Thursday, February 01, 2007
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
QUR’AN AND MODERN SCIENCE
shah@saba.com.my
Hand phone: 019 – 555 7770
Bismillahir Rohmanir Rohim. In the name of Almighty God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Alhamdulillahi Robbil ‘Alamin. All praise is due to Him alone, The Lord, Cherisher and Sustainer of the Universe.
The Chairperson, Distinguished Guests, Learned Speakers, Brothers and Sisters, I welcome you with the universal greeting of Islam; Assalamu’alaikum Warohmatullahi Wabarokatuh; May Peace, Blessing and Mercy of Almighty God be with you.
First of all I will like to thank the organisors for this invitation. The subject for this evening is “Islam and Modern Science”. This subject is basically divided into two parts. Firstly we have to compare our Holy Scriptures against Modern Science. Next we need to analyze whether they are compatible or incompatible.
This topic is timely and relevant. Today many people are of the opinion that science and religion cannot get along. They believe one would only progress if they were to follow science and would stay backwards if they were to follow religion. Is this true? The famous physicist and Nobel Prize winner, Albert Einstein once said; “Science without Religion is misguided and Religion without Science is blind”.
The Holy Scripture in Islam is the Qur’an. We Muslims believe that the Qur’an is of completely divine origin, being the verbatim words of God sent as guidance for all humankind. The Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the last and final revelation of God sent through the last and final prophet of God, Muhammad pbuh 1400 years ago.
The Qur’an is not the book of ‘science’ but it is the book of ‘signs’. The Qur’an contains more than 6000 signs or ayats of which no less than 1000 of it touches on scientific facts.
We all know that science sometime takes a u-turn. Therefore I would only be speaking on established scientific facts and not on theories or hypothesis, as they are not based on proofs but assumptions.
Let us analyze how the universe was created. We all know about the ‘Big Bang’, where the universe was once joined together as one big primary nebula. Then there was a big bang or explosion that resulted the formation of galaxies. These then divided to form the stars, planets, moons, satellites and the earth we live in. Scientist estimates that there are about 250 billion galaxies in the universe and each galaxy contains 300 billion stars!
The Qur’an speaks about the ‘Big Bang’ in 21:30 “Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and earth was once joined together (as one unit of creation) before We clove them asunder”.
In 1929, Edwin Hubble with the aid of a giant telescope discovered that the galaxies were moving further and further from the earth. Later some other scientists discovered that the galaxies were also moving further from one another. This proved that the universe is not stable but it is steadily expanding. Stephen Hawkins in his book ‘A brief history of time’ mentioned: “The discovery that the universe was expanding was one of the greatest intellectual revolutions of the 20th century”.
1400 years ago, before man even learnt how to build a telescope, the Qur’an mentions in 51:47 “For it is We who created the universe, which is steadily expanding”. If the universe is expanding with time then it means if we go back in time, the universe would be shrinking to a point of zero matter. Thus the universe must have been created from nothing; no matter, no time and no space! This also proofs that the universe didn’t exist by itself but was created by a Creator God. The Qur’an also mentions this fact in 6:101 “Allah is the originator of heavens and earth”. Science does not reject the existence of God the Creator of the universe but it rejects the models of gods (demigods). Translated in Arabic, it will read “La ilaha Ilallah” which means, “There is no god but Allah!”
For a long time European philosophers and scientist believed in the Geocentric concept, i.e.: the earth is in the centre of the universe and every thing in the universe including our sun moved around it. In 1512, Nicholas Copernicus put forward his Heliocentric Theory of Planetary Movement, i.e.; the sun is motionless in the centre of our solar system and the planets moved around it.
Today we know as a fact that the sun is not motionless but it also moves in its orbit around the centre of our Milky Way galaxy at the speed of 150 miles per second (720 000 Km per hour). It takes about 200 million years for the sun to complete one orbit. The Qur’an mentions in 36:40 “It is not permitted for the sun to catch up with moon, nor can the night outstrip the day, each (just) swims along in its own orbit (according to law)”.
It was only a few decades ago that we discovered the sun too rotates around its axes, which takes about 25 days to complete one rotation. Even this fact is also mentioned in the Qur'an in 21:33 “It is He who created the night and the day, and the sun and the moon, all swims along its rounded course”. The Arabic word used for ‘swim’ is ‘yasbahun’ which is derived from the word ‘sabaha’, which means ‘motion from a moving body’.
Previously mankind thought the earth was flat. They were afraid to sail too far lest they will reach the edge and fall. The first person to sail around the world was Sir Francis Drake in 1597. Only then people knew that the world was spherical.
1400 years ago, when the whole world thought that the earth was flat, the Qur’an gave the spherical description of the earth in several verses. In 31:29 “Allah merges night into day and He merges day into night”. Merging means that the night slowly and gradually changes into day and vice versa. This is only possible if the earth was spherical because if the earth was flat, there will be a sudden change from night to day.
Furthermore in 39:5 “He makes the night overlap the day and the day overlap the night”. The Arabic word used here is ‘kawara’ meaning to overlap or to coil, i.e. to coil a turban indicating the earth is spherical.
The exact shape of earth is mentioned in 79:30 “and He had made the earth egg shaped”. The Arabic word used here is ‘dahaha’ which comes from the root word ‘duhiya’ meaning ostrich egg. The earth is not perfectly spherical like a ball but it is little flat on the poles and slightly bulging in the centre. It is geospherical just like the shape of an ostrich egg.
Geologists tell us today that the radius of the earth is 3750 miles and the outer solid crust is very thin, ranging between 1 to 30 miles. The deeper layers are hot and fluid. The earth is just like an egg, which has a thin layer of solid shell on outside and inside is fluid. The earth spins around it axes at a speed of more than 1000 miles/hour. Imagine if we spin the egg at the speed of only 100 miles/hour, what will happen? The egg could not survive the pressure and it will explode. The earth too could not have survived if not for the fact that the mountains have been stabilizing the earth as well as acting as pegs which holds the earth crust together.
The Qur'an mentions about the mountains giving stability to earth in 21:31 “and We have set on the earth mountains standing firm, lest it should shake with them”. The Qur’an also mentions about the function of mountains as pegs in 78:6-7 “have We not made the earth as a wide expanse, and the mountains as pegs?”
The Qur’an says in 21:30 “We made from water every living thing”. Today with the help of advanced science equipments we come to know that cytoplasm, the basic substance in cell is made of 80% water. Research also has shown that most organisms contain 50% - 90% water. Every living thing needs water for its existence. Who could have known this fact 1400 years ago and that too in the desert of Arabia?
A group of Arab students collected all the verses in the Qur’an related to embryology, translated them into English and presented to Prof. (Dr) Keith Moore, who was the Professor of embryology and the Chairman of the Department of Anatomy in University of Toronto, Canada. Presently he is one of the highest authorities in the field of embryology. After carefully examining those verses, he said most of the verses from the Qur’an on embryology were in perfect conformity with modern discoveries in the field of embryology.
However there were few verses that he could not comment as science has not reach to that level. One such verse was from 96:1-2 “Proclaim! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, who created man out of alaq”. The Arabic word ‘alaq’ means clot of congealed blood or something that clings or leech like substance. Prof Keith Moore at that time didn’t know whether the embryo at initial stage looks like a leech. He took a diagram of leech and studied the embryo under a very powerful microscope. He was astonished at the striking resemblance between the two.
In 1981 during the 7th Medical Conference in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, Dr Moore said “it is clear to me that these statements must have come to Muhammad from God or Allah, because almost all of this knowledge was not discovered until many centuries later. This proves to me that Muhammad must have been a Messenger of God”.
The embryonic stages is accurately mentioned in the Qur’an in 23:14 “Then We made the sperm into ‘alaqah’ (a clot of congealed blood), then We made into ‘mudghah’ (foetus lump), this mudghah is transformed into ‘izam’ (bones) and cloth it with ‘lahm’ (flesh)”.
In this verse Allah states that the sperm is made into ‘alaqah’ (clot of congealed blood or something that clings or leech like substance). It is scientifically accepted that the embryo in initial stage looks like a leech, also looks like a clot of congealed blood and it also clings to the wall of uterus. Then it is made into mudghah (foetus lump) and transformed into ‘izam’ (bones) and clothed with ‘lahm’ (flesh or muscles). These stages are in perfect agreement with modern scientific discoveries!
The Qur’an says in 4:82 “Do they not consider the Qur’an (with care)? Had it been from other than God, they would surely have found therein much discrepancy.” For a scripture to claim that it is from a divine source there could not have been even a single discrepancy or contradiction in it. There are more than 1000 verses in the Qur’an that touches on science. About 80% of them have been proven to be correct and are in perfect agreement with modern science. The balance 20% cannot be proven to be correct or incorrect because modern science has not reached the level of the Qur’an!
There is not even a single verse of the Qur’an that goes against established scientific facts. On the contrary the Qur’an, which was revealed 1400 years ago contains profound scientific facts, that were yet to be discovered by humankind centuries later.
Any person who claims that he / she is logical, rational, scientific and honest will have no other choice but to admit that the Qur’an is the word of Almighty God! If the Qur’an is not the word of God, then you tell me who else could have written it 1400 years ago.
Some allege that Prophet Muhammad must have written the Qur’an with the help of other people. To disprove this allegation it is enough to say that it was impossible for any single human being at that time to have their own knowledge on all the scientific facts mentioned above.
Others may allege that the Qur’an have been copied from earlier scriptures. The point to note here is that there is not a single scripture of the past that mentions these scientific facts with such accuracy. On the contrary you will find many errors and contradictions in them.
There have also been claims that the Qur’an was written by Satan. Then why the Qur’an says in 4:119 “Whoever, forsaking God, takes Satan for a friend, has of a surety suffered a loss that is manifest”. In 24:21 “follow not Satan’s footsteps, if any will follow the footsteps of Satan, he will (but) command what is shameful and wrong”. If Satan were the author of Qur’an, why would the Satan condemn itself?
Tonight when you go home, you owe yourself at least to ponder on this truth; who else could be the author of the Qur’an if it was not Almighty God? The Qur’an says in 2:256 “truth stands out clear from falsehood” and in 17:81 “truth has arrived and falsehood perished; for falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish”.
We can go on and on but time does not permit me to do so. If you have any questions, do let me know and I will do my level best to answer them.
May Almighty God forgive me if I had done any mistakes. Everything good is from Almighty God and the shortcomings are mine alone. Thank you.
Women's Right In Islam
Prepared by Shah Kirit Bin Kakulal Govindji
E-Mail: language@tm.net.my
Hand phone: 019-555 7770
INTERFAITH FORUM – MMU CYBERJAYA, 5th MAC 2002
Bismillahir-Rohmaanir-rohiim. Alhamdulillahi Robbil ‘Alamin. Assolatu wassalam ‘ala Rasulillah wa ‘ala alihi wa ashabihi ajmain, ammabad. A’uzubillahi minash syaitoonir Rojim. Robbish rohli sadri, wa yassirli amri, wahlul ‘udatamillisani, yafqauhu qawli. Bismillahir rohmaanir rohim. Ud’u ila sabili robbika bil hikmah wamau’ ‘izotil hasanah wajadilhum billati hiya ahsan.
Chairperson, Distinguished Guests, Learned Speakers, Respected Elders, Brothers and Sisters, I welcome you with the universal greeting of Islam, Assalamu’alaikum Warohmatullahi wabarokatuh, may peace and blessing of Almighty God be with you all.
First of all, I will like to congratulate the organizers for initiating this interfaith forum on the subject ‘Women’s rights’. This will not only foster better understanding of other’s religions but more importantly I hope it will give us a correct understanding on the issue of women’s rights in our own religion based on authentic scriptures.
The subject for tonight is “Women’s rights according to the holy scriptures”. According to Oxford Dictionary, Women’s rights are the rights that promote a position of social and legal equality of women to men with regards to the right to vote, the right to property etc.
For the purpose of tonight’s forum, it is important that we discuss about these women’s rights based on our holy scriptures and not based on our own opinion or assumptions. Therefore I will be speaking of these women’s rights based on the holy scriptures of Islam, which are the Qur’an and Hadith i.e.; the sayings and the actions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
InshaAllah I will touch on women’s rights with regards to spiritual rights, economical rights, social rights, educational rights, legal rights and their political rights.
With regards to their spiritual rights, the Qur’an says in 4:124 “If any do deeds of righteousness – be they male or female – and have faith, they will enter heaven and not the least justice will be done to them”. In 49:13 “Verily the most honored in the sight of Allah is the Most righteous of you” - regardless whether you are male or female. In 33:35 “For believing man and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for man and women who give in charity, for man and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, for men and women who engage much in God’s praise – for them God has prepared forgiveness and great rewards”. This verse clearly specifies that both men and women have equal spiritual responsibilities.
Islam gave the economical rights to women 1300 years before the west. It was only in 1870 in England that West recognized the rights of married women to own or dispose any of her property without consultation. In Islam, an adult Muslim woman can own or dispose any of her property without consultation.
A Muslim woman is allowed to work if she wishes to work. There is not a single verse from the Qur’an or authentic Hadith that prevents or prohibits a woman to do any work that is lawful and within the preview of Islamic shariah. A true Muslim society requires women to take up profession such as doctors. We do need female gynecologist, female nurses, female teachers etc. Women are also allowed to do business and the best example I can give is Khadijah (mAbpwh) the wife of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). She was one of the most successful businessperson of her time.
In Islam a woman has no financial obligations! All financial obligations are laid on the shoulders of men in the family. Before the woman is married, it is the duty of the father and the brothers to look after her needs such as food, shelter, clothing etc. and once she is married it becomes the duty of the husband and her sons. In genuine cases where two ends do not meet and there is financial crisis, the woman has the option to work but absolutely on her own free will. I use to say to my wife; ‘my money is my money and your money but your money is only your money’.
When a woman gets married, she is also on the receiving end. For a marriage to solemnize in Islam, ‘Maher’ or dowry is compulsory to be given to the woman. It is mentioned in 4:4 “Give the woman in dowry, a marital gift”. There is no upper or lower limit for dowry.
Let us analyze the social rights of women such as the rights of the daughter, wife and mother in Islam. Firstly let us look at the rights of the daughters. Islam prohibits infanticide, the killing of female children. It was a common practice in pre-Islamic Arabia for female children to be buried alive. It is mentioned in 81: 8-9 “When the female child is buried alive and when she questions you for what crime was she killed”.
Female infanticide is still common among some of the societies in this world today for example in China and India. In places like Rajasthan and Tamilnadu in India, you can find advertisement such as ‘Spend Rp 500 and save Rp 500,000’ suggesting spend Rp 500 on ultra sonography to identify the sex of the child. If it is a female child you can abort it and save Rp 500,000 in upbringing her and the money you spend for dowry. It is a common practice among the Indian where the woman has to give a hefty dowry to the man in marriage. According to a BBC report in a programme titled ‘Let her die’, gave the statistic that 3000 fetuses are aborted a day in India on being identified as female, which is more than a million a year! According to the report from Tamilnadu Government Hospital, out of ten female children born, four are put to death!
Islam also prohibits for rejoicing at the birth of a male child and being saddened at the birth of a female child. In 16:58-59 “When news is brought to one of them on the birth of a female child, his face darkens and is filled with inward grief! He hides in shame from his people for the news he has received”.
In the Hadith of Ahmad, the prophet has said that “Anyone who brings up two daughters properly, on the Day of Judgment they will be like this to me” indicating they will be very close to the prophet.
Let’s look into the rights of a wife in Islam. All previous civilizations considered women to be the instrument of devil but the Qur’an refers to woman as ‘Mohsana’, which means fortress against devil. When a good woman marries a man, she prevents the husband from going to the wrong path and keeps him on the straight path - ‘Siratul Mustaqeem’.
Islam forbids monasticism and it is mentioned in S.B. 7:3:4 “Those who has the means to marry, they should marry – for it will help them to lower their gaze and guard their modesty”.
The Qur’an says in 4:19 “You are forbidden to inherit woman against their will”. Therefore the permission of both the male and female are required in a marriage. A father cannot force his daughter to marry against her wishes.
In S.B. 7:43:69 “A lady was forced by her father to marry against her will – and she went to see the prophet (pbuh) and the prophet invalidated the marriage”.
Another Hadith in Ibn Hanbal Hadith # 2469 “A daughter was forced by her father to get married – and when the daughter approached the prophet (pbuh), he said she can either continue or invalidate the marriage”.
The Qur’an says in 2:187 “Your wives are your garments and you are their garments”. Garments are used to conceal and beautify. Similarly husbands and wives should conceal one another’s mistakes and beautify each other.
4:19 “Treat your wife on a footing of equity and kindness even if you dislike her, for you may be disliking a thing which Allah has made good for you.
The only act above respect to mother is the worship of Allah swt. The Qur’an says in 4:1 “Respect the womb that bore you”. It further says in 46:15, 6:151 and 31:14 “You have to be kind to your parents”.
Let’s analyze the educational rights of the woman in Islam. The first verse that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was 96:1 “Read, proclaim or recite in the name of thy Lord”. The first guidance that was ordained by Almighty God to mankind, both male and female was not to pray, fast or give in charity but it was to read! Islam pays the utmost importance to education.
It is reported in S.B. “The women once approached Prophet Muhammad and said; ‘you are usually surrounded by men, why don’t you give us one particular day so we too can ask you questions’ – and the prophet agreed”.
Aishah the wife of the prophet (mAbpwh) has herself narrated no less than 2210 hadiths. She has also guided all the four caliphs. She has taught no less than 88 scholars. In present day example, she was not only a professor but she was the professor of the professors! She was also an expert in the field of medicine and mathematics.
There are several other examples in Islam where women held high positions in society as far as knowledge was concern. Safiya was an expert in the field of fiqh i.e. Islamic Jurisprudence. Umm Salma has taught no less than 32 scholars. Saeeda Nafisa the grand daughter of Hassan was also been said to have taught Imam Shafie.
With respect to the legal rights of women, Islamic law protects the life and property of both male and female. The Qur’an says in 5:30 “As to the thief, whether he be man or woman, cut of his or her hand as a punishment for the crime, an example from Allah”.
24:2 “If any commits fornications, be it man or woman, flog them with 100 stripes”. Imagine Islam gave both male and female equal legal rights 1400 years ago when it was common for a man who committed a murder, he can put his wife to replace him for the death penalty.
In 24:4 “If any of you put a charge against the chastity of a woman, produce four witnesses, and if they falter flog them with 80 stripes”. For small crimes in Islam you require 2 witnesses while for a big crime 4 witnesses are required. Accusing a woman falsely in Islam is considered as a big crime, therefore you require 4 witnesses. See how much Islam protects the good name of women!
For the political rights of women, Islam gave women the rights to vote some 1400 years ago. They too can take part in the process of law making. In 60:12 “O prophet when the believing women come to thee with an oath of fealty”. The Arabic word used here is ‘Bayan’ where the women came to the prophet and they agreed with him being the head of the state. According to a famous hadith: “Caliph Omar was having discussion with several companions and was considering of putting an upper limit for the dowry since young men were discourage from getting married. A lady from the back seat objected and quoted 4:20 ‘You can even give a heap of treasure, a heap of gold in dowry’. She said when the Qur’an doesn’t put any upper limit on dowry then who is Omar to put a limit? Immediately Caliph Omar said: ‘Omar was wrong and the lady is right’.
We can continue talking about various rights Islam has given to women for several days altogether but time does not permit me to do so now. Anyway I will like to end by narrating two hadiths that clearly shows how high has Islam elevated the status of women. According to a hadith related by Ahmad in Ibn Majah “ Paradise lies at the feet of the mother”. This does not mean that every step that my mother takes in the street, the rocks and soil becomes paradise.
In S.B. 8:2:2 “A man approached and asked prophet Muhammad (pbuh): ‘Who deserves most my love, attention and companionship’? The prophet replied ‘your mother’. The man asked ‘after that who’? The prophet said ‘your mother’. The man asked ‘after that who’? Again the prophet replied ‘Your mother’. The man asked again ‘after that who’ and the prophet replied ‘Your father’. In short the gold medal, silver medal and the bronze medal goes to the mother and the father has to be satisfied with the consolation prize!
Perbandingan Agama Kristian Dengan Agama Islam
No. Telefon : 012 921 0007
Mengenal Agama Kristian
Sejarah Agama Kristian
Agama Kristian berkisar tentang perjalanan hidup nabi Isa a.s atau Jesus Christ. Maka apabila kita berbicara tentang sejarah agama Kristian kita sebenarnya menyentuh mengenai perjalanan hidup Jesus Christ. Oleh demikian maka sejarah agama Kristian terbahagi kepada tiga era iaitu:
2. Era sewaktu kehadiran Jesus Christ
3. Era selepas kehadiran Jesus Christ
1. Era Sebelum Kehadiran Jesus Christ.
Oleh kerana Jesus Christ dikatakan berketurunan Yahudi dan telah dihantar oleh tuhan khusus untuk kaumnya, maka era sebelum kehadiran Jesus adalah era yang mengesahkan tentang kaumnya. Kaum Yahudi adalah pengikut nabi Musa a.s atau Moses yang diturunkan kitab Taurat kepadanya. Kitab Taurat mengandungi hukum hakam dan syariat nabi Musa a.s yang diperintahkan tuhan kepada bani Israel. Oleh kerana jarak waktu diantara nabi Musa a.s dan Jesus Christ melebihi ribuan tahun, maka tidak hairanlah jika sepanjang tempoh itu berlaku penyelewengan dan korupsi terhadap hukum Taurat oleh bani Israel.
Berikutan penyelewengan dan korupsi yang berlaku itu, kemungkaran, kemaksiatan, kelalaian dan kejahilan kian berleluasa di dalam masyarakat bani Israel. Bani Israel ketika itu bebas mengingkari perintah tuhan. Mereka telah jauh menyimpang daripada perintah tuhan. Berlatar belakang persekitaran kemungkaran inilah nabi Isa a.s atau Jesus Christ telah di turunkan oleh tuhan kepada bani Israel untuk mengembalikan mereka ke jalan yang benar.
Jesus Christ telah dilahirkan di Palestin. Ibu beliau Siti Mariam ialah seorang anak dara. Kisah hidup Jesus Christ ketika kecil tidak banyak diketahui kerana tidak ada catatan mengenainya. Mengikut Al-Kitab, nubuwah (kerasulan) Jesus Christ bermula ketika beliau berumur 30 tahun. Beliau dikatakan gigih berkhutbah dan berceramah di rumah ibadat kaum Yahudi sama ada di kuil ataupun di sinagog. Khutbah-khutbah beliau pada ketika itu banyak mengajak kaum yahudi agar kembali kepada cara hidup dan ajaran yang diajar oleh nabi Musa a.s. Seruan beliau itu diterima baik oleh kaumnya yang selama ini tidak senang dengan gelagat para ulama Yahudi yang telah menyeleweng dan menyimpang jauh dari ajaran nabi Musa a.s yang sebenar
Justeru itu, pengaruh Jesus Christ berkembang dengan cepat sehingga para ulama Yahudi berasa kedudukan serta pengaruh mereka tercabar dan terancam. Mereka tidak dapat menghalau Jesus Christ daripada berkhutbah di dalam Sinagog kerana apa yang disampaikan oleh beliau adalah berpandukan kepada ajaran sebenar agama Yahudi. Lalu secara diam-diam para ulama Yahudi telah mengatur langkah untuk menghapuskan Jesus Christ. Oleh kerana para ulama Yahudi tidak ada kuasa untuk menangkap, mendakwa dan menjatuhkan hukuman bunuh ke atas Jesus Christ, maka mereka telah mempengaruhi pihak berkuasa Rom yang memerintah jajahan Palestin ketika itu untuk menangkap Jesus Christ dengan alasan bahawa Jesus Christ adalah seorang aktivis yang berbahaya di kalangan kaumnya. Pihak berkuasa Rom yang amat prihatin dengan kestabilan tanah jajahan mereka telah berjaya dipedaya oleh hasutan para ulama Yahudi kerana takut akan adanya rampasan kuasa jika pengaruh Jesus Christ semakin merebak. Lanjutan daripada itu, pihak berkuasa telah berusaha untuk menangkap Jesus Christ.
Mengikut catatatan gereja, Jesus Christ telah berjaya ditangkap oleh pihak berkuasa Rom pada tengah malam Jumaat tahun ketiga kerasulan beliau. Akibat daripada penangkapan itu Jesus Christ dikatakan dijatuhkan hukum mati disalib pada petang Jumaat. Peristiwa ini dirayakan oleh penganut Kristian sebagai hari 'Good Friday.' Orang Kristian juga percaya bahawa Jesus Christ telah dihidupkan semula oleh tuhan pada hari Ahad yang berikutnya. Hari kebangkitan Jesus ini disambut oleh penganut Kristian sebagai hari ' Easter .' Empat puluh hari kemudian Jesus dikatakan telah diangkat naik kelangit. Sehingga hari ini Jesus dikatakan sedang berada disebelah tangan kanan tuhannya. Beliau dikatakan juga akan datang kembali diakhir zaman. Sementara itu pengikut beliau menunggu kepulangan beliau dengan penuh setia. Mereka beranggapan bahawa akhir zaman yang dijanjikan oleh Jesus amat hampir sekali.
Setelah berjaya memisahkan Jesus Christ daripada pengikutnya, para ulama Yahudi menumpukan pula usaha mereka terhadap pembasmian para pengikut Jesus. Salah seorang ulama Yahudi yang paling taksub memerangi Jesus dan pengikutnya ialah Saul@Paul. Paul merupakan orang yang paling digeruni kerana kekejamannya yang melampau terhadap para pengikut ajaran Jesus.
Namun begitu, tujuh tahun selepas ketiadaan Jesus, Paul tiba-tiba bertukar kem dengan menyertai gerakan ajaran Jesus. Pada mulanya penyertaan Paul diragui ramai.
Bagaimanapun beliau turut diajak oleh seorang murid Jesus yang bernama Barnabas untuk menyertai rombongan dakwah. Setelah berdakwah beberapa ketika, Paul menjadi terkenal dan semakin diterima ramai.
Paul memanfaatkan kesempatan ini dengan sepenuhnya untuk menyampaikan suatu ajaran yang mengejutkan.Tiba-tiba Paul mendakwa bahawa Jesus ialah anak tuhan yang mati untuk menebus dosa semua manusia. Paul juga mengajar bahawa semua manusia telah mewarisi dosa daripada manusia pertama iaitu Adam. Mengikut Paul lagi, sesiapa yang percaya kepada ketuhanan Jesus dan kepada kerja Jesus menebus dosa akan mendapat jalan keselamatan didunia dan diakhirat. Ajaran Paul inilah yang menjadi asas kepercayaan agama Kristian. Semenjak itu sesiapa yang mengikut iktikad Paul dikenali sebagai orang-orang Kristian.
Saranan Paul mendapat tentangan yang hebat daripada pengikut ajaran Jesus. Barnabas terus memutuskan hubungan dengan Paul kerana Jesus tidak pernah mengajar sedemikian. Apabila para pengikut ajaran Jesus menolak ajaran Kristian, Paul mengalih pula dakwahnya kepada golongan Yahudi yang membenci Jesus. Bagaimanapun beliau gagal lagi kerana agama Yahudi ialah agama tauhid dan tidak menerima konsep dosa warisan. Akhirnya Paul terpaksa menjaja ajarannya kepada orang-orang musyrikin. Untuk tujuan tersebut Paul menghalalkan semua makanan serta menghapuskan syarat berkhatan, sekaligus mengenepikan ajaran Taurat. Taktik Paul itu berjaya menarik ramai orang-orang yang bukan berketurunan Israil sehingga melebehi jumlah pengikut ajaran Jesus. Secara tak langsung pengaruh ajaran Paul bersebar dengan pesat kerana jumlah penganutnya yang ramai dan meluas berbanding jumlah penganut Yahudi dan gerakan Jesus.
Pengikut ajaran Paul atau lebih dikenali sebagai penganut Kristian bertemu secara berjemaah. Jemaah-jemaah ini kemudian dikenali sebagai gereja. Gereja-gereja ini berkembang dengan pesat didalam jajahan Rom apabila maharaja Rom yang bernama Konstantin bersikap lebih toleran terhadap penduduk Kristian.
Pada tahun 325 sifat Jesus dan sifat ketuhanan hangat dipersoalkan dikalangan pemimpin gereja sehingga suatu Majlis para ulama Kristian terpaksa diadakan di Nicaea. Majlis tersebut mengisytiharkan Jesus sebagai tuhan. Untuk menambahkan lagi kekuatan terhadap keputusan tersebut arahan juga dibuat untuk menghimpun dan membukukan tulisan-tulisan yang sealiran temanya. Hasilnya ialah Al-Kitab yang diterima pakai dengan resminya pada tahun 385.
Bagaimanapun sifat ketuhanan didalam agama Kristian tetap dibahaskan juga oleh para paderi. Maka pada tahun 451 sifat ketiga-esaan tuhan agama Kristian ditetapkan di Chalcedon.
Didalam tahun 1024 gereja Barat yang berpusat di Rom berpisah dengan gereja Timor atau Otodoks yang berpusat di Iskandariah. Puncanya ialah percanggahan pendapat tentang tuhan Ruhul Kudus. Sebenarnya gereja Otodoks sudah lama tidak senang dengan sistem gereja Barat.
Perpecahan gereja yang kedua berlaku didalam tahun 1500 apabila seorang paderi German yang bernama Martin Luther memprotes karenah gereja di Rom mengaitkan kutipan pembiayaan pembesaran gereja Rom dengan penebusan dosa. Akibat protes beliau maka tertubuhlah gereja Protestan yang menganggap gereja Roman Katolik sebagai sesat.
Tidak berapa lama kemudian gereja di England pula berpisah dengan gereja Rom lalu menubuhkan gereja Anglikan. Lanjutan daripada itu bercambahlah ratusan gereja-gereja Protestan seperti gereja Baptis, Metodis, Sidang Injil Borneo, Seventh Day Adventist, Preybestryian dan lain-lain. Gereja Katolik pula hanyalah satu.
Kebanyakan penganut Kristian yang berjumlah melebihi 2 bilion merupakan pengikut Protestan. Di Malaysia pula penganut Katolik kebanyakannya terdapat di Melaka, Lembah Kelang, Sabah dan Sarawak.
Umum diketahui suatu usaha untuk menyatukan gereja-gereja didunia telah bermula di tahun-tahun akhir sebelum alaf baru. Semangat alaf baru yang didorong oleh harapan kedatangan kembali Jesus Christ mengeratkan lagi kerjasama diantara gereja-gereja di dunia. Sehubungan dengan itu juga kerjasama menyebar ajaran Kristian dipertingkatkan dengan hebatnya diseluruh dunia agar mereka tidak mengecewakan Jesus Christ kalau beliau muncul dengan tiba-tiba.
Icon of the Muslim World Ustaad Sheikh Ahmed Deedat has passed away
Dipetik daripada http://www.ahmed-deedat.co.za/frameset.asp.
A message on behalf of Trustees, Director and Staff of IPCI
Early this morning, 8 August 2005 / 2 Rajab 1426, Sheikh Ahmed Hoosen Deedat passed on to meet his Creator. This was after succumbing to a severe stroke that left him paralysed for more than nine years.Throughout this period, he gracefully persevered under the most difficult personal conditions; however, not forgetting his task as a daee (Islamic worker) and an ambassador of Islam, he continued to inspire, educate, challenge and inform people about the universal message of Islam.It is on this solemn occasion of his demise that we salute the courageous spirit and phenomenal work of this world-renowned personality, a hero of the Muslim World, nay, a true hero of believers all around the globe!
Brief Biography of Sheikh Deedat
Sheikh Ahmed Hoosen Deedat was Born on the 01 July 1918 in the Surat district of India in 1918. His father emigrated to South Africa in 1927 with him. Ahmed Deedat was a very bright student and excelled in school. Lack of finance interrupted his schooling and at an early age of 16 he took on the first of many jobs in retailing and short assistant.
After reading a book called Izharul Haq – The Truth revealed, a book about a debate with Christian Missionaries in the then British India, Sheikh Deedat was spurred on in the direction of Dawah – Islamic Missionary Activity to halt the tide of the then Christian onslaught against Islam.
Over the next four decades, he immersed himself into a host of activities. Conducting Bible classes, lectures and debates the world over. He established the first Islamic Seminary in Southern Africa to train propagators at Assalaam educational Institute - Braemar.
He is the founder of the largest Islamic Dawah Organization in the world, the Islamic Propagation Center International and became its president.
He has published more than 20 books and distributed millions of copies of FREE literature and pamphlets the world over. Many of Sheikh Deedat’s publications have been translated into the many different languages of the world : Russian, Urdu, Arabic, Bengali, Bangladeshi, French, Amharic, Chinese, Japanese, Mayalam, Indonesian,, Zulu , Afrikaans, Dutch, Norwegian amongst others.
He delivered thousands of lectures all over the world, crossing all the continents and successfully engaging some of the biggest names in Christian evangelists in public debates. Sheikh Deedat’s debates and lectures are available all over the world in the various languages in Video and DVD format.
His career in the field of Comparative Religion took him across all five continents and dialogue with the heads of the Protestant world in America and the late Pope John Paul.
So fearless was his stand in defending the truth that Sheikh Deedat was refused entry into France and Nigeria on the pretext that ‘ he would cause a civil unrest’.
Sheikh Deedat also received a personal phone call at the IPCI from former President Nelson Mandela who was in Saudi Arabia at the time, congratulating Deedat for his international icon status in the Muslim World.
He was awarded the prestigious King Faisal Award in 1986 for his sterling services to Islam in the field of Propagation.
May Almighty Allah bless his soul, accept his efforts for the cause of da’wah and grant gracious patience to his loved ones during this trying time.
His funeral will leave his house 49 Trevenen Road, Lotusville Verulam at 5 pm. Proceeding to the Wick Street Musjid and after Magrib Salah / Prayer , he will be laid to rest in the Verulam Muslim Cemetery.Monday, August 08, 2005
CONCEPT OF GOD IN HINDUISM
Prepared by Shah Kirit Bin Kakulal Govindji
E-Mail: language@tm.net.my
Hand phone: 019-555 7770
CONCEPT OF GOD IN HINDUISM
Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. Indeed, most Hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in multiple gods. While some Hindus believe in the existence of three gods, some believe in thousands of gods and some others in 330 million gods. However, learned Hindus, who are well versed in their scriptures, insist that a Hindu should believe and worship only one God.
The major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim perception of God is the common Hindus belief in the philosophy of Pantheism. Pantheism considers everything, living and non-living, to be Divine and sacred. The common Hindu, therefore, considers everything as God. He considers the trees as God, the moon as God, the monkey as God, the snake as God and even human beings as manifestations of God!
Islam, on the contrary, exhorts man to consider himself and his surroundings as examples of Divine Creation rather than as divinity itself. Muslims therefore believe that everything is God’s i.e. the word `God’ with an apostrophe `s’. In other words the Muslims believe that everything belongs to God. The trees belong to God, the sun belongs to God, the moon belongs to God, the monkey belongs to God, the snake belongs to God, the human beings belongs to God and everything in this universe belongs to God.
Thus the major difference between the Hindu and the Muslim beliefs is the difference of the apostrophe ‘s’. The Hindu says everything is G-o-d. The Muslim says everything is G-o-d-’s. If the Muslims and the Hindus can work out on the difference of apostrophe ‘s’, then the Muslims and the Hindus can become closer, InsyaAllah.
To gain a better understanding on the concept of God in Hinduism, let us analyse the Hindu scriptures.
The most popular amongst all the Hindu scriptures is the Bhagavad Gita. Consider the following verse from the Gita;
“Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.” [Bhagavad Gita 7:20]
“Ekam evadvitiyam”
“He is One only without a second” [Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]1
“Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah.”
“Of Him there are neither parents nor lord.” [Svetasvatara Upanishad 6:9]2
“Na tasya pratima asti”
“There is no likeness of Him” [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19]3
“Na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam.”
“His form is not to be seen, no one sees Him with the eye.”
[Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:20]4
“Na tasya pratima asti”
“There is no image of Him” [Yajurveda 32:3]5
“Shudhama poapvidham”
“He is bodiless and pure” [Yajurveda 40:8]6
“Andhatama pravishanti ye asambhuti mupaste”
“They enter darkness, those who worship the natural elements” (Air, water, fire, etc.).
“They sink deeper in darkness, those who worship sambhuti (created things; table, chair, idol etc.).” [Yajurveda 40:9]7
“Sages (learned priests) call one God by many names.” [Rigveda 1:164:46]
Among the various attributes of God in [Rigveda 2:1:3];
Brahma, which means ‘The Creator’ or ‘Khaliq’ in Arabic.
Vishnu, which means ‘The Sustainer’ or ‘Rabb’ in Arabic.
Muslims can have no objections if Almighty God is referred to as
‘Khaliq’ - ‘The Creator’ - ‘Brahma’ or ‘Rabb’ - ‘The Sustainer’ - ‘Vishnu’.
However if it is said that Brahma is Almighty God who has four heads or Vishnu who has four arms, the Muslims take strong exception to it. Muslims can never accept any image of God.
As mentioned earlier, this also goes against [Svetasvatara Upanishad 4:19] and [Yajurveda 32:3];
“Na tasya pratima asti”
“There is no image of Him”.
“Ma cid anyad vi sansata sakhayo ma rishanyata”
“O friends, do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One. Praise Him alone.” [Rigveda 5:1:81]8
Brahma Sutra of Hinduism:
“Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste Kinchan”
“There is only one God, not the second;
Not at all, not at all, not in the least bit”.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. [The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 447 and 448]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 1 ‘The Upanihads part 1’ page 93]
2. [The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 745]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15 ‘The Upanihads part II’ page 263]
3. [The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 736 and 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15 ‘The Upanihads part II’ page 253]
4. [The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan page 737]
[Sacred Books of the East, volume 15 ‘The Upanihads part II’ page 253]
5. [Yajurveda by Devi Chand M.A. page 377]
6. [Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T.H. Griffith 538]
7. [Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T.H. Griffith 538]
8. [Rigveda Samhita vol. 9 pages 2810 and 2811 by Swami Satya Prakash Sarasvati and Satyakam Vidyalankar]
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
THE HINDU RELIGION EXPOSED
Brahmins always criticize, condemn and mock at other religions Their criticism and mocking is unreasonable and unacceptable.
In his autobiography, Dr Charles , an American scholar says that it is very simple to define a Hindu. He says a Hindu means "one who believes in anything and everything if said in the name of god and shall never question its authenticity".
The Brahmins claim that Lord Rama is incarnated (came in human form) to study and understand the difficulties of mankind. Is it really necessary for a god to incarnate Himself?? Can he not understand the creation? Why should God become a donkey or a cockroach in order to understand the sufferings of these creatures?
Lord Rama
Lord Rama is the central character to the Epic RAMAYAN (whose author was Valmiki) Rama is the son of Dasharath, the king of Banaras. Dasharath had three wives, kaushalya, kaikeyi and Smitra besides several hundreds concubines.
According to the Ramayana, Rama spent most of his life trying to save his wife, Sita from the clutches of Ravan At the same time Rama was enjoying life to the full at every opportunity.
How Rama was Fooled by Sukrievan
When god Rama was exiled to the forest together with his wife, sukrievan appeared as deer and fooled god Rama. Although Rama was a "god", he was not able to see through Sukreivan's disguise!
12 Years for Rama, but One day to Ravan
To retrieve his wife from Devil Ravan, god Rama sought the help of Hanuman, a monkey god. Hanuman agreed to help Rama bring his wife back on condition that god Rama in turn help him (Hanuman) to kill his twin brother prior to undertaking the mission.
I took more than twelve years for Hanuman to build a bridge and accomplish the task while Ravan just took Sita and flew to Sri lanka in just one day's time Where is the bridge that Rama built?? Who is more powerful - God Rama or Devil Ravan ? Would a god seek the help of another god to murder a third god?
If Hanuman could fly carrying big mountains, he should have in the first instance carried and flown god Rama to Sri Lanka, which would have resulted in early rescue of Sita.
Who knows what Ravan might have done to Sita during this period of twelve years? Definitely a devil would have done only "devilish" things!
Before helping god Rama, Hanuman made Rama shoot his own twin brother in the back and only then did Hanuman help god Rama How can a "god" indulge in such a criminal act for personal gain?
When God Rama was told to go to forest, he mournfully revealed to is mother: "if has been ordained that I have to lose the kingdom, forego the princely comforts and the tasty, MEAT DISHES. (Ayodha Kandam, 20, 26, 94th Chapters).
Rama's Many Wives
Mr. C.R. Sreenivasa lyengar's translation of Valmiki Ramayana says: " Though Rama had married Sita to be the queen, he married many other wives for sexual pleasure in accordance with the royal customs. (Ayodha Kandam 8th Chapter, page 28). (The term "Rama's wives" as been used in many places in Ramayan).
Rama’s Disrespect for his Father
Rama called his father " A FOOL, AN IDIOT" (Ayodhya Kandam, 53rd Chapter).
Rama's Contempt for Women and Low Castes
Rama disfigured and mutilated many women by cutting off her noses, breasts, ears etc., and tortured them (Soorpanaki, Ayomuki).
Rama said, "Women should not be trusted" and that "Secrets should not be confided to the wife" (Ayodhya kandam, Chapter 100).
Sambuka was slain (by Rama) because he was making penance which was forbidden to him by Vedas as he was a "Shudra" (Uttara kanadam, Chapter 76).
Looking at is hand Rama said the Sanskirt slogan "O right hand, you kill this Asche Shudra unhesitatingly as killing this Shudra is the only way to get back the life of the deceased Brahmin boy."
Rama’s Death
Rama , like an ordinary man, fell down into the river and was DROWNED. (Uttara Kandam, Chapter 106). How can a "god die? Who will then look after the affairs of the world?
What Leaders say about Lord Rama
"My Rama (god Rama) is not the Rama of Ramayana". Mahatma Gandhi
"The Ramayana and Mahabaratha are nothing but another Arabian Nights Story" Jawaharlal Nehru
"Rama is not a god; but he is a hero" Rajagopalachari, First Governor-General of India and a great Brahmin leader.
"Ramayan is not a divine story; it is only a literature" (Kaliyuga Kamban, T.K. Chidambaranatha Mudaliar). Babri Masjid was demolished by Rama Bhatkas claiming that it was his birth place.
Lord Krishna was very fond of looking at naked young girls. Once upon a time Krishna, in order to get a full view of some bathing virgin girls, went to the extent of hiding their clothes on the tree top just to get a panoramic view. Does he have divine immunity from looking at naked women?
The Gita, a Holy book of the Hindus, quotes that when these bathing low caste girls begged for the return of their clothes, Lord Krishna demanded that they come out of the water with their hands raised instead of covering their bodies.
Oh my innocent Hindu brethren! Can this action be attributed to god? Is this God capable of indulging in such ungodly acts? Will Hindu mothers tolerate their son imitating god Krishna??
The Riddle of Krishna and Rama
The "Times of India" reported on 12-11-87 that the Education Department, Government of Maharashtra, had published a book called "The Riddles of Hinduism" by Dr. Ambedkar.
The report said that various statements contained in the book aroused the ire of some Brahmins, particularly the author's observation on Rama & Dasharth's many wives and also Krishna's moral character. (The Riddles of Rama and Krishna is available from Dalit Saithya Academy, Bangalore-3).
God Shiva, Lord Ganesh & Goddess Parvathi
According to Hinduism, god Shiva's head is the source of the river Ganges and his head is also the place where the moon is located (if this was really a fact then why should America send astronaut Neil Armstrong 240,000 miles away to the moon)
According to Puranas, goddess Parvathi, wife of God Shiva, sought Shivas's permission to have a baby When Shiva refused, Paravathi took dirt from her body and created Lord Ganesh. (The late E.V.R. Preiyar used to call this god a "bundle fo dirt").
Later God Shiva mistakenly chopped off his own son's head. How could a god make such a foolish mistake? Would such a god solve your problems or make them more complicated?
To rectify his error God Shiva severed the head of baby elephant and transplanted in onto his son who then become known as the Elephant headed god. His statues are usually found near river-sides where he is said to be looking for a bride resembling his mother! (There is a different version to this story which, for decency's sake, cannot be printed here).
A recent report by the press trust of India stated that during the past three years more than 2,500 young boys and girls were sacrificed to goddess kali in India An AFP's recent reports say: Hundreds of young boys and virgin girls are sacrificed every month for the deity Kali. In one case Rama Sewak hacked his eight year old son to death in broad daylight in Delhi becuase Godess Kali had told him he woudl come back to life and bring him good fortune. Bloot-thirsy kali is worshipped opnely in te length and breadth of India.
Kali's statue stands naked aside the inanimate body of the Hindu deity Siva, tongue stuck out with blood dripping from fang-like teeth. She holds a noose, a skull-topped staff, a blood-encrusted sword and a severed head. She is also known as Durga, Devi, Shaktima, Uma and Parvathi in manifestations.
Pornography in Ramayana
Ramanaya also recounts the story of king Dasaratha who, in order to have a baby son, made a big sacrifice (yagam) of sheep, cattle, horses, birds and snakes. He then delivered his three wives Kaushaliya, Sumatirai and Kaikeyi to three priests. These holy men, having fully satisfied their carnal desire, returned the ladies to the king. By this means, the king was able to have three sons-Ram, Lakshman and Bharat (Bala Kandam, Chapter 14. For more details on yagam, refer to the book "Gnana Surian", published by the kudi Arasu Press.)
Does it mean Rama was born to a Brahmin?
The Ramayana tells us much about the unlawful relationship of incest but we do not feel it appropriate or decent for ut to go in details (Please refer to Aranya Kandam, chapter 45 verses 122, 123, 124, & 125).
The following Aryan practices will reveal how immorality and indecency are sanctified in the name of Hinduism.
Lingam and Youni
Lingam and Yoni in Sanskrit means the male and female sexual organs respectively. Hindus are allowed to worship anything - including sexual organs. It is not unknown for them to name their children as Shiva Lingam (God Shiva's sexual organ) or Rama Lingam (God Rama's sexual organ), (in some places in Karnataka, the gods demand both male and females to pray naked together).
Devadasi (Religious Prostistution)
The Devadasi system was set up, according to a Times of India report (10-11-87), as a result of conspiracy between the feudal class and the priests (Brahmins). The latter, with their ideological and religious hold over the peasants and craftsmen, devised a means that gave prostitution their religious sanction. Poor low-caste Hindu girls, initially sold at private auctions, were later "dedicated" to the temples. They were then initiated in to prostitution Even to this day this religious prostitution blessed by Hindu religion is still alive in Karnataka and Maharashtra.
The Kamasutra
Brahmins has also created Kamasutra - a set of instructions on how to have sexual intercourse. Some of the postures detailed in Kamasutra are so complex that they can only be performed with the help of one or more ASSISTANTS!
Some Hindu temples have stone carvings of Kamasutra sexual poses and Hindus worship them.
The Devadasi System Thrives
UNI. - TIMES OF INDIA - 10th Nov 1987: confirms that the practice of dedication young Harijan (Hindu) girls (Mahars, Mangs, Dowris and Chambhar) at childhood to a goddess, and their initiation into prostitution when they attain puberty continues to thrive in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and other parts of South India. This is largely due to social backwardness, poverty and illiteracy, according to a study by two doctors of the India Health Organization.
The report clearly indicates that the Devadasi system was the result of a conspiracy between the feudal class and the priests (Brahmins) who with their ideological and religious hold over the peasants and craftsmen, devised a practice which acquired religious sanctions. They noted in their study on - "Devadasis" - "the link between religious culture and child prostitution".
The study revealed that girls from poor Hindu families were sold after puberty at private auctions to a master who initially paid a sum of money to the families ranging from 500 to Rs. 5,000.
The study, made during health camps organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Devadasi populated areas, revealed that the dedicated girls formed 15 percent of the total women involved in prostitution in the country, and as much as 70 percent of the prostitutes in the border districts of Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Lord Rama says do not trust Women
Lord Rama is in harmonious agreement with Manusmrti 7:145-153. While lecturing his brother Bharata on how to govern the kingdom, Lord Rama says women are not trustworthy creatures:
"[Rama:] 'Do you keep your womenfolk pacified? Are they duly protected by you? I hope you do not repose excessive faith in them and do not confide your secrets to them.' " -- Ramayana 2:100.
Hinduism and Caste
Caste (varna):
Brahmin = Priest Caste;
Ksatriya = Rajanya/Ruler/Warrior Caste;
Vaisya = Commoner Caste;
Sudra = Servant/Slave Caste; and
Avarna = Outcaste/Untouchable/Dalit/Candala/Dog-eater.
There are also many subsets in each caste. Dvija = twice-born (twice-born = upper 3 castes or sometimes just Brahmin caste particularly). Some Hindus have a delusion that caste is not promoted by any of their holy books. Is that really so? Let's find out:
"By his very birth a Brahmin is a deity even for the gods and the only authority for people in this world, for the Veda is the foundation in this matter." -- Manusmrti 11:85.
"People here whose behaviour is pleasant can expect to enter a pleasant womb, like that of a woman of the Brahmin, the Ksatriya, or the Vaisya caste. But people of foul behaviour can expect to enter the foul womb, like that of a dog, a pig, or an outcaste woman." -- Chandogya Upanisad 5:10:7.
"If a man of one birth (Sudra) hurls cruel words at one of the twice-born, his tongue should be cut out, for he was born from the rear-end. If he mentions their name or caste maliciously, a red-hot iron nail ten-fingerslong should be thrust into his mouth. If he is so proud as to instruct priests about their duty, the king should have hot oil poured into his mouth and ears." -- Manusmrti 8:270-272.
"If a man of inferior caste tries to sit down on the same seat as a man of superior caste, he should be branded on the hip and banished, or have his buttocks cut off." -- Manusmrti 8:281.
"If in the process of negotiating betrothal there are first ten suitors of the non-Brahmana varna for a woman (the marriageable girl), all of them lose their claims of marriage and, only the Brahmin, the learned one, if he grasps her hand would be her husband and only he. Not even the man of Ksatriya varna and not even the man of Vaisya varna but only the Brahmin is the husband of the bride in such cases of claimants of betrothal, and the sun, as it appears, revealing this fact to the people of five classes (4 varnas and the fifth avarna) rises up." -- Atharva Veda 5:17:8-9.
"If someone born in a Ksatriya, Vaisya, or Sudra womb should be unable to pay his fine, he may absolve himself of the debt by labour; a Brahmin should pay little by little. The king should have women, children, madmen, and the old, the poor, and the ill chastised with a whip, a bamboo cane, a rope, and so forth." -- Manusmrti 9:229-230.
"The Sudra's duty and supreme good is nothing but obedience to famous Brahmin householders who know the Veda. If he is unpolluted, obedient to his superiors, gentle in his speech, without a sense of 'I', and always dependent on the Brahmins and the other (twice-born castes), he attains a superior birth (in the next life)." -- Manusmrti 9:334-335.
"A Brahmin is a great deity whether or not he is learned, just as fire is a great deity whether or not it is brought to the altar. The purifying fire with its brilliant energy is not defiled even in cremation grounds, and when oblations of butter are placed in it at sacrifices it grows even greater. Thus Brahmins should be revered in every way, even if they engage in all kinds of undesirable actions, for this is the supreme deity. If the Ksatriyas become overbearing towards the Brahmins in any way, the Brahmins themselves should subdue them, for the Ksatriyas were born from the Brahmins." -- Manusmrti 9:317-320.
"His (Purusa's) mouth became the Brahmin; his arms were made into the Ksatriya, his thighs the Vaisya, and from his feet the Sudra was born." -- Rig Veda 10:90:12.
In comparison, Sudras are as low as feet & Outcastes (avarna) are even below that status of course.
Women in Hinduism
"Men must make their women dependent day and night, and keep under their own control those who are attached to sensory objects. Her father guards her in childhood, her husband guards her in youth, and her sons guard her in old age. A woman is not fit for independence." -- Manusmrti 9:2-4.
"Women are powerless, have no inheritance, and speak more humbly than even a bad man." -- Krsna Yajur Veda Taittiriya Samhita 6:5:8:2.
"Lord Indra himself has said, 'The mind of woman cannot be disciplined; she has very little intelligence.' " -- Rig Veda 8:33:17.
"A thirty-year-old man should marry a twelve-year-old girl who charms his heart, and a man of twenty-four an eight-year-old girl; and if duty is threatened, (he should marry) in haste." -- Manusmrti 9:94.
"A discarded wife is one who has no son. … For a wife that is without a son, is possessed with Nirriti (destruction, calamity)." -- Satapatha Brahmana 5:3:1:13.
"A damsel whose menses begin to appear (while she is living) at her father's house, before she has been betrothed to a man, has to be considered as a degraded woman: by taking her (without the consent of her kinsmen) a man commits no wrong." -- Visnusmrti 24:41.
Hinduism & Polygamy/Polygyny
Although there is nothing explicitly wrong with polygyny, some Hindus have a delusion that Hinduism exclusively teaches monogamy. Let's find out in the following scriptural quotes:
Hinduism knows the duties of a maharaja. However, some Hindus would say that the harem-concubines are not necessarily the king's wives so this is not really polygyny & it is only allowed for the raja (king). To further clarify this issue:
"Now a Brahmin may take four wives in the direct order of the (four) castes." -- Visnusmrti 24:1. "One thing mixed with another should not be sold, nor anything that is spoiled, deficient, far away, or concealed. If one girl is shown but another is given to the bridegroom, he may marry both of them for the single bride-price; that is what Manu says." -- Manusmrti 8:203-4. Manu's decrees are regarded as inspired by God.
Also, Lord Krsna had 16,000 wives, Lord Visnu & Brahma also had multiple consorts and Ksatriyas are recorded in the itihasas (Mahabharata/Ramayana/etc.) as having as many as thousands of wives & thousands of progeny. However, the immoral news is that Hinduism also sanctions polyandry, not only conventional polygamy. In the epic, the Mahabharata (of which one book is the Bhagavad-Gita), which is a true istory of Hindustan (Bharat/India) according to traditional Hindus, the five renowned Pandava brothers were told by their mom Kunti to divide the prize they won equally among all brothers. Good advice.....but the prize they won turned out to be their wife, Draupadi -- five brothers sharing one wife. Pathetic.
Hinduism vs Idolatry
Which religion states that idolators will "fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time" ? Islam? Sikhism? Judaism? Christianity? GUESS AGAIN....... Yeah, Hinduism - once again the holy Vedas speak:
"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, BUT THOSE WHO WORSHIP VISIBLE THINGS BORN OF THE PRAKRTI, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." -- Yajur Veda 40:9.
This is merely further confirmed in yet another verse:
"The Formless Supreme Spirit that pervades the universe can have NO MATERIAL REPRESENTATION, LIKENESS OR IMAGE." -- Yajur Veda 32:3.
According to Hinduism's sacred & eternal Vedas, idolators (i.e. "but those who worship visible things born of the prakrti") are condemned as perhaps the most wicked entities in Hinduism. "No material representation", i.e. no idols for Hindus lest they rot in "hell"!!
Yet approximately 90% of practicing Hindus commit idolatry & defend it as an authorized & integral practice for Hinduism. In fact, Hindu priests world-wide provide prayers, offerings & even bathe miniature idols in milk regularly; pious Hindus across the globe pray to & bow-down before such
idols of Krsna, Ram/Sita, Linga (Phallus), Siva, Elephants (Ganesa), Monkeys (Hanuman), Cows (Nandi/etc.), Brahma, Yoni (Vagina), Nude Kali (Naked Dravidian-looking Goddess with a protruding blood-thirsty tongue), Snakes(Nag), Hogs (Varaha - Boar Avatar), Turtles (Kurma - Turtle Avatar), Fish (Matsya - Fish Avatar), Goats (Agni - Sacrificial Goat w/Flames -- the Fire-God), Fire-God (Agni), Sun-God (Surya/etc.), Moon-God (Candresvara), etc. Some remote sects & tribes of Hinduism even worship crocodiles, camels, donkeys, dogs, rats, toys, frogs, insects and other absurdities.
Hinduism says bestiality is not that bad a crime
Hinduism states that sex with animals is not nearly as bad as sex with a (human) outcaste; for sex with a cow or some other animal, it's pardonable, but for sex with a (human) outcaste, a twice-born Hindu should be executed:
"An adulterer shall be made to pay the highest amercement if he has had connection with a woman of his own caste; for adultery with women of a lower caste, the second amercement; the same (fine is ordained) for a bestial crime committed with a cow. He who has had connection with a woman of one of the lowest castes, shall be put to death. For a bestial crime committed withcattle (other than cows) he shall be fined a hundred Karshapanas." -- Visnusmrti 5:40-44.
Just as incest is not an infrequent theme in Hindu scripture, sex withanimals is also not an uncommon motif in Hinduism. Indeed, great rishis (sages) have been born through bestiality (ref. Manusmrti 10:69-72.). The rishi Rsyasrnga had a deer for a mom. Furthermore, Pandu (the dad of the five famous Pandava princes) had accidentally killed a rishi who was in animal form having sex with a deer (ref. Mahabharata Adiparvan 95.). Hindu queens and other Aryan women of diverse provinces in ancient Hindustan used to have sex with dead horses during the Asvamedha sacrifice, and Lord Rama's mom Kausalya spent an entire night having sex with a carcass of a sacrificial horse in Valmiki Ramayana (ref. Ramayana 1:13:24-33.). Bestiality depictions have also been found at the Khajuraho temple-complex in Hindustan.
Mohini ['The Enchantress'] is a famous apsaras (celestial nymph) of Lord Indra's harem. Although usually the apsarases are real and usually created by the gods for the purpose of distracting enemies or ascetics, Lord Visnu himself sometimes takes a form to look like the nymph Mohini to delude the demons during battle:
"Visnu took the form of the apsaras Mohini in order to beguile the demons and to steal the Soma back from them. Having accomplished this, Visnu was approached by Siva and Parvati, and Siva asked him to display the seductive form which he had assumed for the demons. Visnu became Mohini, and Siva immediately ran after her, abandoning Parvati who stood with her head lowered in shame. Siva embraced Mohini by force, and his seed fell upon the ground. Mohini disappeared and Siva returned to Parvati." -- Brahmanda Purana 4:10:41-77.
How Lord Hanuman (the Monkey - God) was Born
"One day Siva saw the Mohini form of Visnu. He was struck by Kama's arrows and let fall his seed. The Seven Sages put the seed in a pot and they infused it into the daughter of Gautama through her ear. In time, Hanuman, the monkey-god, was born from it." -- Siva Purana 3:20:3-7.
How Lord Ganesa was Born
"When Siva and Parvati were making love together, Visnu took the form of a Brahmin with matted locks, oppressed by thirst, and he went to the bedroom door and said, 'What are you doing, Siva? Arise and give me food and water, for I am an old man oppressed by thirst.' Siva arose, and his seed fell on the bed instead of in the womb of his wife. Then Siva and Parvati offered the Brahmin food and water, and he vanished and took the form of a child and went to Parvati's bed. There he became mixed with the seed of Siva that was on the bed, and he was born like an engendered child. Parvati found the child and nursed him, naming him Ganesa." -- Brahmavaivarta Purana 3:8:19-33, 83-8, 3:9:1-26.
Lord Ganesa lost his head one day, so Lord Siva chopped-off an elephant's head and attached it to Ganesa's body. This is how Lord Ganesa became an Elephant-headed God.
Origin of Holy Shiv Linga
Lord Siva seduces the Pine Forest sages' wives and is cursed for this immoral behavior. Origin of the holy Linga which is commonly worshipped in Hindu temples:
"When the sages saw Siva naked and excited they beat him and they said, 'Tear out your linga.' The great yogi said to them, 'I will do it, if you hate my linga', and he tore it out and vanished." -- Kurma Purana 2:38:39-41; cf. Haracaritacintamani 10:74; Yagisvaramahatmya 26a. 14. In another version, the sages in the forest quote the legal texts regarding the penalty for seducing a guru's wife when they punish Siva:"You false ascetic, let your (Siva's) linga fall to earth here. A shameless and evil man who has seduced another man's wife should be castrated; there is no other punishment ever. A man who has seduced his guru's wife should cut off the linga and testicles himself and hold them in his hands and walk until he dies." -- Siva Purana, Dharmasamhita 10:187-90; cf. B. K. Sarkar, pp.234-5.
More on Origin of Holy Shiv LingaHere is another origin of the holy Linga: "... He (Siva) agreed to this and laughed, for he was secretly amused, and he said to Brahma, 'There is no good use for this linga except for the creation of progeny.' And as he said this he broke it off and threw it upon the surface of the earth. The linga broke through the earth down to the subterranean hell and went to the very sky. Visnu sought the end of it below, and Brahma flew upwards, but they did not find the end of it, for all their vital effort. Then a voice arose out of the sky as the two of them sat there, and it said, 'If the linga of the god with braided hair is worshipped, it will certainly grant all desires that are longed for in the heart.' When Brahma and Visnu heard this, they and all the divinities worshipped the linga with devotion, with their hearts set upon Rudra (Siva)." -- Siva Purana, Dharmasamhita 49:23b-46, 74-86.
Lord Brahma Lust Siva’s Wife & Thousands of Yogis are Born
Brahma instantly becomes the dad of thousands of ascetics; the following takes place at Lord Siva's wedding: "Brahma saw the beautiful face (or feet) of Parvati at the wedding, and he became excited and shed his seed upon the ground. In fear of Siva, he began to make the seed barren, but Siva said, 'Brahma, you should not kill Brahmins, and these are great sages.' Then 88,000 tapasvins were born from the seed, and they ran around Brahma calling him 'Daddy, daddy!' " -- Brahma Purana 72:18; Vamana Purana 27:56-9; cf. Siva Purana, Jnanasamhita 18:62-8; Siva Purana 2:3:49:3-10; Skanda Purana 1:1:26:15-22.
Lord Brahma’s Incest"Brahma desired Sarasvati and went to her, asking her to stay with him. She, being his daughter, was furious at this and said, 'Your mouth speaks inauspiciously and so you will always speak in a contrary way.' From that day, Brahma's fifth head always spoke evilly and coarsely. Therefore one day when Siva was wandering about with Parvati and came to see Brahma, Brahma's four heads praised Siva but the fifth made an evil sound. Siva, displeased with the fifth head, cut it off. The skull remained stuck fast to Siva's hand, and though he was capable of burning it up, Siva wandered the earth with it for the sake of all people, until he came to Benares." -- Siva Purana, Jnanasamhita 49:65-80.
Another version:
"Brahma desired his daughter and took the form of a stag to pursue her as a doe. The Brahmins called him to shame, and Rudra shot him with an arrow. The deer's head came away from Brahma's body and became a constellation in the sky. But then Gayatri and Sarasvati [the wives of Brahma] had no husband. They performed tapas for Siva, and he agreed to revive their husband, giving Brahma the four heads of Nandin and others of his hosts. Brahma arose and praised Siva." -- Skanda Purana 3:40:1-59.
More of Lord Brahma's (Prajapati's) incest:
"Prajapati desired his daughter and made love to her. This was a sin in the eyes of the gods, who said to the god who rules over beasts [Pasupati, Rudra], 'He commits a sin, acting in this way towards his own daughter, our sister. Pierce him.' Rudra took aim and pierced him. Half his seed fell to the ground. The gods cured Prajapati and cut out Rudra's dart, for Prajapati is the sacrifice. To utilize [the seed], the gods said, 'Take care that this may not be lost, but that it may be less than the oblation.' They gave it to Bhaga to eat, but it burnt his eyes and he became blind. Then they gave it to Pusan to eat, but it knocked out his teeth. At last they gave it to Savitr [the sun] and it did not injure him, for he appeased it." -- Satapatha Brahmana 1:7:4:1-7.
There are many instances of incest in sacred Hindu scriptures; these are not the only ones.
