Journal Islam Today N° 24-1428H/2007

A Gentle Debate with His Holiness the Pope

Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Sayed Tantawi(*)

In January 2000, the late Pope visited Al Azhar Al Shareef during a trip to Egypt. During this visit, kind words and positive statements were exchanged and pledges were made to respect the religions that were revealed to the Noble Messengers, may peace and prayers be upon them.

These good ties between Al Azhar Al Shareef and His Holiness the Vatican's Pope lasted for a long time. 

A few days ago,(1) the current Pontiff delivered a lecture at one of Germany's universities. The lecture, titled “Faith, Reason and the University: Memories and Reflections”, was in essence a theological and philosophical presentation on the divine entity from the Christian point of view, and on Christian movements during the Middle Ages.

During the lecture, and after reminiscing about his personal memories at this university, His Holiness said: “I was reminded of all this recently, when I read the edition by Professor Theodore Khoury of part of the dialogue carried on - perhaps in the winter of 1391 by the Byzantine emperor and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam, and the truth of both.

According to what professor Khoury mentioned in his book: the emperor came to mention jihad. The emperor must also have known that sura 2, 256 reads: “There is no compulsion in religion”. According to the experts, this is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat. But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Qur'an, concerning holy war.

The emperor addressed his interlocutor with a startling brusqueness on the central question about the relationship between religion and violence in general, saying: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached”.

Our reproach to the Pontiff can be summed up in the fact that he quoted Theodore Khoury's reference to the derogatory  words of the Byzantine emperor about Islam and the Prophet of Islam, Mohammed (PBUH), without commenting on or condemning these pejorative words.

Any rational-thinking person knows that when someone quotes derogatory words about someone else, then fails to comment or condemn them, he implicitly expresses his approval of these words, presenting them as if they were his.

It is regrettable that the Head of the Vatican should make such a mistake and a faux pas in religious etiquette and scientific approach, particularly since his lecture was about Christianity, the Christian faith and its perception of reason, issues where Islam has no call or place.

The Byzantine Emperor stated that Islam was a religion based on coercion, violence and the power of the sword, and the Pontiff quoted these words as he had read them in Professor Khoury's book, as if he were in total agreement with them.

In the present article, I will present to His Holiness the Pope, in all sincerity, conviction and objectivity, some of the textual and reason-based evidence that prove beyond doubt that Islam is a religion that spread to the far reaches of the globe out of conviction and not in reaction to coercion, out of free choice and not repression, and out of acceptance not rejection.

First truth: All Messengers -may peace and prayers be upon them- were sent by the Almighty to their people to bring glad tidings and to warn them. They were not sent to repress or force anyone to follow them.

In one of the Quranic verses that witness to this, Allah (SWT) says: “We send the messengers only to give good news and to warn: so those who believe and mend (their lives),- upon them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve”. (Al An'am, verse 48)

By these words, Allah (SWT) states that the noble prophets and messengers are sent to people to bring glad tidings of great reward to the believers and the obedient, and to warn the stray and the infidel of dire consequences.

Those who have perfect faith and do good deeds have nothing to fear in the future, nor do they regret what transpired in their past.

In a similar verse, Allah (SWT) says: “Messengers who gave good news as well as warning, that mankind, after (the coming) of the messengers, should have no plea against Allah: For Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise”. (Annissaa, verse 165)

In this verse, Allah, Exalted be His Name says: by virtue of our never-changing wisdom and ways, we send to our creatures messengers  of which the true number is known by none but Allah.

These worthy messengers have the duty of bringing glad tidings to the people of virtue and warning the evildoers of their terrible end. Allah (SWT) has been and continues to be Exalted in his power, and wise in words, deeds and in governing his servants.

Another divine verse reads: “Mankind was one single nation, and Allah sent Messengers with glad tidings and warnings”. (Al Baqara, verse 213)

In this verse, humanity is presented as one nation devoted to the worship of a unique and All-powerful God. Then the elements of this ummah diverged in their convictions and practices. As a consequence, Allah sent His prophets and messengers to bring glad tidings to those who had faith and engaged in good and virtuous actions, and to warn those who worshipped other than Allah of their ill-fated destiny.

All these holy verses affirm that the mission of all messengers was to bring good news to the virtuous on the rewards awaiting them, and to warn those who associate others with Allah in worship and the evildoers of the dire punishment awaiting them. Their mission was not to force anyone to follow their ways or to embrace their faith.

Second truth: In many of its verses, particularly with regard to Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), the Holy Quran often underlines that his message was sent to all creatures, humans and jinns alike, and that this message was built around the command to worship Allah and Allah alone, and the importance of moral values that shine in wise words, an enlightened guidance and gentle argument.

This message never relied on repression, coercion, terrorism, threats, or any other form of pressure.

Among these holy verses is: “Verily We have sent thee in truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner: But of thee no question shall be asked of the Companions of the Blazing Fire”. (Al Baqara, verse 119)

And the holy verse: “We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not”. (Sab'a, verse 28)

The Almighty also says: “O Prophet! Truly We have sent thee as a Witness, a Bearer of Glad Tidings, and Warner,- And as one who invites to Allah's (grace) by His leave, and as a lamp spreading light”. (Al Ahzab, verses 45 and 46)

And: “Say: "I have no power over any good or harm to myself except as Allah willeth. If I had knowledge of the unseen, I should have multiplied all good, and no evil should have touched me: I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings to those who have faith”. (Al Araf, verse 188)

Allah (SWT) says in another verse: “….that ye should worship none but Allah. (Say): "Verily I am (sent) unto you from Him to warn and to bring glad tidings”. (Hud, verse 2)

And also: “Whether We shall show thee (within thy life-time) part of what we promised them or take to ourselves thy soul (before it is all accomplished),- thy duty is to make (the Message) reach them: it is our part to call them to account”. (Arra'd, verse 40)

A similar holy verse reads: “If then they run away, We have not sent thee as a guard over them. Thy duty is but to convey (the Message)”. (Ash-Shura, verse 48)

And yet another one reads: “Therefore do thou give admonition, for thou art one to admonish. Thou art not one to manage (men's) affairs”. (Al Ghashiya, verse 21, 22)

Allah (SWT) says: “We know best what they say; and thou art not one to overawe them by force. So admonish with the Qur'an such as fear My Warning!”(Qaf, verse 45)

And: “If it had been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed,- all who are on earth! wilt thou then compel mankind, against their will, to believe! No soul can believe, except by the will of Allah, and He will place doubt (or obscurity) on those who will not understand”. (Yunus, verses 99 and 100)

These are some of the verses affirming that the message of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) was based on wisdom and on preaching the good word and that it never involved coercion or the force of the sword… Anyone pondering these verses will see that they commanded the Prophet to adopt gentle argumentation in calling to the right path and to engage in enlightening guidance and virtuous behavior in all its different forms.

Sometimes, this involved preaching the good word and warning people, sometimes informing but not questioning, and at other times it involved giving reminders but not through oppressing. It also went through showing that the Prophet (PBUH) was not a tyrant or someone to rule by force. At times, the messenger's mission consisted of showing that Allah, the Almighty, is perfectly capable of bringing all mankind to the right path, and that it was not in the prophet's power to force them to follow him or embrace his religion.

Third truth: I would like to rectify in a few words the information held by His Holiness the Pope on the verse quoted by the Byzantine emperor: “Let there be no compulsion in religion” and which he described as one of the earlier suras revealed at a time when the Prophet  was powerless and still under threat.

First: The full verse is: “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things”. (Al Baqara, verse 256)

Second: The Baqara chapter towards the end of which this verse appears was revealed to the Prophet (PBUH) in the second year of the hegirae - journey to Madinah - i.e. about fifteen years after the start of his prophecy, and one of its verses was the last Quranic verse to be ever revealed. The last verse of the Holy Quran to be revealed is the Almighty's saying: “And fear the Day when ye shall be brought back to Allah. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly” (Al Baqara, verse 281). This verse was revealed nine days before the death of the Prophet (PBUH).

Third: The Baqara chapter, the longest in the whole Quran, was revealed over a number of  years. It is probable that the verse where Allah (SWT) says: “Let there be no compulsion in religion” was one of the last ones to be revealed.

Fourth: Interpreters of the Quran explain that the reason for the revelation of this verse was a man who had embraced Islam in Medinah but whose two sons refused to convert to Islam. The man went to the Prophet (PBUH) and said: “O Messenger of Allah, will some of mine enter hell while I look on? I want to force them to embrace Islam”. The verse was then revealed: “Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from Error”.

Fifth: The interpretation of this verse in brief is: There is no compulsion in embracing the Islamic religion because it is a religion of perfect guidance, clear injunctions, and tolerance. Its verses show truth from falsehood, and the right path from the wrong one. Those who in worship reject anything other than Allah and believe in the uniqueness of Allah and His might have found the straight path and the ideal way, and are thus attached to Islam through iron-solid ties that cannot break. Allah (SWT) hears the words of His worshippers, knows their deeds and intentions and will reward them accordingly.

The Byzantine emperor said that this verse and the chapter from which it was quoted were revealed at an early stage when the Prophet (PBUH) was powerless and under threat. These words are anything but correct.

Maybe with this rectification I have managed to clarify to the Pontiff the true meaning of the verse. In fact, many people fail in the interpretation of this verse, conferring on it a sense that is accepted by neither reason nor tradition.

Fourth Truth: The Islamic faith rejects any words, acts or beliefs that are triggered by compulsion, coercion or any such practices. It accepts only that which springs from the free will and conviction of the person. It even sanctioned its followers to utter what is against their faith if they were to fall under duress or torture that may lead to their  death. Such acts taint in no way their faith as long as their hearts are brimming with true faith and profound conviction.

Evidence of this can be found in the divine verse: “Any one who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters Unbelief,- except under compulsion, his heart remaining firm in Faith - but such as open their breast to Unbelief, on them is Wrath from Allah, and theirs will be a dreadful Penalty”. (Annahl, verse 106)

Interpreters attribute the revelation of this noble verse to different events. One of these is a narration where the polytheists horribly tortured Yasser Ibn Ammar, may Allah be pleased with  them, till he was on the verge of death. They forced him to utter words that were against the precepts of Islam and he weakened under their torture.

Some Muslims said: “O Messenger of Allah, Ammar has reneged on Islam!”

The Prophet (PBUH) said: “No, Ammar is steeped in faith from his head to his toes. Islam has mingled with his flesh and blood”. Later on, Ammar came to the Prophet (PBUH) weeping and the Prophet (PBUH) wiped his tears away and asked: “Ammar, how do you feel in your heart? Ammar answered: 'O Messenger of Allah, my heart is serene with faith”.

The Prophet then said “Ammar, if they do it again, do it again”, meaning if they torture you again, do what they order you to do. After this, the said holy verse was revealed and its meaning can be summarized in the following: whoever worshipped other than Allah after believing in the oneness of the Almighty and after believing in the truth of what the Prophet (PBUH) relayed from God, this infidel and apostate is deserving of utter punishment. But whoever is forced to utter words of apostasy when his heart is filled with faith will not be held accountable. The greatest punishment is reserved for those whose hearts opened up to and were filled up with disbelief.

Many scholars have inferred from this verse the possibility of uttering words against the teachings and precepts of the Islamic Charia if under coercion where loss of life is feared. Such act is not construed as one of apostasy as long as the heart of the person under coercion is filled with conviction and his faith in Islam is strong.

Fifth truth: Any rational being knows that compulsion in religious matters does not win over true believers, but hypocrites and liars whose tongues say what their hearts deny.

This category of people are abhorred by Islam more than those who are frank and honest about their rejection of this faith, because at least one can take one's caution with the latter.

But the person who pretends to side with you after you forced him to do so or because it is in his nature to hide the truth of his feelings, poses a greater danger, his enmity is stronger and his propensity to harm religion and life is deeper. Thus, dozens of Quranic verses were revealed  villanizing hypocrisy and hypocrites and warning the true believers about their evil and wickedness.

Among these verses, this one says: “When the Hypocrites come to thee, they say, "We bear witness that thou art indeed the Messenger of Allah." Yea, Allah knoweth that thou art indeed His Messenger, and Allah beareth witness that the Hypocrites are indeed liars. They have made their oaths a screen (for their misdeeds): thus they obstruct (men) from the Path of Allah: truly evil are their deeds. That is because they believed, then they rejected Faith: So a seal was set on their hearts: therefore they understand not”. (Al Munafiqun, verses 1-3).

And also: “Of the people there are some who say: "We believe in Allah and the Last Day;" but they do not (really) believe. Fain would they deceive Allah and those who believe, but they only deceive themselves, and realise (it) not!” (Al Baqara, verses 8-9)

In another verse, Allah (SWT) says: “The Hypocrites - they think they are over-reaching Allah, but He will over-reach them: When they stand up to prayer, they stand without earnestness, to be seen of men, but little do they hold Allah in remembrance; (They are) distracted in mind even in the midst of it,- being (sincerely) for neither one group nor for another whom Allah leaves straying,- never wilt thou find for him the way”. (Annissaa, verses 142-143)

All these noble verses clearly show that any rational thinking person will see that compulsion in matters of faith is in total contradiction with the teachings of the Islamic Charia. This  Charia only recognizes faith that is gained through free will, conviction and choice  and which prompts the person to observe true faith and good deeds, proving thus that what the tongue says is in total harmony with what lies in the heart.

Furthermore, compulsion in matters of faith, as some scholars say, is ineffective be it in terms of belief or in those of practice. Compulsion is to force another person to accept what he does not believe in and to act according to it.

It is easy to make others act as you wish to see them act, but it is highly difficult if not impossible to make them believe against their will or act according to your own belief.

Sixth truth: It has been proven historically that Muslims never resorted to coercion to bring people to Islam, and that whenever they conquered a land, they simply proposed Islam to its inhabitants. The latter had great latitude, either to embrace this religion out of conviction -a judicious choice, indeed- or to remain faithful to their religion; in this case they were left in peace and treated in the fair manner stipulated by the Islamic Charia.

When we look at the reasons behind the revelation of the verse “Let there be no coercion in religion…”, we realize that the Prophet (PBUH) did not allow a Muslim convert to force his children to leave their religion and embrace Islam.

Historians report that Omar Ibn Al Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said on encountering an old woman who was not a Muslim: “O old woman, convert to Islam and you shall be safe'. She said: 'I am an old woman and very close to death. I wish to remain on my religion.' Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, the said: 'O Allah, be my witness that I have conveyed the message to her”.

Someone may say that a sound hadith reports that Allah's Apostle said: “I have been ordered to fight against the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah, so if they perform all that, then they save their lives and property from me except from Islamic laws, and then their reckoning (accounts) will be done by Allah.” To some, this hadith may appear at first sight to be in contradiction with the divine verse: “Let there be no compulsion in religion”, namely because fighting in matters of religion is often understood as a form of compulsion.

Let me dispel this confusion. The “people” meant in the noble hadith, as scholars specified, are those who fight Islam in any way they can and who proclaim their enmity towards Islam while their hearts harbor even worse towards this religion.

These were the people meant by the prophet (PBUH) when he said: “I have been ordered to fight against the people until they testify that there is no god but Allah”.

These are the ones whom Allah commanded us to fight back, whose tyranny we were ordered to fend off and against whom we were asked to preserve our dignity.

But about those who follow a religion other than ours and do not live among us but offend us, Allah says “As long as these stand true to you, stand ye true to them: for Allah doth love the righteous”.

To those who follow a religion other than ours but live amongst us and share our interests, applies the religious rule: “Their rights and obligations are the same as ours”.

There is no mention in historical records of a Muslim - whether ruling or ruled- who forced a follower of another religion to convert to Islam. The true Muslim who abides by the true faith is the one who acts according to the divine verse that says: “Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just. Allah only forbids you, with regard to those who fight you for (your) Faith, and drive you out of your homes, and support (others) in driving you out, from turning to them (for friendship and protection). It is such as turn to them (in these circumstances), that do wrong”.

Seventh truth: Since it was proved historically and in practice that Muslims -whether ruling or ruled- never coerced anyone into converting to Islam- as we showed under the sixth  truth, I would like to share with His Holiness a fact that history and reality have proven. I refer to  the thousands of people who have flocked to the Al Azhar Al Shareef from all parts of the world to convert to Islam out of their own free will. Here are a few examples:

In 2000, 938 persons from 90 different countries converted to Islam.

In 2001, 860 persons from 91 different countries converted to Islam.

In 2002, 1116 persons from 93 different countries converted to Islam.

In 2003, 1344 persons from 98 different countries converted to Islam.

In 2004, 1671 persons from 122 different countries converted to Islam.

In 2005, 2052 persons from 104 different countries converted to Islam.

These were all men and women who willingly came from their countries to  Al Azhar to profess their conversion to Islam. Nobody placed the tip of a blade at their necks- as the Byzantine emperor claimed - nor were they subjected to another form of coercion as claimed by others.

Considering all the above, it becomes clear to any rational-thinking person that the Charia of Islam rejects any word, act or belief that is the result of compulsion, coercion or repression  as this would be against the essence of its teachings and principles where faith is based on pondering, rationalizing, conviction and free choice.

It also becomes clear that whoever claimed that Islam spread thanks to the sword or to compulsion has erred in these words and strayed far from the truth. It is Allah that guides whom He wills to the right path.

- 2 -

I will explain to His Holiness the Pope, in all sincerity and objectivity, the true premises of the prescription of jihad in Islam, ignored so far by many Western and other authors.

The Pontiff and everyone will see that jihad in Islam was decreed to protect religion, lives and property, to defend the oppressed and human dignity, as well as anything else of which the defense and preservation were decreed by faith, reason, law and tradition.

It was not ordained to murder people living in safety, terrorize, humiliate or persecute them as was claimed by many.

These are some of the facts confirming the truth of this statement:

First fact: The word “jihad” in Arabic is derived from the word 'juhd' which means hardship and the exertion of utmost efforts to reach a given goal, be it financial gain or excellence in a given discipline of knowledge.

This effort exerted may be physical, as we see in sports tournaments and such competitions.

It may be moral such as defeating your opponent through irrefutable proof, clear evidence and arguments that silence this opponent.

This includes the command made by Allah to His Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) in the verse: “Therefore listen not to the Unbelievers, but strive against them with the utmost strenuousness, with the (Qur'an)”. (Al Furqan, verse 52)

This verse means that Allah revealed the Quran to you Mohammed, a book that holds the ultimate truth and refutes all fallacies, that you may arm yourself with it, and as long as you do that: do not give in to the infidels in the falsehoods and evil deeds they seek from you.  Strive, honorable prophet, to convey what was revealed to you from your God, and engage in great Jihad against the infidels with this Quran by reading to them the verses of this holy book that will refute their allegations and expose their lies.

Scholars have divided jihad in the Islamic Charia into three categories:

There is the jihad against the self. This means fighting against the temptations, forcing the self to respect the limitations Allah imposed and to accomplish the tasks that Allah ordained for us. Allah (SWT) says: “By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it; and its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right;- truly he succeeds that purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it!” (Ash-Shams, verses 7-10)

This verse means: By Allah the Almighty who created the soul and prompted it to differentiate between what is right and what it wrong, the person who purifies himself from sins and misdeeds shall meet success and happiness, and the person who corrupts this soul with sins and wrongdoings shall meet failure and perdition.

There is also the jihad against Satan, involving the fight against all the evils and sins that the devil embellishes in our eyes.

Allah (SWT) said: “Verily Satan is an enemy to you: so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his adherents, that they may become Companions of the Blazing Fire”. (Fatir, verse 6)

Then there is the jihad against the oppressors, the aggressors and those who wreak havoc on earth by putting an end to their oppression, repelling their aggression and halting their corruption of the earth by all means that Allah made lawful in the fight for truth and against injustice.

One of the holy verses that brings together these three forms of jihad is Allah's saying: “And those who strive in Our (cause),- We will certainly guide them to our Paths: For verily Allah is with those who do right”. (Al Ankaboot, verse 69)

In brief, the verse means that Allah shall guide into the right path the believers and the faithful who strive their utmost in obeying His commandments and in preserving their souls from anything that could displease Him, fighting Satan and fighting the oppressors and the unjust. Indeed, Allah's way is to reward the good doers and reserve the ultimate victory for the pious.

The issue surrounding the word “jihad” and the fact that it was confined to wars and fighting is a mistake made by many Western and other authors.

Seventy years ago, the great scholar Mohammed Ali addressed this issue in his valuable book “The Religion of Islam”(2) when he said on page 413: “There is a serious and widely spread misinterpretation of the duty of jihad in Islam. This misinterpretation is owed to the fact that this word has always been used as synonymous with the word “war”.

None of the prominent researchers in Europe made the effort to consult one of the Arabic language dictionaries or the Holy Quran to know the true meaning of the word. And this misnomer has now become common. “Jihad” and “mujahada” mean the exertion of effort. There are three categories of jihad: fighting the apparent enemy, fighting Satan and fighting one's own weakness.

Second fact: Islam is inherently a religion of peace. Jihad in the sense of warring is a novel concept and is only resorted to in fending off an aggression, or redressing an injustice, tyranny and rebellion.

One proof of this is the term itself of “Islam”, chosen by Allah as the name of the religion accepted by Him: “The Religion before Allah is Islam (submission to His Will)” (Al Imrane, verse 19). This term is derived from the word “salam” (peace). These two terms -Islam and salam- concur in that they carry the sense of bringing about safety, serenity and peaceful interaction among people in the pursuit of goodness and piety, these people being all the descendents of one and same origin, as Allah (SWT) says: “O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, created, of like nature, His mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men and women”. (Annisaa, verse 1).

 The word “salam” occurs more than thirty times in the Holy Quran.

It is indubitable that the recurrent use of this word, in various situations and in different styles, is reflective of the importance of this lofty principle. Peace opens hearts and sentiments up to fostering the virtue of brotherhood among all humans, favors the exchange between them of the bounties that Allah made permissible for them, and spreads a sense of safety and serenity among all individuals and communities.

-           One of the virtues of the term “salam” is that it is one of the magnificent names of Allah, as the divine verse says: “Allah is He, than Whom there is no other god;- the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace (and Perfection), the Guardian of Faith, the Preserver of Safety, the Exalted in Might, the Irresistible, the Supreme: Glory to Allah! (High is He) above the partners they attribute to Him”. (Al Hashr, verse 23).

- It is the word used for greetings among the people of the faith. When meeting a fellow Muslim, the person says: peace be upon you, i.e. you and us are safe.

In the noble hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) said: “Allah made “salam” the greeting of our ummah, and a profession of peace towards our dhimmis”.

- While praying, the Muslim reads the fatiha (Opening Surah) and some verses of the Quran, and invokes peace upon the prophet, himself and the pious worshippers. When he is done praying, he salutes on his right and on his left sides with the words: peace be upon you.

- The greeting that the faithful receive from their Creator in paradise is: salam. Allah (SWT) says: “Their salutation on the Day they meet Him will be "Peace!"; and He has prepared for them a generous Reward”. (Al Ahzab, verse 44).This means that the greeting addressed to the faithful on the day they meet Allah is “peace”. It assures them of their safety from punishment and of the good reward reserved for them in the form of paradise.

- The greeting addressed by the angels to the believers when they enter paradise is: peace. This is mentioned in several verses such as the following: “(Namely) those whose lives the angels take in a state of purity, saying (to them), "Peace be on you; enter ye the Garden, because of (the good) which ye did (in the world).” (Annahl, verse 32).

Another divine verse reads: “And those who feared their Lord will be led to the Garden in crowds: until behold, they arrive there; its gates will be opened; and its keepers will say: “Peace be upon you! well have ye done! enter ye here, to dwell therein”. (Azzumar, verse 73).

- The greeting of the angels to the believers in paradise is: peace be upon you. Allah (SWT) says: “And angels shall enter unto them from every gate (with the salutation): “Peace unto you for that ye persevered in patience! Now how excellent is the final home!” (Arraad, verses 23-24).

- The prayers of the believers when in paradise is the glorification of Allah, and their greeting to Allah, His angles and among themselves is 'peace!', as Allah (SWT) says in the verse: “Their prayer therein will be: Glory be to Thee, O Allah! and their greeting therein will be: Peace. And the conclusion of their prayer will be: Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!” (Yunus, verse 10).

This means that the prayers of Muslims when in paradise consist in singing the glory of Allah, and that the greeting of Allah and His angles to them, as well as their own greeting among themselves is one and the same: peace!, and that their concluding prayer is: praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds.

- The interaction of Muslims among themselves in paradise revolves around peace. Allah (SWT) says: “They will not there hear any vain discourse, but only salutations of Peace: And they will have therein their sustenance, morning and evening”. (Maryam, verse 62).

This means that the inhabitants of paradise hear no vain discourse. Peace is their salutation and they obtain their hearts' desires morning and evening.

Allah (SWT) says: “Not frivolity will they hear therein, nor any taint of ill,- Only the saying, "Peace! Peace".” (Al Waqi'a, verse 25-26).

This means that the dwellers of paradise hear no vain words that may influence them. They hear only a perfect discourse and salutations of peace to each other.

- The Night of Destiny which is worth one thousand months is: “Peace!...This until the rise of morn!”

- The home of peace is one of the descriptions of paradise as mentioned in the verse: “But Allah doth call to the Home of Peace: He doth guide whom He pleaseth to a way that is straight”. (Yunus, verse 25).

This means that the Almighty invites His servants to enter paradise through faith and good deeds and guides whom He wants among His creatures to the right path.

- A frequently invoked prayer of the Prophet (PBUH) was: “O Allah, You are the Peace and from You comes peace, so greet us with the salutation of peace”.

Thus, it becomes clear to any rational person that the Charia of Islam considers peace among people the basis of all human relations. Jihad, in the sense of fighting and war, is an exceptional state resorted to only in times of need.

Third fact: All the military campaigns and conquests conducted during the life of the Prophet (PBUH) were aimed at providing protection against injustice and aggression. They were at no time motivated by greed, tyranny, a thirst for blood or for terrifying people living in safety. There is much evidence to this effect and we will mention the following:

A-        The Battle of Badr, the first battle to ever be fought in the history of Islam, was started by the infidels of Quraish. The Muslims had no option but to accept the challenge and fight back.

The polytheists started this battle and caused it for a reason that many historians chose to ignore. After the migration of the Prophet (PBUH) and many of his companions to Medinah, the polytheists directed their anger and fury against the Muslims who had stayed behind in Mekkah because they were unable to migrate to Medinah. Their persecution worsened day after day till they could no longer bear it and prayed to Allah saying: “Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!” (Annissa, verse 75).

Allah answered the prayers of these Muslims who were unable to join their brothers the Muhajeers. He commanded His Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and his followers, Ansars and Muhajeers alike, to hasten to the help of their oppressed brothers, saying in a style heavy with urging to go to the rescue of the oppressed: “And why should ye not fight in the cause of Allah and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?- Men, women, and children”.

The verse urges the believers among the Ansars and the Muhajeers to fight for the triumph of justice and to help those of theirs who were unable to migrate. Such was their persecution by their enemies, the Mekkan polytheists, that they cried out and prayed to Allah to rescue them from a village of which the inhabitants were tyrants.

The Prophet (PBUH) and his companions obeyed the command of their Creator and sprung to the rescue of their persecuted fellow Muslims, men, women and children. Allah (SWT) provided all the conditions for the success of the Battle of Badr which was referred to in the Quran as “Yawm Al Furqan” and where justice triumphed over oppression, and faith over infidelity, debauchery and rebellion.

 The battle of Badr -the first confrontation between believers and polytehists- was motivated by the urge to rescue the oppressed and persecuted men, women and children who were unable to migrate to Medinah and subsequently became the target of the Mekkan infidels' tyranny. At the Battle of Badr, Allah bestowed victory on those who came to the rescue of the oppressed.

B-        At the Battle of Uhud, the Muslims did not instigate the fighting. One year after the defeat of the Mekkan polytheists at Badr, they assembled an army of more than 3000 men, complete with allies from other tribes, drums, horns and liquor. The leaders among them even took their wives along.

They all started off, fuelled by the desire to fight Muslims,  and marched until they came close to Medinah. The Muslims rallied around the Prophet (PBUH) to discuss the matter at hand: should they go out to meet the enemies who were closing on on Medinah? Or should they lure them into the city's alleys and once in, the men would fight them in the streets and the women from the roofs of houses?

The Prophet (PBUH) favored the second option, but the young fighters were of the opinion of meeting and fighting the enemy outside the town.

They insisted on their strategy till the Prophet (PBUH) yielded to their wish with the ensuing result being the death of a large number of Muslims at this battle.

C-        At the Battle of Al Ahzab, more than ten thousand men from various tribes came together and headed for Medinah to annihilate Islam and Muslims, assisted by some Jewish  leaders.

When the Proophet (PBUH) learnt of this, he consulted his companions on how to proceed before this hegemonic and tyrannical army. Salman Al Farissi proposed the digging of a trench around the city. Muslims started carrying out the strategy at the locations that could be used by the infidels to enter the town.

It was a strenuous effort for the Muslims to dig the trenches. The Prophet (PBUH) took part in the digging which proceeded to the rhythm of this song:

O Allah, without you we would not have found the right path

We would not have given charity nor prayed

So bestow your serenity upon us

And make our hearts strong when we meet them

The infidels have been unjust towards us

They seek to sow panic among us, but we shall not panic.

The polytheists arrived in town and the confrontations started with exchanges of arrows and ended with the defeat of the aggressors and their retreat. This defeat is described by Allah (SWT) in this verse: “And Allah turned back the Unbelievers for (all) their fury: no advantage did they gain; and enough is Allah for the believers in their fight. And Allah is full of Strength, able to enforce His Will”. (Al Ahzab, verse 25).

Thus, the battles engaged in by the Prophet (PBUH) were either to rescue the oppressed or defend faith, lives and human dignity. They were never an act of aggression or hegemony.

Fourth fact: The Charia of Islam laid down fighting conditions that Muslims had to adhere to. These conditions were explained in many verses similar to the following: “Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for Allah loveth not transgressors”. (Al Baqara, verse 19).

The word “qital” means: the attempt of a man to fight someone who is trying to kill him, while the word “muqatala” applies to two fighters trying to kill each other.

In saying “Do not transgress limits”, Allah (SWT) forbade all transgression, including that which comes in the form of fighting.

Transgression means violating the limits that Allah set and the matters He proscribed.

The above verses mean that Allah allowed the believers to fight those who fought them and violated their sanctities, and commanded them not to fight peaceful men, women and children, as well as other groups of people such as elderly people, sick people and the disabled. Allah informed the believers that He does not love the transgressors.

In his interpretation of this verse, Imam Ibn Kuthayyer said: This is the reason why in the Saheeh of Muslim, it was reported that Barida reported that the Prophet (PBUH) used to say to his companions: 'Conquer in the name of Allah and do not transgress limits, do not betray, do not mutilate, do not kill infants nor people in monasteries', i.e. do not kill the people who devote themselves to worship.

It is reported in the two Saheehs that Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, said: “When we came upon a woman who had been killed during one of the battles, the Messenger of Allah deplored the killing of women and children”.

When Abu Bakr Seddiq dispatched Usama Ibn Zayd to Mesopotamia to fight the polytheists, his advice to him was as follows: “Do not betray, do not go to extremes, do not cheat, do not mutilate, do not kill a child, an old man or a woman. Do not fell or burn a palm tree, do not cut down a fruit-bearing tree. You will come across people who have devoted themselves to the worship of Allah in monasteries -monks- leave them to what they have dedicated themselves to.”

Another verse proving that the Islamic Charia laid down rules and conditions for warfare reads as follows: “Verily Allah will defend (from ill) those who believe: verily, Allah loveth not any that is a traitor to faith, or show ingratitude. o those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged;- and verily, Allah is most powerful for their aid;- They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right,- (for no cause) except that they say, "our Lord is Allah". Did not Allah check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of Allah is commemorated in abundant measure. Allah will certainly aid those who aid his (cause);- for verily Allah is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will)”. (Al Hajj, verses 38-40).

Allah, by His grace and mercy, protects the believers from the aggression and injustice of the infidels and the tyrants because He (SWT) does not love the traitors and those who show ingratitude.

Allah then permitted the believers to defend themselves and to fight back the enemies who oppressed them. He gave them the glad tidings of His ability to grant them triumph because Allah has taken it upon Himself to bestow good rewards on His truthful and faithful servants.

Allah (SWT) then clarified some situations where jihad was permissible as a way of upholding justice: “Those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right and for no reason other than their saying Allah is our Lord”.

Were it not for Allah's sending those who can defeat and humiliate the tyrants, the latter would have wreaked havoc on earth. They would have demolished places of worship such as monasteries, churches, synagogues and the mosques where Muslims perform their prayers. Allah grants victory to those who aid His (cause);- for verily Allah is full of Strength and  Exalted in Might.

These verses show in simple and clear terms and in a beautiful style that Allah (SWT) aids His faithful servants and that the Almighty gives them sanction to kill the tyrants who corrupt the earth, those who oppress the true believers and drive them out of their homes. If Allah had not decreed just judgments to repel the evildoers, the earth would have been corrupt.

Fifth fact: The Islamic Charia encourages its followers to lean towards reconciliation and peace. It orders them to accept the end of fighting and the ceasing of hostilities if the enemies request that, as long as the ceasefire and the end of hostilities carried no harm for the believers.

Allah (SWT) says: “But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah: for He is One that heareth and knoweth (all things). Should they intend to deceive thee,- verily Allah sufficeth thee: He it is That hath strengthened thee with His aid and with (the company of) the Believers”. (Al Anfal, verses 61-62).

The meaning of these verses is: If you -Noble Prophet- were at war with your enemies and they became inclined towards reconciliation and peace, accept it from them as along as the reconciliation entailed no harm for you and your companions. Place your destiny in the hands of your Creator and fear not their plotting and their conspiracies for Allah hears all their words and knows all their intentions.

If those enemies who requested a reconciliation were to betray you, pay no heed to their betrayal. Proceed with the reconciliation despite their ill intentions but as long as peace was beneficial for you and your companions. Fear them not, for Allah's support and aid are ample. The Almighty granted you the tangible and invisible causes of victory. He gave you support in the form of true believers who sought nothing from their faith but to please their Creator and who hasten to do good deeds and indeed succeed in their venture.

The noble verse carried encouragement for the Prophet (PBUH) to follow the path of reconciliation so long as it was beneficial for Muslims, and gave him the good news of victory even if the enemies were keen on deception and betrayal while they pretended to lean towards peace.

Sixth fact: The Islamic Charia sets rules of war which must be adhered to and observed.

One of these rules is the respect of covenants and agreements. When Muslims entered into agreement about a given matter, they fully respected their commitment.

The Prophet (PBUH) was the epitome of the respect of commitment. One of the conditions of the Hudaibiyya truce stipulated that when Muslims received someone from Quraish, he was always to be sent back free, and that when they sent someone to Quraish he was not allowed to return. Quraish sent Abu Rafii to the Prophet (PBUH) and he embraced the light of Islam. He said to the Prophet: 'I do not wish to return to Quraish but to stay amongst you as a Muslim.' The Prophet (PBUH) said: “I do not break my covenants. Return safely to them, and should you still feel the same way, then come back to us.”

Another principle is sparing those that are not fighting, prohibiting mutilation and the finishing off of a wounded person. Islam also banned the destruction of crops and the felling of fruit-bearing trees, the soiling of wells, and the demolition of houses. It also dictated the good treatment of prisoners. If an enemy pleaded for his safety and asked for asylum, his plea was to be accepted and his safety guaranteed. Under no circumstances could he be harmed since Allah (SWT) says in the Quran: “If one amongst the Pagans ask thee for asylum, grant it to him, so that he may hear the word of Allah; and then escort him to where he can be secure. That is because they are men without knowledge.” (Attawba, verse 6).

The above verse means the following: If one of the polytheists asked you -Mohammed- to grant him asylum, fulfill his wish that his heart may open up to the words of Allah. Should he find the faith when he hears Allah's words, you would have gained a follower. And if he chooses to remain a polytheist and return to his homeland, you must guarantee his safety until he reaches his abode.

To sum up, jihad in Islam was only decreed to defend justice, champion the oppressed, spread peace and security on earth and punish the evildoers who, if left unchecked, would wreak havoc on the earth.

To those who believe otherwise, we respond with the divine quote: “No knowledge have they of such a thing, nor had their fathers. It is a grievous thing that issues from their mouths as a saying what they say is nothing but falsehood!” (Al Kahf, verse 5).

It is clear to any rational-thinking person that fighting in the Islamic Charia is not the rule, but an exception to the rule of peace.

-         3 –

I will address a third fallacy, the ugliest and most despicable one, namely the words of the Byzantine emperor to the Muslim Persian: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman…”

Your Holiness, you mentioned this in your lecture and refrained from any fair comment  that would show your disagreement with what the quoted emperor said, as if condoning every word he said. Since you have failed to comment on these words, then let me give you ample evidence and share with you diverse facts that stand witness to the fact that: “Our Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) was sent to all humanity as the carrier of bounty, virtue, perfect morals, and never brought anything evil”.

The Prophet (PBUH) brought goodness because all the divine books that preceded him predicted his arrival and described him as a man of the noblest of morals and loftiest of virtues, thus inviting every fair and rational thinking person to follow him and believe in his message.

Allah (SWT) says: “Those who follow the messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the law and the Gospel;- for he 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, honour him, help him, and follow the light which is sent down with him,- it is they who will prosper”. (Al Araf, verse 157).

In this noble verse, Allah (SWT) describes His Messenger Mohammed (PBUH) with a host of noble attributes:

He is described as the messenger of Allah the Almighty, sent to all humanity as a bearer of glad tidings and warnings.

He is described as a prophet to whom Allah inspired an all-encompassing charia that will survive until the Day of Judgement.

He is described as illiterate, as one who never read or wrote, nor sat before a teacher to acquire this knowledge. Yet, Allah (SWT) revealed the Holy Quran to him, a book that stands for the ultimate guidance and the miracle of all miracles. Allah (SWT) bestowed on this Prophet knowledge that is rich in wisdom and laws, placing him thus above all mankind. The Prophet's illiteracy was the best proof that what he brought forward was inspired to him from Allah (SWT).

He is described as one whose name and description the People of the Book found in the Torah and in the Bible.

One of the most eloquent descriptions carried in the Torah about Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) was written by Al Bukhari as he quoted Abullah Ibn Amr, may Allah be pleased with them both, saying: “I read in the Torah the description in Allah's words of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH): “He is my servant and my messenger. I have called him the one who trusts, not harsh or rough, nor loud-voiced in the streets. He will not repulse evil with evil, but will pardon and forgive”. He is described as calling people to embrace all that is noble and shun sinful behavior.

He is described as the recipient of a charia that allows people what is good (and pure) and prohibits to them what is corrupt, impure and sinful.

He is described as bringing a tolerant charia to people, a religion marked by ease, not hardship.

Then Allah (SWT) concludes the verse saying that those who believe in and support this noble prophet will prosper.

Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) brought nothing but goodness because his brother in prophecy, Jesus, the son of Mary, peace be upon him, predicted his arrival and mentioned his name. The  Holy Quran mentions this in the verse: “And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad”. (Assaf, verse 6).

The verse invites Mohammed to mention to his followers the time his brother in prophecy, Jesus, son of Mary, said to his people: O children of Israel, I am a messenger sent to you to confirm the book and law that were revealed to me, namely the Bible, and also to confirm the book that Allah the Almighty revealed previously to His messenger Moses, the Torah, and a witness giving glad tidings of a messenger who will come after me and whose name will be Ahmad.

Imam Aloussi, may he rest in peace, says: “This noble name, Ahmad, is one of the names of our Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). In the two saheeh, the prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said: "I have five names: I am Muhammad and Ahmad; I am Al-Hashir who will be the first to be resurrected, the people being resurrected there after; I am Al-Mahi through whom Allah will eliminate infidelity; and I am also Al-'Aqib (i.e. There will be no prophet after me).”

This holy verse is crystal clear in that Jesus, peace be upon him, gave glad tidings to his people of the arrival of  the Messenger (PBUH). The form and content of the prediction implies that the messenger (PBUH) will bring nothing but goodness to all humanity, that he will reveal what will take them from the darkness of polytheism to the light of the Oneness of God, from the evils of ignorance to the virtues of knowledge, from the sins of debauchery and disobedience to enlightened guidance and faith.

The Prophet (PBUH) tremendously praised his brother in prophecy, Jesus, son of Mary, when he said: “I am closer to Jesus son of Mary in this world and in the hereafter. They asked: How so, O Messenger of Allah? He answered: because between him and me there is no other prophet”.

In the same way that he praised his brother in prophecy, peace be upon, Mohammed also praised this prophet's mother, Mary, saying: “The noblest among women in paradise are four: Khadija Bint Khowaylid, Fatema, daughter of Mohammed, Assia daughter of Muzahim and the Pharaoh’s wife, and Maryam daughter of Imrane”.

Our master and rescuer from our heavy burdens, Mohammed (PBUH), brought all goodness because his message was the seal of all divine messages and brought closure to all divine laws and commandments.

All messengers appointed by Allah (SWT) were sent to deliver a message that was the same in its essence, namely the call to the worship of Allah, the One and Almighty, and to virtue and good morals.

A message of which these are the essentials can bring nothing but goodness, and can only bring that which guarantees the wellbeing and happiness of humanity. It preaches that which guides minds and opens hearts, purifies souls from extremism, envy, injustice and aggression. Such a message guarantees that when people adhere to the teachings and guidance of their prophets, they live in serenity and peace, enjoy the bounty of life and lead a life of dignity.

True is the word of Allah (SWT): “Whoever works righteousness, man or woman, and has Faith, verily, to him will We give a new Life, a life that is good and pure and We will bestow on such their reward according to the best of their actions”. (Annahl, verse 97)

The noble messengers are the best of all creatures, they are Allah's chosen ones among his servants. They are the gates to His mercy and the reasons of His blessings.

The noble messengers are the purest of all people, chosen by their Creator to convey His revelations, guide mankind to the right path, free them from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge, and from heresy, debauchery, rebellion and bring them to submission, virtue and faith.

The noble messengers are those whom Allah made perfect by bestowing on them a pure nature, a clean heart, and a noble soul, dignity, a rational mind, an honest hand, virtuous origins, beauty in physique and character and in what they show and what they hide.

The noble messengers are those Allah made immune to anything against good morals, chivalry and honor, whether before or after the revelation of their prophecies.

The mission of the noble messengers was completed by the message of Mohamed (PBUH) who was the brick that completed the edifice of divine messages.

Mohammed (PBUH) expressed this in his hadith: “Certainly my example and the example of prophets earlier than me is like the example of a palace most elegant and most beautifully constructed by a person except (that he left in it) a blank space for a brick in one of its corners and that made the people (who were) going around it wonder (at its marvellousness) and exclaimed (in perplexion): Why not is this brick inlaid in here. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said, I am that (corner's last) brick and I am the last of the prophets”.

The Prophet brought all good things and nothing evil, for he emerged after a long stretch of time since the last messenger. Allah (SWT) says in this verse: “O People of the Book! Now hath come unto you, making (things) clear unto you, Our Messenger, after the break in (the series of) our messengers, lest ye should say: 'There came unto us no bringer of glad tidings and no warner (from evil)": But now hath come unto you a bringer of glad tidings and a warner (from evil). And Allah hath power over all things”. (Al Maida, verse 19).

The meaning of this verse is: O People of the Book, here is Our messenger Mohammed (PBUH) sent to you to show you the right way in faith, rites, transactions and morals. He comes a long time after the message of Jesus, peace be upon him. We did this that you may not say: We were sent neither a bringer of glad tidings nor a warner. We have sent our messenger Mohammed (PBUH) with a message that commands all to worship Allah and Allah alone, almost six centuries after the message of Jesus, peace be upon him, was revealed.

The message of Mohammed (PBUH) at that time was much needed by a humanity that had reached the tip of the abyss in terms of confusion, misery, darkness, ignorance, tyranny, wars and oppression.

Before Mohammed (PBUH) was sent, the world had been slumbering in chaos as dark as the night, as wars raged on between the Persians and the Romans.

Creeds had reached an abysmal level because of instability, distortions and mental regression. Man, who is the vice-regent of Allah on this earth, had become a slave in the worship of idols, rocks, cows, trees and fire.

Conscience was overridden by desires, egoism, whims and conflicts that caused perdition and death.

The people of the Arab peninsula -including the inhabitants of Mekkah- were no better than the rest of the world. They waged wars for the most futile reasons, worshipped idols that were absolutely useless and about which they used to say: “These are our intercessors with Allah”,  and: “We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to Allah.”

They were drowning in deadly debauchery, in shameful tribalism, in obsolete traditions and boastfulness about their ancestry and origins, ignoring all other noble values and justice. However, a small minority of Mekkans such as Zayd Ibn Amru Ibn Nafeel, Qiss Ibn Saida and Waraqa Ibn Nawfal rejected polytheism, the despicable traditions of the polytheists and their blind tribalism.

In his epic poem Nahj Al Borda, the prince of poets, Ahmed  Chawqi, may he rest in peace, described in true and wise words the state of the world before the arrival of the Prophet (PBUH), saying:

You came to people when in chaos they were

You came to them when idols they worshipped

The lands with slaves were teeming

Put in the service of oppressive tyrants

The Persian king oppressed his subjects

And the Roman Caesar was blind and deaf to his

Alike they were in torturing people 

Slaughtering them as you would sheep

Among people the powerful ate the weak

Like a lion devours a prey and a whale anchovies

In the darkness that enveloped humanity at the time came the call of Mohammed (PBUH) to take people from darkness into light.

He took them from the darkness of polytheism to the light of monotheism, from the shadows of ignorance to the light of knowledge, and from the darkness of oppression to the light of justice.

 Allah (SWT) reminds mankind of this blessing in many verses. One of these verses says: “Allah did confer a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a messenger from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, while, before that, they had been in manifest error”. (Al Imrane, verse 164).

The meaning of this verse is: Allah bestowed many favors and ample bounty on the believers among the Arabs. He sent them a prophet from amongst themselves who would read to them the verses of the Holy Quran, cleanse their hearts from polytheism and immorality, and teach them the Quran and the Sunnah. Before the Prophet (PBUH) was sent, they were living in blatant sin and indubitable ignorance.

A similar holy verse says: “It is He Who has sent amongst the Unlettered a messenger from among themselves, to rehearse to them His Signs, to sanctify them, and to instruct them in Scripture and Wisdom,- although they had been, before, in manifest error”. (Al Jumua, verse 2).

In brief, the coming of the Messenger (PBUH) brought about a state of grace that was generalized to all humanity after an era when great evil prevailed in the world. The Prophet's arrival was the dawn that brought light to the far corners of the world after pitch darkness and outrageous ignorance.

Our Prophet (PBUH) brought everything good and nothing evil because the call he was instructed by Allah to make to mankind involved nothing but goodness. As such, it is impossible for such a mission to involve anything evil.

It is a call to mankind to worship their Creator alone and to uphold noble morals. A call such as this can only be innocent of the shadow of evil.

All prophets - and leading them is their imam, seal and most favored Mohammed (PBUH)-  are too noble to bring anything that may be harmful or to commit an evil act, neither before nor after the revelation of their prophecy. In fact, Allah (SWT) chose them, sanctified them and immunized them against anything inappropriate.

Anyone who peruses the biography of Mohammed (PBUH) will learn that since his young adulthood he was known among his people as the truthful and trustworthy one.

The Prophet (PBUH) can derive enough pride from Allah's saying about him: “And thou (standest) on an exalted standard of character”. (Al Qalam, verse 4).

Good character, according to Imam Al-Razi, is a spiritual endowment that makes it easy for the one who possesses it to utter good words and act virtuously.

This verse implies that Mohammed attained a great standard in faith, virtue and morality in all his actions and his words.

The used of the preposition “ ala” denotes the highest standard of virtue and morality of the Prophet (PBUH), and conveys the sense that words fail to do justice to the value of the praise that Allah (SWT) thus bestowed on His prophet Mohammed (PBUH) in this holy verse.

In his interpretation of this verse, the imam Ibn Kuthayyir, may he rest in peace, reported; 'A person asked Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, about the meaning of this verse. She asked him: Do you not read the Quran? He said: Yes. She replied: That Quran is the standard of character of Allah's Messenger (PBUH).'

The adherence of Mohammed (PBUH) to the Quran was his way of respecting commandments and showing obedience. It defined his character and his demeanor. He obeyed everything the Quran ordered and shied away from everything it warned against.

One needs to add to this all the other noble virtues and attributes that Allah blessed him with, such as wisdom, purity, courage and the sense of justice.

How can Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) not be the epitome of all virtues when he is the one to have said: “I have been but sent to complete noble attributes (Makarim al-Akhlaq).”

What greater honor can there be for the Prophet (PBUH) than Allah's saying about him: “We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures”.(Al Anbiyaa, verse 107).

The verse means: We have sent you, Noble Prophet, with a message that brings happiness to the people of faith, in the netherworld and in the hereafter, but only if they follow you, answer your call and obey you in what you command them to do or to shun.

In the noble hadith: “I was sent but as a mercy bestowed”. The message of the Prophet (PBUH) is mercy in its essence.  However, this mercy is only enjoyed by those who answer its call, while those who ignore it would have deprived themselves of the benefit of mercy.

Imam Zamakhshari, may he rest in peace, author of Al Kashshaf, wrote in his interpretation of this verse: “Allah sent His messenger (PBUH) as mercy to the worlds because this Prophet introduced what would guarantee their bliss if they followed him. Those who chose to reject  it would have caused great prejudice to themselves and deprived themselves of their share of this blessing”.

Here is an example illustrating this: If Allah caused a deep and abundant water spring to flow, people would use its water to irrigate their lands and provide water to their cattle, thus making everything thrive. Those who would ignore the source would cause themselves loss. The spring is in its essence a blessing from Allah and a form of mercy sent to both groups of people. But the lazy ones cause prejudice to themselves and deprive themselves from its benefits.

Allah, Exalted be His name, chose the attribute of mercy to describe the message of Mohammed (PBUH). The Messenger described himself as a mercy bestowed because the attribute of mercy conveys a generality of all good things, and he whose attribute is mercy is too lofty to commit a wrongdoing or an evil under any form.

Mercy epitomizes perfection in human nature and the beauty in the sentiments of the righteous and the virtuous. It makes him sensitive to the sufferings of others and urges him to strive with all his might to put an end to this suffering. It also causes him sadness and sorrow for the errors of others, makes him pray for their guidance and endeavor to right their wrongful ways.

By His grace, Allah (SWT) chose to bless the world with a human being who would erase its sufferings, alleviate its sorrows, correct its errors, invite people to goodness and guide them onto the right path. He sent His messenger Mohammed (PBUH) with the message of guidance and the true faith. He entrenched in the Prophet's heart knowledge and wisdom, bestowed on him a gentle and compassionate nature, and blessed him with a wise and virtuous mind, a sense of compassion and righteousness that made him the most favored, honored and merciful of all human beings.

This is the reason why Allah (SWT) said about him: “It is part of the Mercy of Allah that thou dost deal gently with them Wert thou severe or harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about thee: so pass over (Their faults), and ask for (Allah's) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment). Then, when thou hast Taken a decision put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him)”. (Al Imran, verse 159).

The verse means that thanks to a great and all-encompassing mercy that Allah bestowed on you, Mohammed, you were gentle with your followers under all circumstances. Had you -you the Noble Prophet- been ill-mannered, harsh-hearted and hard to live with, your followers would have abandoned you and moved away from you.

Since Allah (SWT) placed in your heart gentleness, mercy, benevolence and tolerance, forgive their sins and pray to Allah to forgive the evil they have committed, consult them in the matters where their advice is needed, and if you decide to act on a given matter -after consultation- then proceed by putting your trust in Allah, because Allah loves those who put their trust in Him.

The virtue of mercy has been prominent among the attributes that accompanied the Prophet throughout his life. It stayed with him in the toughest of times and most critical circumstances. Despite the extreme hostility shown towards him by the insolent detractors after his arrival in Taef, he did not curse them and instead prayed for their salvation, saying: “O Allah, guide my people for they know not”.

The prophet was compassionate towards all people, showing that true faith only happens in the hearts when mercy is associated to it. He said: “You will not be considered believers until you show mercy'. They said: 'But we all are compassionate', he said: Compassion is not only that which you show the next fellow, but compassion towards all and asunder”.

He showed compassion towards his children. When his son Ibrahim was agonizing, he hugged him close, kissed him and his eyes welled up with tears. Some of the companions said: “You too, O Messenger of Allah?. The Prophet (PBUH) said: 'It is compassion. The eye tears up, the heart fills with sorrow, but we only say what pleases Allah, and sadness fills us as we part with you, O Ibrahim”.

This quality of compassion showed in his dealings with orphans and poor people. To a man who came to him once complaining about the harshness of his heart, he said: “Do you wish for your heart to soften and to achieve your goal? Be compassionate towards the orphan, pat him on the head, feed him from what you eat, your heart will then soften up and you will reach your goal”.

His compassion showed with the weak and the servants. He said: 'Whoever has a fellow Mulsim serving under him, let him feed him from what he eats, clothe him in what he wears, and do not place on their shoulders a burden heavier than they can bear, and if you do, then help them in the task.'

The virtue of compassion of the Prophet (PBUH) showed even in his dealings with animals. He said: “A woman entered the (Hell) Fire because of a cat which she had tied, neither giving it food nor setting it free to eat from the vermin of the earth”.

Thus, we find that the compassion of the Prophet stayed with him throughout his life and encompassed the diverse aspects of life and all living creatures.

He was compassionate to the young and to the old, to those nearby and those far removed, to the sane and the unsound of mind. He was merciful towards friend and foe, and towards man and animal. His compassion reached levels where he would be leading people in prayer and wishing to lengthen the prayer as he loved to do, but  would hasten and shorten it if he heard a baby cry, out of compassion for the baby and for the mother whose heart would flutter in concern.

What greater honor could there be for the Prophet (PBUH) than Allah's saying about him: “Now hath come unto you a Messenger from amongst yourselves: it grieves him that ye should perish: ardently anxious is he over you: to the Believers is he most kind and merciful”. (Attawba, verse 128).

However, compassion was not the only virtue the Messenger (PBUH) had. All other qualities and noble attributes were found in him. Imam Al-Boussayri, may he rest in peace, said:

Attribute to him any honour you wish

Glorify his worth to the extent you wish

The virtue of Allah's messenger is so limitless

That no words from a mouth can express it

It thus becomes obvious to any rational person that what the Byzantine emperor said in his debate with a Muslim more than six hundred years ago is nothing but blatant lies: that Islam was spread by the sword, that jihad in Islam was a means of aggression and that Mohamed brought things only evil and inhuman.

We demonstrated that Islam spread through conviction and choice and not through coercion and compulsion.

Jihad in Islam was ordained by Allah to champion the oppressed and defend lives, property, honor, homeland and human dignity. Our Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is the most honored and virtuous of all creatures. He brought righteousness, virtue and bounty to mankind, and closed all the doors to evil before people.

We would have wished for His Holiness the Pope of the Vatican not to insert this quote of the Byzantine emperor in his lecture because it was not relevant to a lecture that was mostly about Christianity.

But since he did bring this quote, it would have been appropriate for him, as a man of religion and a philosopher, to at least comment on the quote in a way that would express his disagreement with its purport.

But His Holiness did not. So we deemed it appropriate to remind him of what is truth and what is fallacy, for the one who hides the truth is a devil in disguise. And peace be on those who follow the path of true guidance.

-         4 –

We may understand from the words of the Pope that there are theologians who see inquisitiveness about the divine entity (Allah) as a must and a rational exercise from the point of view of Christianity, and that His Holiness supports this rational trend as a way to counterbalance the atheist trend contending that 'there is no God'.

We may also understand from his words that there are theologians who believe that attempting to understand the divine entity by applying reason and logic is uncalled for and a vain exercise. Some orientalists maintain that the Arab philosopher Ibn Hazm leaned towards this way of thinking. In this part of the debate, I wish to clarify to His Holiness in brief the concept of faith in the Islamic Charia and the position of the human mind in this Charia:

Faith is secure belief in the set of opinions, principles and ideas that have settled in the heart of the person for several reasons and that have become part of his entity to be defended in the same way as the whole entity.

We say: so and so has faith in this or that, meaning that he became convinced of its veracity. Faith, belief and conviction all carry the same meaning.

In Al Mu'jam A1 Waseet, vol. 2, page 614: “Faith is the judgment that suffers no doubt in the mind of the believer. In religion: faith is the set of beliefs that do not rest on material evidence: faith in the existence of Allah, and in the coming of the messengers”.

To have faith as in religion is an overwhelming emotional need for the human being. He cannot lead a balanced and stable emotional life without faith. Those who claim that they have freed themselves from faith only do so in appearance, because deep down they are wont to believe in myths, fallacies, desires, and entertain greedy designs. They unwittingly think that they are right and that all other rational people are in the wrong.

In his valuable book “Allah”, page 14, the great professor Abbas Mahmoud Al Aqqad, may he rest in peace, speaks pertinently about this: “There is in human nature a hunger for believing that is very much similar to the physical hunger for food. We may say that the soul becomes as hungry as the body, and that the soul's quest for its food is similar to the body' quest. There is no disputing that the religious instinct is deeply entrenched in the human psyche, and that the human being has to believe and cannot survive in the universe devoid of faith since man was created to live within this universe. If faith is the natural state dictated by his mere existence, the lack of faith is a perversion that runs counter to the nature of creation and reflects a disruption of balance in  the entity. Comparative religions scholars have concurred on the inherent existence of religious faith in human nature from the dawn of times.”

To sum up, religious faith is an emotional necessity that is dictated by human nature. It controls the mind, emotions and heart of the person by fulfilling his instinctive emotional and cognitive needs. Faith is sought and if not found, it is created. Every person has his or her own faith that he defends even when it is wrong and pains to find validation either in the mind, or in tradition or logic.

Evidence that man defends his faith even when it is wrong can be found in the Holy Quran where many verses tell the stories of the noble messengers who called upon their peoples to embrace the true faith through the worship of the Almighty alone and the adoption of good morals. The clear majority of these peoples resisted the noble messengers, describing them at times as heretics, and at others as immoral, perverse and such other unwholesome attributes.

The sound faith is the one Allah (SWT) revealed to His Noble Messengers and commanded them to convey to their peoples. It is about absolute faith in the Oneness of Allah, Exalted be His name, in the truthfulness of His noble messengers and in the inevitability of the arrival of the Day of Judgment.

Allah (SWT) says: “The Messenger believeth in what hath been revealed to him from his Lord, as do the men of faith. Each one (of them) believeth in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers. "We make no distinction (they say) between one and another of His messengers." And they say: "We hear, and we obey: (We seek) Thy forgiveness, our Lord, and to Thee is the end of all journeys”. (Al Baqara, verse 285). In a sound hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) said: 'Faith is to affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and to affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil”.

True belief and sound faith reach perfection when the person believes, in a profound and unshakable way, in the Oneness of God and that Allah is the Creator of everything, the Owner of all, the First and Eternal, the Visible and the Hidden, and that He is omniscient;

When he believes that Allah has close angels who never disobey Him and perform what they are ordered to perform;

When he believes that Allah, Exalted be His name, revealed the Scrolls to Abraham, the Psalms to David, the Torah to Moses, the Bible to Jesus and the Holy Quran to Mohammed, peace and prayers be upon them all;

When he believes that the noble messengers - and leading them is their imam and seal Mohammed (PBUH)-  have delivered the message and discharged their mission, that the Day of  Judgment is sure to come, that our deeds will be reviewed, that paradise exists and hell exists, that Allah predestined everything on the earth and that whatever Allah predestined will happen.

This is the true and sound faith represented in the religion of Islam, Islam in the sense of surrender to Allah (SWT). It is the religion that Allah chose for His servants when He said: “If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost”. (A1 Imrane, verse 85), Islam, in the sense of worshipping Allah alone and as in the creed of all prophets, peace be upon them. Noah, peace be upon him, said: “But if ye turn back, (consider): no reward have I asked of you: my reward is only due from Allah, and I have been commanded to be of those who submit to Allah's will (in Islam)”. (Yunus, verse 72). Abraham was commanded by His Lord to embrace Islam, so he said: “I bow (my will) to the Lord and Cherisher of the Universe”. (Al Baqara, verse 131). Moses, peace be upon him, said to his people: “Who will be My helpers to (the work of) Allah?" Said the disciples: "We are Allah's helpers: We believe in Allah, and do thou bear witness that we are Muslims.” (Al Imrane, verse 52).

Thus, all messengers preached the same religion and the same faith: Islam, i.e. surrendering to Allah, exalted be His name, associating no one with Him in worship, submission and obedience and professing that He is the Lord of the Worlds, that nothing compares to Him and that He is All-hearing and All-seeing.

This is the concept of faith in the Islamic Charia: complete dedication to the worship of Allah the Almighty, unshakable faith in the truthfulness of His messengers, in the existence of His angels, in the revelation of His books to His messengers, in the coming of the Day of Judgment and conviction that everything Allah destined to happen shall happen. True is the word of Allah : “Is it not His to create and to govern? Blessed be Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds!” (Al Araf, verse 54). As for the word “Aql”, it carries in the Arabic language either the meaning of comprehension, understanding and power of cognizance, or that of tying up or tethering. When we say so and so “aqala” a given matter, it means he understood it and grasped its origins and sub-meanings. When we say so and so “aqala” his beast of burden, it means that he tethered it using his “iqal” to prevent it from wandering away.

The mind is named as such because it is the tool used in thinking, pondering, arguing and in judging matters in the manner deemed best.

The mind prevents man from erring and from committing what Allah has proscribed. The mind is the valuable jewel that Allah bestowed on man to enable him to think, find arguments,  conceive of matters and reach convictions, as well as to distinguish between what is wrong and what is right, and between virtue and sin.

The mind is the divine gift that determines man's liability, and qualifies him for either rewards or punishment. In fact, a man who is not sound of mind cannot be held responsible or accountable for his actions. A ritual, a transaction, a trade or any other form of human interaction is only considered valid and acceptable if the person performing them is of age and sound of mind.

A nation where most people are sound-minded and rational will enjoy greater peace and prosperity. In such a nation, agricultural, industrial and scientific production, as well as other forms of useful production would thrive and prosper. Thanks to sound minds, the barren land can be turned into a green Eden.

But a nation where the sound-minded are few can turn a green Eden into a barren land. A reader pondering the meanings of the Holy Quran will see that many chapters close with Allah' s saying: “Will they not understand?, or “They understand not.”

In one of these verses, Allah (SWT) says: “Do ye enjoin right conduct on the people, and forget (To practise it) yourselves, and yet ye study the Scripture? Will ye not understand?” (A1 Baqara, verse 44).

He also says: “Deaf, dumb, and blind, they are void of wisdom.' (Al Baqara,            verse 171). The dwellers of hell thus admit that the suffering and punishment they were enduring is the result of their stupidity and weak minds. Allah says: 'They will further say: "Had we but listened or used our intelligence, we should not (now) be among the Companions of the Blazing Fire!” (A1 Mulk, verse 10).

Many noble hadiths underline the greatness of the gift of reason. The Prophet (PBUH) said: “There is no greater gift acquired by man after piety than a mind that guides its owner to the right path and deters him from straying to his donwfall.” In another hadith, he said: “No creature created by Allah was blessed with a better attribute than that of the mind.”

It is narrated that a man of great wisdom met a young man endowed with an intelligent mind. He asked him: Would you be willing to have one hundred thousand dinars but an unsound mind? The boy said: I would not. So the wise man asked him: Why not? The boy said: Because I am scared my stupidity may cause me to lose my money and what will become of me when I am left with my stupidity only.

However, no matter how broad their horizons are and how knowledgeable they may be, human minds cannot devise divine religions with their rites, transactions, modes of behavior etc. Divine religions are created by Allah and revealed to His Messengers and prophets who relay them to their peoples. To reach happiness and fulfillment, these people in turn abide by the precepts of these religions and avoid what is proscribed by them.

Sound minds do not engage in attempts to decipher occult matters of which the pursuit is fruitless. Instead, they are dedicated to meditating and pondering the creation of Allah (SWT) in this universe.

Within the limits of their mental capacities and their cognizance abilities, they are dedicated to pondering what can be useful to people. The Islamic Charia discourages its followers from pondering the divine entity because that entity is beyond their understanding and their powers of mental cognizance and imagination.

True is the word of Allah (SWT): “He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things)”.  (Ash-Shrua, verse 11).

This verse means that Allah (SWT) is the creator of the heavens and the earth, that by the grace of His power, He created for you spouses to whom you are bound by ties of affection and compassion, just as the Almighty created for animals their female counterparts, for you to breed and grow as a result of this intermarriage. Then Allah (SWT) goes on to negate the existence of anything and anyone that could equal or resemble Him, saying: “there is nothing whatever like unto Him”, i.e. there is nothing like Him, either in being, in attributes or in actions. He is All-hearing of the words of His creatures and All-seeing of what they hide and what they show. The noble hadith says: “Ponder the creation of Allah and do not ponder His being, for you can never grasp the real value of His entity”. Pondering the entity of Allah, an exercise that would involve reflections about His shape (SWT), how He came to be...etc, will only lead to the confusion and imagination that Allah warned against. On the other hand, pondering the creation of Allah and the blessings that He bestowed on his servants is the correct way of thinking and the way to reach the truth, achieve wellbeing and be on the straight path.

Islam considers meditation's ultimate goal to be stimulating the mind towards recognizing the bounty Allah bestowed on mankind, helping man understand the rules of life, the causes of existence, the laws of the universe, and the truth behind all things, and recognize, by using rational arguments, all true, useful and beautiful things.

Anyone pondering the Quran will see that many of its verses provide irrefutable and logic-based arguments on the Oneness of Allah, on the inevitability of the Day of Resurrection, on the fact that the Noble Messengers delivered their message and discharged their mission, and that this Quran is truly the word of God.

Reasoned arguments on the Oneness of Allah come in the form of a challenge, such as “Such is the Creation of Allah: now show Me what is there that others besides Him have created: nay, but the Transgressors are in manifest error”. (Luqman, verse 11).

The verse means: here is the universe with its earth and skies, water and mountains, men and jinns, animals and plants that Allah, exalted be His name, created. Show me, you worshippers of idols that can neither benefit nor harm you what those idols have created?  They have created naught, so how did you bring your minds to worship them?

Another challenging verse is Allah's saying: “Is then He Who creates like one that creates not? Will ye not receive admonition?” (Annahl, verse 17).

The questioning tone here serves for denouncing and reprimanding the polytheists who associated other idols with Allah in worship.

The verse carries the question: Is He who creates such an extraordinary universe, namely Allah (SWT), comparable to those bogus idols worshipped by the ignorant?

Anyone with some soundness of mind will reject the comparison drawn between the Creator of everything and the one that created nothing. Similar to these two verses in bringing reasoned evidence on the Oneness and might of Allah through a challenge is the one that says: “Say: Praise be to Allah, and Peace on his servants whom He has chosen (for his Message). (Who) is better?- Allah or the false gods they associate (with Him)? Or, Who has created the heavens and the earth, and Who sends you down rain from the sky? Yea, with it We cause to grow well-planted orchards full of beauty of delight: it is not in your power to cause the growth of the trees in them. (Can there be another) god besides Allah? Nay, they are a people who swerve from justice. Or, Who has made the earth firm to live in; made rivers in its midst; set thereon mountains immovable; and made a separating bar between the two bodies of flowing water? (can there be another) god besides Allah? Nay, most of them know not. Or, Who listens to the (soul) distressed when it calls on Him, and Who relieves its suffering, and makes you (mankind) inheritors of the earth? (Can there be another) god besides Allah? Little it is that ye heed! Or, Who guides you through the depths of darkness on land and sea, and Who sends the winds as heralds of glad tidings, going before His Mercy? (Can there be another) god besides Allah?- High is Allah above what they associate with Him!   Or, Who originates creation, then repeats it, and who gives you sustenance from heaven and earth? (Can there be another) god besides Allah? Say, "Bring forth your argument, if ye are telling the truth!”' (Annaml, verses 59-64).

A person with a rational mind and an intrinsically pure nature will, on pondering these verses, clamor the Oneness of Allah the Almighty, the One whom no other can be worshipped with. Logical evidence on the oneness of Allah is sometimes presented through parables such as the one in Allah's saying: “Allah puts forth a Parable a man belonging to many partners at variance with each other, and a man belonging entirely to one master: are those two equal in comparison? Praise be to Allah! but most of them have no knowledge”. (Az-Zumar, verse 29).

The verse means that a person who worships other than Allah is similar to a slave owned by many people who fight over him. The slave is torn between them as one orders him to stand up and the other asks him to sit down. He becomes confused, and such is the lot of the polytheist. But the true believer is similar to the slave owned by one person. No one else has a say over him. He serves his master in all loyalty and obedience and his master rewards him generously for this faith and obedience.

The purpose of the verse is to show the state of confusion and dilemma in which the polytheist is, and the state of quietude, stability and serenity enjoyed by the true believer.

In other cases, the Quran puts forward rational arguments on the oneness of Allah (SWT) by maintaining that this perfectly fashioned universe can only be this beautiful, unique and extraordinary if its Creator is one god, Allah, who creates everything in perfection. One of the verses that have stressed this truth says: “If there were, in the heavens and the earth, other gods besides Allah, there would have been confusion in both! but glory to Allah, the Lord of the Throne: (High is He) above what they attribute to Him!” (Al Anbiyaa, verse 22).

The verse contends that if other gods existed beside Allah (SWT), the heavens and the earth would have been disrupted and would have lost their perfect order which is marred by neither imbalance nor trouble. In fact, the multiplicity of gods presupposes conflict and differences between them, thus leading to the disruption of the world order and the prevalence of trouble and corruption.

Since the reality perceived is contrary to this, and the universe ticks along in perfect order and precision, it becomes clear that the universe has one god, the Almighty, the Wise and the One with no partner.

In this same vein, the divine verse says: “No son did Allah beget, nor is there any god along with Him: (if there were many gods), behold, each god would have taken away what he had created, and some would have lorded it over others! Glory to Allah! (He is free) from the (sort of) things they attribute to Him!” (Al Muminun, verse 91).

The logic-based evidence brought by the Quran as to the inevitability of the Day of Resurrection, and to the fact that people will stand before Allah to account for their deeds without a soul being slighted on that day, is abundant and varied. One of these proofs is the verse saying: “'Doth not man see that it is We Who created him from sperm? yet behold! he (stands forth) as an open adversary! And he makes comparisons for Us, and forgets his own (origin and) Creation: He says, "Who can give life to (dry) bones and decomposed ones (at that)?" Say, "He will give them life Who created them for the first time! for He is Well-versed in every kind of creation!- "The same Who produces for you fire out of the green tree, when behold! ye kindle therewith (your own fires)! "Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth able to create the like thereof?" - Yea, indeed! for He is the Creator Supreme, of skill and knowledge (infinite)! Verily, when He intends a thing, His Command is, "be", and it is!  So glory to Him in Whose hands is the dominion of all things: and to Him will ye be all brought back.” (Yass, verses 77-83)

Interpreters attribute the reason for the revelation of these verses to a polytheist who came to the prophet (PBUH) holding a decayed bone in the hand. He started crushing the bone and blowing the dust in the face of the Prophet (PBUH) saying: O Mohammed, do you claim that when I become like this dust, your god will resuscitate me and bring me back to life? The Prophet (PBUH) said: “Yes, Allah will make you die and will raise you again and throw you in hell”. After which, these verses were revealed.

The meaning of these verses is: Have the ignorance and stupidity of this human being reached such extent that he does not know that We created him from a drop of sperm and that it is in our power to blow life in him after his death. Had he been rational, he would have understood these facts alone. This ignorant and arrogant man gave us an example using old dust and in the process forgot our power to make anything We wish happen. He forgot our ability to create fire from verdant trees. If one of you breaks off a branch from the Marakh tree and another branch from the Affar tree and rubs them against each other, he will cause sparks and light the fire from which you draw benefits in many aspects of your life.

If Allah (SWT) is capable of creating fire from verdant trees despite their high content in water -an anti-fire element- in these branches, He is even more capable of resuscitating bodies after their decay.

These examples of reasoned evidence that the Holy Quran put forward to prove that the Day of Judgment will undoubtedly come but that all knowledge related to this Day is known to Allah (SWT) alone.

Many reasoned proofs that the Day of Judgment will undoubtedly come are mentioned by the Holy Quran in other places, as are dozens of rational arguments proving that the noble prophets delivered their messages and discharged their mission in all dedication.

One of these proofs is that every messenger debated with his people in a rational way to demonstrate the truth of his words, that he had been sent to guide them to the right path and that he demanded no payment or reward for doing so.

The Ash-Shuaraa chapter carries the story of several worthy prophets who endeavored to prove to their peoples that they were sent only for their salvation and that all they sought was for them to better their ways. In one of these verses, Allah (SWT) says: “The Thamud (people) rejected the messengers. Behold, their brother Salih said to them: "Will you not fear (Allah)? "I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust. "So fear Allah, and obey me. "No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward is only from the Lord of the Worlds”. (Ash-Shuaraa, verses 141-145).

Each prophet said to his people: devote your worship to Allah and Allah alone. Each prophet invited his people to adopt good morals and each one held a rational and wise discussion with them and performed the miracles that proved the truth of the words he was relaying from Allah.

One of the irrefutable proofs confirming the divine source of the Quran and that it is the greatest miracle proving the truth of the Seal of Prophets and their imam, Mohammed (PBUH) and defying all humanity in general and the skeptics in particular, is the challenge made by the Prophet for any of them to imitate even the smallest of its verses and at which they all failed. Allah then said: “And if ye are in doubt as to what We have revealed from time to time to Our servant, then produce a Sura like thereunto; and call your witnesses or helpers (If there are any) besides Allah, if your (doubts) are true. But if ye cannot- and of a surety ye cannot- then fear the Fire whose fuel is men and stones,- which is prepared for those who reject Faith”. (Al Baqara, verses 23-24). This goes to prove that the Quran is indeed the word of God, and that had it been written by other than Allah, it would have been riddled with discrepancies that rational people would have shied away from.

This, Your Holiness, is the true faith that Mohammed (PBUH) brought from his Lord. It consists of the pure and perfect worship of the One and Almighty, of the obligation to adopt and adhere to good morals, truthfulness in word, goodness in deeds, moderation in acts and steadfastness to the truth and to virtue.

The mind is the basis of accountability. There is no accountability but for the rational-thinking who can differentiate between right and wrong and between virtue and sin.

However, in the Islamic Charia the mind has limits at which it should stop with regard to occult matters that Allah (SWT) is the only one to grasp and know. Allah (SWT) says: “He (alone) knows the Unseen, nor does He make any one acquainted with His Mysteries,- "Except a messenger whom He has chosen: and then He makes a band of watchers march before him and behind him that He may know that they have (truly) brought and delivered the Messages of their Lord: and He surrounds (all the mysteries) that are with them, and takes account of every single thing”. (Al Jinn, verses 26-28). We pray to Allah (SWT) to guide us all onto the right path.

- 5 -

Your Holiness, I would like to describe the importance of dialogue in the Islamic Charia. Your Holiness stressed at the Conference you delivered at one of the German universities, the importance of dialogue and said in concluding: “It is to the great logos, to this breadth of reason, that we invite our partners in the dialogue of cultures”.

You further said that this requires a frank dialogue between all cultures, and that this was one of the main missions of universities.

I fully concur with Your Holiness on the need to open a frank dialogue between the various cultures and scientific and religious entities and at the widest possible scope.

In this fifth and last part of this presentation, I will limit myself to the following issues:

A- The importance of dialogue;

B- The bases of dialogue; and

C- The terminology of dialogue.

A) The importance of dialogue is evident since as long as there is life and human beings, dialogue among them can but exist. No man can live in total isolation. He needs the others for his transactions, for giving and taking, and to clarify his thoughts and ideas.

One of the basic requisites of life is dialogue, interaction, debate and divergence among individuals and groups, countries, peoples, and among the experts on theological, political, economic, social or scientific matters, as well as experts on other aspects of life and fields of expertise.

The Holy Quran pointed out in many verses that dialogue among people is one of the basic goals and purposes without which they cannot survive.

One of these verses says: “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things”. (Al Hujurat, verse 13).

The verse means that Allah created mankind from one man and one woman, Adam and Eve, and therefore we all are descendants of the same origin. Through reproduction, Allah created many peoples out of us and many tribes spread out from these peoples.

In Allah's wisdom, He brought these peoples together to know each other, interact and cooperate with each other in fulfilling their needs and achieving their desires, and to consult with each other on matters of worldly interest.

Allah (SWT) is All-knowing of people's conditions, cognizant of what you hide or reveal in words and deeds.

Another proof of the importance of dialogue is that when you read the Holy Quran you understand that the most eloquent and wise method used by the Quran to affirm the truth and refute fallacies is dialogue, argumentation and logic-based discussions which convince any rational person to believe that the universe has One, All-powerful and All-knowing god (Is it not His to create and to govern? Blessed be Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds!)

The importance of dialogue is also manifest in the occurrence hundreds of times of all forms of the word “qaala” (he said), such as “qul” (Say!), “qaalu” (they said), all of which convey the sense of dialogue, debating, discussions and conferring among people about many matters pertaining to their worldly life and to their religion.

For example, the word “qaala” (he said) occurs in the Quran more than five hundred times. One of them occurs in Allah's verse: “Hast thou not Turned thy vision to one who disputed with Abraham About his Lord, because Allah had granted him power? Abraham said: "My Lord is He Who Giveth life and death." He said: "I give life and death". Said Abraham: "But it is Allah that causeth the sun to rise from the east: Do thou then cause him to rise from the West." Thus was he confounded who (in arrogance) rejected faith. Nor doth Allah Give guidance to a people unjust”. (Al Baqara, verse 258).

The verb “qul” (Say!) can be found more than three hundred times in the Quran, such as the following verse: “Say: "What thing is most weighty in evidence?" Say: "Allah is witness between me and you; This Qur'an hath been revealed to me by inspiration, that I may warn you and all whom it reaches. Can ye possibly bear witness that besides Allah there is another Allah?" Say: "Nay! I cannot bear witness!" Say: "But in truth He is the one Allah, and I truly am innocent of (your blasphemy of) joining others with Him”.  (A1 Anaam, verse 19).

The word “qaalu” (they said) occurs in the Quran more than three hundred times. Of these is the holy verse: 'They say: "Allah hath begotten a son”: Glory be to Him.-Nay, to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: everything renders worship to Him. To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: When He decreeth a matter, He saith to it: "Be," and it is.” (Al Baqara, verses 116-117).

To conclude, dialogue among human beings on matters of the netherworld and the hereafter is as important to them as are food and other life necessities.

B- With regard to the bases and rules of dialogue, the most important among them are:

1- Truthfulness: The Quran reports many conversations that took place between the Messengers, peace be upon them, and their peoples.

When we ponder these conversations, we see that the Prophets were always truthful and never uttered a lie or an uncertain fact. Let us have a look at some of the lengthy conversations that Moses had with Pharaoh.

During one of these conversations, Pharo said to Moses, peace be upon him: “Who, then, O Moses, is the Lord of you two?"?' Moses, peace be upon him, answered: 'He said: "Our Lord is He Who gave to each (created) thing its form and nature, and further, gave (it) guidance”. (Taha, verse 50).

In this verse, Moses, peace be upon him, said to Pharo that our Lord is the one who gave every creature a suitable image, and the form best suited to its interests and pursuits, then showed it the mission it was created for and bestowed on it the skills and means needed to discharge that mission.

There is no doubt that the answer of Moses, peace be upon him, to Pharo was the epitome of truth.

Then Pharo asked Moses, peace be upon him, another question: "What then is the condition of previous generations?" wishing through this question to know the fate of peoples who had preceded him.

Moses, peace be upon him, answered: “The knowledge of that is with my Lord, duly recorded: my Lord never errs, nor forgets,” meaning that the fate of bygone nations and peoples is recorded by Allah alone in a book called the preserved tablets, and that Allah does not make errors in these records, nor does He forget anything.

Here again, the answer of Moses reflects the loftiest form of truthfulness and wisdom, and such was the reply of the noble prophets to those who conversed with them, all truthful answers.

2- Objectivity: By objectivity we mean remaining focused on the subject under discussion and debate. In fact, when discussing or debating a given subject with others, many people easily fall prey to the plague of mixing up all the cards.

When you read the Quran, you see the noble messengers debating with their peoples, never straying in their replies from the core of the debate.

Let us look at what the Holy Quran says as it quotes what Noah's people said to him and what his reply was.

He invited them to worship Allah alone, so they said in all arrogance and denigration: “Ah! we see thee evidently wandering (in mind)." His answer to them was: "O my people! No wandering is there in my (mind): on the contrary I am a messenger from the Lord and Cherisher of the worlds!” (Al Araf, verse 60-62).

Hud's people were also urged by him to worship Allah and abandon idol worshipping. In reaction, they said to him: “Ah! we see thou art an imbecile!" and "We think thou art a liar!”  (Aarf, verse 66), when his wise answer was: “O my people! I am no imbecile, but (I am) a messenger from the Lord and Cherisher of the worlds! I but fulfil towards you the duties of my Lord's mission: I am to you a sincere and trustworthy adviser.”

In such ways the noble messengers conducted dialogues with their peoples, guided them to the path of truth with eloquent words and clear arguments. They did not stray from the subject matter of the dialogue and remained faithful and focused on this wise course, namely observing objectivity when differing with the others on a worldly or spiritual matter. This attachment to objectivity is one of the rules of a proper dialogue.

3- The purpose of the dialogue must be to reach the truth, not to boast or seek fame.

When engaging in dialogue, rational people seek nothing but to reach the truth, even if this truth is arrived at by the opposing party first.

This became manifest in the differences that opposed the companions in their debates about many issues.

One such example is the dialogue that took place between Abu Bakr and Omar, may Allah be pleased with them, on the issue of compiling the Quran after the death of the Prophet (PBUH). Abu Bakr hesitated at first, but when Omar convinced him of the validity of his opinion, Abu Bakr could but agree with Omar.

The reverse happened on the issue of the people who reneged on Islam after the Prophet's death and who wanted to distinguish between praying and zakat, saying that they would pray but not give zakat. Abu Bakr was adamant on fighting them and Omar was against that at first. After debating the issue, Omar realized that Abu Bakr's option was the right one and supported it.

Thus are rational people when they engage in dialogue in their quest for the truth, as Imam A1 Ghazali said: they have no concern for who finally catches the stray beast as long as it is caught.

Omar, may Allah be pleased with him, sought in one of his speeches to set limits for dowries given in marriage. A woman said to him: How can you do that, O Omar, when Allah (SWT) said: “Even if ye had given the latter a whole treasure for dower, Take not the least bit of it back”. Omar had no other option but to change his opinion and said: the woman is right and Omar is wrong.

Imam Chaafii, may he rest in peace, said: “I never engaged in a debate with someone without praying for the truth to come out, either out of my mouth or of his mouth”.

4- Humility: This virtue is one of the requisites of a successful dialogue as haughtiness and arrogance only lead to deadlocks.

The Noble Quran provides us with many examples of dialogue based on humility and which were crowned with success.

Let us look at the example of the beautiful dialogue which took place between Prophet Suleiman and the hoopoe. Suleiman was reviewing his army when he noted the absence of the hoopoe and said: “Why is it I see not the Hoopoe? Or is he among the absentees? "I will certainly punish him with a severe penalty, or execute him, unless he bring me a clear reason (for absence)”. (Annaml, verse 20-21)

Soon afterwards, the hoopoe returned from his journey and said in all boldness to Suleiman, peace be upon him, who was a king as well as a prophet: “I have compassed (territory) which thou hast not compassed, and I have come to thee from Saba with tidings true. I found (there) a woman ruling over them and provided with every requisite; and she has a magnificent throne.”

Thus, we see the smallest soldier in a state where justice and faith ruled, arguing with a great ruler despite his insignificant size. He defends himself in all freedom and bravery, while the mighty ruler accepts the answer of the small soldier in all humility and gives him ample opportunity to present all his arguments and seek validation.

A dialogue based on humility and mutual respect between the parties will in most cases lead to success. A dialogue that is tainted by arrogance and haughtiness is very unlikely to bring about results that favor concord.

When the rational perceive that dialogue with the arrogant leads to corruption instead of positive change, they simply refrain from it and devolve everything to Allah (SWT), as if saying: they rejected an indubitable fact, brought on a fallacy and said: We are right. So all we said was: Oh yes, you are!

C) These are some of the bases and principles of dialogue as we addressed them in detail in our book “The Art of Dialogue in Islam”.(3)

As for the terminology of dialogue in the Islamic Charia, it is marked by the vastness of its scope, the clarity of its issues and its comprehensiveness to encompass unlimited themes.

Some of these terms, issues and themes, as presented in the Holy Quran, are:

1- Dialogue between the Creator (SWT) and some of His creatures: This form of dialogue applies to the stories narrated in the Quran whereby Allah (SWT) addressed some of his servants in ways only Him fully understands. An example was the question by Allah, although He is All-knowing, to His Messengers on the issue of the Day of Judgment and how their peoples reacted upon being invited to worship Allah and none other than Allah. This question comes in the divine verse: “One day will Allah gather the messengers together, and ask: "What was the response ye received (from men to your teaching)?" They will say: "We have no knowledge: it is Thou Who knowest in full all that is hidden"” (A1 Maida, verse 109).

The verse means: In order to draw a lesson and repent, remember the Day of Judgment when Allah brings together His worthy messengers and asks them: What was the answer of your peoples to your call? Their answer is one full of respect towards their Creator (SWT) when they say: our knowledge is insignificant compared to Your knowledge which encompasses everything. Only you can arbitrate between us with your justice and your magnanimity.

We can also mention the other exchanges between the Creator (SWT) and His Noble Messengers. In one of these conversations, Allah (SWT) says to Jesus, son of Mary: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah'?" He will say: "Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). Had I said such a thing, thou wouldst indeed have known it. Thou knowest what is in my heart, Thou I know not what is in Thine. For Thou knowest in full all that is hidden. "Never said I to them aught except what Thou didst command me to say, to wit, 'worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord'; and I was a witness over them whilst I dwelt amongst them; when Thou didst take me up Thou wast the Watcher over them, and Thou art a witness to al  l things”. (Al Maida, verses 116-118).

The purpose of this conversation was to reprimand the infidels among the people of Jesus, peace be upon him, refute everything wrongfully attributed to Jesus and to his mother Mary, and publicly expose the transgressors on the Day of Judgment. On that Day, Jesus will then deny every saying they attribute to him. The formulation of the sentence itself in the form of a negative question is more eloquent than a simple denial.

Jesus, peace be upon him, answered most eloquently and clearly when he said: My Lord is too lofty for me to say such words about Him. It is neither my right nor that of anyone else to utter such words about Allah.

Jesus, peace be upon him, then pushed this utter respect further when he described his total submission before the knowledge of His Exalted Creator and said: if I had said such words, you would have known for nothing can be hidden from you.

After this affirmation by Jesus of the transcendence of His Creator, Allah (SWT), and after his profession of powerlessness before the Almighty, he repeats what he said to his people: my Lord, I said only that which you ordered me to say: worship Allah, my Lord and yours. I stood witness to them and when you called me to you and raised me to the heavens, You and only You were their witness.

Jesus, peace be upon him, then devolved all matters of destiny to His Creator: “If Thou dost punish them, they are Thy servant: If Thou dost forgive them, Thou art the Exalted in power, the Wise”,  closing this wise exchange with the words: “This is a day on which the truthful will profit from their truth” (Al Maida, verse 119).

Dear reader, ponder with me these noble verses over and over and tell me: Can you find an exchange such as this one which heralds great benefits for those whom Allah was pleased with and who were pleased with Him, an exchange that reveals the lofty humility and respect shown by Jesus, peace be upon him, towards his Creator?

Such wise exchanges which only bolster the faith of the believers abound in the Quran.

There are conversations between Allah and Noah after the latter witnessed his son being swallowed by the tidal waves, and stood in surrender and awe: “O my Lord! surely my son is of my family! and Thy promise is true, and Thou art the justest of Judges!” (Hud, verse 45).

Meaning: O Lord, my son is a member of my family and a part of me, I ask You to bestow Your generous mercy on him.

Noah, peace be upon him, stopped at saying: “O Lord, my son is a member of my family” and did not formulate what he wanted to ask, the safety of his son from punishment, out of respect and humility before Allah, and because he was convinced that Allah (SWT) knew what he was praying for. This is another manifestation of the ultimate respect that the noble messengers observed in their discourse with their Creator. And who could be more deserving of such respect than Allah?

There are conversations between Abraham, peace be upon him, and His Exalted Creator such as when Abraham asked: “Show me, Lord, how You will raise the dead”, meaning show me how You resuscitate the dead.

The Creator (SWT) answered: “Have you no faith?” meaning: have you not yet believed in my ability to do anything?

Abraham said: “Yes, but just to reassure my heart”, meaning: I have faith, O my Lord, in your ability, but I make this request so that my faith grows even stronger when I witness with my own eyes the extent of Your power.

Allah (SWT) answered with the following instruction: “Take four birds, draw them to you, and cut their bodies to pieces. Scatter them over the mountain-tops, then call them back. They will come swiftly to you. Know that Allah is Mighty, Wise”. (Al Baqara, verse 206).

The purpose behind this exchange was to provide an ultimate proof of the power of Allah (SWT) and His uniqueness, and to show that Allah answers the questions of the pious to strengthen their faith and welcomes their need to ask about anything they need to clarify. Allah (SWT) even engaged in an exchange with Satan in many verses such as the following: “It is We Who created you and gave you shape; then We bade the angels prostrate to Adam, and they prostrate; not so Iblis; He refused to be of those who prostrate. (Allah) said: "What prevented thee from prostrating when I commanded thee?" He said: "I am better than he: Thou didst create me from fire, and him from clay." Allah) said: "Get thee down from this: it is not for thee to be arrogant here: get out, for thou art of the meanest (of creatures)." He said: "Give me respite till the day they are raised up." Allah) said: "Be thou among those who have respite." He said: "Because thou hast thrown me out of the way, lo! I will lie in wait for them on thy straight way: "Then will I assault them from before them and behind them, from their right and their left: Nor wilt thou find, in most of them, gratitude (for thy mercies)." (Allah) said: "Get out from this, disgraced and expelled. If any of them follow thee,- Hell will I fill with you all”. (A1 Araf, verses 11-18).

In these verses, the word 'said' occurs six times. In three of them the speaker is Allah (SWT), and in the other three the speaker is Satan.

These exchanges prove that Allah (SWT) gracefully and generously opened the door for dialogue with His worshippers  to help them bolster their faith, draw lessons, and learn from these exchanges, and also for the enlightened to derive from these conversations anything that would bring joy to their lives and guide them onto the straight path.

2- Many other conversations are mentioned in hundreds of Quranic surahs, including those that took place between the messengers and their peoples.

These conversations occur in dozens of sections of the Holy Quran. Some of them are presented in the Quran as quotes of the messengers in general, others are quoted by the Quran as the sayings of a given prophet.

One example of the general exchanges between prophets and their peoples occurs in the following divine verses: “Has not the story reached you, (O people!), of those who (went) before you? - of the people of Noah, and 'Ad, and Thamud? - And of those who (came) after them? None knows them but Allah. To them came messengers with Clear (Signs); but they put their hands up to their mouths, and said: "We do deny (the mission) on which ye have been sent, and we are really in suspicious (disquieting) doubt as to that to which ye invite us." Their messengers said: "Is there a doubt about Allah, The Creator of the heavens and the earth? It is He Who invites you, in order that He may forgive you your sins and give you respite for a term appointed!" They said: "Ah! ye are no more than human, like ourselves! Ye wish to turn us away from the (gods) our fathers used to worship: then bring us some clear authority." Their messengers said to them: "True, we are human like yourselves, but Allah doth grant His grace to such of his servants as He pleases. It is not for us to bring you an authority except as Allah permits. And on Allah let all men of faith put their trust. "No reason have we why we should not put our trust on Allah. Indeed He Has guided us to the Ways we (follow). We shall certainly bear with patience all the hurt you may cause us. For those who put their trust should put their trust on Allah”. (Abraham, verses 9-12).

These noble verses are an eloquent example of the exchanges that were conducted by the messengers with their peoples in general. In these exchanges we note the invitation, in a wise method, by the messengers of their peoples to embrace the truth. We also note the vile attitude that these peoples adopted towards their messengers.

Conversations that took place between a specific prophet and his people abound in the Quran. We will stop at this example of an exchange that took place between Prophet Shu'aib, orator of all prophets, peace be upon him, and his people. In an eloquent and wonderful style, the Quran quotes the exchange: “The Companions of the Wood rejected the messengers.” The wood refers here to the wooded area where Shu'aib and his people lived, “Behold, Shu'aib said to them: "Will ye not fear (Allah)?  "I am to you a messenger worthy of all trust. "So fear Allah and obey me. "No reward do I ask of you for it: my reward is only from the Lord of the Worlds. "Give just measure, and cause no loss (to others by fraud). "And weigh with scales true and upright. "And withhold not things justly due to men, nor do evil in the land, working mischief. "And fear Him Who created you and (who created) the generations before (you)” i.e.: He created you and all the nations that preceded you.”

Shu'aib, peace be upon him, treated his people to this valuable and wise advice, and conversed with them in this most eloquent style, but they reacted to his advice with arrogance and foolishness. They said: “Thou art only one of those bewitched!” meaning you are one of those affected by magic and madness - "Thou art no more than a mortal like us, and indeed we think thou art a liar! Now cause a piece of the sky to fall on us, if thou art truthful!”

Shu'aib answered saying: “My Lord knows best what ye do.” What was their end then? Their end was annihilation. Allah (SWT) says: “But they rejected him. Then the punishment of a day of overshadowing gloom seized them, and that was the Penalty of a Great Day. Verily in that is a Sign: but most of them do not believe. And verily thy Lord is He, the Exalted in Might, Most Merciful”. (Ash-Shuaraa, verses 176-191).

These were some examples of Allah's discourse with some elements of His creation, and of the exchanges between the Messengers and their people. There are other examples in the Quran of the interactions Muslims had with the People of the Book, and then with the hypocrites. Other exchanges relate to what is permissible and what is forbidden, dialogues in the form of questions and answers and dialogues between evildoers and righteous people.

All of these dialogues have but one purpose: moral lessons, learning and guidance onto the path of righteousness.

Your Holiness, I sought from this article to explain to you that the dialogue that you are now advocating was called for by Islam in a more comprehensive, fairer, and finer way because it based it on the premise that all people share the same origin, that differences in creed do not negate cooperation, that Islam, in the sense of Islam as submission to Allah and unadulterated worship, is the religion of all prophets, and that all prophets were sent with one and the same message: the perfect worship of Allah and the call to uphold lofty morals.

On this occasion, and as Your Holiness renewed the invitation to dialogue, I addressed a letter to you several months ago through your ambassador in Cairo, asking Your Holiness' opinion after the incidents of the offensive caricatures of the Messenger (PBUH). In this letter, I expressed my full willingness to engage in a dialogue about these issues which carried serious and despicable insults to the noble messengers.

But I have received no reply from Your Holiness. Is this, Your Holiness the Pope of the Vatican, part of the etiquette of the dialogue that you clamor for?

I hope that as men of religion our words will match our deeds, and I pray to Allah to guide us all to the right path.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(*) Sheikh of Al Azhar Al Shareef, Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt.

(1) On 12 September 2006.

(2) Published in English in Lahore in 1936.

(3) The first edition was published in 1997 by Dar Nahdat Misr lil-Tiba’ah wa-al-Nashr wa-al Tawzi’, Cairo.