Our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam’ declared, “Every child comes to the world with a pure soul so as to become a Muslim. Later their parents make them irreligious.” This implies that it is necessary to teach Islam to children. Their pure souls are suitable for Islam. A child who has not learned Islam will misunderstand Islam by believing the lies and slanders of the enemies of the religion. It will think that it is retrogression or evil. If a person who is ignorant of Islam and has never received any religious instruction or understood Islam falls into the traps of the enemies of Islam, he will learn something quite different, altogether foreign in the name of Islam. He will fall victim to the poisonous inoculations and shamelessly fabled writings directed to him. He will not find peace in the world. And he will be caught in the endless calamities and tortures in the next world.
Every Muslim, even every person, must know how low, how base the slanders, which are fabled by the enemies of Islam in order to deceive young people, are. And in order not to drift into calamity by believing these lies, we should understand the sublimity of Islam, see that it supports knowledge, science, morals
and health, and that it orders work, advancement, cooperation and mutual love. A wise, vigilant and cultured person who has understood Islam correctly and well, will not believe in the lies of the enemies of Islam. Seeing that they are religiously ignorant, unlearned, deceived and wretched people, he will pity them. He will wish that they recover from that disastrous state and come round to the right course.
We have come across a pamphlet of several pages scribbled shamelessly by such a deceived ignoramus of the religion in order to spread the poisonous slanders he had been taught, to imbue the healthy souls with the spiritual disease that drags him to endless calamity, to corrupt and degenerate good people. Those who see the book may be beguiled by the title of its author into crediting him with being an authority and they may think that its contents are based upon observation or knowledge and that they bear value, while the fact is quite the other way round and the book slanders the truth, maligns goodness, and blemishes the very name of virtue. To assuage the anguish it causes, it has been deemed expedient to write the truth in answer to the squalid slanders quoted in the following 12
paragraphs. Pure-souled youth, seeing these basely fabricated slanders and the truth of the matter, will clearly recognize the tactics and tricks of the enemies of Islam and closely know those block-headed, wicked-souled disbelievers, who claim to be progressive:
1- “The religious thought and method that have interfered with social life are like fetters restricting the progress of society,” he says.
Answer: Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ declared, “Work for your worldly affairs as if you would never die!” A hadîth-i-sherîf quoted by al-Imâm al-Manâwî states, “Al-hikmatu dâllat al-mu’min”. (Scientific knowledge is the lost property of the Believer. He should get it wherever he finds it!) Whether inimical or friendly, all men of science unanimously state that the Islamic religion supports the progress of societies and sheds a light on the way to civilization. For example, British Lord John Davenport stated, “No people have ever come who respected knowledge and culture more deeply than Muslims do,”[1] and explained in detail with examples and documents that Islam guided societies to progress and welfare.
In a speech to an enormous audience in 1972, Dr. Kiris
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[1] Hadrat Muhammad and the Qur’ân, Part I, Chapter 1; London.
Traglor, American professor of history at the Technical University of Texas, stated that the source of inspiration and development for the European Renaissance was Islam, that Muslims, coming to Spain and Sicily, had laid the foundations of modern techniques and developments and had taught that scientific progress would be possible only through improvement in chemistry, medicine, astronomy, navigation, geography, cartography and mathematics, and that these branches of knowledge had been brought to Europe through north Africa and Spain by Muslims. He further stressed the contribution of written Islamic knowledge on valuable parchments and papyri in the useful development of the modern press.[1] The lies of an immoral, vicious enemy of Islam, who has no share in knowledge besides sheer title, certainly cannot cover up this fact. The sun cannot be plastered with sticky mud.
2- “It is necessary,” he says, “to rescue the State from the fetter of religion. To catch up with the contemporary western civilization, attainment of a real secular system is required.”
Answer: In Islam, completely liberal democratic States based upon knowledge, morals, righteousness and justice have been established. It protects the State against being a plaything in the hands of political swindlers. Capitalists, dictators and servants of communism deem such a free regime as a chain, a fetter against their own cruelty, torture and immorality. Murderers, thieves and dishonest people see justice and criminal code as chains for themselves. There is no need to tell about the ignorance and idiocy of a disbeliever who uses secularism as a means for his enmity against the religion and who tries to demolish Islam under the camouflage of that word. What
this man wants is not the disintegration of the religion from the State but the destruction of the religion. It is understood that a blockhead who expects the State’s and the nation’s progress not from knowledge, science, working and morals but from destruction of Islam, which represents all these virtues, and who longs for the western immorality, obscenity and egoism, is devoid not only of wisdom and knowledge but also of morals.
3- He says, “Still making the people insensitive with Islam’s philosophy of contentment, they expect to turn individuals into a state of not demanding for their own rights. On the pretext that they will prevent communism, they defend the concepts of slavery
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[1] Weekly Periodical, The Muslim World, Pakistan, August 26, 1972.
and the next world held by the people. Contentment is an expression of exploitation. Followers of Islam propagate this exploitation.”
Answer: Few phrases could rival in farcicality the phrase “Islam’s philosophy of contentment.” We have explained what philosophy means in various places of Endless Bliss and clarified that there cannot be philosophy in Islam. Such an incorrect phrase shows that a person who uses it knows nothing of Islam or philosophy and that he, by memorizing many phrases without being aware of their meanings, makes up masses of words in order to spread his enmity against Islam. For centuries the enemies of Islam have been disguising themselves as religious men and doing their damage under such a mask. But today they attack under the guise of various professions and arts after obtaining a title or position. Those liars who, in order to deceive Muslims, disguise themselves as scientists and present their non-scientific statements as scientific knowledge are called
“impostors of science”. Not only Islam but also the ethical books of every nation praise contentment. Contrary to what this impostor of science fables, contentment does not mean giving up one’s rights and being idle. Contentment means to be content with one’s rights, with what one earns, and not to violate others’ rights. And this does not make people idle but encourages them to work and make progress. Islam, contrary to this impostor’s fibs, does not defend slavery but commands the emancipation of slaves. Slavery exists not in Islam but in the regime of dictatorship and in communism. The heavenly books and the prophets ‘alaihimu’s-salâm’, whose miracles were seen, reported the existence of the next world, and wisdom, knowledge and science cannot deny it. Words of this deviated ignoramus, however, is solely emotional
and an obstinate nonsense. He supplies neither a reference nor a scientific basis. Belief in the next world causes order, justice, mutual love and unity in societies and countries. Disbelief in it leads to vagabondage, idling, loss of the feeling of responsibility, egoism, discord and hostility. It is certainly good to believe something useful. It is reasonable and necessary to avoid something unsubstantiated, baseless and vain. Islam refuses exploitation and also disregarding one’s own rights. As exploiting is a sin, so it is not permissible to approve one’s being harmed. In Islam, ignorance, laziness, neglecting one’s rights and being deceived are not excuses; they are guilts. There is a famous saying that states,
“He who is content with being harmed is not to be
pitied.” How can exploitation ever exist in Islam? How can a person with knowledge and reason ever say so? Hasn’t the ignorant person who says so ever heard about the âyat-i-kerîmas and the various hadîth-i-sherîfs defending individuals’ rights? Not knowing or not having heard of them is not an excuse for him!
4- “The East, absorbed in and opiated with the religion, has become ill. Having imân is slavery,” he says.
Answer: Any reader of history will clearly see the superiorities of the Sahâbat al-kirâm ‘alaihimu ’r-ridwân’ and the fact that Islam has formed active, studious, equitable and courageous nations. Thousands of examples and millions of books showing this fact are in the open. It is sad that a blind person does not see the sun. Is it the sun’s fault that he does not see it? What is the value of an ignorant, deceived person’s slandering this exalted religion, this source of happiness and civilization, which is admired by all wise cultured men whether friends or enemies? Sayings and writings reflect their owner. Many people, when they become angry at their enemies, attribute
their own evils to them. Every container leaks what it contains. So the words of a base person are like himself. A person who is subjected to swear-words is like a diamond that has fallen into the dirt. An evil person’s attacking Islam is not surprising. What is surprising is that some people take these groundless, absurd slanders as true, believe them and end in disaster. These slanders are not worth answering. It is useless to try to tell a blind person about the sun’s existence or to tell a person with a sick bile or liver how sweet sugar is. Perfections and superiorities cannot be explained to sick, dirty souls. Answering them is intended to prevent others from believing them. Medicine is for protecting the patient against death, not for enlivening the dead.
Let us quote two of the millions of passages praising Islam’s illuminating the way of civilization. We will select them not from the East, which he slanders and dislikes, but from the West, which he admires: Mocheim[1] said, “It is an absolute fact that the scientific knowledge, physics, chemistry, astronomy and mathematics, that has spread over Europe since the tenth century was adopted from Islamic schools, and especially that the Muslims in Andalusia (Spain) were Europe’s masters. The Romans and the Goths had struggled for two hundred years in order to capture Andalusia, whereas Muslims conquered the peninsula in twenty
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[1] Jean Mocheim, German theologian and historian, d. [1755].
years. Crossing the Pyrenees, they spread up to France. Muslims’ superiority with respect to knowledge, wisdom and morals was no less than the effectivity of their arms.” Lord Davenport said, “Europe is indebted to Muslims today, too. Hadrat Muhammad ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’ said, ‘Dignity, honour and superiority are measured not by property but by knowledge and wisdom.’ Islamic States have been administered by the most powerful hands for centuries. Muslims’ spreading over three continents has become the most honourable victory in history.”
While this ignorant psychopathic person wrote in his pamphlet that the East was absorbed in and opiated with the religion, those non-Muslim but impartial writers such as John Davenport, the British Lord, wrote with their reason: “As the Muslims in Andalusia were sowing seeds of knowledge and science in the West, Mahműd al-Ghaznawî spread knowledge and wisdom in the East, and his country had become a hub of scientists. The Islamic Ruler increased production, and the wealth he had gathered from resources was used in doing good deeds and for the progress of the country. As welfare and civilization made such progress in the East, Louis VII of France captured the town of Vitri, set fire to it and burned thirteen hundred people. In those days, civil wars sprinkled death in England, where
the land was not cultivated, and everything was destroyed. In the fourteenth century, Anglo-French wars were so tragic, so destructive that history had not seen the like. But in the East, in Muslim countries, Firűz Shâh Tughluq III, who became the Emperor in Delhi in
5- “Religion is an expression of fatalism and contentment. It is an idea pertaining to the next world, which muzzled the oppressed and the hungry. It teaches that, in order to attain the blessings of the next world, it is necessary not to be very wishful in this world. The joy and need of living have broken fatalism and contentment and engendered a struggle for earning better and more. Religions are afraid of those who are against the systems that are dependent upon frozen, moulded customs. The opium of
religion makes man insignificant, subordinate and without living,” he says.
Answer: Such lies and abominable slanders are not worth answering, for, a wise person who knows the truth will not believe them. Yet, though the enemies of Islam are not wise, they are cunning and, in order to deceive the youth, busy them with vain, useless things, give them the opium that is pleasant for the nafs and suitable for their lust, thus preventing them from learning religious knowledge. To protect those innocent poor youth, who are busied and benumbed thus, against believing these lies and drifting into calamity, it is pertinent to briefly write the truth. A fortunate young person who reads our book
Endless Bliss well will learn Islam correctly and precisely. He will not believe any slander, because our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ recommended that we should be learned, by stating, “He who has knowledge becomes a Muslim. He who is ignorant will get deceived by the enemies of religion.”
It is right that religion is the belief in fate and contentment. But fate, contrary to what this poor ignoramus thinks of it, does not mean not to work or not to wish much. Qadar means that Allâhu ta’âlâ knows beforehand what people will do. Allâhu ta’âlâ commands men to work. He praises those who work. He declares in the ninety-fourth âyat of the Sűrat an-Nisâ, “Those who perform jihâd, work and struggle are higher and more valuable than those who sit and worship instead of performing jihâd.” Rasűlullâh ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ stated, “Allâhu ta’âlâ likes those who earn by working.” As it is understood well from historical studies and from the chapter Earning and Trade in the Turkish version of Endless Bliss, Islam is the religion of working and earning. Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ commanded progress and improvement each day by saying, “He who has remained at the same grade on two [successive] days or has not made progress, has deceived himself.” He also declared, “Do not postpone your work to tomorrow, or else you will perish!” and “Learn foreign languages. Thus you will escape the evils of the enemy!”
It is very unfair and base to say that thinking of the blessings of the next world will prevent working. The hadîth-i-sherîfs, “He who earns by working will be shining like the full moon on the Day of Resurrection;” “The scholars’ sleep is worship;” “Earn what is halâl and spend it for useful reasons;” “The sins of the person who lends money to his brother-in-Islam will be forgiven;” and
“Everything has a certain access leading to it. The access to Paradise is knowledge,” command us to earn by working and state that those who earn through good ways and spend on doing good deeds in the world will earn the next world. “Religion prevents people from revolting. Therefore, it is opium,” he says. These nonsenses of the author very well reveal his lack of understanding the religion and civilization. It is obvious that these words are not the expression of knowledge or research. They are nothing but an exploitation which is intended to flatter communist-souled chiefs, and thus to obtain a post through blind enmity against the religion. Those who gave their faith away
in order to obtain what is worldy are called “impostors of religion”, who have always been mistaken and drifted into calamity. Their chiefs, with whom they tried to ingratiate themselves, have fallen from their positions, like every mortal being; these chiefs, being judged in the just presence of Allâhu ta’âlâ whom they disbelieved and resisted obstinately, have rolled down into endless tortures. Their fawners have forgotten about them and, transferring to other parties for their personal advantages, they have begun to worship other mortals.
6- “In Arab countries, where laws of the desert have been made dominant, they have been attacking materialism and materialistic philosophy,” he says.
Answer: Formerly, the enemies of religion used to memorize a few valuable words from the great men of tasawwuf, write and say them recklessly without understanding their meanings and pretend to be men of tarîqa, thus trapping the youth. But now, by memorizing a few of the words of western men of science and idea, by holding overcoats and filling wine glasses of their masters and toadying, they get a diploma and seize a post. Playing the part of cultured learned men of knowledge, they vomit their enmity against Islam into the words which they have memorized, present them to the youth and attempt to deceive Muslim children by showing them as masons’ and communists’
attractive food.
Those ignoble people who lack scientific knowledge but have obtained diplomas through unlawful ways and attack Islam under the mask of “scientist” are called “impostors of science”. At one time, one such fake scientist became the authority of a district with the help of his dubious diploma; seeing that the people did not regard him as a person of consequence, he held a meeting, gathered the villagers and men of religion and spewed such terms as ‘materialistic philosophy’, ‘modern’, ‘illuminated men’. Seeing
that everybody respected the men of religion but took no notice of him, he had a fit of rage. He uttered base terms exposing his dirty character and evil thoughts. Meanwhile, alluding to the men of religion, he said, “He who has not been to Europe is an ass.” The Muftî Efendi, being out of patience, said, “Has your exalted father ever honoured Europe with his presence?” When the other deigned to give the reply “No” with a coarse voice, the Muftî Efendi concluded, “Then, your exalted person is an ass through father,” thus making the authority fall into his own trap. The “progressive”, “illuminated” but block-headed and ignorant people, who do not know of the excellence of Islamic scholars or of the famous, honoured superiority of Islamic civilization that fills libraries worldwide, have
attacked Islam’s steel fortress with popguns as such, and they have all disgraced and routed themselves.
7- “Those who caused economic declines took advantage of those words that suggest contentment with a fatalist morsel and only a coat, which shows the religion’s effect as an opium. Civilization means to wish for more economic prosperity and to struggle for this. But the religion broke, benumbed these movements for the development of the society with such suggestions as contentment with fate, the next world and spirituality,” he says.
Answer: Here is another living picture of toadying which we have portrayed in the preceding paragraph! What a great lie it is to say that Islamic fighters, who spread over three continents in thirty years, defeated the armies of Persia and Rome (the two greatest empires of the time and especially brought the whole Persian Empire to an end) and who won the love of every nation owing to their justice and beautiful morals, were benumbed, drowsy people who were given opium! One who knows even a little history will only laugh and be disgusted at this ignoble, base slander. Islam commands people to work and make progress and promises Paradise to those who earn and help
the poor. If this writer had seen the works of Islamic art, which Europeans and Americans marvel at, and their articles praising Muslims’ accomplishments in knowledge and science, he would have perhaps been ashamed to scribble these lines. We say ‘perhaps,’ for it is a virtue to bear the feeling of shame, and it is out-of-place to expect shamefulness from a non-virtuous person.
Islam commands Muslims to work and earn. Contentment does not mean to be content with “only a coat” and sit idly.
Muslims are not so at all. Contentment means to be content with one’s own earnings and not to cast a covetous eye on others’ earnings. It was Islam which brought civilization to Europe, for Islam shows the ways of economic prosperity and commands people to work for attaining it. The following hadîth-i-sherîfs, and many others, show that the above-quoted words are basely invented slanders: “The most benevolent, the highest of people are those who are the most useful to people;” “The best of favours is to give alms;” “The most benevolent of you is the one who supplies people with much nourishment;” and “The most benevolent among you is the one who does not expect from others but works and earns.”
8- “What has handicapped efforts of reaching a standard civilization in the course of history is the imperative power of religion. The imperative authority of religion, which hinders the purposes of revolutions, should be annihilated,” he says.
Answer: This fake scientist repeats “civilization” and strives to hypnotize young brains with this magical word. He thinks it is civilized to establish enormous, heavy industries and to make electronic machines and nuclear-powered factories as means of using fornication and women as diversions and to become bosses by smuggling foreign exchange, lying, deceit and speculation or to satisfy bestial desires by living at the expense of the working class. The civilization that the scholars of Islam described and commanded Muslims to attain is “Ta’mîr-i bilâd wa tarfîh-i ’ibâd”, that is, it is to develop countries by constructing buildings, machines and factories and to utilize technology and all kinds of revenues for people’s freedom, welfare and peace. In the twentieth century, only the first of these two aspects of civilization exists. Though improvement of techonology is dazzling, economic and technical discoveries are being used for enslaving people, for cruelty and torture. Communist states and dictatorial regimes exemplify this. The twentieth century is a century of technology. It is far from being a century of civilization.
This socialist writer is very realistic in his wish for annihilating the religion, for Islam prohibits immorality, dishonesty, exploitation, hypocrisy, dictatorship, denouncement and, in short, every kind of bad behavior that gnaws humanity. An evil-spirited person of corrupt character certainly does not wish that goodness be done. Base defeatists certainly fear the constructiveness of Islam. This dishonest disbeliever calls history to false witness in order to make it believable that Islam has handicapped
civilization. If he had a smattering of history, perhaps he would refrain himself a little. Even non-Muslim historians acknowledge the fact that Islam has served civilization and shed light upon modern development in Europe and America.
It is understood that this ignorant impostor of science is not intelligent or literate enough to concoct these fibs by himself. He strives to belittle Islam by quoting the attacks that have been rightfully directed against Christianity in Europe. But, because he is wrong and because his seeing and understanding as well as his knowledge are little, he makes a mess of it.
It will be propicious at this point to tell about those who are hostile against Christianity and why they attack it and to explain that similar attacks cannot be directed towards Islam:
Christianity, which lost its divine value altogether in the time of Constantine the Great, became a means for political advantage. The clergy opened bloody wars against non-Christians. They forced everybody to become Christian blindly. Luther went too far in this crazy attack. He was furiously angry with any religion, any nation that was not Protestant. The missionary organization, on the other hand, tried to confuse the thoughts and mislead the consciences and propagandized Christianity through new articles each day. Christians’ attacks, which were compatible neither with knowledge nor with science and which were sometimes carried on through bloodshed and sometimes through deceit, engendered an enmity against Christianity in Europe in the eighteenth century. It was written that the
priests had been deceiving the people, forcing them to believe in superstitions and striving to enslave everybody to their ideas. But this enmity did not remain against the Christian religion only. There appeared those who attacked every religion. Instead of seeing that the priests’ evils originated from the defilements and alterations in the religion, they thought it originated from the religion. Without studying religions, they attributed the evils of Christianity to the religion and attacked religions. One of those who went furthest in the enmity against religion was Voltaire. Like Luther, he, too, slandered Islam and, thinking that our Master, Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa sallam’, was as Luther described him, he spoke ill of him. Without studying Islam, these people, too, like Christians, attacked
all religions.
For the first time in the nineteenth century, Von Herder, a German, said that bearing enmity against religions blindly was as
wrong as blindly christianization by force. He put forward the necessity of studying religions, particularly Islam. Thus, people in Europe began to understand Muhammad’s ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’ life and the astonishing superiorities of the lightsome path shown by Islam for the administration of individuals, families and societies. Carlyle, one of the British thinkers, praised Muhammad’s ‘alaihi’s-salâm’ life, moral qualities and accomplishments under the heading A Hero Who Is the Prophet in his book The Heroes, which he wrote in
If Luther’s abominable articles against Qur’ân al-kerîm and the horrible story fabled by Voltaire about Muhammad ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’ are compared with the article A Hero Who Is the Prophet by Carlyle, one will understand well how differently Islam is viewed by fanatical Christians or ignorant enemies of religion and by men of knowledge and observation. After Carlyle, British scholar Lord Davenport detailedly explained the beauty of Muhammad’s ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’ life and moral character and the fact that Qur’ân al-kerîm is a source of knowledge guiding people to happiness and gave silencing responses to those who slandered Qur’ân al-kerîm and Muhammad ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’.
As it is seen, today the enemies of Islam, for inciting the fire of slander, receive poison from three sources: the Christian missionaries, those who attack religions blindly, such as Voltaire, and communists who use people like animals and machines by annihilating every kind of truth and goodness.
9- “Religion is to put up with what one has, to appropriate contentment, sufferings and inequalities. It is to fix the existing limits in a socitey. It prevents attainment of a better life that decreases the differences between [social] classes and hinders exploitation. These oppressions have been done with the fear of Hell. Those who suffer are consoled with Paradise. It has killed the personalities of individuals,” he says.
Answer: He wants to imbues Muslim children with the poisons he has received from the above-mentioned three sources, but he cannot manage it. Today young people read Islamic books and learn their faith correctly. Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ declared, “A person with equal earnings on two [successive] days has suffered loss. The Muslim must make progress every day.” A wise young person who has heard of this command and carefully read the command “Forwards!” by Hadrat ’Umar, the Caliph of Rasűlullah ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’, will certainly not believe the lies of this ignorant person, who passes for a “progressive” man. Islam commands not the approval of inequalities but justice and their eradication. The hadîth ash-sherîf, “I came in the time of a just ruler,” praises even the justice of the disbelievers without heavenly books. A hadîth ash-sherîf written in Al-Munâwî and Ad-Dailamî declares, “Those who will be first to enter Paradise are the just judges and the just statesmen.” Does this hadîth sherîf command and promote causing sufferings and inequalities, or avoiding sufferings and inequalities? Our readers’ conscience will certainly answer this correctly, and it will be understood very well how deviated the disbelieving writer is and whom he is striving to serve.
Islam commands zakât, lending and mutual help. It informs that those who obey these commandmends, which abolish the differences between social classes, will go to Paradise. Not those who suffer pain but those who resign themselves to the Giver of the pain, the Creator, will enter Paradise. Islam is a progressive, dynamic religion that guides to the best life. Islam does not “fix the existing limits” but gives freedom to statesmen in keeping step with the contemporary conditions of trade, industry, agriculture and war technology and in applying every kind of scientific discovery for making progress. Allâhu ta’âlâ ordered even His beloved Prophet ‘alaihi ’s-salâm’, the highest and wisest human being in every respect, to
“Consult with the Sahâbat al-kirâm! Hold counsel with them!” Each Khalîfa of Islam had counsellors, councils and men of knowledge. It was not permissible for them
to do anything without consulting. There should not be any changes or reforms in ’ibâdât, but advancement and progress in technology and worldly affairs are commanded. It was for this reason that Islamic States established everywhere in the East and West became advanced in every respect. They became guides for the entire world. Islam is a religion that provides personality and freedom of idea. Each Muslim is more valuable than the entire world.
10- “The religion resulted in internal and external exploitation. Contentment and putting up with fate caused indolence and exploitation. The resources of production were accumulated in certain hands. The great masses were not considered to deserve worldly happiness. The philosophy of ‘a morsel and only a coat’ made away with the strength to live and struggle. Hope for the next world caused suffering and inconvenience,” he says.
Answer: Talking on religion requires at least having a little religious knowledge. By likening Islam to today’s capitalists and communist exploiters, his attacking the religion as such indicates his enmity against Islam, an enmity which is so excessive that it blinds the eyes and covers the intellect with anger. While saying nothing against western capitalists and cruel communists who accumulate the resources of production in certain hands and exploit the people, his attacking Islam, which commands social equality, is sheer enmity against Islam and open servility to Russia. Because he does not have any Islamic knowledge, time and again he attacks contentment and
belief in qadar. In the name of civilization, he talks only about economy and earning money. He does not understand that contentment is a factor that prevents psychiatric diseases, removes incompatibility and hostility and maintains order in societies. Contentment has caused Islam’s spreading over the world and erecting monuments of knowledge and science. Do the âyat-i-kerîmas, “He who works will earn,” and, “Everybody will find [the recompense for] what he does,” and also many hadîth-i-sherîfs, such as, “Allâhu ta’âlâ likes those who earn by working,” and “Allâhu ta’âlâ absolutely dislikes those young people who do not work,” which are written in Al-Munâwî, command Muslims to work and make progress or to be lazy? Are the Umayyad, Abbâsid, Ghaznawî, Indian Tamerlaines, Andalusian and Ottoman civilizations, which were established by Muslims, indicators of studiousness or indolence? Can a dervish’s uttering the words “a morsel and only a coat” change the
commandments of Qur’ân al-kerîm and hadîth-i-sherîfs? The utterance of a dervish in an ecstatic state is suitable and appropriate for his own state, but it does not reflect Islam in its entirety. Belief in the next world engenders not suffering but order and ease for individuals, families and societies. History shows clearly that this is so. Islam commands not self-infliction, but ending material and spiritual sufferings and avoiding inconveniences and sorrows.
11- “These countries are still being administered with the laws of the desert,” he says.
Answer: The commandments and teachings that are stated in Qur’ân al-kerîm, which is revealed by Allâhu ta’âlâ, and in the hundreds of thousands of hadîth-i-sherîfs arouse admiration in the men of knowledge and wisdom all over the world. In order to explain the superiority and value of these teachings and commandments, the scholars of Islam have written thousands of books, some of which are cited in this book. Even the non-Muslim men of knowledge equitably express this truth. Goethe said, “He who reads Qur’ân al-kerîm for the first time does not get pleasure, but it attracts the reader to itself afterwards. Later on, it conquers him with its beauty.” Gibbon said,
“Qur’ân al-kerîm reveals not only the belief in Allâhu ta’âlâ and in the next world but also civil laws and criminal codes. It has brought the unchangeable commandments of Allâhu ta’âlâ and the laws that arrange all the affairs and states of human beings.”
Davenport said, “Qur’ân al-kerîm regulates the religious duties, daily affairs, spiritual purity, physical health, men’s duties and rights upon one another and upon the society, the things that are useful to people and to societies and the knowledge of morals and punishment. Qur’ân al-kerîm is a political system. Every state of the living and of the lifeless is regulated. On morals, it is very tidy and very strong. Qur’ân al-kerîm commands always doing favours. It strengthens the social equality. It has a favorable effect on civilization. There cannot be another behavior as unfair and as ridiculous as criticizing the Qur’ân al-kerîm with such vulgar ignorance and callous antagonism, since it is the most valuable book sent by Allâhu ta’âlâ for the benefit and happiness of mankind.”
As it is seen, every wise and reasonable person gets attached to Qur’ân al-kerîm and respects it as much as he understands it. No immorality, baseness or idiocy can be worse than saying “laws of the desert” about this holy book.
12- “Other eastern countries have been directing themselves towards a national, western ideology by throwing away the laws of the desert, and they are becoming conscious by quitting the opium of religion,” he says.
Answer: Even non-Muslims express their admiration for Islam, which this ignorant, eccentric writer calls opium. Mocheim said, “No time can be thought to be worse than those black days which obscured Europe in the tenth century. Even the Latin nations, the most advanced of the age, had nothing other than logic in the name of knowledge and science. Logic was thought to be superior to all other branches of knowledge. At that time, Muslims built schools in Spain and Italy. Young European men assembled at these places for learning knowledge. Learning the teaching methods of Islamic scholars, they opened Christian schools.”
The dazzling Islamic civilization, which is written and praised unanimously by the histories of the world, was established by those who followed Qur’ân al-kerîm. Today, science has progressed and gigantic industries have been established in Europe, America and Russia. Space travel has begun, but in none of these countries has peace of mind been provided. The employers’ prodigality and dissipation and the workers’ poverty have not been removed. In communism, the State exploits the people; millions of people work for their food only, hungry and naked as they are; and a cruel, blood-shedding minority live at their expense. They lead a pleasurable life in palaces and commit all sorts of atrocities. Because they do not obey the Qur’ân al-kerîm they cannot attain comfort and peace. For being
civilized, it is necessary to imitate them in science and technology, to work and accomplish as they do, since the Qur’ân al-kerîm and hadîth-i-sherîfs command making progress in science and arts. For example, the hadîth-i-sherîf reported by Ibn Adî and al-Munâwî ‘rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’alaihimâ’ declares, “Allâhu ta’âlâ certainly likes His slave who makes progress in science and has a craft,” and the hadîth-i-sherîf written in Hakîm at-Tirmidî and al-Munâwî declares, “Allâhu ta’âlâ certainly likes to see that His slave has a craft.” Accomplishing solely this, however, does not suffice for being civilized. The blessings that are earned should be shared equitably, and the worker should get the equivalent of his labour. And this justice can be obtained only by following the Qur’ân al-kerîm. Today, Europe, America and Russia are successful in those areas wherein they work in conformity to
Islam. However, since the advantages are not distributed in accordance with the principles of justice in the Qur’ân al-kerîm, the people cannot attain comfort and peace, and class conflicts cannot be avoided, either. Those who do not obey Qur’ân al-kerîm can never become happy. Those who obey it with belief or without believing in it, that is, whether they are Muslims or not, get as much benefit from it in this world as they obey it. Those who believe and obey it get benefit from it both in this world and the next; they live in comfort and prosperity in this world and will attain to endless felicity, infinite blessings in the next. Both history and daily events show clearly that this word is true. This means to say that those who do not follow the way shown by
Qur’ân al-kerîm, whether
they are Muslims or not, will drift into as much harm and calamity as they get away from the way shown.
Sâkýp Sabancý, a well-known Turkish businessman, has narrated that when he was in America for an important heart operation, a Protestant priest employed in the hospital visited him before the operation and said, “Tomorrow, an important operation will be performed on you. You do not belong to my religion; you are a Muslim. But all of us believe in the same Creator. All of us are His human slaves. It is a duty for all His slaves to trust themselves to Him at such a delicate time as this. Therefore, I will pray for you tonight.” Sâkýp Sabancý’s comments on this were: “I cannot express how much these words of the priest moved me and encouraged me.” The following is his article published in a daily on May 8, 1981, with the title “Turning Towards the Spiritual Values”:
“It is seen that there are no limits for improvement in science and technology. However, another apparent reality is that improvements in science and technology, increase in material power and the daily betterment of standards of living are not sufficient to provide men with happiness.
“And above all, after a certain stage is reached, improvement in science and technology and success in increasing material wealth are perfected by ‘having spiritual and moral virtues’.
“Now the development called the ‘Japanese Model’ is the open example of this... The aspiration for ‘Japanese type of export’ and ‘Japanese type of industry’ is frequently repeated in everyday life in Turkey nowadays.
“The Japanese learned manufacturing cars at giant establishments in the United States of America. In a short time, however, they were able to compete with these establishments in
international, and even American, markets. They could manage selling products in a more successful way.
“To my belief, there are three reasons for this achievement:
“1. Technology;
“2. Working by maintaining discipline;
“3. Adherence to traditions and spiritual values.
“Transfer of technology from one county to another is possible despite its certain cost or hardships.
“But disciplined working, adherence to traditions and spiritual values can never be transferred as soon as they are paid for. Unfortunately, these factors have fallen into a situation of being neglected and slighted in our country.
“When we attentively observe our past and compare it with Japan, we see that the Turks have been one of the rare nations of the world in respect to adhering to traditions, maintaining discipline in working and observing spiritual values.
“Turks have a strong family structure. The members gather around the old one in the family. There is high regard for him, and he is responsible for protecting the young.
“The Turk is in a struggle for the sake of his country, flag, religion and chastity. This is a holy fight for him.
“At war, he fights ‘in the Name of Allah’. When starting a new work, he begins with His Name. He entrusts the ones he loves to Allah.
“There is a system of manners and traditions regulating the crafts and trade among the Turks. Old societies of tradesmen, the guilds, the protector masters of every craft and master, assistant master and apprentice relations are the examples of discipline established by the Turks in the field of trade and crafts.
“And the religion of Islam has also been one of the fundamental spiritual values providing for centuries the attachment between millions of Turks scattered to every corner of the world.
“While evaluating the profile of our Turkey towards the second half of 1981, there are many uses in remembering these ‘spiritual values’ which we possessed in the past but have neglected in recent times.
“We cannot attribute the faults of the serious social and political disorder, which we are now trying to get out of, solely to economic reasons.
“Towards our population that exceeds 50 million and increases one million a year, we are obliged to provide a country ‘at a level of contemporary civilizations’ and ‘a quality of living conformable to human honour’. However much successful we would be, it is apparent that it is hard to keep the 50 million people happy altogether by only increasing the material means.
“It is our most important duty to seek and put forth the spiritual values common to all, which will attach the 50 million together and give the determination to work more and peacefully and to realize getting 50 million united around this training.
“Belief in Allah, fearing Him and the religion of Islam are the essentials that will give hope and determination to work to those who have remained helpless before material problems.
“It is seen that spiritual development is needed in order for economic development to be useful.
“Please remember that the astronaut who landed on the moon had the book of his religion in his pocket.
“THEN, OUR OBJECTIVE SHOULD BE: to possess the technology and ability to travel to the moon... but, in case we possessed this technology and means, to continue to seek Allah’s Power and Support...
“We must maintain our search for making use of the high strength of Islamic religion in encouraging our new generations to spiritual values. We are obliged to lay stress on the religious education as a spiritual support in orientation to civilization in schools. Before much more time is lost, we should start sufficient religious education in our schools.
“Adherence to traditions will result in mutual tolerance about thoughts and actions and in especially mutual love and respect, which we greatly need. It will minimize and calm mutual opposition and help in the foundation of internal peace. Thus, a more authentic and stronger social establishment comes out.
“Otherwise, it is very hard to make happy and govern the masses of men who are devoid of spiritual values and traditions. Social order will not easily be established in such a society.
“In Qur’ân al-kerîm, it is stated, ‘Do not lag; do not worry. If your belief is firm, you will certainly succeed.’
“We hear and read that today people all over the world try to know one another more closely and now look from a different point of view at many of the things they used to refuse. Let me give you a simple example: especially the Americans used to
claim that there were many cruel rules in Islam and, put forth the thief’s hands being cut off as the principle one among them. We were astonished and could not help smiling at the recent proposal of Douglas Huff, American Senator from the State of Illinois, who, upon the rapid increase in cases of robbery in his State, said that it shall be passed as a law that the hands of the thieves should be cut off as it is done in Muslim countries. The Senator wrote in his proposal. ‘This might come cruel to you. But I cannot think of another solution. I think God orders His slaves that such a punishment is appropriate. Those who commit a crime should fear Him.’ As you see, men get closer to the rules of Islam day by day. There is every reason for Islamic religion, the latest step of the religions
calling to One Creator, to be the world religion.
“We repeat that religion is the treasure of energy that protects us from doing harmful, evil actions, blocks our ambitions, nourishes and purifies our souls, makes us-by disclosing our good habits- kind, helpful human beings obeying our elders, prohibits us from rebelling and disobeying the laws, gives hope and encouragement to us in achieving our affairs, consoles us for our failures, lessens our sufferings, fills us with strength and hope to live, opens and leads us to the way of Allah by making us exact and perfect men, in summary, makes us attain peace in this world and endless bliss in the next.
“We must embrace our religion, obey its commandments and prohibitions and realize its value. But we must strictly avoid using it in simple, worldly affairs or for base, personal advantages. This blessed country and this holy religion were harmed much on account of the impostors of religion who deceived the people for the sake of their personal ambitions and ugly purposes and, by saying, ‘The religion is made invalid,’ forced them to rebel.
“Impostors of religion and those of science have made much damage to the happiness of this country, of our nation. Impostors of religion, using the religion as a means for their personal benefits and political purposes, pushed forward non-religious things as if they belonged to the religion, while impostors of science, again for their personal and political purposes, endeavoured to destroy the youth’s belief in the religion and, for this end, put forth their non-scientific, destructive and separatist words to be accepted as scientific knowledge by the youth. Impostors of religion, pretending to be religious men, exploited the people’s adherence to their religion, while impostors of science, pretending to be scientists and showing off their diplomas
in science, exploited the people’s confidence in scientific knowledge. We must be wide awake in order not to be deceived by the impostors of religion and science.
“In recent times, too, there have appeared some hypocrites who want to use the religion and science as the means for politics. It is seen that most of the anarchists and bandits, who have been caught with their bombs, telescopic guns, anti-tanks, rockets and transmitting and receiving radio-sets, have come out to be the impostors of science at the universities. The remaining are the workers or male or female students deceived by them. As we read in newspapers about the treacheries and murders put into practice or will be practised by these tens of thousands of impostors of science, we understand in horror and consternation to what a terrible calamity or doom they were leading our country. We do not know how to thank the commanders who, responding to the nation’s call for help, stopped
this terrible course and rescued us from this catastrophe. Day and night we pray for the good of the Pashas who protected us. We would not have paid the thanks due for the great blessing we have attained, even if every moment we performed the prostration of thanksgiving towards our Rabb who sent them to preside over us! May endless thanks be to our Rabb for this very great blessing!
“The religion and science are the two very necessary, very useful aids for men. Scientific knowledge prepares the means and causes that are necessary for peace, welfare and civilization. And the religion facilitates the usage of these means for peace, welfare and civilization. Communists have founded giant industries, enormous factories and dazzling rockets and satellites with the help of the scientific knowledge they stole from Germany and America. Yet, only science is existent in them; there is no religious component. That is why they use scientific products in torturing their people, attacking other peoples and raising rebellions and revolutions in other parts of the world. They are turning every place into dungeons. Their advancement in science results not in civilization but in
savagery. Peace, welfare and human rights are violated. Millions of people are put into destitution for the sake of the minority’s pleasure. For this reason, we must endeavour to learn the real religion and to be true Muslims.
“See what Qur’ân al-kerîm says about true Muslims:
‘Know well! There is no fear for the friends of Allâhu ta’âlâ. They will not be troubled!’ (Sűrat Yűnus, 62nd âyat)
“Let us believe in the rules of Islam, that is, the
commandments and prohibitions of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Obeying these rules, our dear readers, we shall be able to be helpful to one another and to our State and attain peace, welfare and happiness.”