There is only one Allah; there is only one way to Him. Since religion is the means to know Allahu ta'ala, there must be only one religion all over the world. Today, there are many different religions and dogmas in the world. If we look closely, it will be understood that the three great religions -Judaism, Christianity and Islam- believe in only one Allah, have the same basic principles of faith, and that these three religions complement each other. These three religions are just like three successive links in a chain. As the centuries passed away, the corrupt and changed religions were purged and corrected until finally Allahu ta'ala sent "Islam", which is the most perfect and the truest religion. As we have repeatedly mentioned in this book, the word "Islam" has two meanings. It means to give oneself up to Allahu ta'ala, and it is the name of the final religion conveyed by Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam). Ahl-i kitab (religions with holy books) is the name of the other two religions.

We shall try to tell you how these religions were sent by Allahu ta'ala. We shall explain their fundamentals. Beside these three great religions, there are some religions without the concept of Allah, which are based on moral principles only. These are irrelevant to our subject, but they are believed to be religions by great masses of people in the world. Therefore, we thought that it would be a good idea to first give information about them before dealing with the main subject.

Brahmanism, Zoroastrianism, and Budhism are the most important ones among them. A short time ago, these three religions were the faiths of one and a half billion people. Indians, Burmese, Laotians, Japanese, Chinese, Malays, Koreans, and various other peoples that are their neighbors used to believe in these religions. It is possible to meet some Buddhists among Europeans and Americans, but they are very few. According to the latest international statistics, the number of those depending on these religions decreased to as low as 400 million. The reason for this is the effectiveness of communistic propaganda and the fact that the young generation in China does not attach any importance to any religion. Now, let us examine these religions in detail and see the role of the human being in them.

Brahma means holy word. Madhhar-i Jan-i Janan (68), an-Islamic scholar from India, states in his fourteenth letter, "This religion was invented in India centuries before Christ. It was a true divine religion. Its followers became kafir (disbelievers) after they corrupted it." Brahman is the name of those who are the leaders of the people who believe in this religion. One of the Brahmans was deified. Brahma is said to have four sons. One of them is believed to have come into existence from his mouth and the other three from his hands and feet. Because of his four sons, people are divided into four classes by the Brahmans:

1) Brahmans: These are the holy monks of Brahmanism. Reading and explaining the holy book called Veda and guiding the other members of Brahmanism are their tasks. They have the most influence. Nobody can revolt against their orders. Everybody fears them.

2) The Combatants: This class includes rulers, rajahs, great statesmen and soldiers. These are called "Krishna."

3) Merchants and farmers. These are called "Vayansa."

4) Peasantry workmen, employees, and so on. Anyone outside these four classes is called "Pariah." A pariah has no right to live a decent life. They are treated as if they are animals. There are idols in Brahmanism. These idols and their meaning, what is eatable and uneatable, crimes and the punishments for them are all written in their holy book, Manava Dharina Shastra, [It means: the religious book of Manu] The Brahmans are polytheistic. The greatest God is "Krisna," who is believed to be shaped with a human figure to eradicate evil. The second greatest God is "Vishnu." "Vishnu" is very important. It means "the thing that can penetrate the human body. Their third God is "Siva." Vishnu is seen as a figure with four hands and its color is deep blue. It is seen either on its own eagle called "Garuta" or on a flower of lotoses or on a snake. According to Brahmanism, Vishnu descended into this world nine times in different shapes [in the shape of a human, animal, or flower]. He is also expected to descend for a tenth time.

In the religion of Brahma, killing creatures is permissible only during war. During other times, living creatures, human or animal, cannot be killed. Human beings are deemed to be sacred creatures. They believe in "transmigration" of the soul. That is, after a human being dies, his soul will return to this world in another shape. Since it is believed that Vishnu could come to this world in the shape of an animal, killing any animal is absolutely prohibited. This is why the zealots among them never eat meat.

According to the book Manava Dharina Shastra human life is divided into four groups:

1- Inactivity

2- Married

3- Living alone

4- Begging

Mazhar-i Janan (rahmat-ullahi 'alaih), one of the great Islamic scholars of tasawwuf (sufism) in India, has written "the ceremonies of Indian disbelievers" in his fourteenth letter in the Persian language. He says: "Allahu ta'ala has shown all human beings the way to happiness even in India. He sent a book with the names of Veda and Beed by an angel called Berniha. That book had four parts. The mujtahids (great scholars) of that religion derived six madhhabs from it. They called the section concerning belief 'Dahran Shaister.' They have divided human beings into four classes. They called the section concerning worships 'Karm Shaister.' They have divided the lifetime of a man into four periods. Each period was called 'juk.' All of them believed in the oneness of Allahu ta'ala, the transitoriness of this world, and the Day of Judgement; in other words, human beings will be interrogated and punished. They can perform miracles, revelations or divinations by fighting against their own nafs (evil desires within man). The innovations made in this religion by succeeding generations caused them to become disbelievers. When Islam appeared, their religion became invalid. The ones among them who did not become Muslim are classified as disbelievers. We cannot classify the ones who passed away before Islam."

"Zoroastrianism" is one of the branches of Brahmanism. They idolize fire, cows and crocodiles. They are the followers of a false religion established by someone who was called Zardusht during the era of Kushtusab, one of the Shahs of Persia called Kisra, and it is unknown if he lived or not. They do not bury their dead. They keep them in specific towers and let vultures eat the corpses. The beard is deemed to be sacred among another group called "Sih." They never cut their beards. Another group is called "Hinduist." These people believe in all the myths of the lower classes. These beliefs are so primitive that they are completely off the right course.

Brahmans encourage everybody "to listen to the monks of Brahmanism, to obey their monks, to follow the book Manu, not to associate with the people called pariah, and not to kill any living creature." They never give any information concerning the soul or body. They believe that human beings are sacred creatures. The river Ganj in India is deemed to be sacred, too. It is a holy task for them to drink the water of this river, to have a bath in it, and even to throw their corpses into it.

The religion of Brahmanism needed to be renewed, purged, and updated. The religion of Brahmanism had almost become synonymous with idolatry; they even worshipped some idols. Unfortunately, a hundred years later, this religion was completely corrupted by a man named Buddha, who was born 600 years before Christ. It is possible to compare Buddha with Luther, who abrogated a lot of the myths in the religion of Catholicism, but who also established a new heretical sect called Protestantism.

Buddha was born approximately 560 years before Christ in India, in a village called "Kapilovastu" (its other name is Lumpini), which is 160 kilometers north of the city of Benares. His original name is "Guatama" or "Gotama." Buddha was his nickname which means "educated, brightened, attained divination." Buddha was a human being. His father was the ruler of a region. As it has been told, Buddha's mother had some dreams and told them to her husband. His father kept Buddha in his palace because he did not want his son to be a sovereign or a man given over to divination. However, Buddha escaped from the palace when he was twenty-nine. He lived alone in a forest under a self-imposed state of riyadat (starvation). After he had understood that starvation was not enough, he left the forest and returned to a normal life. He again plunged into meditation. At last, when he reached the age of thirty-five, while sitting under a fig (bo) tree on the banks of a river named Naranjara, he plunged into contemplation and was enlightened mentally, and thereby attained divination. So, Guatama became Buddha after all. He strove to spread his ideas until he died at the age of eighty. Buddha said that the faith of Brahminism was corrupt; it was wrong to worship idols, and he even ordered idols to be broken into pieces. The people listening to him admired his new ideas. They followed him. Hence a new religion named "Buddhism" was formed. Buddha said he himself was a human being, and he never claimed to be God. But after he passed away, his disciples idolized him. They built temples on behalf of him, and, after erecting statues of him, they began to worship him. In this way, they turned it into a false religion. There is no God in Buddhism. Buddha is considered to be God. That is why, until the end of the last century, they believed that Buddha was God and that he had not been born and never lived in this world. But after some authentic information had been discovered concerning his place of birth and his places of habitation and other biographical facts, it was understood that he was a man.

Buddhism is based on four fundamental principles:

1- Life is full of troubles. Pleasure and enjoyment is something like a phantom and a misleading dream. Birth, old age, illness and death are the bitter facts.

2- The main reason preventing us from getting rid of all these troubles is our strong desires, which originate from the fact that we are ignorant; we want to live, whatever the reason may be.

3- To overcome these troubles, it is necessary to extinguish our permanent desires for living as well as our temporary wishes.

4- Man attains happiness after the elimination of the desire for living. This condition is called "Nirvana." Nirvana means one who has lost wishes or ambitions. By refraining from worldly pleasures, he attains holy rest. Buddha recommends eight articles for attaining comfort. These are written below:

1- good faith

2- good decisions

3- good word

4- good action

5- good life

6- good work

7- good contemplation

8- good mind

All the casts (classes) in the religion of Brahmanism are rejected by Buddha. He does not accept the privileges granted to the classes of Brahmanism. They are not given superiority. He embraces (loves) the people called pariah. Human beings are not considered to be holy creatures. On the contrary, he claims that human beings are very deficient, but that they can get rid of their sins by being satisfied with the least amount, by behaving friendly towards everybody, and by fasting. It is a reality that there are some people among the Buddhists who perform amazing miracles as a result of making their nafs (a force within man prompting him to do evil) bright by fasting for a long time under very heavy conditions. This is why some senses within these people become so prominent that they can carry out some astonishing skills supernaturally. But these skills have no connection with religion or with the approbation of Allahu ta'ala. A Buddhist could have a pure character by following the philosophical principles of Buddha. But, they would be spiritually empty. This is because there is no belief in "Allah" in Buddhism. Confucius, who was a Chinese philosopher, died 479 years before Christ, at the age of seventy. He was famous for his books written concerning ethics and the governing of a state. His philosophy was turned into a religious sect later on. In his books, there is no information about heavenly religions.

After examining holy books, historical proofs, and the works left up to now, we see that the religion which orders people to believe in one Allah, that is, Islam, has existed since the time of Adam ('alaihi 's-salam). After man appeared on the earth, although a lot of Prophets ('alaihimussalavatu vattaslimat) were sent to them during the time between Hadrat Adam ('alaihi 's-salam) and Hadrat Ibraham (Ibrahim 'alaihi 's-salam), none of them had been sent a large book. Allahu ta'ala sent them small-sized booklets called "suhuf." There were one hundred suhuf, ten of which were sent to Ibraham (Ibrahim, 'alaihi 's-salam). According to historians, Hadrat Ibrahim (alaihissalatuwessalam) was born 2122 years before Christ in a town situated between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. As it has been told, he died after he had lived for 175 years in a town called "Halilurrahman" (Hebron) near Jerusalem. According to the book La Bible a Dit Vrai (The Holy Book Says The Truth) published by an author named Marston, many possessions which belong to Hadrat Ibrahim were recently found in those places. Hence, the fact that he lived in the above-mentioned time can be easily understood. His stepfather's name was "Azar." His own father was "Taruh" who died when he was a child. Azar was an artist who made idols. When Hadrat Ibrahim (alaihi 's-salam) was still a child, he understood that idols should not be worshipped.

He broke into pieces the idols made by his step-father and began arguing on religious matters with the sovereign of their country, that is, with Nimrod, the King of Babel (Babylon). Nimrod was a cruel and merciless ruler. As it is told, Nimrod was not his real name, it was a nickname [like Pharaoh]. When Nimrod was a small child, a young serpent entered through his nostril, and caused him to become extremely ugly. He was so ugly that even his own father could not stand to see his ugly face. Consequently, he decided to kill him. But upon his mother's request, he was not killed. Instead he was delivered to a shepherd. Since the shepherd could not tolerate looking at his ugly face either, he left Nimrod alone somewhere on a mountain. A female tiger named Nimrod prevented the child from dying by suckling him. The name Nimrod comes from the tiger. After his death, Nimrod succeeded to his father's position, and deemed himself to be God and wanted people to worship him. This wild, tough man was invited to the true religion by Ibrahim ('alaihi 's-salam). He also strove to keep his people away from worshipping idols and Nimrod. But they would not give up this practice. All the people of the Chaldean nation used to gather in a place once a year to have a festival. Then, they used to go to the house of idols to prostrate themselves before the idols. After that, they would return to their homes. Once, during the time of the festival, Ibrahim ('alaihi 's-salam) went into the house of idols and broke all the small idols with an axe. He then ran away leaving the axe hanging from the neck of the biggest idol. When the people of Chaldean entered the house of idols, they saw all the idols broken.

They wanted to seize the man who broke them and to punish him. They brought Ibrahim ('alaihi 's-salam) and asked him if he had done it. Ibrahim ('alaihi 's-salam) answered, "I think the biggest idol with the axe must have done it because it did not want the others to be worshipped. But, why don't you ask the biggest idol?" They responded, "How is it you want us to talk to an idol when you know that an idol is not able to talk?" Upon this, he answered, "Why do you worship idols which cannot speak or prevent themselves from being broken, then? Shame on you and your idols!" So, he wanted them to give up worshipping idols. But his attempt was in vain. This fact is stated in the fifty-second verse and onward. They reported this event to Nimrod. Nimrod wanted to see Ibrahim ('alaihi 's-salam). When he was in the presence of Nimrod, he did not prostrate before him. When Nimrod asked why he did not prostrate, he answered, "I prostrate before no one except Allahu ta'ala, who created me." Nimrod was unable to answer the proofs given by Ibrahim ('alaihi 's-salam). When Hadrat Ibrahim told him that Allah was One, All-superior and Ever-lasting and that Nimrod was no more than a human being, Nimrod became very angry with him. After being encouraged by his men, he decided to throw Hadrat Ibrahim into a fire in order to burn him alive. This fact is written in the Qur'an al-Karim ( Sura Bakara 258 ): "Have you heard what the man, granted sovereignty by Allah, told Ibrahim about the Lord? Ibrahim had said, 'My Lord gives death and life.' He responded, 'I can kill and revive, too.' When Ibrahim said, 'Allahu ta'ala brings the sun from the east, if you are God bring it from the west,' the denier was confused. Allahu ta'ala does not let those who act cruelly attain the right way.' Sura Assaffat, 97: "The idolaters said: 'Erect a building and throw him from there into the fire.' But, when they built it and Hadrat Ibrahim was thrown from there into the fire, the fire became a flower garden.' As it is told, the fire became a pond with a lot of fish in it. The fish were created from wood. This fact is declared in the Qur'an al-karim (Sura Anbiya 68-69): "Do something if you can, be helpful towards our gods" they said. We said: "Oh, Fire! Be cool and harmless towards Ibrahim. They sought to lay a snare for him, but they themselves were ruined." The name Nimrod is not in the Qur'an al-karim, but the name Nimrod is in the Torah (the "Old Testament" section of the Bible). Today there is a pond named "Ayn-i Zalika" or "Halilurrahman." It is fifty by thirty square meters in the city of Urfa. This pond is considered to be the place where Hadrat Ibrahim was thrown into the fire, and where the fish in the pond are believed to have been created out of wood. Visitors to the pond never harm them.

Hadrat Ibrahim got married two times. Even though his first wife Sarah (Sara) was seventy years old, she had no children. Upon this, Hadrat Ibrahim ('alaihi 's-salam') got married to a jariya (odalisque), named Hajar (Hagar) who was given to him as a present by the pharaoh of Egypt. He had a son from her named Ismail. Upon this Sarah prayed to Allahu ta'ala to give her a child, too. Allahu ta'ala granted her a child. The name Ishaq was given to him. Ismail ('alaihi 's-salam) and Ishaq ('alaihi 's-salam) have been the forefathers of the Arabs in Arabia (Hejaz), and the Hebrews, respectively. That is, the Arabs and the Hebrews (Jews) are brothers coming from the same father but different mothers. Ibrahim ('alaihi's-salam) is one of the grandfathers of Muhammad ('alaihi's-salam).

Ibrahim ('alaihi 's-salatu wassalam) became a prophet at the age of ninety. He preached monotheism. The interpretative meaning of the sixty-seventh verse of Chapter Al-Imran in the Qur'an al-karim is: "Hadrat Ibrahim is neither Jew nor Christian. He is "hanif" which means the one who turned towards the right, and a "muslim", that is, the one who gave himself up to Him."

The Prophet who conveyed the fundamentals of Judaism is Hadrat Moses. Moses (Musa ['alaihi's-salam]) was born about 1705 years before Christ in the city of Memphis, Egypt. Since there are different tales about his date of birth, it is not clearly known which pharaoh was reigning in Egypt during that time. Since Pharaoh had a dream wherein he saw that a boy who would be born in that year would kill him, he ordered his men to kill all the boys born in that year. That is why Hadrat Moses' mother left her son on the Nile river by putting him into a coffer [wooden case], while praying to Allahu ta'ala to keep him safe. This coffer, with the boy in it, was found by Pharaoh's wife. The boy was seen by Pharaoh, too. But, when Pharaoh and his wife saw the wooden case on the river his wife made a proposal suggesting: "If there is a living thing in that coffer let it be mine, if property, it will be yours. Okay?" Since this was accepted by him, he did not bring any harm unto the baby.

The name Musa means "saved from water." The Christians call him "Moses" or "Mois." Hadrat Musa's mother managed to have herself employed in Pharaoh's palace as a wet nurse for the boy. As a result, she was able to raise her own son. When he was forty, he heard that he had relatives. He left the palace in order to live with them. He met his brother Harun ('alaihi 's-salam), who was three years younger than him. Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) revolted against Pharaoh after seeing the unfair treatment he meted out towards the Hebrews. Musa strove to protect them. One day, an Egyptian kafir (disbeliever) was torturing a Jew. While Musa was trying to save the Jew, the Egyptian [Coptic] died. In fact, Musa had only wanted to prevent the torture. Upon this, he had to immigrate from Egypt. He moved to the city of Madyan. There, he served Shu'aib ('alaihi 's-salam) for ten years. He married his daughter, Safurar (Tsippore). Ten years later, Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) returned to Egypt. On his way to Egypt, he went up to Mount Tur. There he heard the word of Allahu ta'ala. At that moment, he was given risalat (prophethood). Also, the fact that Allahu ta'ala is One, Pharaoh is not a god, and many other things were revealed to him. Then, he went to Pharaoh in Egypt. He invited him to believe in One God. He wanted freedom for the Bani Israel, but Pharaoh rejected. Pharaoh became extremely angry with him. He said: "Musa is a great magician. He wants to seize power over our country by means of his tricks. "He then asked for the opinions of his visiers. They advised him saying, "Collect the magicians. Ask them to beat Musa." The magicians were collected, and the Egyptian people gathered to see what would happen. Those magicians put the ropes in their hands on the ground. All the ropes turned into snakes and began to move towards Musa ('alaihi 's-salam). But when Hadrat Musa threw the rod in his hand on the ground, it became a very big snake and swallowed the others. Upon this, the magicians admired Musa and believed in him, saying: "This man is telling the truth." This incident is mentioned in the 111-123 rd verses of Sura Araf in the Qur'an al-karim. There upon, Pharaoh became more and more angry. He said, "He was your master, wasn't he? I shall cut off your hands and legs. I shall hang you on the branches of date-palms." They responded, "We believe in Musa. We want to be under the protection of his Lord. We want His mercy, and to be pardoned by Him, only." Pharaoh did not let the Banu Israel leave Egypt. If he had, they would lose these people who were their servants and slaves. Then the water used by the disbelievers turned into blood. Frogs came down like a shower. Skin diseases and a three-day darkness possessed the people. Pharaoh became frightened after seeing these mujizas (miracles), and he permitted them to leave. While Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) and the Banu Israel were on their way to Jerusalem, Pharaoh became deeply regretful. With a great army, he ran after them with the intention of killing all the Jews. When the Jews arrived at the Red Sea, it allowed them to pass through a channel which was opened supernaturally. But while Fir'awn (Pharaoh) and his army were in this channel, trying to catch the Jews, the sea closed in upon them and they were all drowned. During this great immigration, Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) prayed imploringly to Allahu ta'ala on Mount Tur, and he wanted Allahu ta'ala to show himself to him. His prayer was not accepted by Allahu ta'ala. But, He talked with him again on "Mount Sinai." Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) stayed on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights and he fasted. Allahu ta'ala sent him the holy book Torah through the angel Gabriel ('alaihi 's-salam), which was written on tablets. Previously he had been given ten commandments to be adopted by his followers, which were written on tablets too. Those ten commandments (Awamir-i ashara) have been written in Jewish books. They begin with the last verse of the fifth chapter of the book of Deuteronomy, and end with the beginning of the twentieth chapter in the book of Exodus. They are as follows:

1. I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

2. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou, shalt not make thee any graven images, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth.

3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.

4. Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it. Six days thou shalt labor, and do all thy work. But the seventh days is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work.

5. Honor thy father and thy mother.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Neither shalt thou commit adultery.

8. Neither shalt you steal.

9. Neither thou bear false witness against thy neighbor.

10. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor house, his field, or his man servant, or his maid servant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbor.

When Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) returned from Mount Sinai, he saw that his community, whom he left under the leadership of his brother Harun ('alaihi 's-salam), had deviated from the right way and had begun to worship an idol which was in the form of a calf made of gold. Musa (alaihi 's-salam) was a man who had a stately, grand stature with keen eyes. He made a great impression on the people he met. But, when he was only a year old, he caused Pharaoh (Fir'awn) to become angry by plucking the hairs of his beard, which were adorned with pearls. He wanted to kill Moses, but with the intervention of his wife, Asiya, he tested him first. When a tray with gold and fire on it was put in front of Musa, he extended his hand towards the gold, but Gabriel ('alaihi 's-salam) turned his hand towards the fire. When he put the fire in his mouth, the front edge of his tongue was burned; hence, he threw the fire down. That is why, in the beginning, his speech was defective, and when it was necessary for him to address people he used to assign that task to his brother, Harun ('alaihi 's-salam), who could speak fluently. But, when he became a prophet, this defect vanished. He was granted the ability of speaking more fluently than Harun ('alaihi 's-salam). While he was on Mount Sinai, the good preaching of Harun could not prevent the community from deviating. Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) went back to Mount Tur and implored Allahu ta'ala to forgive his nation. His people promised not to do it again. Leading them, he went into the desert to find Arz-i mev'ud (the promised land), which was promised to them by Allahu ta'ala. They stayed in the desert of Tih for forty years. There, in the desert, Allahu ta'ala fed them manna (69) and the meat of quail (selva). Hadrat Musa could only come as far as a hill called Nebo next to the city of Ariha from which Arz-i mev'ud could be seen. He died there when he was, as it is told, 120 years old. His brother Harun ('alaihi 's-salam) had died three years before him. Entering the city of "Areeha" in the land called Arz-i mev'ud was granted to his successor, the Prophet Yusha.

[In his book "Qisas-i Anbiya, the great historian and jurist, Ahmad Jawdat Pasha, states (70): "The son of Hadrat Ishaq (Issac), who was the son of Hadrat Abraham (Ibrahim), was Hadrat Yaqub (Jacob). His real name was "Israel." The people who came from his lineage are called "Banu Israel," which means "the sons of Israel." Yusuf (Joseph ['alaihi's-salam]) was one of Hadrat Yaqub's (Jacob) twelve sons, and he was also a prophet. After Hadrat Joseph, the Banu Israel followed the Sharia (divine laws of the religion) of Jacob and Joseph ('alaihima 's-salam), and they lived in Egypt. The nation called "Kibt" was the early inhabitants of Egypt. They worshipped stars and statues, in other words, idols. They considered the Israelites natural slaves. Banu Israel always desired to immigrate back to a place called "Canan" (Ken'an), which was their ancestors' country. But the pharaohs would not allow them to go. The reason being, they made the Israelites do heavy work, such as build new cities and buildings. They always dreamed of getting away from the cruelty of the pharaohs. Moses (Musa), the son of Imran, was put into a wooden coffer and dropped into the Nile river by his own mother. "Asiya," the wife of pharaoh took him out and adopted him. After Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) had accidently killed a kibt, he immigrated from Egypt to the city of "Madian." He lived there for ten years. He returned to Egypt together with the daughter of Shu'ayb ('alaihi 's-salam). On his way to Egypt, he was beckoned to Mount Tur. There, he was honored with talking to Allahu ta'ala. prophethood was also given to him. He was ordered to invite Pharaoh into the religion. Pharaoh did not accept. Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) gathered all the Israelites, and they left Egypt altogether. Passing through the Red Sea, they approached a place called "Areeha," but the Israelites said, "We can not go there. We do not want to fight against those people called the 'Amalika.' That is why they were cursed. Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) went to Mount Sinai after leaving the Jews under the leadership of his older brother, Harun ('alaihi 's-salam). He talked with Allahu ta'ala again. He was given the "Torah." His nation repented and moved to a place south of the Dead Sea. They settled opposite the city of Areeha, in other words, on the eastern side of the Sharia river. He appointed Yusha ('alaihi 's-salam) to be his representative and passed away.

The book Mirati Qainat says: "Moses (Musa ''alaihi's-salam]) went up to Mount Tur three times. The first time, he was given risalat (prophethood). The second time the holy book "Torah" (Tawrat-i Sharif) and "the ten commandments" (Awamir-i ashara) were revealed to him. The Torah was in forty parts. There were one thousand chapters in each part. There were one thousand verses in every chapter. There are not so many verses in the Torahs of today. This is because, as the Qur'an al-karim states, the "Torah" and "Bible" were changed and falsified by man over the course of time.

The "Torah," which was conveyed by the angel Gabriel ('alaihi 's-salam) to Musa ('alaihi 's-salam), was memorized by Musa, Harun, Yusha, Uzair and Jesus Christ ('alaihi 's-salam). The book Kamus-ul Alam says: "When the sovereign of Assyria, Buhtunnasar, seized Jerusalem and pulled down Masjid al-Aqsa, he burned all the copies of the Torah. Furthermore, he captured seventy thousand Jewish scholars, including Daniel and 'Uzair ('alaihi 's-salam), and sent them to Babylonia. [The fact that 'Uzair ('alaihi 's-salam) was called Ezra by the Jews is written in the book "Munjid." However, the writer of the book of Ezra, and some other books, which are included in the Old Testament of today's Holy Bible, are not 'Uzair's ('alaihi 's-salam). This man Ezra was a Hebrew Rabbi, a man of religion.] The Jews neglected the holy "Torah" and became immoral. They did not believe in the Prophets who were sent to warn them. They martyred most of these Prophets. Bahman Kayhusrav, the Shah of Iran, defeated the Assrians, and let all his Jewish captives free, including Daniel (alaihi 's-salam). The number of people worshipping in Masjid al-Aqsa increased. When Alexander the Great seized Jerusalem, a Jewish man from Jerusalem named "Herodas" was assigned governor of Jerusalem. This vile governor martyred Yahya (John the Baptist ('alaihi-s-salam). He tyrannized the people to a great extent. Later on, Jerusalem was seized by the Romans. In the 135 th year of the Christian era, after the Jews revolted, Adrian destroyed the city of Jerusalem and massacred the Jewish people. Those Jews who managed to escape from the massacre went to different places, but were oppressed and treated harshly by Christian natives. When the religion of Islam arose, they attained peace and comfort. The city of Jerusalem was restored by Roman emperors and given the name "Ilia" (Ilya). Jerusalem was rebuilt by Abdulmalik, the fifth khalifa of the Umayyades. The city was destroyed again by the Christians during the Crusades. Saladin (Salahaddin-i Ayyubi) restored it. The Ottoman khalifas repaired and ornamanted the city."

Another holy book of the Jews after the Torah was the Talmut. Musa (Moses ['alaihi's-salam]) taught what he heard from Allahu ta'ala on Mount Tur to Harun, Yusha and Al-Ya'azar. Those words were communicated to the succeeding Prophets, finally they were taught to the holy Yahuda. During the second century of the Christian era, those words were written into a book by this holy Yahuda over a forty year period. This book was named Mishna. Two annotations were written for the Mishna during the third and sixth centuries of the Christian era, in Jerusalem and in Babylon, respectively. These annotations were given the name Gamara. Each one of the two Gamara books was put into a single book with the Mishna and given the name "Talmut." The Talmut containing the Gamara written in Jerusalem and the Mishna is called The Talmut of Jerusalem. The other Talmut containing the Gamara written in Babylon and the Mishna is called The Talmut of Babylon. Christians are the enemies of these three books. Christians believe that one of the men who preached the teachings of Mishna was Sham'un, who carried the cross which was used to crucify Jesus Christ. Some of the precepts in the Talmut that are harmful for humanity have been written at the end of my Turkish book "Cevab Veremedi," which has already been translated into English and published with the name "Could Not Answer." The fact that the above-mentioned name "Al-Ya'azar" was the son of Shuayb ('alaihi 's-salam) is written in the book Mirat-i Kainat. The so-called "Holy Bible" of the Christians consists of two parts: "the Old Testament" and "the New Testament." Only the Old Testament is believed and considered a Holy Book by the Jews. They do not like the idea of this section being called the old Testament. They want it to be called the "Tanah."

They say the "Tanah" is in three parts. The first part is called "Tawrat." The Tawrat consists of five parts:

1. Genesis

2. Exodus

3. Leviticus

4. Numbers

5. Deuteronomy

These five books in totality are called: Pentateuch.

In the second verse of Chapter Isra in the Qur'an al-karim, this is declared: "We gave Moses the Book." But over years, many foreign writings have been inserted into the Torahs of today. (71) So, there is no relationship between the original Torah revealed to Moses ('alaihi 's-salam) and today's Torahs.

The fact that Allahu ta'ala would send a final prophet named Muhammad (alaihissalevatu wattaslimat) is written in the original Torah. When Hadrat Moses went up to Mount Tur for the second time seeking forgiveness for his deviated nation, what Allahu ta'ala told him is written in the 155-157 th verses of Chapter al-Araf of the Qur'an al-karim: "Musa: O my Lord! If it had been Thy Will Thou couldst have destroyed, long before, both them and me: wouldst Thou destroy us for the deeds of the foolish ones among us? This is no more then Thy trial: by it Thou causest whom Thou wilt to stray, and Thou leadest whom Thou wilt into the right path. Thou art our Protector: So forgive us and give us Thy mercy; for Thou art the Best of those who forgive. And ordain for us that which is good in this life and in the Hereafter: For we have turned unto Thee." Allahu ta'ala said to him: "With My Punishment I visit whom I will. But My Mercy extendeth to all things. We shall ordain for those that keep from evil, give alms, (72) and believe in Our signs, and to those who follow the Apostle -the Unlettered Prophet- whom they find mentioned in their own Scriptures. That Prophet commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil. He allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honor him, help him, and follow the Light -which is sent down with him- It is they who will prosper." There is no doubt the Jews believed in the final Prophet and waited for him to appear. Furthermore, it is said in some interpretations that during wars, the Jews used to invoke, saying: "O, My Lord! For the sake of your final Prophet (alaihissalevatu wattaslimat) that you promised to send, help us, please." And they used to experience victory in those battles.

Hadrat David and Hadrat Solomon (Sulaiman), who are among the Prophets (alaihimussalevatu wattaslimat) sent to the Hebrews after Hadrat Moses, did their best to spread the true religion. We can briefly express the main points of the religion of Judaism as follows:

Faith: There is one God. He is self-existent, that is, His existence is from Himself. He sees and knows everything. He was not born and He does not bear children. Forgiving and punishing are under his power.

Morals: The fundamentals of their morality are the ten commandments, that is, Awamir-i ashara. People have to adapt themselves to those ten commandments, exactly. The soul and body of human beings are different from one another. The soul does not die until Doomsday. It is necessary to believe in the spiritual life of the second world.

Religious fundamental: The non-Jews are deemed to be idolaters. It is necessary to stay away from them. As far as possible, it is necessary to be disconnected from them. It is necessary to sacrifice with or without blood. [The Jews used to sacrifice every animal, including pigeons, but mostly sheep, goats and cattle. In time, the buns made of saltless dough and flat bread called "unleavened bread" were judged to be sacrificial too. It has been categorized as "the sacrifice without blood" to deliver them.] They punish according to the law of the talion (retribution). The man who does an evil act is subjected to the same thing, in the same manner. Boys are circumcised by a Rabbi [a Jewish religious man]. The animals to be eaten must be slaughtered. The meat of an animal which is killed in any other way cannot be eaten. [Even today, in the United States and in Europe, in Jewish butcher shops there are labels stamped "kosher" that signify that the meat of the animals sold in those shops were slaughtered in a certain manner as prescribed by a rabbi. The Jews can eat only meat prepared in this way. Muslims eat only the meat of animals slaughtered by repeating the name of Allahu ta'ala. Muslims never eat pork.] Jewish women have to cover their heads after they get married. Today, Jewish women in Europe fulfill this obligation by wearing a wig. It is also prohibited for Jews to eat pork.

The means of worshipping among the Jews depends on many different ceremonies. Saturday is their holy day. They never work or even light a fire on that day. Saturdays are considered to be feast days (holy days), and animated by them. They call it "Shabat." In addition to this, they have some other holy days, namely, Passah, Shawwat, Rosh-ha-Shanah, Kepur, Sukkot, Purem, Hanuqa, and so on. Passah is considered a commemoration for escaping from Egypt. Shawwat is said to be the feast of roses, which is considered a celebration marking the granting of the Torah and the Awamir-i Ashara (ten commandments). Kipur is a great fasting day, which is considered a day signifying their being forgiven after their penitence. Sukkot is the feast of tabernacles, which is considered a memorial of the life in the desert.

Contrary to a priest, a rabbi has no authority to hear a confession. They only conduct the worship ceremonies. In the sight of Allahu ta'ala all Jews are equal, no difference is there between one or the other.

After Hadrat Moses, the number of their religious ceremonies and the way rabbis conduct them were enhanced, changed, or new principles were added to them by different Prophets (alaihimussalavatu wattaslimat). After Hadrat David, reciting the holy book of Psalms for playing musical instruments were added to their worships.

David ('alaihi 's-salam) was born about one thousand years before Christ. (Even though, the era of Hadrat David's sovereignty is said to be 1015-975 B.C., by some European historians, it is not known with certainty.) Hadrat David was formerly a shepherd. Since he had a very attractive voice (73), he was taken to Talut, (74) the head of state. Afterwards he became his zither player. First, they became good friends and Talut made him his own intimate. But, Hadrat David was becoming more well known day by day. At the age of thirty he killed Goliath, a very huge man, with a stone thrown from his sling; accordingly, the people admired him even more. However, Talut was intimidated and kept David at a distance from himself. However, after Talut had passed away. David, based on public demand, became his successor. It was he who, for the first time, ordered Jerusalem to be a capital city. The sovereignty of David ('alaihi 's-salam) lasted forty years. The fact that he received the holy book Psalms (Zabur) is written in the 163 rd verse of Chapter Nisa and the 55 th verse of Chapter Isra in the Qur'an al-karim. It is certain that David implored Allahu ta'ala for mercy and forgiveness. In today's Psalms, in the Holy Bible, there are some false scriptures which were added by an unscrupulous type. Because of these additions, it has lost its originality completely. Allahu ta'ala granted David ('alaihi 's-salam) many great advantages. The meanings of the 10th verse of Chapter Saba: "We bestowed Grace afore time on David from Ourselves. O ye Mountains! sing ye back the praises of Allah with him! and ye birds (also)! And We made the iron soft for him." And the meanings of the 17th-19th verses of Chapter Sad: "O Muhammad! Remember Our Servant David. For he ever turned to Allah. It was We that made the mountains join with him in praise morning and evening, and the birds, too; all were obedient to him." And the meaning of the 25 th verse of Chapter Sad: "In our sight David has a great rank and a good future." The ugly story written in today's Tawrat and Bible stating: "The adventure between David and his officer Uria's wife named Bathseba" is not true. Hadrat Ali (radi-Allahu 'anh), the fourth khalifa declared that he would beat those who told this false story by hitting them with a stick 160 times. The interpretation of the 26 th verse of Chapter Sad written in the tafsir book Mawakib is: "Urya sent a message to a girl named Teshamu to inform her that he wanted to marry her. Though the girl accepted, her relatives did not. They spoke ill of Urya to the girl. Meanwhile, David ('alaihi 's-salam) also wanted to marry Teshama. After Urya had died in a war, the girl married David ('alaihi 's-salam). However, Allahu ta'ala did not like it because of the fact that Teshama was a betrothed girl. After David ('alaihi 's-salam) realized that he had blundered, he repented and Allahu ta'ala forgave him." There is no clear information in the Qur'an al-karim on this matter. Nevertheless, it is revealed that Hadrat David always had fear of Allah; he had been granted knowledge of science and the ability to distinguish right from wrong. In the 24 th verse of Chapter Sad, it is revealed that he had imploringly prostrated himself before Allahu ta'ala to be granted a just decision in a matter concerning a sheep; he always begged Allahu ta'ala for mercy, and he was very prayerful. All the Islamic scholars unanimously agree with the fact that the myth of Urya was added to the Tawrat and the Bible later on. Though these invented stories called "Israeleyyat" infected some ignorant Muslims, Islamic scholars declared they were myths.

Solomon (Sulaiman (75) ['alaihi's-salam]) the son of David ('alaihi's-salam) succeeded his father and became the prophet and the sovereign of the Israelites. He could speak to jinns, wild animals and birds. The era of Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam) was the best era for the Israelites. Until the era of Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam) Jewish sovereigns did not know what a palace was. The house of Talut, mentioned above, was not so different from that of an ordinary peasant. It is he who, for the first time, established the city of Jerusalem and built a palace there. He had a lot of buildings, palaces, gardens, ponds, places to slaughter animals, and places of worship built. The name of his most magnificent temple, built in Jerusalem, was Masjid al-Aqsa (Bayt-i Muqaddas/Saint House.) He invited Phenician architects to build this mosque. And the creatures called "jinn" worked on the construction. The construction materials used in this building were very valuable. It appeared as if it was a piece of shining gold when it was seen from afar, and the people looking at it could not help becoming overawed. The construction lasted for seven years. What a pity, this beautiful masjid was burned by Buhtunnasar, the second of the Assyrian sovereigns, when he captured Jerusalem. Though Kayhusrav repaired it, later on, the Romans burned it again. It states in the book Kamus-ul 'alam: "After that disaster, the restoration, building and improvements in Jerusalem were not done by the Israelites. Later on, Byzantine emperors repaired Masjid al-Aqsa, and they named Jerusalem "Ilia." Our Prophet Muhammad (sall- Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) performed prayer in Masjid al-Aqsa. The city of Jerusalem was conquered by Muslims in the 16th year of the hegira, during the time of Hadrat 'Umar (radi-Allahu 'anh). The present masjid was built during the time of Abdulmalik (rahima-hullah)." The remaining foundation walls are called "The Wailing Walls" by present day Jews, and they pray in front of these Walls.

The best and the richest city in the world was Jerusalem during the era of Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam). Countless stories are told among the people about the palaces built by Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam) in Jerusalem, and about the rooms and the valuable furnishings in them. It can be asserted that no sovereign, up to now, has lived as magnificent a life as that of Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam). Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam) had numerous wives and jariyas (female slaves). Since he attached great importance to trade, he got richer all the time. He adorned his palaces with new, valuable, and beautiful goods and fed an untold number of valuable horses, birds and other animals. Every day, thirty cows, one hundred sheep, dozens of deer and gazelles were slaughtered in his palace. Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam) always kept the peace and tried to establish friendships and good relationships with his neighbors. He married Pharaoh's daughter who was his neighbor; furthermore, he invited Balkees, the princess of Saba, to the true religion. He extended friendship to her, and as it was told by Islamic historians, he married her, too. The fact that Balkees was invited to the true religion by Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam) is written in the 29-32 verses of Chapter Naml in the Qur'an al-karim.

Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam) was an extremely just sovereign like all the Prophets (alaihimussalavatu wattaslimat). "The justice of Solomon" has been taken as an example for justice all over the world, and so has that of Umar (radi-Allahu 'anh). Solomon ('alaihi's-salam) tolerated other faiths. In spite of the protest made by fanatical Jews, he had temples for other religions built, too. So, he was given regard and respect all over the world and became a good example. He carried out the Sharia (religious law) of his father, David ('alaihi 's-salam).

Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam) is written about in the Qur'an al-karim. The meaning of the 12th verse of Chapter Saba is: "To Solomon We subdued the wind, traveling a month's journey morning and evening. We made a font of molten brass to flow for him. And there were jinns that worked in front of him, by the leave of his Lord. And if any of them turned aside from our command, We made him taste of the penalty of the blazing fire." And the meaning of the 30-39 th verses of Chapter Sad is: "To David We gave Solomon as a son. He was a good servant. Ever did he turn to Us. One evening, his prancing steeds were ranged before him. Solomon said: "My love for the good things of life has caused me to forget my Lord. For now, the sun has vanished behind the veil of darkness." He was very sorry. "Bring them back to me" [he said], and he started to cut their legs and necks. [He delivered their meat to the poor.] Then he did turn to Us. He said: "O my Lord! Forgive me. And grant me such power as shall suit none after me.

For You are the Grantor of bounties (without measure). So We subdued the wind to him, so that it blew at his bidding wherever he directed it; and the devils, too, among whom were builders and divers and others bound with chains. Such are Our gifts. Whether you bestow them on others or withhold them. No account will be asked. In the world to come he shall be honored and well received." According to Jewish and Christian publications, three parts of the Holy Bibles in their hands have been quoted from the Book of Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam). These are "The Proverbs," "Ecclesiastes," and "The Songs of Solomon." It is said in the Torah that the wind, the birds and the other animals were at Solomon's ('alaihi 's-salam) disposal. He could speak their languages. The birds and the other animals immediately did whatever they were ordered. Various constructions were completed in a short time with the help of spirits who were under his control.

During the time of Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam), the people were given civil rights more than in the era of David ('alaihi 's-salam). According to new laws a father had innumerable right over his children. A child, no matter how old he was, had to fulfill the orders of his father. The share of inheritance for the older child was doubled. For those matters concerning engagements or getting married, the prominent ones of the family were given authority. The candidates had to accept the ones selected for them. A divorced woman was paid some money called "mahr." A widow with or without children had to marry her brother-in-law. The first child after this marriage was judged to belong to the dead husband; therefore, the child was the dead husband's legitimate heir. A man was given permission to marry more than one woman.

After Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam) had passed away, the Israelites divided into twelve tribes, and struggled against one another. The divisions had started before the death of Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam). But, with the help of Allahu ta'ala, Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam) managed to keep them united. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon ('alaihi 's-salam) became his successor. But, only two of the twelve tribes followed him. The state of Israel divided into two parts. One of them was named "Israel" and ten of the tribes settled in it. The remaining two tribes formed the "Yahuda" state. This state presided over Jerusalem. Eventually, they lost their morality. Allahu ta'ala became angry with them and He punished them. They lived for some time under the control of the Assyrian state. Buhtunnasar (Nebukadnezar), the sovereign of the Assyrian state, destroyed and burned down the city of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. By force, he expelled them from Jerusalem to Babylonia. But, after Keyhusrav (Kirus) the Shah of Iran had defeated the Assyrians, he allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem. They attempted to repair the burned city of Jerusalem. First, they lived under the sovereignty of Iran and then under Macedonia. The Romans entered Jerusalem in 64 B.C. They destroyed and burned down the city again. The Romans, once again, devastated Jerusalem in 70 A.D. It was Titus, the Roman emperor, who burned Jerusalem to the ground.

While the Israelites were under the control of the Romans, Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) was born. During the days of those calamities, the original copies of the Torah were destroyed. Some new books were written and were given the name Torah. Many foreign passages and even myths were added to them. That is why Allahu ta'ala sent Jesus ('alaihi s-salam) as a prophet to convert the Israelites (and other human beings) back to the right path. The Israelites did not want to accept Jesus ('Alaihi 's-salam) as a prophet. They were waiting for a prophet just as the one explained in the Torah. They thought that the Prophet would be very powerful, very brave and that he would successfully do whatever he wanted, and that they would be saved from the hands of the Romans with the help of this Prophet. When they saw that Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) was a very tenderhearted man, they did not like him. They thought that he was a false prophet. They slandered his mother, Hadrat Maryam (the Virgin Mary). Today there are about 15 million people known as Jews. No one among them follows the true Tawrat (Torah). According to the "Britannica of the Year," the international almanac, it is questionable if they all believe in the same religion since there are so many sects among the Jews.

Jesus Christ (Isa ['alaihi 's-salam]) was sent to improve the religion of the Israelites. That means, true Christianity is only the reformed religion of the Israelites. Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) says in the seventeenth verse of the fifth chapter of the book of Matthew, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the Prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill." It will be unnecessary to repeat the same explanations given in the section "Qur'an al-karim and the Bibles," but we kindly request our dear readers to refer to that section. The original Bible containing the initial scriptures of Christianity conveyed by Hadrat Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) was changed many times and a great deal of foreign scriptures and myths were added. As a result of these invented myths being mixed with the words and orders of Allahu ta'ala, the Bible has lost the characteristics of being a holy book. In his Turkish book Izahulmaram fi Kashfiz-zulam, the great Islamic scholar Alhaj Abdullah Ibn Dastan Mustapha (rahimahullahu ta'ala), who died in 1303 [1885], explains what the book that was sent to Hadrat Jesus and that was mentioned in the Qur'an al-karim was. That book states as follows: "When the Jews tried to kill Hadrat Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam), they seized him and burnt the Bible he had with him or they tore it into pieces. Until that time, the Bible itself had not yet been spread all over the world, and his religion and Sharia (religious laws) had not been established. This was due to the fact that Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) had preached his religion for only two and half or three years. Also for this reason no possibility existed for finding another copy of the Bible. His apostles were few and most of them were uneducated; therefore, it was impossible for them to have had other written proofs. Up to that time, the Bible had not been written down, but it had been memorized by Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam), only. This may be another possibility: In the spiritual council of Nicaea (Iznik), 325 years after Christ, a large number of Bibles were burned as a result of being judged "false, wrong or baseless." Perhaps, the real Bible was burned among them."

Today's Christian world admits that many foreign words were inserted into the Bible resulting in the actual orders of Allahu ta'ala and the words of His human servants being mixed together. No doubt, the Bible was originally in the Hebrew language. Later on, it was translated into Latin and Greek. While translating the Hebrew Bible into Greek, a lot of mistakes were made. Furthermore, because of the fact that the Greek idolaters opposed the idea of "One Allah," they tried to adapt the Bible itself to the philosophy of Plato. Consequently, the dogma of the Trinity (union of three), which is completely unreasonable, was introduced into the Bible. According to the philosophy of Plato, It is not good to worship many idols by making specific idols for a specific gods. Plato's Philosophy also claims that god is the union of three. The first one is the "Father." This is the greatest creator and the father of the other two gods. He is the first hypothesis.

The second is the visible creator who is the vizier of the Father who is invisible. This word means logos and perception. The fact that Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) is called "logos," holy word, by the Christians, and they believe in him as "god" is written at the beginning of the book of John. The third one is the universe (nature), the visible and the known. Behold! The Romans and the Greeks tried to make Christianity a philosophy. Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) said: "I am only a man, just like you." In spite of this, they accepted him as the son of Allah. Going even further, they invented something called "the Holy Ghost." They claimed that there were three divine persons -Father, Son and Holy Ghost- whose unity forms the Christian God. Nonetheless, the word "Father" used in the Hebrew Bible meant that Allahu ta'ala was almighty. And the word "son" used for Hadrat Jesus meant that he was the "beloved servant of Allahu ta'ala," not something else. The Holy Ghost was the power of prophethood granted to Hadrat Jesus by Allahu ta'ala. This fact is told in the Qur'an al-Karim, in the twelfth verse of Chapter Tahrim as follows: "And Mary the daughter of Imran, who guarded her chastity. And we breathed into (her body) of Our spirit. And she testified to the truth of the words of her Lord and of His Revelations. And was one of the devout (servants)."

In early Christianity, there was no such thing as a "Trinity." The above-mentioned Islamic Scholar Dastan Mustapha (rahima hullah) says: "The idea of the 'Trinity' was suggested first by a priest named Sibelius, two hundred years after Christ. Until that time, people believed that Allah was one and that Hadrat Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) was His Prophet. The concepts suggested by Sibelius were furiously rejected by many Christians. Fights broke out between churches and much blood was shed. In a history book, written during that time and translated from French into Arabic, this fact is substantiated. In the year 200 A.D., only the idea of 'Father' and 'Son' had been suggested. The idea of the 'Holy Ghost' was added 181 years later by a religious council held in 381 during the time of Theodosius, the Byzantium emperor. There were many popes, opposed to this decision.' Pope Honorius never believed in the "Trinity." Even though, Honorius was excommunicated, some years later after his death, new sects were formed that were opposed to the idea of the "Trinity." Even drawing invented pictures of Hadrat Jesus, making his statue, putting them into churches, deeming the cross sacred, and the other matters like them caused much trouble, even bloody flights, but they were accepted by the church 700 years later.

They have changed the fundamentals of Christianity: the Pope is believed to be infallible; the priests have been given the authority of confession; man is condemned to have been born a sinner. Although it is declared in the Injil (Bible), they disbelieved the final Prophet, Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam). Even today, they are continuously changing the so-called Bible. All these facts have provoked Allahu ta'ala's wrath. The holy meaning of the 171 st ayat of Sura Nisa is: "Oh, people of the book! Do not exaggerate in your religion! Tell nothing except the truth about Allah. Isa, the son of Maryam, was merely Allah's messenger. And a creature created by His order "Be!" which He bestowed into Mary, and a spirit from Him. Believe in Allah and His Prophet. Do not say: "There!" Stopping (it) will be better for you. Allah is only one Allah. He is beyond having any son. He created whatever is in Heaven and whatever is on Earth."

Using the word "Spirit" to mean "Jesus" ('alaihi 's-salam) in that ayat (verse) has already been interpreted with different meanings. It means that Gabriel ('alaihi 's-salam) cast him into Mary and after she had been breathed upon, she became pregnant. That breathing done by Gabriel ('alaihi 's-salam) is referred to as "spirit." Or, the Spirit here means revelation from Allahu ta'ala. Hadrat Mary was given good news by means of this word, and also Gabriel ('alaihi 's-salam) was ordered to breathe upon her, and Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) was given the order "Be!" Or, it is the order "Be!" It is said that the relation between Allahu ta'ala and the spirit is just like the relation between a man's speech and his breath.

It is declared to those who changed the Bible in the seventy-ninth verse of Chapter Baqara in the Qur'an al-Karim: "Woe to those who write the Scriptures with their own hands and then say: 'This is from Allah,' in order to gain some paltry end. Woeful shall be their fate, because of what their hands have written, because of that which they have gained."

The holy meaning of the 1-4 ayats of Sura Ikhlas: "Say that Allah is One and Only. He is free of all needs. Everything depends on Him. He has no son nor father nor partner. There is no person like unto Him."

We quoted the story below from the Turkish book Diya-ul-qulub by Ishaq Effendi (rahima-hullahu ta'ala) from Harput, Turkey:

For the first time two Jesuit (76) priests arrived in the city of Kanton to influence the Chinese to believe in Christianity. They wanted permission from the governor of Kanton to preach Christianity. The governor did not attach importance to them, but they troubled him, by applying everyday. At last, the governor said: "I have to get permission for this matter from the Fagfur of China [the Sultan of China]. I shall inform him. "Then he did what he said. The Fagfur responded by saying: "Send them to me. I shall find out what they really want." So the governor sent them to Peking, the capital city of China. The Buddhists that heard about their coming were furiously alarmed, and they implored the Sultan of China to expel them claiming: "These men will try to spread a new religion named Christianity among our people. These men do not believe in our sacred Buddha. They will lead our people astray. Please expel them from China." The Fagfur answered: "Let us listen to them first. Then, we can make a decision on the matter." He formed a council, including the prominent men of the country as well as the religious men. He invited the Jesuits there and said: "Tell us about the fundamentals of the religion you want to spread." Upon this, the Jesuits used the following story: "The Allah who created the Heaven and the Earth is one. But, at the same time, Allah is deemed to be 'three." The only son of Allah and the Holy Ghost are each a god, too. This Allah created Adam and Eve and placed them in Paradise. He granted them every kind of benefit. But, He ordered them not to eat from a certain fruit tree. Somehow, Satan led Eve astray and they both disobeyed the order; that is, they ate fruit from the forbidden tree. Upon this, they were expelled from Paradise and sent to Earth. On the earth they had children and descendants. But, all of them had been stained with the sins committed by their grandfather. All of them were sinners. This condition lasted for 6000 years. Finally, Allahu ta'ala felt pity for mankind and sent them His own son. He could not find any other means by which to forgive them except to sacrifice His son as an atonement for their sins. The son of Allah is the prophet we believe in. His name is 'Isa (Jesus). There is a city, namely, Jerusalem in western Arabia. There was a girl named Maryam living in a village called Nasira (Nazareth) in a place called Galilee near the city of Jerusalem. Although she was engaged to marry a carpenter named Yusuf (Joseph), she was still a virgin. One day, while she was in a lonely place, the Holy Ghost came and put the son of Allah into her. In other words, even though she was a virgin, she became pregnant. Later on, while she was on her way to Jerusalem with her fiance, she bore a child in a stable at a place called Bethlehem. They put the son of Allah in a feed rack in that stable. After seeing the sudden appearance of a new star in the sky, the priests living on the eastern side realized that the son of Allah had been born. They set off, with lots of presents, to look for him. At last, they found him in this stable. They prostrated in front of him. The son off Allah, named Isa, preached until he was thirty-three. Though he said: "I am the son of Allah, believe me. I came to save you", and performed a lot of miracles, such as reviving the dead, enabling the blind to see, having the lame men walk, curing the leper, stopping storms on the sea, feeding 10,000 people with two fish, turning water into wine, killing a fig-tree by merely pointing at it because it bore no fruit in the winter, and many other miracles like these, very few people believed in him. At last, the treacherous Jews complained about him to the Romans and brought about his crucifixion. But, after Jesus (Isa) had been dead on the cross, he returned to life three days later and was seen by his followers. Then he ascended into heaven and sat on the right-hand side of his Father. Afterwards, his Father left all worldly affairs to him. These are the fundamentals of the religion we are going to preach. Those who believe in these fundamentals will go to Paradise, if not, they will go to Hell."

After he had listened to them, the Fagfur of China said: "I want to ask you some questions. Answer me!" and added: "My first question is: You claim that Allah is one as well as three. This is nonsense, similar to claiming that two plus two is five. Tell me, how do you explain this?" The priests failed to answer: "This is a secret of Allah. Men cannot understand it." The Chinese Fagfur asked: "My second question is: How can it be possible that since one man committed a sin, the Almighty Allah,who created whatever is in the heaven and on the earth, judged all his descendants to be sinners even though they were not aware of this sin. How is it possible that he could not find another way of forgiving them, except by sacrificing His own son? Is this in concurrence with His being almighty? What do you think of this?" The priests failed to answer again: "We can not answer, this, either. It is Allah's secret, too." My third question is: "When it was out of season, Isa (Jesus) wanted a fig tree to bear fruit. But since the tree did not have any fruit, he killed it. It is impossible for a tree to bear fruit out of season. In spite of this fact, to be angry with a tree would be a tyrannical act for Jesus, would it not? Is it possible for a prophet to be so cruel?" The priests failed to answer: "These are heavenly affairs, the secrets of Allah. They are beyond the understanding of the human mind?" Upon this, the Fagfur of China said: "Permission is granted from me to you. You can go and preach wherever you want in China." After they left the presence of the Fagfur, he turned to the people and said: "I do not think there will be such a brainless person in China who will believe in that kind of non-sense. I do not mind at all if they preach those myths. I am sure that our citizens will appreciate their own religions after listening to them. They will see how stupid some nations are on the earth, and how such nonsensical myths are believed by them."

What the Fagfur said was so true. Even though 2000 years have passed since those days, and in spite of the great efforts made by Christian missionaries, they have not been able to convert the Chinese nation to Christianity. (77)

As far as it is understood through the books we have read in different languages, Hadrat Maryam (Mary) lived alone in one of the rooms of Bait-ul Muqaddas (Masjid al-Aqsa). Nobody entered that room except Zacharias (Zakariyya ['alaihi's-salam]). The angel Gabriel ('alaihi 's-salam) revealed to Hadrat Maryam (Mary) that she would have a son who would be a prophet, even though she was a virgin. One of the legends in the book Mirat-i Kainat states: "While Hadrat Mary (Maryam) was having a bath in her aunt's and Zacharias' (alaihi 's-salam) house, Gabriel ('alaihi 's-salam) appeared as a human and breathed on her. As a result, she became pregnant. She went to the "Bait-ul-lahm" together with her uncle's son, Joseph (Yusuf) Najjar. Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) was born there. Then, they went to Egypt. They lived there for twelve years. They eventually moved to Nasir and settled down. When Isa (Jesus) was thirty he became a prophet. For this reason, the people who believed in Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) were called "Nasrani" and all the Nasrani people were called "Nasara." According to the Bible, when Isa was born, a new and bright star appeared in the sky. But, according to some philosophers and communists this entire story is a myth. No one was ever named Isa (Jesus). According to Ernest Renan, a professor at the University of Paris, Mary married Yusuf (Joseph). Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) was born normally. He even had brothers and sisters as well. This assertion by Renan caused him to be excommunicated by the Pope. But, his ideas were immediately accepted by atheists.

The Qur'an al-karim clearly reveals that Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam] is the son of Hadrat Mary (Maryam), the virgin. As we said above, Allahu ta'ala honored her with Ruh-ul-Kudus (the Holy Spirit). This fact is revealed in the 87 th and 253 rd ayats of Sura Baqara. The holy meaning of these ayats are: "We gave 'Isa (Jesus) the son of Mary clear signs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit." [This blessed ayat al-Karima reveals that obvious miracles were given to him. And it is clearly revealed in the 48 th verse of Sura Al-i Imran, and in the 46 th and 110 th verses of Sura Ma'ida, and in the 27 th verse of Sura Hadid that the Injil (Bible) was revealed to him]. This knowledge related to his being born from the virgin Mary (Maryam) is in the 45 th and the following verses of Sura Al-Imran: The angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a word from Him: his name will be Isa (Jesus) Messiah, the son of Mary, held in honor in this world and the hereafter, and of those nearest to Allah, and he will preach to men in his cradle." Hadrat Mary asked: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" The angel said: "Even so: Allah createth what He willeth. When He decrees a thing, He says to it 'Be,' and it is."

Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) spoke to people when he was still an infant. When he was still a child he had extraordinary wisdom. Admirable answers were given to questions asked to him. This condition of his showed that he would be an extraordinary man. He started preaching in Jerusalem. During his prophethood that lasted three years, he performed numerous miracles. As mentioned in the Qur'an al-karim, he revived the dead. He cured the lepers. He opened the eyes of the blind. Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) was the kind of prophet that had no house, and was continuously on the road, walking. He used to spend the night worshipping, wherever he was when the sun set that day. He was very kind, merciful, very tender-hearted, and modest. The miracles he used to perform embarrassed him. To prevent himself from being thanked by the one he cured, he used to walk away quickly. He never contradicted the bitter words of his apostles. After he had silently listened to them, he used to forgive their ugly behavior, immediately. [For example, when they were together with him on a ship in the sea, his apostles were afraid of drowning during a strong storm. They said: "Why don't you stop this storm? Do you want us to drown?" He did not hesitate to pray for the gardener whose ear had been completely cut off by one of his apostles, Paul, because the gardener had used bad words against Hadrat Isa (Jesus). He felt sorry for the gardener and prayed that Allahu ta'ala would put the ear back in its place as it was.

The decrees (commandments and prohibitions) in the Injil (Bible) were few in number. 'Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) did not claim to have brought a new religion. He always said "I am not trying to establish a new religion. I was sent to confirm the true religion previously established by the Prophets of the Israelites (alaihi mu 's-salevatu wattaslimat), but were corrupted." He only wanted everybody to believe in one Allah. Hence, it is not acceptable to claim that Christianity is a new religion. Christianity and the religions that believe in one Allah and were brought by Hadrat Ibrahim (Abraham ['alaihi's-salam]) and Musa (Moses ['alaihi's-salam]) are the same. Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) did not write down his own teachings. No one else had possession of the original Bible revealed by Allahu ta'ala, either. The Holy Bible in the hands of today's Christians consist of those parts quoted from the Torah (Old Testament) and other books added to it later by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and the booklets and letters (New Testament) of the disciples called apostles. They wrote different descriptions for the same event. [See: Qur'an al-karim and the Bibles.] The Bibles written by other apostles were gathered and burned. This incident occurred in the religious councils and synod (holy meeting) held in the year 381 A.D. that were mentioned above, and before then in the years 325 and 364 A.D. in Istanbul (during the era of King Constantine and King Theodosius).

The fact that Hadrat Muhammad (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) would come was told in detail in a Bible by Barnabas, but it was burned among the others, too. Today, it is known that not one of the authors of these four books ever saw Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) except John. According to a book by Ishaq Effendi (rahimahullahu ta'ala) of Harput, Turkey, the first, second, third and the fourth Bibles were written 65, 60, 55-60, and 98 years after Christ, respectively. It states only in John's book that: "Allah loved human beings so much that He sent them His own son." But there is no doubt that the word "His own son" means "a servant whom He loves best." (John was the son of Hadrat Isa's (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) maternal aunt.) However, no such statements can be found in the other three books. But in those books, Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) refers to Allahu ta'ala as "Father," which undoubtedly gives the meaning of "someone sacred and dear" in those scriptures. The passage below quoted from the fiftieth verse of the twenty-seventh chapter in the book of Matthew confirms that some of the books (Bibles) were written at least seventy years after the birth of Christ: "When Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) died, the veil in the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of their graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." This description of a disaster was quoted verbatim from a book by a Jew who was extremely sorrowful when Jerusalem was destroyed and burned by Titus, the Roman emperor, seventy years after the birth of Christ. Norton Andrews (1786-1853), an American and a commentator of the Holy Bible, said, "This story is a lie. The fact to be told below is a dependable proof. It was one of the lies among the extraordinary stories about Masjid al-Aqsa, invented by the Jews who were in a ruined state after the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed. After some time passed, someone wrote this story on the margin of the book of Matthew thinking it to be suitable to the time when Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) was crucified. Then, another scriber wrote it into the text of the book of Matthew while he was scribing a copy of that book. Then, the text was translated completely by a translator who happened to have it." Matthew wrote down this event in his book as if it had occurred during his time and as if he had eye witnessed it. As a matter of fact, there is a controversy over whether the book of Matthew was really written by Matthew, himself. Some European historians say that there are two styles of writing in the book of Matthew, and they claim that this book might have been written by two different men. Even honest religious Christian men admit that the Bibles which the Christian world has today cannot be accepted as the word of Allahu ta'ala. As we have said above, it contains the words of Allahu ta'ala as well as the words of men. For Muslims the most advisable thing is: Those verses in the Bible which are in agreement with the Qur'an al-karim must be accepted; those verses which are contrary to the Qur'an al-karim must be (since they are the words of men) rejected. But those verses which are neither accepted nor rejected by the Qur'an al-karim might be deemed authentic after they have been well examined and found acceptable according to Islamic stipulations.

Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) was sent to correct the religion of the Israelites. But, the Jews did not like him. They claimed that he was a false prophet. They complained about him to the Romans, asserting: "He wants to be the King of Israel. He wants to instigate the public to revolt against the Romans. He considers himself to be the son of Allah. He refers to Allah by saying "Father." According to the Christians' creed, Pilatus, the Jewish governor of the Romans living in Jerusalem seized Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) and sent him to Hirodes. Hirodes was very glad because he wanted to meet him and to see his miracles (mujizas). Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) did not answer the questions asked by Hirodes. Upon this, Hirodes sent him back to Platus. (The twenty-third chapter of the Book of Luke). After being encouraged by the head of the soothsayers and the Jews, Platus handed him over to the Jews to be crucified. The Christians believe that Isa ('alaihi 's-salam) was crucified and died; then, he came back to life and ascended to Heaven. But Muslims believe that Hadrat Isa (Jesus) was not crucified and instead he ascended to heaven directly. The one crucified in his place was named Judas (Yahuda, one of his apostles) who, for money, had informed the local authorities where they could find Isa (Jesus). This is revealed in the Qur'an al-karim. The holy meaning of the 156 to 158 th ayats of Sura Nisa is: "Because of their disbelief and their saying such terrible slanders against Mary and also for their saying: "We killed Allah's messenger, Isa, the son of Mary!" But they killed him not, nor crucified him. But so it was made to appear to them. [Yehooda (Judas) was mistaken as Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) and crucified.] They have no real knowledge about it except by following conjecture. For of a surety, they killed him not. Nay, Allah raised him up unto Himself. Allah is Almighty, Wise."

After the ascension of Isa ('alaihi 's-salam), Christianity began to spread slowly all over the world. From the beginning, the Romans and the Greeks who were idolaters, furiously rejected this new religion. Christians were seized and killed. They were thrown in front of wild animals in circuses. But, the true religion continued to be known and appreciated. What a pity that the real Injil (Bible) disappeared in the course of time. The nonsensical pretensions of Paul, who was a hypocrite: "The crucifixion of Isa (Jesus) is, divine reason, justice and salvation. Allah allowed his own son be killed in order to forgive the sins of human beings," has become the foundation of today's Christianity. Although Isa (Jesus ['alaihi 's-salam]) never said that anybody was born a sinner, today's Christianity is explained as follows:

1- Man comes to this world as a sinner. Adam, the first human, did not obey the order of Allahu ta'ala; therefore, he was expelled from Paradise.

2- The descendants of Adam, up to now, are deemed to have the same sin.

3- Isa (Jesus ['alaihi's-salam]) as the son of Allahu ta'ala was sent to this world to save humanity from that sin.

4- Allahu ta'ala allowed His own son to be crucified because He wanted to forgive the sins of human beings.

5- This world is a place of suffering. Pleasure and enjoyment are prohibited in this world. Man was created to suffer and to worship.

6- Man cannot have direct relations (worship) with Allahu ta'ala. They cannot directly ask anything from Him. Only the priests can implore Allahu ta'ala for them. And only the priests can forgive their sins.

7- The leader of the Christians is the Pope. The Pope is infallible; whatever he does is justice.

8- The spirit and the body are different. Only the priests can purify the spirits of people. But their bodies remain impure; it will always remain sinful.

Because of these unacceptable claims, true Christianity brought by Hadrat Isa (Jesus) to correct the religion of the Israelites lost its fundamentals, and became a false religion or so-called religion of Christianity. Some people tried to restore Christianity back to its original form. With this purpose in mind, a priest named Luther, founded a new sect under the name of Protestantism, but he only caused Christianity to become worse and more corrupted. Behold! The Islamic religion arose to correct all the mistakes inserted into Christianity after Isa ('alaihi 's-salam) and to put this holy one-God religion back into its original form because it had been corrupted and was getting worse. As a matter of fact, all the holy books, revealed by Allahu ta'ala conveyed that a "final Prophet ('alaihi 's-salatu wassalam) would come," and he would direct all of humanity into the right path leading to salvation. This message can be seen either in the Torah or, in spite of interpolations, in the Bible as well. The 12-13 th verses of Chapter Sixteen in the Book of St. John states: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is, come, he will guide you into all truth." In the 72 nd, 96 th, 136 th, 163 rd chapters, the facts below were clearly said to his apostles by Hadrat Isa (Jesus): "A final Prophet will come, his name will be Ahmad, he will put the Injil (Bible) into its correct form, because it will have been corrupted until he comes; he will bring a new holy book." Furthermore, it is said in the same book that he, himself, he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." In the 72 nd, 96 th ,136 th, 163 rd chapters, the facts below were clearly said to his apostles by Hadrat Isa (Jesus) "A final Prophet will come, his name will be Ahmad, he will put the Injil (Bible) into its correct form, because it will have been corrupted until he comes; he will bring a new holy book." Furthermore, it is said in the same book that he himself was not crucified; the man crucified was Judas, who had informed the officials where they could find Isa (Jesus). This fact is also confirmed by Sura (Chapter) Saff in the Qur'an al-karim. The holy meaning of the sixth ayat of Sura Saff states: "And remember, Isa [Jesus], the son of Mary, said: 'O Children of Israel! I am the Prophet of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law [which came] before me, and giving glad tidings of a Prophet to come after me, whose name (78) shall be Ahmad.' But when he came to them with clear signs, they said, 'This is evident sorcery!' "

The exalted Prophet selected by Allahu ta'ala to spread this new religion was Hadrat Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salatu wassalam). Those sections of this book entitled Islam and Christianity and Qur'an al-karim and Bibles contains many explanations about how Hadrat Muhammad grew up, how he was given the first divine order, and how he began to spread Islam; hence, there is no need to repeat them here. We shall only add here facts not mentioned previously.

Islam is a true religion sent by Allahu ta'ala, which Hadrat Muhammad (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) began to preach to the people forty-three years after his birth in 571 A.D. He conveyed a purified form of Christianity and Judaism, which had become corrupt and illogical due to the insertion of human understanding into them. The name of this religion is Islam. And, of course, all of this was natural because as we have repeated again and again in this book, the One-Allah religion, which has been known since the time of Adam ('alaihi '-salam), reached its final form with "Islam," after Judaism and Christianity. The basis for all divine religions conveyed by the Prophets from the time of Adam ('alaihi 's-salam) up to the final Prophet, Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam) is "Tawhid", which means to believe in one Allah (God). This is a proof for our assertion that the "Trinity was nonsense inserted into the religion of Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) by the Jews and Romans."

The holy book of the Islamic religion is the Qur'an al-Karim. The Qur'an al-karim is really the word of Allahu ta'ala. Even though the other holy books have been interpolated or changed in the course of time with human words inserted into them, the Qur'an al-karim has remained in its original form since the time it was revealed and no words, even one, have ever been changed. The information concerning faith in Islam is the same as that in the religions of other Prophets, that is, "Tawhid." But, unfortunately, some myths and illogical scriptures were inserted into the other religions.

Today, the religion of Islam is mentioned appreciatively all over the world. But, during the Middle Ages, Christian men of religious authority attacked the Islamic religion, claiming, "It is a religion established by Satan," without learning what Islam was, or without being informed, even a little bit. Furthermore, the popes, the heads of Christianity, arranged crusades to annihilate the Muslims. Only after the eighteenth century did European historians study the Islamic religion and gradually translate the Qur'an al-karim into their own languages. In spite of the fact that some of those translations were done by fanatical Christians, and, as a result, they were not exactly in accordance with the original Qur'an, nonetheless, there were also reliable translations done by honest historians. On the other hand, there have been some translations of the Qur'an al-karim done by Muslims. The people who read correct translations or interpretations of the Qur'an al-karim and understood it, such as Goethe, Carlyle, Lamartine, Tagore and so on, who are among the world's famous personalities, did not hesitate to reveal their admiration for the Islamic religion. Detailed explanations about their reactions can be seen in our books. But now we are going to furnish some articles written by various statesmen who came to Turkey after 1266 (1850) concerning the Islamic religion and Hadrat Muhammad (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam).

In a chapter entitled "Islamic Religion" out of his book Turkey in Europe published in 1900, Sir Charles, the first secretary of the British embassy in Istanbul, between the years 1311-1316 (1898), says: "This world was not the domain of Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam). If Christianity had been attached to a certain government or any state organizations, it would have been lost. We see that this fact is quite the opposite with Islam. Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam) was not only a religious man, he was also a great leader. He was respected by his visitors in a way similar to the unity of respect shown the Pope and Czar. He was always an attentive statesman and, in spite of his extraordinarily successful activities and mujizas (miracles), he said he was only a man. No fault is there in his private life."

In another part of the same book, it says: "If we consider the life style of the people during the time of Jesus ('alaihi 's-salam) and the sins and faults they committed, it will be surprising for us to see that those practices were not prohibited in the Bible. The Bible only recommends that people not commit those sins. It does not mention what will happen to people who committed them. In comparison, the Qur'an al-karim clearly reveals what a sin is. For instance, worshipping idols or burying newly born girls alive, as well as the punishments for each of them in the hereafter is given. Accordingly, it rendered a very great service to the nations of Arabia by completely contradicting the false and infamous religions and customs of those days."

Sir Eliot adds: "One of the best principles of Islam is that it does not discriminate between its citizens and foreigners. No intermediator is between Allah and His servant in the Islamic religion. Intermediators, such as priests, have been abrogated in Islam."

"Man is highly esteemed in Islam. The Turkish soldiers are a good example of this. They are completely disciplined. They motivate themselves. The other nations hardly have these kind of soldiers. But, their discipline, immediate obedience to their commanders and moral courage originate from the fact that they are good Muslims. It is Islam that instills within them these good characteristics. In addition, it is Islam that establishes "the unity of property" among people, with the help of "zakat." It tries to remove the chasm between the rich and the poor, which can produce social upheaval. This magnificent religion is simple enough for everybody to understand. The men who study impartially and in detail the biography of Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam) will feel great respect and love for him."

Now, let us examine another book. In his book La Turquie Actuelle (Today's Turkey), published in Paris in 1267 (1851), the French statesman Henry A. Ubicini originally an Italian but born in the city of Touraine, France, describes, after living in Turkey for years, Islam as follows:

"The religion of Islam orders humanity to be compassionate and to have perception. The poor men expelled from Europe because they have been labeled "atheists", have been the guests of the Emperor and have lived in freedom and safety in the Turkish Muslim world, which they were deprived of in their own country. All the members of every kind of religion have been shown the same compassion and the same justice. The Europeans, claiming that the Turks and the Muslims are barbarians, took lessons of humanism and hospitality from them. An author who lived in the sixteenth century said: "Strange, but I have traveled in the Islamic countries. I saw neither harsh treatment nor murder in the cities of the Muslims, whom we call barbarians. Everybody respects one another. They are very helpful towards forlorn people. It is understood that the old, the young, the Christian, the Jew or the Muslim, and even the atheist are subjected to the same justice and kindness.' I agree with him, too."

Ubicini says in the same book as follows:

"In the city of Istanbul few incidents occurred in a quarter called 'Fatih' where the Muslims live. But, everyday hundreds of thefts, robberies and crimes happen in the quarter called Pera (Beyoglu) where the Christians live. Here, people rob and kill one another, and it has become a den of vice just like the large cities of Europe. While hundreds of thousands of Muslims live in peace, honesty and tranquility in the quarter called 'Fatih' about 30,000 Christians in Pera are exemplifying dishonesty, grossness and vagrancy for the world. The Italians have composed a song for Pera: 'Pera, dei sulirati il nido', (Pera is a den of vagrants), and this song is continuously sung by them."

Now, we want to report what an atheist has said about the Prophet of Islam (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam). In his book Muhammad, which was recently published and translated into 25 foreign languages, he changed the meanings of some verses according to his own thoughts, but this unbeliever named Maxima Rodinson, a Marxist, a communist and originally a Jew, accepts no religion, and deems all the Prophets (alaihi-musalawatu wattaslimat) epileptic patients who saw ghosts. However, concerning the Prophet Muhammad (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) he said: "As a matter of fact, we know very little about this personality whose thoughts and activities shook the entire world. But it is possible to see that Muhammad (sall-Allahu ta'ala alaihi wa sallam) gleamed with a personal light which cannot be seen on anyone else. This is the light which made the people that gathered around him brilliant. We must admit this. I myself tried to describe in my book this light [halo] as far as I could see."

As it is seen, even European authors admit the perfection of the Islamic religion, praise its Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) and look upon the Qur'an al-karim as a perfect book. But, they themselves think that this book was not sent to him by Allahu ta'ala. They believe it was written down by our Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam); that is, it resulted from his power to think and was not a revelation. But Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam), who was perfectly honest, believed that they were really sent to him by Allahu ta'ala. Some of these historians claim that Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam) knew how to read and write or that he got religious knowledge from the Christian (or Jewish) men of religion. Rodinson, the communist mentioned above, tries to prove that the word "ummi" (illiterate), which is revealed in the Qur'an al-karim for the final Prophet and used by Muslims, does not have the meaning "one who did not know how to read and write." He tries to prove that it means something completely different. The name "Bahira" is mentioned as the name of the priest whom our Prophet took lessons from.

Bahira was a Christian monk. In some sources, his real name is said to have been Georgius or Sargius. In the Arami language, Bahira [or Bahira] means "distinguished" and maybe it was a nickname used for this monk.

One day our Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), when he was about twelve years old, saw Abu Talib preparing himself for a trade voyage. Since he understood that Abu Talib was going to leave him there, he said to him: "In whose care are you leaving me with in this city during your voyage? Here there is neither my father nor one who pities me!" These words affected Abu Talib very much. So he decided to bring him along. After a long journey, the trade caravan stayed for a time near a monastery, which belonged to Christians from Busra. In this monastery there lived a priest named Bahira. There was also a book which had been transferred from hand to hand by this well-liked priest, who was originally a Jewish scholar that later on became a Christian. His job was to answer questions from this book. He was not interested in the Quraish caravan at all, though it had visited this area several times during the previous years. Every morning he would go up to a terrace adjacent to the monastery and look out towards the direction of approaching disbelievers as if he were expecting something unusual. This time something happened to the Priest Bahira; in a fit of great excitement, he stood up with astonishment. He had observed a cloud, which was gliding over and following the Quraish caravan. This cloud was actually shielding our Prophet against the rays of the sun. After the caravan had settled down for a rest, Bahira also saw the branches of a tree bending over our Prophet as he was sitting down under it. His excitement swelled. Immediately, he ordered for the preparation of dinner tables. Then he invited all the members of the Quraish caravan to dinner. They all accepted the invitation, leaving our Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) to watch over the caravan. Bahira examined the visitors carefully and asked, "Dear Quraish gentlemen, is there anyone among you who did not come for dinner?" They said, "Yes there is one." The cloud was still there, though all the Quraish had come. When he had seen this, he understood that there was someone left to safeguard the caravan. Bahira insisted on his coming to the dinner. As soon as the Prophet arrived, Bahira looked at and investigated him carefully. Afterwards he asked Abu Talib, "Does this child belong to your descendants?" Abu Talib said, "He is my son." Bahira responded by saying, "According to certain books, it is written that the father of this boy is not alive; he is not your son." This time Abu Talib answered, "He is my brother's son." Bahira asked, "What happened to his father?" He answered, His father died just as he was born. Bahira: "You are absolutely right. What happened to his mother?"

Abu Talib replied, "She died too." Confirming all these answers, Bahira turned to our Prophet and asked him to make an oath in the name of some idols. But our Prophet said to Bahira: "Do not ask me to make an oath in the name of these idols. In this world for me there are no other enemies worst that these. I hate them all." Bahira then requested an oath with Allahu ta'ala's name and asked "Do you sleep?" He said, "My heart does not sleep, though my eyes sleep." Bahira continued to ask a lot of questions and received answers for them all. These answers coincided exactly with the books he had read before. Then, looking into the eyes of our beloved Prophet, he asked Abu Talib, "Does this redness always stay in these blessed eyes?" "Yes," he said, "We have never seen it disappear." Next, Bahira wanted to see the Seal of prophethood in order to tranquil his heart after seeing such a preponderance of evidence. However, our Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) did not want to expose his back due to his fine sensibilities. But his uncle requested, "Oh apple of my eye, please do what he wishes." With this our Prophet exposed his back and Bahira beheld the beauty of the Seal of prophethood with great satisfaction. He kissed it excitedly while tears poured down his face. Then, he said, "I confess that you are the Messenger of Allahu ta'ala." And with a loud voice he addressed everyone: "Here is the master of the universe... Here is the Lord of the Universe... Here is the great Prophet whom Allahu ta'ala has sent as a blessing for all the worlds." Members of the caravan were astonished; they exclaimed, "In the eyes of this priest how high and great an estimation Muhammad (alaihis-salam) is given." Bahira then turned towards Abu Talib and said, "This is the last and the most honorable of all the Prophets. His religion will spread all over the world and nullify all the previous religions. Do not take him to Damascus. The sons of Israil (Jews) are his enemies. I am afraid they will try to bring harm upon his beloved person. A lot of oaths and promises were made in respect to him."Abu Talib asked, "What is the meaning of all these oaths and promises?" He answered: "Allahu ta'ala ordered all the Prophets including Jesus (alaihis's salam) to inform their umma (followers) about the last Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) who will come.

Abu Talib, after hearing these words from Bahira, changed his mind about going to Damascus. He sold all his trade goods in Busra and returned to Mecca. This meeting of our Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) with Bahira was the first and last. Therefore, it was impossible for a twelve-year-old boy to receive any meaningful amount of information concerning religion in such a short interval of time.

Even though some Christian historians claim that the final Prophet (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) took lessons from a priest called Mastoora (but, as they confessed themselves) there are no proofs for it. Perhaps, this was a short meeting, too.

How is it possible that the Qur'an al-karim, which is so great and the actual words of Allahu ta'ala, can be ascribed to a man? When the Qur'an al-karim is examined, it can be seen that it reveals within itself natural laws, the secrets of which are just recently being solved, and the evolution of life itself. (For example: the first life forms came from water; food for humanity is basically made with elements coming down from the sky, etc.) Furthermore, the social systems we are trying to develope today have been explained in the most logical and reliable way. The justice in having property is realized under the name of "zakat." The best moral principles and the best manner of worshipping are taught. Even if he were a very clever man, this understanding and knowledge is impossible for a man who never read a book, or for this information to have been known or written down 1400 years ago. When an ayat (verse) of the Qur'an al-karim descended, even the Prophet did not know its entire meaning, but he used to ask Gabriel ('alaihi 's-salam) in order to learn it. If Europeans admit his prophethood, there is no doubt that they will become Muslims and thereby attain eternal happiness. We hope that one day in the future they will prefer the true religion and thereby attain endless bliss (heaven).

FOOTNOTES

(68) Madhhar-i Jan-i Janan was martyred in Delhi in 1195 (1781 A.D.).

(69) Manna: food provided by Allahu ta'ala for the Israelites during their forty years in the desert.

(70) Jawdat Pasha, from Lophja, passed away in Istanbul in 1312 (1894).

(71) See that section of this book entitled "Qur'an al-Karim and Injils" for more information.

(72) Its technical word in Islam is "zakat," which is given once a year, and it amounts to one-fortieth of one's property.

(73) It is still called "Dawudee" and means "pertaining to Dawid," or full manly voice (as baritone).

(74) Internationally, the name Saul is used instead of Talut.

(75) Soloman (Sulaiman 'alaihi 's-salam). The era of his sovereignty is estimated to be 965-926 B.C.

(76) Jesuit is the name of a missionary association established by a group of priests in 918 (1512).

(77) See our English book Could Not answer. In that book, there are many important questions which could not be answered by priests.

(78) The names Ahmad and Muhammad have the same meaning.