Islamic Research Foundation An International Resource Centre For Understanding And Clarification, On Islam And Comparative Religion. Islamic Research Foundation Provides For Free Hire And Sale, Video And Audio Cassettes, On Islam And Comparative Religion. This Being, The Largest And Best Collection Internationally. It Includes Films, Television Programmes, Documentaries, Qur’anic And Islamic Studies Programmes As Well As Interviews, Lectures, Symposia, Debates, Etc., Of World Renowned Speakers Like Shaikh Ahmed Deedat – South Africa, Dr. Zakir Naik- India, Dr. Jamal Badawi – Canada, Dr. Khalid Al-Mansoor – U.S.A., Brother Yusuf Islam – U.K., Brother Gary Miller – Canada, Dr. Israr Ahmed -Pakistan, Maulana Abdul Karim Parekh- India, And Many Others. Islamic Research Foundation Also Provides On Request, Free Literature On Islam And Comparative Religion. Please Phone, Call, Or Write To Islamic Research Foundation, 56/58, Tandel Street (North), Dongri, Mumbai 400 009.
(Azan Continued….)
(Dr. Mohammed) Bismillah Hiraman Nirrahim. We initiate today’s programme with the Qirat, the recitation from the Holy Qur’an by Brother Ashraf Muhammedy.
(Ashraf Mohammedy) (Arabic)…The translation from Surah Al-Baqarah, Chapter 2 – verse 255. ‘I seek refuge with Allah from satan the accursed.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. Allah, there is no God but He, the Living, the Self Subsisting, Eternal – No slumber can seize Him nor sleep. His are all the things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He permits. He knows what appears to His creatures, as before or after, or behind Him. Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge, except as He wills.
His throne does extend over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no fatigue in the guarding and preserving them, for He is the most High, the Supreme in glory’.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. ‘Say: O people of the Book come to common terms as between you and us. That we worship none but Allah, that we associate no partners with Him. That we erect not from amongst ourselves, Lords and patrons other than Allah.
If then they turn back, say: Bear witness that we at least are Muslims bowing to the will of Allah. Verily Allah has spoken the truth’.
(Dr. Muhammed) Respected brothers and sisters, Assalaam Alaiykum, May peace be upon you. On behalf of the Islamic Research Foundation, I Dr. Muhammad Naik, welcome all of you to today’s programme. As did I, you may too have read, two days back, in the sacred space of ‘The Times of India’, Mumbai, the following verses…And I quote…‘Hold fast all together, to God’s rope and be not divided among yourselves. Remember with gratitude, God’s favour on you, for you were enemies, and He joined your hearts in love – So that by His grace you became brethren. Let there arise out of you, one community, inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong’ - Holy Qur’an, Surah Al Imran, Ch. 3, verses 103 and 104. This quotation aptly represents, the Islamic Research Foundation’s striving for Islamic Dawa’h, the proper presentation, understanding and clarification of the message of Islam, amongst Muslims and Non-Muslims, as well as removing misconceptions about Islam, amongst Muslims and Non-Muslims. Reason, logic, and modern scientific understanding, are the basis of all our presentations. The IRF office complex has a Video cassette library, a Publication department, a Cable and Satellite Television production studio, an Audio Video Recording department, and a Computer department. It also has a multi purpose Audio Visual reading room, an Auditorium, a Sales Outlet called Islamic Dimensions, a Ladies’ Wing and a Children’s Wing. These provide the much needed facilities and services for understanding the overall excellence of Islam and its proper teachings. The IRF office complex and its facilities are open from 10.00 am to 8.30 p.m. daily, except Fridays. The regular programmes of the IRF include, organizing public lectures, followed by open question and answer sessions like this one today. Symposia, Open forum Interactions and other such programmes, Providing more than 3500 video cassette titles on Islam and comparative religion to the public, on free hire. Free distribution of more than 50 publications on Islam, on request. Distribution of the Holy Qur’an with translation for understanding the message of God, meant for the whole of humankind. Regular interactions internationally on the Internet for presenting the proper message of Islam as well as removing misconceptions about Islam. The IRF also has its own web site for providing information and clarifications about Islam. Through the cable TV relay networks in Mumbai alone, The IRF videocassettes, on Islam reach more than one million homes daily, for approximately 3 hours. The ATN satellite TV channel, telecasts IRF programmes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 to 6.30 A.M. Indian Standard Time across 68 countries of the world. The NEPC satellite TV channel and other TV channels too telecast IRF programmes regularly. Dr. Zakir Naik, though a medical doctor by professional training, has devoted himself for analyzing Islam, and other religions objectively to understand and spread the real truth, understanding and clarifications about religion, as a way of life. He is an International orator on Islam and Comparative Religion. In fact in the last one year itself, in addition to his many talks in India, Dr. Zakir has delivered more than 160 public talks abroad, in the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Srilanka and Bahrain. He will Inshallah leave, next weekend for a series of public talks in Kuwait. He is acclaimed widely for his logical, reasonable and scientific approach towards his subject. He is appreciated for his comparative knowledge of Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, specially for his verbatim quotations from Religious Scriptures. ‘Concept of God in Major Religions’ – Why have we chosen this topic? We not only need to understand and realize what God is, and what are His qualities, but also… and it is very important…we need to know, what God certainly is not. Brothers and Sisters, to promote better understanding and integration on similarities between religions, as well as living in real harmony along with the differences, the Islamic Research Foundation presents today’s, talk on ‘Concept of God in Major religions’ by Dr. Zakir Naik.
(Dr. Zakir) (Arabic)…Respected Elders and my dear Brothers and Sisters, I welcome all of you with the Islamic greetings, Assalmu Alikum Wa Rahmatullahi, Wa Barakathu. May Peace, Blessings and Mercy of Almighty God be on all of you. The Non-Muslims may be wondering that, what was I murmuring or uttering in the beginning of my talk. I was not trying to mesmerize you, or hypnotize you, but I was reciting few verses of the Holy Qur’an from Surah Taha, Ch. No. 20, verses No. 25 and 28. When Allah Subhana Wa Taala, Almighty God asks Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) to deliver the message to the Pharoah, Moses (peace be upon him), he prays to Almighty God, Allah Subhana Wa Taala, and recites these verses. (Arabic)…. ‘Oh my Lord expand my breast for me, Expand my center for me, (Arabic)… And make my task easy for me,(Arabic)… And remove the impediment from my speech’. Since we know that Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) was a stamerer, was a stuterer – So he prays to the Almighty God to remove the stamering, to loosen his tongue, as well as remove the barrier, if there is any between him, and the person to whom he is going to deliver the message. If a person is giving a talk, on other religions, those people in the audience who do not belong to that religion, they may think that this person is going to speak against their Religion. For example, if suppose, a Hindu is giving a talk on other Religions, the Non-Hindus may feel that, he is going to speak against my Religion. If a Christian is giving a talk on other Religions, the Non-Christians may feel that, he is going to speak against my religion. Similarly, I being a Muslim, when I am giving a talk on other Religions, the Non-Muslims may feel, that I am going to speak against their Religion. That is the reason, I am praying to Allah Subhana Wa Taala, Almighty God, to loosen my tongue as well as remove the impediment, the barrier – mental or otherwise, if there is any, between me and you. The topic of this morning’s talk is… ‘Concept of God in Major Religions’. ‘Religion’… according to the Oxford Dictionary means…‘A belief in a Super Human controlling power, especially a personal God or gods, that deserve obedience and worship’. The Qari, Brother Ashraf Muhamedy, he recited few verses of the Holy Qur’an from Surah Al Imran, Ch. No.3, V. No. 64, which says…(Arabic)… ‘Say to the people of the book’ (Arabic)… ‘that come to common terms as between us and you’ Which is the first term? (Arabic)…‘that we worship none but Allah’. (Arabic)…‘that we associate no partners with Him’. (Arabic)…‘that we erect not among ourselves, Lords and Patrons, other than Allah’. (Arabic)…‘if then they turn back’. (Arabic)…‘say we bear witness’. (Arabic)… ‘that we are Muslims bowing our will to Allah Subhana Wa Taala’. This is a verse of the Holy Qur’an which shows you a way how to speak with people of different communities. It says : (Arabic)…‘That came to common terms as between us and you’. Which is the first term? (Arabic)….‘That we worship none but Allah’ (Arabic)… ‘that we associate no partners with Him’. One thing common in all the Major Religions of the world is, that the God they worship, they believe He is the same God for them, as well as for the others. For eg… the God which the Hindus worship, they believe He is the same God for the Hindus as well as for the Non-Hindus. The God which the Christians worship, they believe He is the same God, for the Christians as well as for the Non-Christians. Similarly the God…Allah Subhana Wa Taala which we Muslims worship, we believe He is the same Allah Subhana Wa Taala for the Muslims, as well as for the Non-Muslims. The Major Religions of the world can be broadly classified as : Semetic Religions and Non Semetic Religions. The Non Semetic Religions are further divided into Aryan and the Non Aryan Religions. The Semetic Religions are those Religions that are followed by the Semites. Who are the Semites? The Semites are the descendents of ‘Shem’, who was the son of Prophet Noah (Peace be upon him) which is mentioned in the Bible, in the book Genesis, Ch. No. 5 and Ch.No. 11. So Semetic Religions are those Religions, that are followed by the Jews, by the Arabs, by the Asyrians by the Ponysians – who speak Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Acadians, Ponysians, etc. The major amongst the Semetic Religions are, Judaism, Christianity and Islam – all of which are Prophetic Religions. The Non Sematic Religions are further divided into Aryan and Non-Aryan Religions. The Aryan Religions, are the Religions followed by the Aryans – a group of Indo-European speaking community, which spread in Iran and Northern India, in the 1st half of the 2nd millenium B.C, that is 2000 to 1500 B.C. The Aryan Religion is further divided into Vedic and Non – Vedic Religion. The Vedic religion is ‘Brahaminism’ which has been given the misnomer of Hindusium. The Non-Vedic Religions, are Sikhism, Buddism, Jainism, etc. Amongst the Non-Aryan Religions, we have those of the Chinese origin like ‘Taoism’, ‘Confusism’, etc – those of the Japanese origin, like ‘Shintuism’, etc. But most of these Religions, they do not have a concept of God. Therefore they are preferably called as ethical systems, instead of Religions. As far as my talk today will be concerned, I will be speaking about the Concept of God in Major Religions, of ‘Semetic’ and ‘Aryan’ origin. To understand the concept of God, the best and the most accurate way is to analyze their Religious Scriptures, and understand what it has to speak about God. Trying to analyze the concept of God, by looking at the followers is not always correct, because most of the followers they themselves do not know what their Scripture speaks about God. So let us, analyze today, the concept of God in Major Religions by analyzing their Religious Scriptures. First we will discuss the Aryan Religion. Hinduism is the most popular of all the Aryan religions. And if you ask a common Hindu, that… How many gods does he believe in? Some may say 3, some may say 33, some may say a 1000, while the others may say, 33 crores, 330 million. But if you ask, a Hindu learned man, who knows his Religious Scriptures, he will tell you that a Hindu should actually believe, only in God. The major difference between the common Hindu and the Muslim is that, the common Hindu believes in a Philosophy known as ‘Pantheism’ – that is, everything is god. The tree is god, the sun is god, the moon is god, the snake is god, the monkey is god, the human beings are god. The Muslim believes that everything is God’s – GOD with an Apostofy ‘S’, everything belongs to God. The tree belongs to God, the sun belongs to God, the moon belongs to God, the snake belongs to God, the monkey belongs to God, the human beings belong to God. So the major difference between the common Hindu and the Muslim, is the Apostofy ‘S’. The Hindus say, everything is God, and we Muslims say everything is God’s – God with a Apostofy ‘S’. If we can solve this difference of Apostofy ‘S’, the Hindus and the Muslims will be united. How do you do it? As the Qur’an says… (Arabic)….. ‘That come to common terms as between us and you’. Which is the first term? (Arabic)…‘that we worship none but Allah’, (Arabic)… ‘that we associate no partners with Him’. So let us analyze the concept of God in Hinduisum, by analyzing their Religious Scriptures. The most popular amongst all the Hindu Religious Scriptures, is the ‘Bhagwat Geeta’. This is a copy of Bhagwat Geeta – In the IRF we have Alhamdulillah, more than 30 different translations only of Bhagwat Geeta. The Bhagwat Geeta says in Ch. No. 7, V. No.20 ‘That those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires, they worship the demi gods’ – That means the materialistic people, they worship demi gods – That means not the true Almighty God. The Upanishads are the other Sacred Scriptures of the Hindus. It is mentioned in the Chandogya Upanishad, Ch.No. 6, Section No. 2, Verse No.1. ‘God is one only… ‘Akam Avidetuim’… not a second’ That means – There is only God, He doesn’t have any partner, He is alone. Same as the Holy Qur’an which is mentioned in Surah Ikhlas, Ch. No. 112, V. No.1, (Arabic)… ‘Say He is Allah, one and only’. It is mentioned in the Sweta Sutara Upanishad, Ch. No. 6, Verse No.9, ‘Na Kasia Kasji Janita Nakadipa’, which means….‘Of Him there is no parents, nor Lord’ He has got no parents, He has got no masters – That means, He alone is sufficient, He is not dependent on anyone else. As the Holy Qur’an says in Surah Ikhlas, Ch. No.112, V. No.3, (Arabic)…‘He begets not nor is He begotten’ The quotation I gave from ‘Upanishads’, was translated by S. Radha Krishnan, and we have other translations also in our foundation. Further, if you read in the Sweta Sutara Upanishads, Ch. No. 4, V
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