization that began sometime in medieval India and still continuing, despite the challenges of mutual distrust and animosity that still linger on in some vicious minds of both communities. Hindus and Muslims can coexist, wherever they are, if they are willing to accept religion as an instrument of peace and human salvation rather than as a conduit through which they can compensate their feelings of inadequacy and pent-up animosity, the very vices that seem to contradict and negate the Divine Law which every religion proclaims to uphold. To achieve proper unity, there is also a need for give and take and appreciation of mutual differences without being threatened by them. As remarked by Rabindranath Tagore, "The world-wide problem today is not how to unite by wiping out all differences, but how to unite with all the differences intact; a difficult task, for it permits of no trickery and calls for mutual give-and-take...The Muslims in our country are striving for advancement as a separate community. However disagreeable and disadvantage that may be for us for the time being, it is the only right way to achieve genuine unity someday in the future."

Mystery of Kaaba - Existence of the Golden Ratio (1.618) in Islam

This Golden ratio is basically is a number (approximately 1.618) denoted by the Greek letter φ (phi), which allows 2 quantities to be in this ratio of 1.618. More specifically, the number is: 1.6180339887. The number is 1.618, and is found by solving the equation: g = 1/(1+g). The golden ratio, also known as the divine proportion, golden mean, or golden section, is a number often encountered when taking the ratios of distances in geometric figures and biological systems, is an instrument of measurement and growth efficiency.
You will see scientific proofs of unbelievable mysteries that have remained hidden in the Holy City of Mecca for thousand of years with your own eyes. Mecca is willed as direction of kowtow, convention place for billions of Muslims and as the holy center of Islam. Those Muslims, who can afford, are prescribed to arrive go on a journey through Kaaba, Muzdelife and Arafat and to convene in the sacred city.

Phi Constant- 1.618, superior design number of mathematics. The Creator has always used the very same number in numerous events in the universe; in our heart pulses, the aspect ratio of DNA spiral, in the special design of the universe called dodecehadron, in the leaf array rules of plants called phylotaxy, in the snow flake crystals, in the spiral structure of numerous galaxies. The Creator used the same number; the number of golden ratio which is 1.618

It is determined that this ratio has been used for the design of various reputable architectural structures, even including Pyramids in Egypt. Famous astronomer Kepler defined this number as a great treasury. Numerous famous painters, engineers and architects, like Leonardo Da Vinci, have been using this ratio in their works of art for hundreds of years.

As a result of his 25 years long study, aesthetician Dr. Steven Markout proves that each of human faces and bodies, created pursuant to this ratio, are completely beautiful. If the relative ratio is 1.618 for the components of any structure, then this form will be convenient to Golden Ratio, the perfect design.

So, where is the Golden Ratio Point of the World? The proportion of distance between Mecca and North Pole to the distance between Mecca and South Pole is exactly 1.618 which is the golden mean. Moreover, the proportion of the distance between South Pole and Mecca to the distance between both poles is again 1.618.

The miracle has not been completed yet; The Golden Ratio Point of the World is in Mecca city according to map of latitude and longitude which is the common determinant of mankind for location. The proportion of eastern distance to the western distance of Meccas solstice line is again 1.618. Moreover, as shown in the Figure, the proportion of the distance from Mecca to the solstice line from the west side and perimeter of world at that latitude is also surprisingly equal to the golden ratio, 1.618. The Golden Ratio Point of the World is always within the city borders of Mecca, within the Holy Region that includes Kaaba according to all mapping systems despite minor kilometrical variations in their estimations.

At home, you can precisely measure the distance between any two points of World by means of Google Worlds ruler feature. If you wish, you can easily verify the correctness of the given ratios by calculating latitudes and longitudes or even by using a simple calculator. In drawings, you initially see how to locate start and finish points on Mecca city and North Pole. With respect to positive longitude and latitude values and by taking drift angle to the land, but not to the sea, the single Golden Ratio Point of the World is Mecca.

Phi matrix program is an American program used for displaying golden ratio of pictures and drawings. If we assume the longitude and latitude map of the World as an everlasting painting which has an endless depth, and open it in this program, we will find out that the Golden Ratio Point of the World is the City of Mecca.

Miracles go on Golden Ratio Miracle in the Verse, Mecca of Qur'an "Allah has appointed a measure for all things." ~[Qur’an, 65: 3]. "Everything has its measure with Him." ~[Qur’an, 13]

The examples of the golden ratio exist in our own bodies and in all living things in nature, are just a few of the proofs that God has created all things with a measure.

There is one unique verse in Qur'an that includes Mecca word and an expression that mentions clear evidences within the city which will grant faith to humanity. The relation between the City of Mecca and the Golden Ratio is clearly engraved in Ali Imran Surah’s (section of Koran) 96th verse. The total number of all letters of this verse is 47. Calculating the golden ratio of total letters, we find out that the word of Mecca is implied; 47 / 1,618 = 29.0. There are 29 letters from the beginning of the verse till the word, Mecca just as in the world map. If only one single word or letter was missing, this ratio could never been constituted. Without pushing the limits, we have conducted the very same process that we conducted on world map and witnessed the glorious coherence of number of letters that reveals the relation of Mecca and Golden Ratio.

All these evidences show that; The Creator of the World and mathematics is the same One and Single God, the indefinable and great force that has created Kaaba, holy region and Qur'an. He reminds whole humanity that he has granted signs to all humanity on the basis of his foreknowledge about the future and the common languages of humans.

Discoveries regarding the relation between Golden Ratio, Mecca, Kaaba and Qur'an have been increasing day by day. In the figure, it is indicated that measurements by golden ratio compass that is also known as Leonardo compass, prove that Mecca city is located on the Golden Ratio Point of Arabia while Kaaba is located on the Golden Ratio of Mecca City. According to probability calculations, all these proofs can not be incidental.

Sunita Williams did not accept Islam

My Muslim brother will be very happy after watching above news. But this is not true. This is a hoax. It has been claimed on various websites, blogs, forums, and in chain e-mails/mass SMS texts, that Sunita Williams had converted from Hinduism to Islam on her return from the moon.

Here are a few examples of the claims being made:

1/ "Sunita Williams (First Indian woman who went on a space journey few months back) accepted “ISLAM” Masha Allah, bcoz when they were on the moon, they saw towards EARTH, the entire EARTH looked dark, but 2 places on the EARTH GLITERED & looked like SPARKS (Roshni). They were shocked to see that and saw them with the help of telescope and came to know that those two places were “MAKKAH” and “MADINAH” Masha Allah!. Then they decided that after reaching to earth they’ll accept “ISLAM”. So be proud u’r a muslim. Allah Hafiz…!"

2/ "Sunita Williams, the 1st indian lady who went to the moon on 02/07/2007 said that from the moon, the whole earth looked very black and dark, except the two places which were bright and shining when she saw through the telescope. These places were MAKKAH & MADINA (Saudi Arabia). Also, at the moon all the frequencies failed but still she could listen to the AZAAN..s'allah"

3/ "Encouragin news for Muslims....Sunita Williams the woman who went in space has converted to Islam because when they were in space the entire Earth appeared dark but only two places on Earth appeared like sparks. With telescopic view they identified the two places as MAKKAH and MADINAH and resolved to accept Islam upon reaching the Earth. Alhamdulillah the almighty brought them back safely, so subhanallah, be proud to be a Muslim."

Sunita Williams went to the International Space Station, not to the moon. The last moon landing (Apollo 17) was on December 7, 1972 and Eugene Cernan is, to date, the last person to have walked on the Moon.

She is also not the "first Indian woman who went on a space journey". The Indian-American astronaut, Kalpana Chawla, was the first woman of Indian ethnicity to fly in space.

The claims state that they decided, upon returning to earth, they would accept Islam. However, when setting off toward the International Space Station, Williams had taken with her a copy of the Bhagavad Gita and a small statue of Lord Ganesha, and following her return to earth on June 22, 2007, she showed no signs of having converted to Islam. In fact, she claimed Lord Ganesha, not Allah, was looking after her. Williams fondly recalled taking a copy of Bhagvad Gita and an idol of Lord Ganesha along with her to the space station and took tense moments in her stride. "I knew Ganesha was looking after me," she said.

More than three months later in an October 2007 interview with India Today, nothing had changed, and she reiterated her desire to go to the moon. Up in space, the Gita and Ganesha were what kept me grounded. They put life in perspective," says Sunita Williams in her India Today interview.

So it is very clear that it is a hoax. Finally, I will request all the Muslim brothers and Sisters to stop sending this kind of wrong information to others. Please check the information before sending it to others.As a Muslim, we should beware from this kind of information. 

Sample Spam - Waiting to hear from you soonest

Beware from following type of Email.These are fake email.

"My Dear Friend,

With due respect I am Mr. salam ali. the bill and exchange manager at FOREIGN RE MITTANCE DEPT BANK OF AFRICA, Again In my department we discovered an abandoned sum of U.S $10.5Million US dollars, TEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS in an account that belonged to one of our foreign customers who died along with his entire family in a plane crash.

Since we got information about his death, we have been expecting his next of kin to come over and claim his money because we cannot release it unless somebody applies for it as the next of kin or a business associate to the deceased as indicated in our banking guidelines and laws, So please i want you to assist me to stand as the next of kin to the late deceased customer to claim his balance in our bank as his next of kin.

Please once you received my proposal i will like you to show me your full consent to enable me forward to you the full Details and also obtain an official text of Application Form which you will fill and Apply to our bank as the next of kin. I have agreed and also decided that 50% of this money will be for you as a foreign partner, in respect to the provision of a foreign account which you are going to bring for the transferring of the fund and 50% will be for me and my Family.

Send me the below information
Full names.......
Occupation...
Age and Sex...
Private phone number...
Current residential address.

There after I and my Family will visit your country for disbursement according to respective percentages indicated and i will also invest my own share of the fund in your country.
Please make sure you call me with this number for more information 00226 77308398.
Mr. salam ali

Waiting to hear from you soonest."

Why has Allah sealed the hearts of the Kafir i.e. non-Muslims?

Allah (swt) mentions in Surah Al Baqarah chapter 2 verses 6 and 7

"As to those who reject Faith, it is the same to them Whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe. Allah hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing, and on their eyes is a veil; great is the penalty they (incur)." [Al-Qur’an 2:6-7]

These verses do not refer to common Kafir who reject faith. The Arabic words used are al-lazina kafaroo, those who are bent on rejecting the truth. It will not make any difference to such people whether you warn them or not, they will not believe. Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing and on their eyes is a veil. It is not because Allah has set a seal on their hearts that these Kafir do not understand and believe, but it is the vice-versa. It is because these Kafir are bent on rejecting the truth and whether you warn them or not they will not believe, that Allah has set a seal on their hearts. Therefore Allah is not to blame, but these Kafir who are bent on rejecting the faith are responsible.

Example of teacher predicting a student will fail
Suppose an experienced teacher, before the final examinations, predicts that a particular student will fail in the exams, since the student is very mischievous, not attentive in class and does not do his homework. If after the student appears for the examination, he fails, who is to be blamed for the student failing: the teacher or the student? Just because the teacher predicted, it does not mean that the teacher is to be blamed but the student himself is responsible for his failure.

Similarly Allah (swt) knows in advance that there are some people who are bent on rejecting the faith and Allah has put a seal on their hearts. Thus these non-Muslims themselves are responsible for rejecting the faith and not Allah (swt).

Why should a person only follow Islam?

1/ Major difference between Islam and most other religions
All religions basically exhort mankind to be righteous and eschew evil. But Islam goes beyond that. It guides us towards practical ways of achieving righteousness and eliminating evil from our individual and collective lives. Islam takes into account human nature and the complexities of human society. Islam is guidance from the Creator Himself. Therefore, Islam is also called the Deen-ul-Fitrah (the natural religion of Man).

2/ Example - Islam commands us to shun robbery and also prescribes method of eliminating robbery

a. Islam prescribes method of eliminating robbery
All major religions teach that theft is an evil act. Islam teaches the same. So what is the difference between Islam and the other religions? The difference lies in the fact that Islam, besides teaching that robbing is evil, shows a practical way of creating a social structure in which people will not rob.

b. Islam prescribes Zakaat
Islam prescribes a system of Zakaat (obligatory annual charity). Islamic law prescribes that every person who has a saving that exceeds the nisaab level i.e. more than 85 grams of gold, should give 2.5% of that saving every lunar year in charity. If every rich person in the world gave Zakaat sincerely, poverty will be eradicated from this world. Not a single human being would die of hunger.

c. Chopping off the hands as punishment for robbery
Islam prescribes chopping off the hands of the convicted robber. The Glorious Qur’an says in Surah Maidah:

"As to the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hands:a punishment by way of example, from Allah, for their crime: and Allah is Exalted in power, full of wisdom." ~ [ Al-Qur’an 5:38]

The non-Muslim may say, "Chopping off the hands in this 20th century. Islam is a barbaric and ruthless religion!"

d. Results achieved when Islamic Shariah Implemented
America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries in the world. Unfortunately it also has one of the highest rates of crime, theft, and robbery. Suppose the Islamic shariah is implemented in America i.e. every rich person gives Zakaat ( 2.5% of his savings in charity above 85 grams of gold every lunar year), and every convicted robber has his or her hands chopped off as a punishment. Will the rate of theft and robbery in America increase, remain same or decrease? Naturally it will decrease. Moreover the existence of such a stringent law would discourage many a potential robber.

I agree that the amount of theft that takes place in the world today is so tremendous that if you chop off the hands of all the thieves, there will be tens of thousands of people whose hands will be chopped off. The point here is that the moment you implement this law the rate of theft will decline immediately. The potential robber would give it a serious thought before jeopardizing his limbs. The mere thought of the punishment itself will discourage majority of the robbers. There will barely be a few who would rob. Hence only a few person’s hands would be chopped off but millions would live peacefully without fear of being robbed.

Islamic Shariah is therefore practical, and achieves results.

3/ Example: Islam prohibits the molestation and rape of women. It enjoins hijaab and prescribes capital punishment for a convicted rapist.

a. Islam prescribes method of eliminating molestation and rape
All the major religions declare the molestation and rape of women as grave sins. Islam teaches the same. What then is the difference between Islam and the other religions? The difference lies in the fact that Islam does not merely preach respect for women, or abhor molestation and rape as serious crimes, but also gives clear guidance as to how society can eliminate such crimes.

b. Hijaab for men
Islam has a system of hijaab. The Glorious Qur’an first mentions hijaab for the men and then for the women. Hijaab for the men is mentioned in the following verse:

"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and Allah is well acquainted with all that they do." ~ [Al-Qur’an 24:30]

The moment a man looks at a woman and if any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he should lower his gaze.

c. Hijaab for women
Hijaab for women is mentioned in the following verse:

"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their beauty and ornaments except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their veils over their bosoms and not display their beauty except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands’ fathers, their sons...." ~ [Al-Qur’an 24:31]

The extent of hijaab for a woman is that her complete body should be covered. The only part that can be seen, are the face and the hands up to the wrists. If they wish to cover, they can even cover these parts of the body. However some Islamic scholars insist that even the face should be covered.

d. Hijaab prevents molestation
The reason why Allah has prescribed Hijaab for the women is given in the Qur’an in the folowing verse of Surah Al-Ahzab:

"O Prophet! Tell thy wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons (when abroad): that is most convenient, that they should be known (as such) and not molested. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, most Merciful." ~ [Al-Qur’an 33:59]

The Qur’an says that Hijaab has been prescribed for the women so that they are recognized as modest women this would prevent them from being molested.

e. Example of twin sisters
Suppose two sisters who are twins and who are equally beautiful, walk down a street. One of them is wearing the Islamic Hijaab i.e. the complete body is covered except for the face and the hands up to the wrists, and the other twin is wearing a mini skirt or shorts. Around the corner there is a hooligan who is waiting for an opportunity to tease a girl. Who will he tease? The girl wearing the Islamic Hijaab or the girl wearing the mini skirt or shorts? Dresses that expose more than they conceal, are an indirect temptation to the opposite sex for teasing, molestation and rape. The Qur’an rightly says that the hijaab prevents women from being molested.

f. Capital punishment for rapist
The Islamic shariah prescribes capital punishment for a convicted rapist. The non-Muslim may be horrified at such a stringent punishment in this age. Many accuse Islam of being ruthless and barbaric. I have asked a common question to hundreds of non-Muslim men. Suppose God-forbid, some one rapes your wife, your mother or your sister and you are made the judge. The rapist is brought in front of you. What punishment would you give him? All of them said, "we would put him to death." Some went to the extent of saying, "we would torture him to death", If your wife or your mother is raped you want the rapist to be put to death. But if someone else’s wife or mother is raped, capital punishment is a barbaric law. Why the double standards?

g. U.S.A. has one of the highest rate of Rape
The United States of America is supposed to be one of the most advanced countries of the world. An F.B.I report in the year 1990 says that 1,02,555 cases of rape were reported. It further says that only 16% of the cases of rapes are reported. Thus, in order to know the actual number of rapes that took place in 1990, the reported figure should be multiplied by 6.25. We get a total of 6,40,968 rape cases that took place in the year 1990. If the total is divided by 365 the number of days in a year, we get an average of 1,756 rape incidents everyday.

Later another report said that an average of 1900 cases of rape are committed in U.S.A every day. According to National Crime Victimization Survey Bureau of Justice Statistics (U. S. Dept. of Justice) in 1996 alone 3,07,000 cases of rape were reported. Only 31% of the actual cases of rape were reported. Thus, 3,07,000 X 3.226 = 9,90,322 rapes took place in 1996. That is, an average of 2,713 cases of rape took place everyday in America in 1996. Every 32 seconds one rape is taking place in America. Maybe American rapists got bolder. The FBI report of 1990 continues and says that out of the rape cases that were reported only 10% of the rapist were arrested, that is only 1.6% of the actual rapes committed. Out of those arrested, 50% were let free before the trial. This would mean that only 0.8% of the rapists faced a trial. In other words if a person commits 125 rapes the chances that he will get a punishment for rape is only once. Many would consider this a good gamble. And the report says that of those people who faced trial 50% received sentences of less than a year’s imprisonment though the American law says rape carries a seven year sentence of imprisonment. For a rapist, the judge is lenient to first time offenders. Imagine a person commits 125 rapes and the chances of being convicted is only once, and 50% of the time the judge will grant leniency and give a sentence of less than a year!

h. Results achieved when Islamic Shariah Implemented
Suppose the Islamic shariah is implemented in America. Whenever a man looks at a woman and if any brazen or unashamed thought comes to his mind, he lowers his gaze. Every woman wears the Islamic Hijaab, that is the complete body is covered except the face and the hands upto the wrists. After this if any man commits rape, he gets capital punishment. The question is, will the rate of rape in America increase, will it remain the same or will it decrease? Naturally it will decrease. Islamic Shariah gets results.

4/ Islam has Practical Solutions for the Problems of Mankind
Islam is the best way of life because its teachings are not doctrinaire rhetoric but practical solutions for the problems of mankind. Islam achieves results both at the individual and collective levels. Islam is the best way of life because it is a practical, universal religion not confined to any ethnic group or nationality.

Why are many of the Muslims dishonest and involved in illegal activities?

1. Media maligns Islam

• Islam is without doubt the best religion but the media is in the hands of the westerners who are afraid of Islam. The media is continuously broadcasting and printing information against Islam. They either provide misinformation about Islam, misquote Islam or project a point out of proportion, if any.
• When any bomb blasts take place anywhere, the first people to be accused without proof are invariably the Muslims. This appears as headlines in the news. Later, when they find that non-Muslims were responsible, it appears as an insignificant news’ item.
• If a 50 year old Muslim marries a 15 year old girl after taking her permission, it appears on the front page but when a 50 year old non-Muslim rapes a 6 year old girl, it may appear in the news in the inside pages as ‘Newsbriefs’. Everyday in America on an average 2,713 cases of rape take place but it doesn’t appear in the news, since it has become a way of life for the Americans.

2. Black sheep in every community:
I am aware that there are some Muslims who are dishonest, unreliable, who cheat, etc. but the media projects this as though only Muslims are involved in such activities. There are black sheep in every community. I know Muslims who are alcoholics and who can drink most of the non-Muslims under the table.

3. Muslims best as a whole:
Inspite of all the black sheep in the Muslim community, Muslims taken on the whole, yet form the best community in the world. We are the biggest community of tee-totallers as a whole, i.e. those who don’t imbibe alcohol. Collectively, we are a community which gives the maximum charity in the world. There is not a single person in the world who can even show a candle to the Muslims where modesty is concerned; where sobriety is concerned; where human values and ethics are concerned.

4. Don’t judge a car by its driver:
If you want to judge how good is the latest model of the "Mercedes" car and a person who does not know how to drive sits at the steering wheel and bangs up the car, who will you blame? The car or the driver? But naturally, the driver. To analyze how good the car is, a person should not look at the driver but see the ability and features of the car. How fast is it, what is its average fuel consumption, what are the safety measures, etc. Even if I agree for the sake of argument that the Muslims are bad, we can’t judge Islam by its followers? If you want to judge how good Islam is then judge it according to its authentic sources, i.e. the Glorious Qur’an and the Sahih Hadith.

5. Judge Islam by its best follower i.e. Prophet Mohammed (pbuh):
If you practically want to check how good a car is put an expert driver behind the steering wheel. Similarly the best and the most exemplary follower of Islam by whom you can check how good Islam is, is the last and final messenger of God, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Besides Muslims, there are several honest and unbiased non-Muslim historians who have acclaimed that prophet Muhammad was the best human being. According to Michael H. Hart who wrote the book, ‘The Hundred Most Influential Men in History’, the topmost position, i.e. the number one position goes to the beloved prophet of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh). There are several such examples of non-Muslims paying great tributes to the prophet, like Thomas Carlyle, La-Martine, etc.

Why do Muslims abuse non-Muslims by calling them "Kafirs"?

‘Kafir’ means one who rejects. ‘Kafir’ is derived from the word ‘kufr’, which means to conceal or to reject. In Islamic terminology, ‘Kafir’ means one who conceals or rejects the truth of Islam and a person who rejects Islam is in English called a ‘non-Muslim’.

If we can use 'Non-Muslim', then we can use 'Kafir' in arabic also. 'Kafir' is just the Arabic meaning of 'Non-Muslim'.

If any non-Muslim considers the word ‘Kafir’ i.e. ‘non-Muslim’ as an abuse, he may choose to accept Islam and then we will stop referring to him as a kafir i.e. a non-Muslim.

Consumption of Alcohol is not allowed in Islam?

Alcohol has been the scourge of human society since time immemorial. It continues to cost countless human lives, and causes terrible misery to millions throughout the world. Alcohol is the root cause of several problems facing society. The statistics of soaring crime rates, increasing instances of mental illnesses and millions of broken homes throughout the world bear mute testimony to the destructive power of alcohol.

1. Prohibition of alcohol in the Qur’an
The Glorious Qur’an prohibits the consumption of alcohol in the following verse:

"O ye who believe! Intoxicants and Gambling, (Dedication of) stones, And (divination by) arrows, Are an Abomination – Of Satan’s handiwork; Eschew such (abomination), That ye may prosper."~[Al-Qur’an 5:90]

2. Prohibition of alcohol in the Bible
The Bible prohibits the consumption of alcohol in the following verses:

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging; and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise." [Proverbs 20:1] "And be not drunk with wine." [Ephesians 5:18]

3. Alcohol inhibits the inhibitory centre
The human beings possess an inhibitory centre in their brains. This inhibitory centre prevents the person from doing things that he considers wrong. For instance a person does not normally use abusive language while addressing his parents or elders. If he has to answer the call of nature, his inhibitory centre will prevent him from doing so in public. Therefore he uses the toilet.

When a person consumes alcohol, the inhibitory centre itself is inhibited. That is precisely the reason that an inebriated person is often found to be indulging in behaviour that is completely uncharacteristic of him. For instance the intoxicated person is found to use abusive and foul language and does not realize his mistake even if he is addressing his parents. Many even urinate in their clothes. Neither do they talk nor walk properly. They even misbehave.

4. Cases of adultery, rape, incest and AIDS are found more among alcoholics
According to National Crime Victimization Survey Bureau of Justice (U.S. Department of Justice) in the year 1996 alone everyday on an average 2,713 rapes took place. The statistics tell us that the majority of the rapists, were intoxicated while committing the crime. The same is true in cases of molestation.

According to statistics, 8% of Americans commit incest i.e. one in every twelve to thirteen persons in America is involved in incest. Almost all the cases of incest are due to intoxication of one or both the persons involved.

One of the major factors associated with the spread of AIDS, the most dreaded disease, is alcoholism.

5. Every alcoholic was initially a social drinker
Many may argue in favour of liquor by calling themselves ‘social drinkers’. They claim that they only have one or two pegs and they have self-control and so never get intoxicated. Investigations reveal that every alcoholic started as a social drinker. Not a single alcoholic or drunkard initially starts drinking with the intention of becoming an alcoholic or a drunkard. No social drinker can say that I have been having alcohol for several years and that I have so much self-control that I have never been intoxicated even a single time.

6. If a person is intoxicated just once and commits something shameful, it will remain with him for a lifetime.
Suppose a ‘social drinker’ loses his self-control just once. In a state of intoxication he commits rape or incest. Even if the act is later regretted, a normal human being is likely to carry the guilt throughout his life. Both the perpetrator and the victim are irreparably and irreversibly damaged.

7. Alcohol is prohibited in the Hadith

• The Prophet of Islam Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: In Sunan Ibn-I-Majah Volume 3, Book of Intoxicants, Chapter 30 Hadith No. 3371."Alcohol is the mother of all evils and it is the most shameful of evils." 
• In Sunan Ibn-I-Majah Volume 3, Book of Intoxicants, Chapter 30 Hadith No. 3392 - "Anything which intoxicates in a large quantity, is prohibited even in a small quantity.". Thus there is no excuse for a nip or a tot.
• Not only those who drink alcohol are cursed but also those who deal with them directly or indirectly are cursed by Allah.According to Sunan Ibn-I-Majah Volume 3, Book of Intoxicants, Chapter 30 Hadith No. 3380. It was reported by Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "God’s curse falls on ten groups of people who deal with alcohol. The one who distills it, the one for whom it has been distilled, the one who drinks it, the one who transports it, the one to who it has been brought, the one whom serves it, the one who sells it, the one who utilizes money from it, the one who buys it and the one who buys it for someone else."

8. Diseases associated with alcoholism
There are several scientific reasons for the prohibition of consumption of intoxicants i.e. alcohol. The maximum number of deaths in the world related to any one particular cause is due to the consumption of alcohol. Millions of people die every year only because of intake of alcohol. I need not go into the details of all the ill-effects of alcohol since most of them are commonly known. Below is a simple list of few of the alcohol related illnesses:

• Cirrhosis of Liver is the most well known alcohol associated disease.
• Others are Cancer of Oesophagus, Cancer of Head and Neck, Cancer of Liver (Hepatoma), Cancer of Bowel, etc.
• Oesophagitis, Gastritis, Pancreatitis and Hepatitis are linked with alcohol consumption.
• Cardiomyopathy, Hypertension, Coronary Artherosclerosis, Angina and Heart Attacks are linked with heavy alcohol intakes.
• Strokes, Apoplexy, Fits and different types of Paralysis are linked with alcohol intake.
• Peripheral Neuropathy, Cortical Atrophy, Cerebellar Atrophy are well-known syndromes caused by alcohol consumption.
• Wernicke – Korsakoff syndrome with amnesia of recent events, confabulations and retainment of memory to old events with different types of paralysis are mainly due to thiamine deficiency due to excessive alcohol intake.
• Beriberi and other deficiencies are not uncommon among alcoholics. Even Pellagra occurs in alcoholics.
• Delerium Tremens is a serious complication that may occur during recurrent infection of alcoholics or post operatively. It also occurs during abstention as a sign of withdrawal effect. It is quite serious and may cause death even if treated in well equipped centres.
• Numerous Endocrine Disorders have been associated with alcoholism ranging from Myxodema to Hyperthyroidism and Florid Cushing Syndrome.
• Hematological ill effects are long and variable. Folic acid deficiency, however, is the most common manifestation of alcoholic abuse resulting in Macrocytic Anemia. Zeive’s syndrome is a triad of Hemolytic Anemia, Jaundice and Hyperlipaedemia that follows alcoholic binges.
• Thrombocytopenia and other platelet abnormalities are not rare in alcoholics.
• The commonly used tablet metronidazole (flagyl) interacts badly with alcohol.
• Recurrent infection is very common among chronic alcoholics. The resistance to disease and the immunological defense system are compromised by alcohol intake.
• Chest infections are notorious in alcoholics. Pneumonia, Lung Abcess, Emphysema and Pulmonary Tuberculosis are all common in alcoholics.
• During acute alcoholic intoxication, the drunk person usually vomits, the cough reflexes which are protective are paralysed. The vomitus thus easily pass to the lung causing Pneumonia or Lung Abscess. Occasionally it may even cause suffocation and death.
• The ill effects of alcohol consumption on women deserves special mention. Females are more vulnerable to alcohol-related Cirrhosis than men. During pregnancy alcohol consumption has a severe detrimental effect on the foetus. Foetal Alcohol Syndrome is being recognised more and more in the medical profession.
• Skin diseases are also related to alcohol indulgence.
• Eczema, Alopecia, Nail Dystrophy, Paronychia (infection around the nails) and Angular Stomatitis (inflammation of the angle of the mouth) are common diseases among alcoholics.

9. Alcoholism is a ‘disease’
Medical doctors have now turned liberal towards alcoholics and call alcoholism a disease rather than an addiction.

The Islamic Research Foundation has published a pamphlet that says:
If alcohol is a disease, it is the only disease that:

• Is sold in bottles
• Is advertised in newspapers, magazines, on radio and television
• Has licensed outlets to spread it
• Produces revenue for the government
• Brings violent deaths on the highways
• Destroys family life and increases crime
• Has no germs or viral cause

ALCOHOLISM IS NOT A DISEASE – IT IS SATAN’S HANDIWORK
Allah (swt) in His Infinite Wisdom has warned us against this snare of Satan. Islam is called the "Deen-ul-Fitrah" or the natural religion of Man. All its injunctions are aimed at preserving the natural state of man. Alcohol is a deviation from this natural state, for the individual as well as for society. It degrades man to a level below that of the beasts he claims to be superior to. Hence the consumption of alcohol is prohibited in Islam.