The word "Islam" in Arabic means "self-devotion, submission, salvation," as well as "peace." Imam Azam Abu Hanifa (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih) has defined Islam as "submission and obedience to Allahu ta'ala's commandments."

If the facts stated above are read carefully, it will automatically become clear how a Muslim should be. We shall repeat them once again, below.

First of all, a Muslim is clean physically and spiritually. But let us begin with physical cleanliness.

In several different places in the Qur'an al-Karim, Allahu ta'ala declares: "I like those who are clean." Muslims do not enter mosques or houses with their shoes on. Their carpets, their floors remain spotless and clean. Every Muslim has a bathroom in his house. Their bodies, underwear and food are always clean. In this way they do not spread microbes and disease.

The Palace of Versailles, which the French boastfully announce to the world, does not have a bathroom.

In the Middle Ages when a Frenchman living in Paris got up in the morning, he used to urinate and defecate into a chamber pot. Since there was no toilet in his house, he would take that pot and a bottle used for drinking water to the river Seine. First he would take his drinking water from the river, and then pour the urine and the faeces into the river. These lines have been literally translated from a French book entitled "Drinking - Water" (L'Eau Potable). A German priest who had come to Istanbul during the time of Sultan Sulaiman the Lawgiver said the following in a book which he wrote sometime around 967 [1560]:

"I admire the cleanliness here. Everyone here washes himself five times a day. All the shops are clean. There is no dirt on the streets. There are no stains on the clothes of the sellers. Also, there are buildings which contain hot water called "hammams," wherein people take a bath. In contrast, our people are dirty; they don't know how to wash themselves." It was centuries later before Europeans learned how to wash themselves.

As for today, foreigners who travel in the so-called Muslim countries write in the books they publish: "When you go to an Eastern country, first, the smell of putrid fish and rubbish assaults your nostrils. There is dirt everywhere. The streets are full of spittle and mucus. Here and there one can see heaps of rubbish and carcasses of beasts. You feel disgust as you travel through Eastern countries, and realize that the Muslims are not as clean as they claim to be." We are afraid it is true. Indeed, in countries bearing the name of Islam today, not only have they forgotten the knowledge of faith, but they also do not pay due attention to cleanliness. But, the fault lies with people who have forgotten that the essence of Islam is cleanliness. Poverty is no excuse at all for being dirty. A person's spitting on the ground or dirtying the place has nothing to do with money. Such dirty people are the wretched who have forgotten Allahu ta'ala's commandments on cleanliness. If each Muslim knew his religion perfectly and practiced it with devotion, this uncleanliness would go away automatically. Then, foreigners who visit Muslim countries would admire their cleanliness, just as they admired medieval Muslims.

A true Muslim is clean and takes great care of his health. He never uses alcoholic drinks, which is a kind of poison. He doesn't eat pork, which has been prohibited on account of its various dangers and harms. It has been discovered that the virus causing the contagious and fatal disease Aids, which is afflicting homosexuals, exist in pigs.

Our Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) praised the science of medicine in various ways. An example is his statement: "There are two kinds of knowledge: knowledge of the body and knowledge of religion." That is, by saying that the most important sciences are these, the religious one, which protects the soul, and the knowledge of health, which protects the body, he wanted us to strive to keep our body and soul vigorous. For all kinds of good deeds can be done only with a healthy body.

Today, all universities teach that the practice of medicine consists of two parts: The first is hygiene, keeping the body healthy, and the second is therapeutics, treatment of diseases. The first of the two has precedence. It is the primary task of medicine to protect people against disease and to keep them healthy. Even if a sick person is cured, he may still remain invalid and defective. And now to the point: hygiene, medicine's first task is vouchsafed by Islam. In the second part of the book Mawahib-ul-ladunniyya, it has been proven that the Qur'an al-karim promotes both aspects of medicine as expressed in some verses.

Our Prophet Muhammad (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) had established close relations with the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius. They used to correspond with and send envoys to each other. On one occasion, Heraclius sent him many presents. One of the presents was a doctor of medicine. When the doctor arrived he came to our Prophet and said "Sir! My Majesty has sent me to you as a servant. I shall treat those that are ill free of charge." Hadrat Muhammad (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) accepted his services. As ordered, the doctor was given a house. Everyday, they brought delicious food and drink for him. Days and months passed. No Muslims came to see him. Consequently, the doctor, feeling ashamed, requested permission to leave with the words: "Sir! I came here to serve you. Up to now no sick person has come to me. I have been sitting idly by eating and drinking comfortably. And now I'd like to go back home." Our Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) responded: "It is up to you. If you would like to stay longer, it is the Muslims' primary duty to serve and show honor to their guests. However, if you would like to leave now, have a good journey! But you must know that, even if you were to stay here for years, no Muslim would come to see you. It is because my Companions do not become sick. The Islamic religion has shown the way to good health. My Companions pay great attention to cleanliness. They do not eat anything unless they are hungry, and they stop eating before becoming fully sated."

With the words above, we do not mean to say that a Muslim never becomes sick. But, a Muslim who pays attention to his health and cleanliness remains healthy for a long time. He hardly becomes sick. Death is a fact of life. It cannot be avoided. Everyone will die as a result of some illness. But, being able to keep one's body healthy until the time of death is possible only by paying attention to Islam's commandments on cleanliness.

During the Middle Ages, when Christianity was at its peak, the great scholars of medicine were only to be found among the Muslims. Europeans used to come to Andalusia to receive an education in medicine. Those who discovered a vaccine to procure an immunity from smallpox were Muslim Turks. Janner, who was taught the vaccine from the Turks, took it to Europe in 1211 (1796) and was unjustly titled" The one who discovered the smallpox vaccine." In those days, Europe was a continent of cruelty, and various diseases were annihilating the people. The King of France, Louis XV, died of smallpox in 1774. Europeans were under a current of plague and cholera for a long time. When Napolean first besieged the fortress of AKKA in 1212 (1798), plague erupted among his army, and having no remedy against it, he had to beg for help from the Muslim Turks, who were his enemies. It is written in a French book of that time as follows: "The Turks sent their doctors, accepting our request. They wore extremely clean clothes and had luminous faces. First, they prayed and then at length washed their hands with plenty of soap and water. They incised buboes formed on the patients' bodies with lancets, caused the pus formed in them to flow out, and then washed the wounds neatly. Later, placing the patients in separate rooms, they instructed the healthy ones to stay away from them. They burned the patients' clothes and dressed them in new clothes. Finally, they washed their hands again, burned aloe wood at the places where the diseased ones had been, prayed again, and left us, refusing all our offers in the name of fees and presents."

This means to say that Westerners, who were helpless against diseases until two centuries ago, had learned today's medicine only by reading, experimenting, and working as it is ordered in the Qur'an al-karim.

As for spiritual cleanliness, certainly a Muslim should have a very high morality and gentility. Islam is morality and nobility in its entirety. The degree of goodness, justice and generosity which Islam orders to be applied to enemies as well as to friends is amazingly high. The events over the last thirteen centuries have shown this fact very clearly to Islam's adversaries as well. Of the innumerable proofs, we shall relate one which stands out.

As written in one of the two-hundred-year-old court records in the archives of the Bursa Museum, Muslims built a mosque on some land near the Jewish quarter in Altiparmak. The Jews claimed ownership of the land and said that the Muslims could not build a mosque there. The dispute becomes a matter for a court of law. After the hearing, the court decided that the area belonged to the Jews, that the mosque is to be destroyed, and that the land is to be given back to the Jews. The decision was executed. Indeed, great justice!

Our Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) declared: "I have been sent down to perfect virtue and to spread beautiful morals over the world.' Another hadith states: "Among you, the ones with a perfect morality are the ones with an elevated faith." Therefore, even faith is measured by morality.

Spiritual purity is essential for a Muslim. A person who lies, who cheats, deceives others, who is cruel, unjust, who shirks from helping his co-religionists, who assumes superiority, who thinks only of his advantages, is not a true Muslim, no matter how much he worships.

The exalted meaning of the first three verses in Chapter (sura) Ma'un is: "O! My Messenger! Have you seen someone who denies the Judgement, puts the orphan aside with harshness, does not give their rights, and does not promote others feeding the needy?" The worships of such people are not accepted. In Islam, keeping away from the prohibitions (haram) takes precedence over doing the commandments (fards). A true Muslim is, first of all, a perfect and mature person. He has a smiling face. He is a honey-tongued man who tells the truth. He never knows what it is" to be angry." Rasulullah (Hadrat Muhammad [sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam]) declared: "The person given mildness is the one endowed with the goodness of this world and the hereafter." A Muslim is extremely modest. He listens to everyone who consults him and helps them as far as possible.

A Muslim is dignified and polite. He loves his family and his country. Our Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) declares: "Your love of country originates from your fatih." That is why, when the government fights against aggressors, a Muslim does his military service willingly. It says as follows in a work written by a German priest in 1560, which has been mentioned above: "Now I've understood why the Muslim Turks overcame us in all our expeditions. Whenever there is a holy war here, the Muslims immediately take up their arms, fight and die willingly for the sake of their country and religion. They believe that those who die in a holy war will go to Paradise. Whereas, in our country, when there is a likelihood of war, everyone looks for a hiding place lest he should be enrolled in the army. And those who are recruited by force fight reluctantly."

How Allahu ta'ala would like His servants to be is explained very well in the Qur'an al-karim. The exalted meanings of verses 63-69 in Chapter Furqan are: "[The virtuous] servants of the Rahman (Allahu ta'ala', who has much compassion for His servants) walk on the earth modestly and with dignity. When ignorant people try to annoy them, they respond with kind words, such as: 'peace and safety be on you!' They spend the nights standing and prostrating [performing namaz] to their Lord. [They offer their thanks and praise to Him]. They entreat Allah, 'O my Allah, take the Hell torment away from us. Indeed, His torment is eternal and bitter, and that place is no doubt an evil, a horrible residence.' In their spending, they are neither prodigal nor miserly; they follow a moderate way between these two extremes, and they do not deduct from anyone's rights. They do not attribute partners to Allah. They do not kill anyone, which is prohibited by Allah. [They only punish the guilty.] They do not commit fornication."

In verses 72-74 of the same chapter: "[Those virtuous human servants whom Allahu ta'ala likes] they do not bear false witness. They abstain from things... useless and harmful. If they are accidentally involved in something useless or which can be done with great difficulty, they pass by in a dignified manner. They do not turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the revelations of their Lord when they are reminded of them. They implore saying, 'O my Allah! Bestow such wives and children as may be a source of comfort to our eyes. Make us examples for those who fear you."

Moreover, the sacred meaning of the second and third ayats (verses) in Sura (chapter) Saf: "believers! Why do you profess what you never did? Allah feels a strong distaste for you when you say something you cannot practice," shows that a person's vowing or promising what he cannot perform makes him a bad person in Allahu ta'ala's view.

A true Muslim is extremely respectful to his parents, teachers, commanders, the laws, and to the leading authorities of his country. He is not concerned with something insignificant. He is busy only with something useful. He doesn't gamble. He doesn't kill his time.

A true Muslim does his worships perfectly. He offers gratitude to Allahu ta'ala. Worship should not be performed unwillingly or unconsciously. Worship must be performed willingly and with great love for Allahu ta'ala. To fear Allahu ta'ala means to love Him very much. You do not want the person you love much to be displeased and you are afraid lest you might cause him to be disturbed. In this way, worship for Allahu ta'ala should be performed in a such manner so as to prove our love for Him. The blessings which Allahu ta'ala has given us are so great that our debt of gratitude to Him can be paid only by loving Him much and by worshipping Him with profound sincerity. There are different kinds of worships. Some kinds of worships, as we have said above, are between Allahu ta'ala and His servant. Maybe Allahu ta'ala will forgive those who worship insufficiently. It is worship to respect others' rights, too. But He will never forgive those who abused others and have the rights of others' on them, unless the owners of those rights forgive them.

The following traditions (the Hadith ash-Sharif) are found in the fourth volume of the book Ashiad-ul Lamat, which is in Persian and is a commentary to the well-known book Mishqat-ul-Masabih. (21)

1. He who does not have mercy on people is not treated with mercy by Allahu ta'ala.

2. You will have helped both the oppressor and the oppressed by preventing cruelty.

3. If nine-tenths of the money given for buying a shirt is halal and one -tenth is haram, Allahu ta'ala doesn't accept the prayer done with that shirt on.

4. A Muslim is another Muslim's brother. He doesn't torment his brother. He runs to help him. He does not abhor him or think of him as inferior to himself. It is haram (forbidden) for him to harm his blood, property, chastity or honor.

5. I swear by Allahu ta'ala that unless a person loves for his Muslim brother what he loves for himself, his iman will not be perfect.

6. I swear by Allahu ta'ala that a man who is not trusted by his neighbor doesn't have iman (belief). [That is, he is not a genuine Muslim.]

7. A person without mercy in his heart does not have iman.

8. Allahu ta'ala pities the person who pities others.

9. He who does not pity our young or respect our old is not one of us.

10. If a person respects and helps the old, Allahu ta'ala will send him helpers when he gets old.

11. The house that Allahu ta'ala loves best is the one which houses an orphan and in which an orphan is served kindly.

12. In this world and in the hereafter Allahu ta'ala will help the person who silences a backbiter. If he does not silence the backbiter while he has enough power to do so, Allahu ta'ala will punish him in this world and in the hereafter.

13. A person who sees a defect, a shortcoming in a Muslim brother of his, but covers and conceals it, has acted as if he saved the life of a girl buried alive, as practiced by the pre-Islamic Arabs, by taking her out of the grave.

14. In Allahu ta'ala's view, the better one of two friends is the one who has done more good for the other one.

15. Whether a person is good or bad is understood by observing whether or not his [Muslim] neighbors like him.

16. The destination of a man who hurts his neighbors with his speech is Hell, even if he prays much, fasts much, gives alms much. But, if he doesn't hurt his neighbors with his speech, the place for him to be sent will be Paradise, though he may pray little, fast little, and give little alms.

17. Allahu ta'ala has given valuable things both to His beloved ones and to His enemies. But he has given beautiful morals only to His beloved ones. [Now, it is understood that the words, "it is hoped that the disbelievers with excellent manners will have iman just before they pass away" is right.]

18. The thawabs (reward for a pious act) of a man who violated other's chastity or property will be given to the man oppressed. If the violator's worships or pious deeds are not enough, then the latter's sins are given to him.

19. One of the worst of the mortal sins in Allahu ta'ala's views is to be a man with a bad character.

20. If someone is happy to see that the man he dislikes is in trouble, Allahu ta'ala will send the same nuisance upon him.

21. Two people went to the mosque and prayed there. Something was offered to them. They said they were fasting. After talking for a while, when they were about to leave, the Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said to them: "Do your prayers again, and perform your fasting again! For you have backbitten someone in your conversation. [That is, you have mentioned one of his faults.] Backbiting removes the thawab (blessings) of worships."

22. Do not have envy. As a fire destroys wood, having envy annihilates the blessings of a person, too. Having envy means being jealous of a person, that is, to wish the blessings given to him by Allahu ta'ala were taken away from him. It is not called envy to wish to have the same blessings for yourself without wishing them to be taken away from others. This is called "qipta" which means "longing," in other words, "good will." Wishing something evil and harmful to be removed from someone is called "qairat" which means "perseverance" or called "khamiyyat" which means "zealousness."

23. Someone who is good-tempered will attain goodness both in this world and in the hereafter.

24. Allahu ta'ala doesn't put his servant whom He endowed with a beautiful face and a good character into Hell in the hereafter.

25. Abu Huraira was told: "Be good-tempered!" by the Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam). He asked: "What is being good-tempered?" the Prophet answered: "Approach a person who stays away from you and give him advice; forgive him who torments you; if a person is loath to give you from his property, knowledge or help, give him plenty of these!"

26. Paradise is the destination of a person who dies purged from arrogance, treachery and debts.

27. The Prophet (sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam) did not want to perform the janaza prayer (22) of a person who had died indebted. A Sahabi (companion of the Prophet) named Abu Qatada (radi-Allahu 'anh) took his debts upon himself by remittance. Hence, the Prophet accepted performing the janaza prayer for him.

28. Do not beat your wives! They are not your slaves.

29. In the view of Allahu ta'ala, the best of you is the one who is the best towards his wife. I am the best among you in the treatment of his wife.

30. The best among you in iman (faith) is the one with the best character and the one who is the mildest to his wife.

Most of the Hadith ash-Sharifs written above exist in the book Zawajir by the profound Islamic scholar Ibn Hajar (23) just before the part entitled 'Ihtiqar.' They are the source for beautiful Islamic morals. Islamic scholars have derived rules from these Hadith ash-Sharifs. Some of them are as follows.

1. It is haram (forbidden) for a Muslim who is in a country of disbelievers to violate their property, life, chastity or to steal. He should not disobey their laws and should not cheat or be treacherous when shopping and so on.

2. Usurping a disbeliever's property or breaking his heart is worse than usurping a Muslim's property. Cruelty to animals is worse than cruelty to men, and cruelty to disbelievers is worse than cruelty to animals.

3. It is haram to take and use someone else's property without his permission even if you put it back undamaged.

4. If a person postpones the payment of his debt for one hour while he has the means, he will be considered cruel and disobedient. He will remain accursed continuously. Not paying one's debt is such a continuous sin that it is recorded (in one's deed-book) even when one is asleep. If one pays his debts with money of low value or with useless property, or if the creditor takes it back unwillingly, this too makes one sinful. One cannot escape being sinful unless one pleases or satisfies the creditor.

For fourteen hundred years, Islamic scholars have always taught in their lectures and books the beautiful morals commanded by Islam. In this way, they have tried to inculcate the beautiful habits taught by Islam into the minds and hearts of the young. The below-mentioned book is a sample of the innumerable books promulgating these beautiful morals.

The book Maktubat by the profound Islamic scholar Imam-i Rabbani Ahmad Faruqi (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih), who was a great wali and was the mujaddid of the second thousand years, is very valuable. Sayyid Abdulhakim Arwasi (24), who was a professor of theology in the Madrasat-ul- Mutahhassisin, the highest of the madrasas (schools) during the time of the Ottoman Empire, often said, "Another book as valuable as Maktubat has not been written on Islam," and, "The most valuable and the highest book is Imam-i Rabbani's book Maktubat, except of course, for the Qur'an al-karim and our Prophet's (sall-Allah 'alaihi wa sallam) hadith ash-Sharifs. "Imam-i Rabbani was born in the city of Serhend in India in 971 (1563), and passed away there in 1034 (1624). Abdulhakim Effendi was born in Van, an eastern city in Turkey, in 1281 (1874) and passed away in the city of Ankara, the capital, in 1362 (1943). It is written in the 76 th letter of Maktubat: The sacred meaning of the 7 th verse of Hashr Sura is; "...Whatever the Messenger gives you, accept it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep back..." As it is seen, two things are necessary for escaping disaster in the world and Hell's torment in the next world: to hold fast to the commands, and to abstain from the prohibitions! Of these two, the greatest one, the one more necessary, is the second one, which is called wara' and taqwa. In the presence of Rasulullah they mentioned a person that worshipped and struggled a lot. But when they said that another person abstained from what is prohibited, he declared, "Nothing can be comparable with wara'." That is, he said that it was more valuable to abstain from the prohibitions. In a hadith-i Sharif he declared, "Wara' is the pillar of your religion." Men becoming superior to angels is due to wara', and their progress or becoming exalted, is, again, due to wara'. Angels also obey the commands. But angels cannot make progress. Then, holding fast to wara' and having taqwa is more important than anything else. In Islam the most valuable thing is taqwa. The basis of the religion is taqwa. Wara and taqwa mean to abstain from the harams. To abstain from the harams entirely, it is necessary to abstain from more than the necessary mubahs. We should use the mubahs only as much as necessary. If a person uses the mubahs as he likes, that is, of those things which the Shariat has permitted, or uses the mubahs exceedingly, he will begin to do what is doubtful. And the doubtful is close to those things which are haram. Man's nafs, like a beast, is greedy. He who walks around an abyss may fall down into it. To maintain wara and taqwa precisely, one should use the mubahs only as much as necessary, and should not exceed the necessary amount. When using this amount, one should intend to use them in order to do one's duties as a born servant of Allah. It is a sin also to use them a little without intending so. It is harmful whether it is little or much. It is next to impossible to abstain entirely from more than the necessary mubahs always, especially during this time. At least, one must abstain from the harams and do one's best to abstain from more than the necessary mubahs. When the mubahs are done in excess of what is necessary, one must repent and ask for pardon. One should know these deeds as the beginning of committing harams. One must trust oneself to Allahu ta'ala and beg Him. This repentance, asking for pardon and begging, may stand for abstaining from more than the necessary mubahs entirely, thus protecting one against the harm and bane of such deeds. One of our superiors says, "Sinners' hanging their heads seems to me better than worshippers' swelling their chests."

There are two ways of abstaining from the harams: Firstly, to abstain from those sins which only disturb the rights of Allahu ta'ala; secondly, to abstain from those sins whereby men and creatures have rights. The second kind is more important. Allahu ta'ala does not need anything, and He is very merciful. But human beings do not only need a lot of things but also are very stingy. Rasulullah said, "He who has human beings' rights on himself, and who has violated creatures' property and chastity, should pay the rights back and have himself forgiven before dying! For that day gold and property will have no value. That day, his blessings will be taken away until the rights have been paid, and if he does not have any blessings, the right-owner's sins will be loaded on him."

[Ibni Abidin, (25) while explaining the book Durr-ul-mukhtar, says in the two hundred and ninety-fifth page on the subject of intending for salat, "On the Day of Judgement, if the right-owner does not forgive his right, for right of one dank, seven hundred prayers of namaz which have been performed in jema'at and accepted will be taken away and will be given to the right-owner." One dank is one-sixth of a dirham, about half a gram of silver, which is worth about twenty-five kurush.]

One day, when Rasulullah asked the Ashab-i kiram, "Do you know who is called bankrupt?" they said, "The person without any money or property left." He declared, mong "Amy ummat, a bankrupt is a person whose deed-book contains many thawabs of salat, fasting and zakat on the Day of Judgement. But he has cursed a person, slandered him and taken away his property. His thawabs will be divided and distributed to such right-owners. If his thawabs are depleted before the rights are paid, the sins of the right-owners will be loaded upon him. Then he will be thrown into Hell."

It is written as follows in the ninety-eighth letter of Maktubat:

"Rasulullah (sall-Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: 'Allahu ta'ala is Rafiq (The Exalter). He likes mildness. He gives to mild people what he has not given to the severe ones or to anyone else.' This tradition (Hadith ash-Sharif) is written in the tradition book Sahih by Imam-i Muslim.

Again in Muslim, [the Prophet] said to his blessed wife Hadrat Aisha (radi-Allahu 'anha): 'Behave mildly. Refrain from severity and from something repulsive! Mildness adorns a person and takes ugliness away.'

A Hadith ash-Sharif [in the book Muslim ] declares: 'He who doesn't act mildly has not done any good.'

A Hadith ash-Sharif [in the book Bukhari ] declares: 'Whom I like best among you is the one with the most beautiful temperament.'

A Hadith ash-Sharif [conveyed by Imam-i Ahmad and Tirmuzi (rahima-humullahu ta'ala)] (26) declares: 'A person who is given mildness is given goodness in this and the next world.'

A Hadith ash-Sharif [communicated, by Imam-i Ahmad, Tirmuzi, Hakim and Bukhari (rahima-humullahu ta'ala)] declares: 'Haya (bashfulness) comes from iman. A person with iman is in Paradise. Fuhsh (an indecent act) is evil. Evildoers are in Hell."

A Hadith ash-Sharif [communicated by Imam-i Ahmad and Tirmuzi] declares: 'I'm describing the person for whom it is haram (forbidden) to enter Hell and for whom it is haram for Hell to burn: Pay attention! This person shows easiness and mildness towards people'.

A Hadith ash-Sharif [communicated by Ahmad Tirmuzi, and Abu Dawud] declares: 'Those who are mild and who provide ease for others are like a man who holds the halter of his animal. If he wants to stop the animal, it will obey him. If he wants to ride it over rocks, the animal runs towards them.'

A Hadith ash-Sharif [quoted in Bukhari] declares: 'If a person, who has the power to do what he likes when he gets angry, controls his anger, on the Resurrection Day Allah will call him from among other people and will say unto him: "Go to Paradise and choose the houree you like!" '

As it is communicated in a Hadith ash-Sharif [quoted in all hadiths books], when a person asked Rasulullah (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) to give him some advice he said, 'Do not get angry or nervous!' When the man repeated the same question again and again, he gave the same response saying, 'Do not get angry or nervous.'

A Hadith ash-Sharif [quoted in Tirmuzi and Abu Dawud] declares: 'Listen, I'm describing those who will go to Paradise: They are powerless, incapable. When they take an oath to do something, Allahu ta'ala will certainly fulfill their oaths. Listen, I'm describing those who will go to Hell: They are severe. They decide in a hurry (without thinking). They are arrogant.'

A Hadith ash-Sharif [communicated by Tirmuzi and Abu Dawud (rahima-humullahu ta'ala)] declares: 'If a person gets angry when standing, he should sit down. If he cannot get over it by sitting, he should lie down!'

A Hadith ash-Sharif [communicated by Tabarani, Baihaki and Ibni Asakir (rahima-humullahu ta'ala) declares: 'As aloe decomposes honey, fury defiles iman as well.'

A Hadith ash-Sharif [communicated by Baihaki and Abu Nuaym (27)] declares: 'Allah promotes a person who humbles himself for Allahu ta'ala's sake. He deems himself inferior, but he is superior in the eyes of others. If a person holds himself superior to others, Allahu ta'ala demotes him, and he becomes inferior in everyone's view. He is great only in his own view. In fact, he looks lower than dogs and swine.'

A Hadith ash-Sharif [communicated by Baihaki (rahima-hullahu ta'ala)] declares: 'When Musa ibni Imran ('alaihi 's-salam) asked, "O my Allah! Who is the most valuable of Your human servants?" Allahu ta'ala declared, "He who forgives when he has enough power (to punish)." '

A Hadith ash-Sharif [communicated by Abu Yala] declares: 'If a person controls his speech, Allahu ta'ala will cover his shortcomings. If he controls his wrath, Allahu ta'ala will withdraw His torment from him on the Resurrection Day. If a person invokes Allahu ta'ala, He will accept his invocation."

As it is written in Tirmuzi, Muawiya (radi- Allahu 'anh) wrote a letter to Hadrat Um-mul- Muminin Aisha (radi-Allahu 'anha) and asked her to write some advice for him. She wrote an answer, saying: 'May Allah's salam (greeting) be upon you! I heard from Rasulullah (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam), he said: "If a person seeks Allahu ta'ala's approval though it will make people angry, Allahu ta'ala protects him against (harm) that which will come from people. If a person seeks people's approval though it will cause Allahu ta'ala's wrath, Allahu ta'ala leaves his affair to the people." '

May Allahu ta'ala honor us and you with adapting ourselves to these hadiths uttered by him, who has always told the truth! Try to act compatibly with them.

Life in this world is very short. The torment in the next world is very bitter and it is endless. Far-sighted men of wisdom should make preparations in advance. We should not fall for the world's beauty and flavor. If man's honor and value were to be assessed with worldly things, those who have more worldly goods would be more valuable and higher than others. It is stupidity, idiocy to fall for the world's appearance. Deeming this short sojourn a great blessing, we should try to do what Allahu ta'ala likes. We should do good favors for Allahu ta'ala's human servants. There are two major ways to avoid the torment of the Resurrection Day: To esteem and respect Allahu ta'ala's commandments is the first one, the other is to treat Allahu ta'ala's human servants and creatures with compassion and goodness. Whatever the truthful Prophet ('alaihi 's-salam) has said is the very truth itself. None of his instruction are humorous, funny or delirious. How long will sleeping with open eyes, like hares (rabbits) last? The end of his sleep is shame and disgrace, empty-handedness and privation. The exalted meaning of the 115 th verse (ayat) of Chapter (sura) Muminun in the Qur'an al-karim is: 'Do you think I have created you without any purpose like toys? Do you say you shall not return to us?' I know you are not in the mood to listen to such words. You are young. You are active and exuberant. You are in the lap of worldly blessings. You are obeyed by everyone around you. You can do whatever you like. All these have been written only because we feel pity for you and want to do something of value for you. You haven't missed anything yet. It is time to repent and to invoke Allahu ta'ala." This is the end of the translation from the 98 th letter.

While describing "tasawwuf" in his book entitled Erriyad-ut tasawwufiyya, Sayyid Abdulhakim Arwasi stated: "Tasawwuf means to cast off human attributes and to be endowed with angel-like attributes and habits of divine morals." And he quotes Abu Muhammad Jereeree's statement: "Tasawwuf is to be endowed with all the good habits and to be purged from all the bad habits." [Abu Muhammad Jariree Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Ibn Husain passed away in 311 (923 A.D.). He was one of the great disciples of Junaid-i Baghdadi.]

Muhammad Mathum (rahima-hullahu ta'ala), the son of Imam-i Ahmad Faruqi (rahmat-Allahu 'alaih), the great Islamic scholar and the mujaddid of the second thousand (Islamic) years, wrote in the 147 th letter of his book Maktubat to Mir Muhammad Hafi, one of the governors of India, the following material:

May Allah, our sublime Creator, keep us from straying from the way of Hadrat Muhammad (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam), the most beloved by the Creator of all the worlds and the most exalted one of all the prophets. O my brother, whose mercy is exuberant. Man's life time is very short. The things which are going to happen to us in the eternal life of the next world depend upon the kind of life we lead in this world. A wise and far-sighted person, during his short life in this world, always does the things that will cause him to live well and comfortably in the next world. He prepares the things that are necessary for a traveler to the next world. Allah has given you a post to govern many people, and thereby, He made you a means for meeting their needs. Give plenty of thanks to Allahu ta'ala for endowing you with such a valuable and profitable responsibility. Strive to serve Allahu ta'ala's servants. Have the understanding that by serving Allahu ta'ala's servants you will attain blessings in this and in the next world. Know that the way leading to Allahu ta'ala's love is to be mild with Allahu ta'ala's servants, to do good to them, to help them with a smiling, cheerful face, soft words and easiness. Do not doubt that this will cause salvation from torment in the next world and an increase in the blessings of Paradise. The exalted Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) has explained this very well by way of the following hadith:

'Allahu ta'ala creates and sends the things that His servants need. Allahu ta'ala's most beloved servant is the person who serves as a means for His blessings reaching His servants.'

Below, I'm writing a few hadiths that indicate the value of meeting Muslims' needs, pleasing them, having a good temper, and that praise and encourage being mild, serious and patient. Understand them well. If you cannot understand some of them, learn them by asking those people who know their religion and live in accordance with their knowledge. [Our Prophet's (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) sacred words are called Hadith.] Read the following hadiths carefully! Try to follow them in your every word and deed!

1. Muslims are brothers. They don't hurt one another or treat one another roughly. If a person helps a Muslim brother of his, in turn, Allahu ta'ala will facilitate his work. If a person saves a Muslim from trouble and thus makes him happy, Allah will save him from trouble at the most troublesome time on the Day of Resurrection. If a person conceals a Muslim's defect or fault, on the Day of Resurrection, Allahu ta'ala will conceal his defects and faults. [Bukhari, Muslim]

2. As long as a person helps his Muslim brother, Allahu ta'ala will help him. [Muslim]

3. Allahu ta'ala has created some of His servants so that they will meet others' needs and help them. Those who are in need will resort to these (servants). There will be no fear of torment in the next world for these (servants). [Taberani]

4. Allahu ta'ala has given many worldly blessings to some of His servants. He has created them so that they will be useful to His (other) servants. If these servants distribute the blessings to Allahu ta'ala's servants, there will be no decrease in their wealth. If they do not convey these blessings to Allahu ta'ala's servants, Allahu ta'ala will take His blessings away from them and give them to others. [Tabarani, and Ibn Abid-dunya] (28)

5. Meeting the needs of a Muslim brother is more profitable than doing i'tiqaf (29) for ten years. And one day of i'tiqaf for Allahu ta'ala's sake will place a man a very great distance away from Hell's fire. [Tabarani, and Hakim]

6. If a person does some work for his Muslim brother, thousands of angels will pray for him. On his way to do that work, one of his sins will be forgiven for every step, and he will be given blessings on the Day of Resurrection. [Ibn Maja]

7. If a person goes to help a Muslim with a business, for each step, he is given seventy thawabs and seventy of his sins is forgiven. This will go on until the work is finished. When the work is done all of his sins will be forgiven. If he dies during the work, he will go into Paradise without any questioning. [Ibn Abid-dunya]

8. If a person goes to the state authorities and struggles with them so that his Muslim brother will be freed from trouble and attain comfort, on the Day of Resurrection when all others will slip on the bridge of Sirat, Allahu ta'ala will help him pass over it quickly. [Tabarani]

9. The act which Allahu ta'ala loves best is to please a Muslim by giving him clothes or food or by meeting any other need. [Tabarani]

10. The act which Allahu ta'ala loves best after His faraid is to please a Muslim. [Tabarani]

Allah's commands are called fard. Hence, from this hadith ash-Sharif, it is understood that those who perform the worships that are fard are loved more by Allahu ta'ala. The things which are harmful and evil and prohibited for people to do by Allahu ta'ala are called haram. Allahu ta'ala loves those who refrain from the harams better than those who do the faraid (pl. of fard). It is fard to have a good temperament. And it is haram to have a bad temperament. It is more valuable and more thawab to refrain from doing evil than to do good.

11. When a person does a good deed for a Muslim, Allahu ta'ala creates an angel from this good deed. This angel will worship all the time. The thawab for his worships will be given to that person. When the person dies and is put into his grave, the angel will come to his grave, with a luminous and friendly face. Upon seeing the angel he will feel relieved and become cheerful 'Who are you?' he will ask. The answer will be, 'I'm the good which you did to so-and-so and the joy which you caused in his heart. Allahu ta'ala has sent me to please you today and to intercede for you on the Day of Resurrection and to escort you to your place in Paradise.'

12. The exalted Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) was asked: 'What are the more important things which will cause one to enter Paradise?' 'To fear Allahu ta'ala and to have a good temperament,' he answered. And when he was asked the main reasons for us going to Hell, he said, 'To be sorry when you lose your worldly blessings, to be happy when you attain these blessings, and to exceed the limits.' [Tirmuzi, Ibn Hebban, and Baihaki (30)] [The symptom of fearing Allahu ta'ala is to refrain from His prohibitions.]

13. The man with the strongest iman (belief) among you is the one who has the best moral character and who is the mildest with his wife! [Tirmuzi, and Hakim]

14. Because of man's beautiful moral character, he will attain the highest grades in Paradise. [Supererogatory] worships will not enable him attain to these grades. A bad temper will drag a man down to the lowest depths of Hell. [Tabarani]

15. The easiest and the lightest of worships is to talk only a little and to have a good temper. Pay attention to this word I'm saying! [Ibn-Abid-Dunya]

16. A person asked our Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam): 'Which is the best of deeds?' 'To have a good temper,' answered the Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam). The man stood up and left him, then, a few minutes later came again and approached our Prophet's right side and asked the same question. He, again, said 'To have a good temper.' The man went away and soon turned back. He came near our Prophet from his left side and asked: 'Which deed is it that Allahu ta'ala loves best?' The answer was the same: 'to have a good temper.' Then the person asked, approaching the Prophet from behind, 'What is the best and most valuable act?' The Prophet turned to him and said, 'Can you not understand what it means to have a good temper? Do your best not to get angry with anyone.'

17. I promise you that a Muslim who does not quarrel with anyone and who does not hurt anyone with his words, though he may be right, will go to Paradise. I promise you that a person who does not lie even to make jokes or too amuse others will go to Paradise. I promise you that he who has a good temper will attain high grades in Paradise. [Abu Dawud, Ibn Maja, and Tirmuzi]

18. In a hadith al-qudsi, Allahu ta'ala declares: 'I like the Islamic religion that I have sent you.' [That is, I like those who accept this religion and who adapt themselves to its commandments. I love them.] Being in this religion is completed only by being generous and by having a good temper. Everyday make it known that by these two your religion is completed.' [Tabarani] (31)

19. As hot water melts ice, so a good temper melts and annihilates one's sins. As vinegar decomposes honey and makes it inedible, so a bad temper spoils and annihilates one's worships. [Tabarani]

20. Allahu ta'ala loves and helps the soft-tempered. He doesn't help the harsh and the hot-headed. [Tabarani]

21. Who is the person for whom it is haram to enter Hell and it is forbidden for the Hell-fire to burn? I'm telling you. Listen carefully! All of those who are mild and who do not get angry! [Tirmuzi. This hadith ash-Sharif is also written in the 99 th letter mentioned above.]

22. It is a great endowment from Allahu ta'ala's for His servant to act calmly and gently. Being impatient and rash is the devil's way. Being patient and reserved is what Allahu ta'ala loves. [Abu Yala]

23. Owing to his mildness and soft words, a person can attain to the grades of those who fast during the day and perform namaz (prayer) at night. [Ibn Hebban]

24. Allahu ta'ala loves the person who, when he is angry, behaves mildly, overcoming his anger. [Isfahani]

25. Pay attention please! I'm informing you! A person who wants to attain high grades in Paradise should be mild to the man who behaves impolitely! He should forgive the man who acts unjustly! He should be generous to the man who is stingy! He should take care of his friends or relatives who never come or give a kind word to him! [Tabarani]

26. It is not real strength to overcome someone else. To be strong or to be a hero means to overcome one's anger. [Bukhari, and Muslim]

27. A man greeting with a smiling face is given the blessings attained by those who give alms. [Ibn Abid-Dunya]

28. Smiling at your Muslim brother; teaching him good things; preventing him from doing evil things; helping strangers asking for directions; cleaning the streets of stones, thorns, bones and the like, which are disgusting, dirty and harmful; and giving drinking water to others are all forms of charity. [Tirmuzi]

29. There are such villas in Paradise that a person who is in one of them can see any place he wants to and can appear in any place he chooses. When Abu Malik al-Ashari (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih) asked who would be given such villas, the Prophet (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, 'They will be given to those who are honey-tongued, generous and when other people are asleep, meditate over Allahu ta'ala's existence and greatness and invoke Him.'

I have quoted the hadiths written above from the hadith book entitled Targhib wa Tarhib, which is one of the most valuable hadith books. Abdulazim Munziri (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih), the author of the book, is one of the greatest scholars of hadith. He was born in 581 (1185) and died in Egypt in 656 (1258).

May Allahu ta'ala give us the lot of living compatibly with the hadiths written above. Check yourself! If you are in accordance with them, give thanks to Allahu ta'ala! If you have any manners incompatible with them, you should entreat Allahu ta'ala to correct you! If a person's actions and deeds are not compatible with them, it is still a great blessing for him to know his own faults and to entreat Allahu ta'ala for their correction. A person who is neither in conformity with them nor sorry for being at odds with them has a very weak attachment to Islam. We should take refuge with Allahu ta'ala to protect ourselves against such a squalid state! A couplet:

Congratulations to those who attained.

Shame upon the poor, who missed!

This translation from Maktubat-i Mathumiyya has come to an end.

The hadiths written above command Muslims to treat one another mildly, kindly and to live brotherly. A non-Muslim is called kafir (disbeliever). The fact that Muslims have to be mild mannered with disbelievers also and avoid hurting them has been written on page thirty-three. Thus they (disbelievers) will have been shown that Islam commands being good-tempered, living brotherly and working hard. And thus sincere people will become Muslims willingly. It is fard to make jihad (holy war). The state performs jihad not only by cannons and swords, but also by means of cold war tactics, propaganda and publications. And every individual Muslim makes jihad by exhibiting his good habits and by acting in a good manner. To make "jihad" means to invite people to Islam. As it is understood, it is jihad also to be kind to disbelievers and not to offend them. It is, therefore, fard for every Muslim."

Hadrat Muhammad Mathum (32) Faruqi (rahmat- Allahi 'alaih), the writer of the long letter above, is one of the greatest Islamic scholars and one of the highest awliya. He was born in the city of Serhend, India, in the year 1007 after the Hegira, and passed away there in 1079 (1668). He is in a large tomb which is a few hundred meters away from his father's tomb. Through his innumerable letters, he gave advice to thousands of Muslims, to state authorities, to the time's ruler, Sultan Alamgir (33) Evrengzeeb (Rahima-hullahu ta'ala), and caused them to attain the feelings of brotherhood, a good temper, mutual help, comfort and ease for this worldly life, and felicity in the hereafter. Over a hundred and forty thousand people attended his gatherings and lectures. They thereby attained the highest grades of tasawwuf and they each became a wali. Besides these chosen disciples of his, the number of those who corrected their faith and morals by listening to him reaches beyond hundreds of thousands. More than four hundred of the awliya educated and trained by him reached the grade of irshad. And each of them saved thousands of people from calamity, ignorance and aberration in the cities they were sent to. Each of his five sons was a great scholar and wali (awliya). And their descendants have all been the same. They left many precious books which have been enlightening people.

A true Muslim does not believe in superstition. He only laughs at such things as magic, ill-omen, fortune-telling, incantation and amulets that contain writings other than those from the Qur'an. He also laughs at blue beads; putting candles, wires and threads on tombstones; and at any one who claims to perform miracles. In fact, most of such things have been conveyed to us from other religions. The great Islamic scholar Imam Rabbani (rahmat- Allahi 'alaih) answers in this way those who expect "miracles" from men of religion: "People expect men of religion to manifest miracles. Some of them may not perform miracles, but are still closer to Allahu ta'ala than the others." The greatest miracle is to learn Islam and to live a life compatible with Islam.

Recent research, carried out at the University of Stanford, in America, shows that some people have a "sixth sense," which enables them to do such things as counting the items in a closed box, reading what is written in a closed envelope, contacting a person who is far away, or reading a person's thoughts. People from all races and religions have joined the experiment, all having attained the same success, regardless of their religion or race. As it is sometimes seen in the Far East, in China and India, some Chinese soothsayers and Indian fakirs (poor ones) can amaze us by displaying unimaginable and unthinkable feats of skill. Some of them give the impression that they are flying, while others climb unsupported ropes by throwing them up in the air. On the other hand, Buddhism, the system of belief held by the Chinese, is like a system of philosophy. Buddha (563-483 B.C.), Confucius (531-479 B.C.), and Loatse were famous philosophers. The principles they taught were the rules of high morality. Buddha teaches people to give up various ambitions, to undergo ascetic austerities, to perform good actions, to be patient, to help one another and to struggle against evil. He says, "Do as you would like to be done by." But he does not mention the name of Allahu ta'ala. Though Buddha said that he was only a man, his disciples deified him after his death. They built temples for him, and thus Buddhism was turned into a kind of religion. The Indians' original religion, fire-worshipping, is a kind of idolatry. Besides idols, they worship some animals (cows, for example). Neither Buddhism nor fire-worshipping is a religion. But, still it is a fact that some people belonging to them display some feats of skill that are very much like miracles. They acquire great feats of skill through a special training of self-discipline, which consists of abstinence, special physical movements, and by working hard for a long time. Likewise, magnetism, which almost freezes a man by rendering him senseless, and hypnotism, by which a man is inspired with commands and his actions are controlled, are no more than special kinds of powers that some people have.

But, what we have seen are not miracles. They are only extraordinary talents. Today, scientists have established that all people, more or less, have talents of this sort; that some have it in a more developed form; that some people can improve their abilities through special systems; and that everybody will be able to awaken his sixth sense by new and easy methods that will be discovered in the course of time. Then if a person invested with a developed form of the "sixth sense" displays it not as a feat of skill but in the name of a miracle, it must be regarded only as a fraud.

Imam-i Ahmad Rabbani (rahmat-Allahi 'alaih) in his 293 rd letter, wrote: "Wonders and miracles are of two kinds. The first is the knowledge and marifat (gnosis) which belongs to Allahu ta'ala's individuality, His attributes and His actions. This knowledge cannot be obtained by thinking or with the intellect. Allahu ta'ala bestows it upon his beloved ones. The second kind of knowledge concerns worldly mysteries. This miracle may be bestowed upon disbelievers as well as His beloved ones. The first kind of miracles is precious. These are granted to those who are on the right path and loved by Allahu ta'ala. But the ignorant think that the second one is more precious. When they hear the word "miracle" they consider only the second type. Anybody who cleans up his soul (nafs) by refraining from people and by hunger can understand the mysteries of creatures. But because most people always give more importance to worldly things, they consider the ones who have the second kind walis. They do not appreciate the truthful ones. They say that if they were real walis they would be able to inform us about our situation. Using this invalid logic they deny Allahu ta'ala's beloved servants."

In the 260th letter, he wrote: "Being a wali means getting closer to Allahu ta'ala. The miracles related to creatures may be endowed upon those who have attained this rank. An abundance of miracles do not prove that the owner, the wali, has a high rank. A wali does not have to know that miracles are emanating from himself. Allahu ta'ala may make the figure of a wali visible in different countries at the same moment. He is seen, doing marvelous things in places quite far from one another. But he is unaware of all these things. There may be some walis who are aware of their state, but they will not reveal it to strangers because they do not attach importance to them."

Ibni Hajar Makki (radi-Allahu 'anh), who is the darling of the Ahl-as sunnat scholars and whose words are taken as a proof, conveys the following hadiths just before the chapter "Ihtiqar" in his book Zawajir: "I take an oath by my Allahu ta'ala that the worship performed by those who have eaten a piece of haram food will not be accepted for forty days." And, "Salat which has been performed with a shirt on, bought with haram money, will not be accepted." And, "The alms given from haram money will not be accepted. His sins will not be reduced." Sufyan-i Sawree says that doing pious deeds and establishing foundations with haram money is like washing dirt with urine.

A true Muslim does not perform his acts of worship as a show before others. Worship is done secretly, or performed in a congregation in mosques. When a good Muslim wants to do something benevolent or give alms to a person, he does it secretly, too, and he does not hurt the feelings or affect the prestige of a person by reminding him of it. Allahu ta'ala emphatically commands this to be done in this way in the Qur'an al-karim again and again.

In brief, a true Muslim is a perfect human being who has all the traits of a good character, is full of high morality, dignified, extremely pure, both physically and in soul, and trustworthy in every respect.

The great Islamic scholar Imam Ghazali (rahmat- Allahi alaih) 450 (1058)-505- (1111) classifies human beings into four groups in his book Kimya-yi Se'adet, which he published nearly nine hundred years ago in the Persian language: "The first group is those who know nothing except eating, drinking and enjoying worldly pleasures; the second group consists of those who use force, oppress people and are cruel; the third group consists of those who deceive others by trickery; and only the fourth group consists of the true Muslims who have the above-mentioned high morality."

But one thing not to be forgotten is that there is a way leading from each person's heart to Allahu ta'ala. The question is how to send the light of Islam to people. The person who feels light in his heart, no matter what group he belongs to, feels penitence for his wrong doings and finds the right way.

If all people would accept Islam, neither evil, nor deceit, nor war, nor oppression, nor cruelty, would remain on the earth. It is, therefore, a duty for us all to do our best to be perfect and true Muslims and to propagate Islam all over the world, explaining its essence and its details. It is jihad to do so.

Always address people with a sweet speech and with understanding, even if they are of other religions. Allahu ta'ala commands this in the Qur'an al-karim. It is written in the books of fiqh that it is sinful to hurt a non-Muslim's feeling or to taunt him because he is a disbeliever. A Muslim who does so will be punished. The aim is to teach everybody how lofty Islam is, and this jihad can be done only with a sweet tongue, knowledge, patience, and iman. He who wants to convince someone about a fact should, first of all, believe it himself. And a Muslim never loses his patience or has difficulty in explaining his belief. There is no other religion which is as clear and as logical as Islam. A person who has grasped the essence of this religion can easily prove to anyone that this religion is the only correct religion.

We should not regard people of other religions as bad-tempered people. For sure, kufr (infidelity), that is, not to be a Muslim, is always bad. Since disbelief is a harmful and corrupt way of life that takes one to calamities in this world and the next, Allahu ta'ala has sent the religion of Islam so that people will live brotherly in comfort and in peace in this world and avoid the endless torment of the hereafter. Kafirs (disbelievers), that is, those who are not Muslim, are the poor who have been deprived of this way to happiness. We should pity them and not hurt them at all. It is even forbidden (haram) to backbite them. Whether a person is meant for Paradise or for Hell will be certain only at his final breath. All of the heavenly religions hold the belief of one Allah, except, of course, the ones that have been defiled. In the Qur'an al-karim, Allahu ta'ala invites all the people to the right way. He promises that He will forgive all the past wrong doings of a person who adopts this way. Those who are in other religions are the poor ones deceived by Satan or by those who know nothing about Islam. Most of them are unfortunate people who, while believing in one Allahu ta'ala like us and trying to attain His love, have been misled into the wrong ways. With patience, sweet speech, reason and logic, we have to guide them to the right way.

Before they were defiled by mankind, all the heavenly religions, teaching the belief in the existence and oneness of Allahu ta'ala, were the same with respect to the principles of belief. The three major religions from Hadrat Musa to Hadrat Muhammad ('alaihi 's-salam), namely, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, believed in one Allah and taught that Allah's prophets ('alaihimus- salawatu wattaslimat) were human beings like us. But the Jews disbelieved Hadrat Isa and Muhammad ('alaihimas- salam), and the Christians, who never did rescue themselves from idolatry, thought that Hadrat Isa ('alaihi 's-salam) was the son of Allah, even though Hadrat Isa said: "I'm a servant just like you"; "I'm not Allah's son." But still they worship three different deities under the names of Father (Allahu ta'ala), Son (Isa, 'alaihi 's-salam), and the Holy Spirit. There were popes like Honorius who realized that this was false and wrong, and tried to correct it. But the correction of this wrong belief has been possible only with Islam, which Allahu ta'ala has revealed through His last Prophet Muhammad Mustafah (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam). Then, no one can deny the fact that Islam, which has accumulated within itself the main principles of these three religions and which has purged them from the superstitions that had penetrated them, is the only true religion.

Fellowes, an Englishman who converted to Islam, says: "While attempting to correct the numerous erroneous beliefs in Christianity, Martin Luther was unaware of the fact that Hadrat Muhammad (sall- Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) had already corrected all those faults by announcing Islam exactly 900 years before him. That is why it is necessary to accept Islam as a completely purified version of Christianity and to believe that Hadrat Muhammad (sall-Allahu 'alaihi wa sallam) is the last Prophet.

FOOTNOTES

(21) The author of Mishqat is Valiyyuddin Muhammad, who passed away in 749 (1348 A.D.)

(22) Janaza Prayer: When a Muslim dies, other Muslims assemble together in front of his coffin and perform a certain prayer called salat-ul-janaza. Thereby, they pray so that his sins will be forgiven, and he will be given many blessings, etc.

(23) Ibn Hajar, passed away, 974 (1566 A.D.)

(24) Abdulhakim Effendi, passed away in Ankara in 1362 (1943 A.D.)

(25) Muhammad Ibni Abidin, passed away in Damascus, in 1252 (1836 A.D.).

(26) Muhammad Tirmuzi, passed away in 279 (892 A.D.).

(27) Ahmad Abu Nu'aym, passed away in 430 (1039 A.D.).

(28) Ibni Abid-dunya Abdullah, passed away in Baghdad in 281 (984 A.D.)

(29) I'tiqaf means to stay in a mosque and pray day and night during the last ten days of the month of Ramadan.

(30) Ahmad Baihaki, passed away in Nishapur, in 458 (1066 A.D.).

(31) Tabarani Sulaiman, passed away in Damascus in 360 (971 A.D.).

(32) Muhammad Mathum, passed away in Serhend in 1079 (1668 A.D.).

(33) Sultan Alamgir, passed away in 1118 (1707 A.D.).