Gandhi wrote in Young India,
"I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place in Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self- affacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every trouble."
My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels. ~ (M.H. Hart, THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York, 1978, p. 33)
".. of any organized attempt to force the acceptance of Islam on the non-Muslim population, or of any systematic persecution intended to stamp out the Christian religion, we hear nothing. Had the caliphs chosen to adopt either course of action, they might have swept away Christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam out of Spain, or Louis XIV made Protestanism ..." Christian missionary, T.W. Arnold had this opinion on his study of the question of the spread of Islam
"He must be called the Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness." ~ (THE GENUINE ISLAM, Singapore, Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936) GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
Speaking on the aspect of equality before God in Islam, the famous poetess of India, SAROJINI NAIDU says:
"It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: 'God Alone is Great'... I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother." (S. Naidu, IDEALS OF ISLAM, vide Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, p. 169)
Quote
Speaking on the aspect of equality before God in Islam, the famous poetess of India, SAROJINI NAIDU says:
"It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: 'God Alone is Great'... I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother." (S. Naidu, IDEALS OF ISLAM, vide Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, p. 169)
hi FDQ
If this is true, then why does Abumujahid say that democracy has no place in Islam?
One of the reasons I came to kano-online was to learn from muslims about Islam. And i guess I do most of this by reading your posts. So the contradictions do not help..then again, christianity is rife with those.. i thought Islam was the one religion where everyone pretty much agreed on the interpretation of the Qu'ran but coming here has shwn that this is probably not the case.
bismillah
Assalamu alaykum and greetings to all. Why is it important what nonmuslims say about Islam. Some of these exerpts are very well, but who are the authors of these books, and have these authors entered into Islam?
u guys are unbelievable.... :-/
i guess abu has his own definition of democracy... but hey.. i'm juss sharing!...
hamzah.. i'm trying not to attack u...
THOMAS CALYLE in his HEROES AND HEROWORSHIP, was simply amazed as to "how one man single-handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades."
"The league of nations founded by the prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity and human brotherhood on such universal foundations as to show candle to other nations."
"The fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what Islam has done towards the realization of the idea of the League of Nations." PROF. HURGRONJE
well,
its very simple.
Islam puts society first and individuality second.
u see if we start wishing what we want for ourselves to go to our nieghbour..... there would be peace everywhere.
and as for democracy....
Islamic democracy is way different from Modern democracy though the foundations are some what alike.
The khalifa is Elected not brought in from the family.
but he is elected by learned and respected scholars not the masses.
bismillah
Assalamu alaykum to all. These are very good posts. Very interesting, especially the one about the league of nations.
EbrahimHamzh.... GOOD! glad u APPRECIATE it!!!!..
K. S. RAMAKRISHNA RAO, an Indian Professor of Philosophy in his booklet, "Muhammad, The Prophet of Islam," calls him the "PERFECT MODEL FOR HUMAN LIFE." Prof. Ramakrishna Rao explains his point by saying:
"The personality of Muhammad, it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes! There is Muhammad, the Prophet. There is Muhammad, the Warrior; Muhammad, the Businessman;
Muhammad, the Statesman; Muhammad, the Orator; Muhammad, the Reformer; Muhammad, the Refuge of Orphans; Muhammad, the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad, the Emancipator of Women; Muhammad, the Judge; Muhammad, the Saint. All in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is alike a hero."
I love this place, dyme u have done a gr8 job. WELL DONE.
"Islam is not a good religion -- it's a great religion. For 1,600 years, it has had no Inquisitions, sponsored no Crusades and had no Holocaust.
Quoting Rabbi Marc Gellman & Msgr. Thomas Hartman, The God Squad (Newsday.com)
History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever repeated.
De Lacy O'Leary in 'Islam at the Crossroads,' London, 1923.
Muhammad was a shining example to his people. His character was pure and stainless. His house, his dress, his food - they were characterized by a rare simplicity. So unpretentious was he that he would receive from his companions no special mark of reverence, nor would he accept any service from his slave which he could do for himself. He was accessible to all and at all times. He visited the sick and was full of sympathy for all. Unlimited was his benevolence and generosity as also was his anxious care for the welfare of the community.
~Dr. Gustav Weil in 'History of the Islamic Peoples'