In this chapter of our book, we shall tell you about Islam, as we have done so far, evoke your memories of the old pages of history, and provide valuable pieces of information concerning the essentials of all religions. We hope that you read this chapter with the same enjoyment as you have felt throughout the earlier chapters. As we have frequently repeated; today, on the threshold of the twenty-first century, people have little time, much work to do, and a variety of problems to cudgel their brains with. Moreover, today’s people are equipped with quite new pieces of knowledge. They assess every book they read with these new pieces of knowledge. Therefore, the ideas that we are to communicate to them have to be scientific, logical, documentary, and in concordance with today’s level of knowledge and living conditions. Any degree of thanksgiving would prove short of expressing our gratitude to Allâhu ta’âlâ for enabling us to write and (translate into English and) publish this book, which we have perfected by adding new parts yearly. The blessings of Allâhu ta’âlâ are boundless.
Seeing the letters of appreciation that we receive, we realize that our book is being read and those who read it reap benefits, and we pay our hamd (thanks and praise) to our Rabb (Allâhu ta’âlâ). The blessings that our readers invoke on us and the thanks they give us are our greatest gains. These letters and calls of appreciation encourage us to work even harder.
So sad to say, recently there has been a decrease in the number of people capable of understanding the books written by Islamic scholars and simplifying them to a level comprehensible to average people. In fact, there are almost no experts of religion left. Since Islam is the latest, the most perfect and the most logical religion, writing an Islamic book requires having a high level of education, knowing Arabic and Persian in addition to (at least) one European language, and being fully equipped with the Islamic branches of knowledge in addition to the most up-to-date natural and scientific information. Our books are simplifications and explanations from books written by authorities of religion and expert scientists, and we have paid meticulous attention to this delicate job. We have always avoided bigotry. We examine the letters we receive carefully and give them scientific and logical
answers. Some parts of our books, (which are originally in Turkish), have been translated into English, French and German, and spread throughout the world. Another fact we are happy to see is that other Islamic societies know of our books, like our books, and allot portions for commentaries of our books in their publications. We are not boasting about these things. For what we have been doing is to merely read and study the valuable and worldly widespread books written by Islamic scholars, classify them in categories, make comparisons, sift reasonable and logical facts from them, and publish these facts in such simplicity and fluency as will be read and understood easily by everybody. The books we have been publishing contain no additions on our part. We lay these pieces of information, which cost us considerably painstaking and onerous labour, before our reader, thus enabling him to read and learn them with ease. It is up to the reader to draw conclusions from them. Our duty is to prepare this material. And we are doing this willingly, without expecting any worldly returns. We expect the rewads from Allâhu ta’âlâ. Those who read this chapter of our book will learn that the Islamic religion is the only access to knowing Allâhu ta’âlâ and becoming close to Him, that human beings cannot live without a religion, that religion will correct people’s moral attitudes and can never be exploited for worldly advantages and political stratagems, that it cannot be a tool for personal interests and sordid purposes, and that attaining happiness in this world and the next is dependent solely on adapting yourself to Islam.
Although Islam is the truest and the most logical religion, very little effort is being made for its spread. The organizations which Christians establish in order to publish Christianity are both numerous and enormous. The book Diyâ-ul-qulűb, published in 1294 [1877 C.E.] and written by Is-haq Efendi of Harput, a valuable Islamic scholar whose books are one of the main sources we have utilized in writing this book and to whom we shall refer later ahead, contains the following information:
“The British Protestant society called Bible House, which was established in 1219 [1804 C.E.], had the Bible translated into two hundred and four (204) different languages. By the year 1872, the number of the books printed by that society was seventy million. The money spent for the spread of Christianity by the society was two hundred and five thousand and three hundred and thirteen (205,313) British gold coins, which is equal to forty-five billion
Turkish liras according to today’s rate of exchanges, [when a British gold coin cost two hundred and twenty thousand (220,000) Turkish liras].” The society is still active today, establishing infirmaries, hospitals, conference halls, libraries, schools, cinemas and other recreation and sports institutions in many places of the world, and making great efforts to Christianize people who haunt those places. Catholics do not fall behind in these activities. In addition, they entice poor populations towards Christianity by finding jobs for young people and by providing medicinal help.
Today, there are some small (Islamic) societies in some Muslim countries such as Pakistan, South Africa and Saudi Arabia, and a few small Islamic centers in European countries and in America. These centers carry on Islamic publications. However, because these centers are supported by a variety of different groups, their publications criticize one another, impair the Islamic unity commanded by our religion, and give rise to separatism. The capacity of our company, IHLÂS, allows only a limited number of young students to read our books. For all the unfavourable conditions, our humble publications are being read all over the world and thereby the number of Muslims on the right path is increasing every year. The number of Muslims, which was only one-third that of Christians a hundred years ago, is almost half their number today. For Muslims are faithful to their credal tenets and raise their children with an Islamic education. In contrast, younger generations in the Christian world see that Christianity is in counterpoint to recent scientific improvements and modern technical findings, and become convinced atheists. Communist states, on the other hand, annihilate and prohibit religion altogether. In some of them, e.g. in Albania, under an excessively communistic regime,[1] religions are presented as objects of derision in public places called ‘Museums of Atheism’. It is a fact reported in British publications that the number of atheists in Britain, where most of the aforesaid gigantic Christian organizations are located, is already thirty per cent of the entire population.
Then, what is the reason for this ever-increasing appreciation for our publications versus the ineluctable sinking of Christianity despite all the efforts contrarywise? The reason is obvious. Islam
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[1] The communistic regime has been overthrown now.
is the most civilized, the most plausible, and the truest religion. Islam is explained in such a sincere and clear language in our books that any unprejudiced and cultured person who reads them will see that Islam is the latest true religion, that it is agreeable with all modern sciences and understandings, that it does not contain any superstitions, and that its creed is based on the unity of Allah instead of a preposterous dogma called Trinity, and will presently believe in Islam. An attentive retrospection will reveal that belief in the unity of Allah is the basic and unchanged element in the succession of true religions, that, whenever a true religion was disfigured by people, Allâhu ta’âlâ sent a new Prophet ‘alaihis-salâm’ to restore it, and that Islam is the final, the most scientific, and the most consummate link in this chain of true religions. In this connection, the comparison made between Islam and Christianity by Is-haq Efendi of Harput, who occupies a few of the previous lines and a considerable amount of the following passages of our book, divulges the fact that the two religions share the same basic credal tenets and that Christianity was interpolated and defiled by Jews afterwards.
Another point that must be dwelt on is the comparison of Islam and Christianity on the ethical platform. A close study of this chapter of our book, reinforced with a scanning of the eighth chapter of Could Not Answer, another book we have published, will uncover the fact that the two religions treat the same subjects in identical manners and enjoin identical commandments on humanity. Today, if a Christian believes in one Allah instead of three gods and in Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’ the final Prophet, he will become a Muslim. Most of today’s common-sensed Christians reject the dogma of Trinity, provide various explanations to interpret this dogma, and believe in one Allah. A number of Christians have realized this fact and become Muslims willingly. These things are dealt with in the initial part of our book, under the caption Why Did They Become Muslims. Human soul is fed on religion. A person without a religion is identical with a body without a head. As the body needs to breathe, to eat and drink, likewise the soul needs religion to realize a perfect personality, to purify itself, and to attain peace. An irreligious person is no different from a machine or from an animal. Religion is the greatest element that makes man know his Allah, protects him against malpractice, clears his way, salves his brain, consoles him at times of affliction, gives him material and spiritual power, provides him respectability, honour and affection in society, and
protects him against the fire of Hell in the Hereafter.
By the time you finish reading this part of our book, you will see that all the heavenly religions are successions of one another, that the true unitarian religions which Allâhu ta’âlâ substituted for one another and renewed various times are actually one religion, one belief, that whenever a true religion sent by Allâhu ta’âlâ was interpolated by people it was corrected by the Prophets ‘alaihim-us-salâm’ appointed and sent by Allâhu ta’âlâ, and that the latest religion is Islam, which was brought by Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’.
The bitterest enmity against Islam is of British origin. For the British state policy is essentially based on the exploitation of the natural resources in Africa and in India, the employment of their inhabitants like beasts, and the transference of all their gains to Britain. People who have been honoured with Islam, which commands justice, mutual love and help, obviate the British cruelty and duplicity. On the other hand, the British government has established a Ministry of Colonies and is attacking Islam with inconceivably treacherous plans and with all their military and political forces. The confessions which Hempher, one of the thousands of male and female spies supervised by that ministry, made concerning his activities beginning in 1125 [1713 C.E.], explain a few of those heinous plans, which are an awful shame for humanity. These confessions were published in Arabic, in English and in Turkish by Hakîkat Kitabevi in 1991.[1]
The philomel for the roses blossoming in the garden of love,
The Hero Islam was awaiting with strong yearning,
The lover with his darling’s love burning to ashes;
Let the time that hath not seen thee bemoan!In knowledge and sagacity, thou art called ‘Sila’,[2]
For thou hast combined two main branches of knowledge.
Diving into that ocean that hath no end to reach,
Thou hast had the biggest share from the ocean of dhikr!
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[1] Confessions of A British Spy, 1991, Hakîkat Kitabevi, Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey.
[2] A nickname for Imâm-i-Rabbânî Mujaddid-i-elf-i-thânî ‘quddisa sirruh’ [d. 1034 (1624 C.E.), Serhend, India]. Please see The Proof of Prophethood, the English version of his book Ithbât-un-Nubuwwa. Letters from his valuable work Maktűbât occupy a major part of our book Endless Bliss. ‘Sila’ means ‘combiner’. He was called so because