Obviously, this was an act of naked self-promotion as much as a coherent statement about religion. Its instigator, the church’s pastor, Terry Jones, based his crusade on a series of mind-bending assumptions, including his belief that Muslims are always in bad moods (he asks, on camera, “Have you ever really seen a really happy Muslim?”). But for all of its cartoonish qual

ity, and despite his cancellation under pressure Thursday, the timing of this media circus has been a disaster for US foreign policy and the troops we ask to support it. At the exact moment that we want to act as the careful steward of peace in the Middle East, minds around the world have been filled with the image of Korans in America being tossed onto pyres.

For better or worse, there is not much anybody can do about religious extremists who offend decency, yet stay within the letter of the law. The same Constitution that confirms the right to worship freely protects the right to worship badly. But September is also the anniversary of the 1787 document that framed our government, and in this season of displaced Tea Party anger, it is worth getting right with our history. There is nothing wrong with the desire to go back to the founding principles that made this nation great — but we should take the time to discover what those principles actually were.

For most Americans, the Koran remains a deeply foreign book, full of strange invocations. Few non-Muslims read it, and most of us carry assumptions about a work of scripture that we assume to be

hostile, though it affirms many of the earlier traditions of Christianity and Judaism. Like all works of scripture, it is complex and sometimes contradictory, full of soothing as well as frightening passages. But for those willing to make a genuine effort, there are important areas of overlap, waiting to be found.

As usual, the Founders were way ahead of us. They thought hard about how to build a country of many different faiths. And to advance that vision to the fullest, they read the Koran, and studied Islam with a calm intelligence that today’s over-hyped Americans can only begin to imagine. They knew something that we do not. To a remarkable degree, the Koran is not alien to American history — but inside it.

No book states the case more plainly than a single volume, tucked away deep within the citadel of Copley Square — the Boston Public Library. The book known as Adams 281.1 is a copy of the Koran, from the personal collection of John Adams. There is nothing particularly ornate about this humble book, one of a collection of 2,400 that belonged to the second president. But it tells an important story, and reminds us how worldly the Founders were, and how impervious to the fanaticisms that spring up like dandelions whenever religion and politics are mixed. They, like we, lived in a complicated and often hostile global environment, dominated by religious strife, terror, and the bloodsport of competing empires. Yet better than we, they saw the

world as it is, and refused the temptation to enlarge our enemies into Satanic monsters, or simply pretend they didn’t exist.

Reports of Korans in American libraries go back at least to 1683, when an early settler of Germantown, Pa., brought a German version to these shores. Despite its foreign air, Adams’s Koran had a strong New England pedigree. The first Koran published in the United States, it was printed in Springfield in 1806.

Why would John Adams and a cluster of farmers in the Connecticut valley have bought copies of the Koran in 1806? Surprisingly, there was a long tradition of New Englanders reading in the Islamic scripture. The legendary bluenose Cotton Mather had his faults, but a lack of curiosity about the world was not one of them. Mather paid scrupulous attention to the Ottoman Empire in his voracious reading, and cited the Koran often in passing. True, much of it was in his pinched voice — as far back as the 17th century, New England sailors were being kidnapped by North African pirates, a source of never ending vexation, and Mather denounced the pirates as “Mahometan Turks, and Moors and Devils.” But he admired Arab and Ottoman learning, and when Turks in Constantinople and Smyrna succeeded in inoculating patients against smallpox, he led a public campaign to do the same in Boston (a campaign for which he was much vilified by those who called inoculation the “work of the Devil,” merely because of its Islamic origin). It was one of his finer moments.

Other early Americans denounced Islam — surprisingly, Roger Williams, whom we generally hold up as a model of tolerance, expressed the hope that “the Pope and Mahomet” would be “flung in to the Lake that burns with Fire and Brimstone.” But Rhode Island, and ultimately all of New England, proved hospitable to the strangers who came in the wake of the Puritans — notably, the small Jewish congregation that settled in Newport and built Touro Synagogue, America’s oldest. And in theory — if not often in practice (simply because there were so few) — that toleration extended to Muslims as well.

This theory was eloquently expressed around the time the Constitution was written. One of its models was the 1780 Massachusetts Constitution, which John Adams had helped to create, and which, in the words of one of its drafters, Theophilus Parsons, was designed to ensure “the most ample of liberty of conscience” for “Deists, Mahometans, Jews and Christians.”

As the Founders deliberated over what types of people would ultimately populate the strange new country they were creating, they cited Muslims as an extreme of foreign-ness whom it would be important to protect in the future. Perhaps, they daydreamed, a Muslim or a Catholic might even be president someday? Like everything, they debated it. Some disapproved, but Richard Henry Lee insisted that “true freedom embraces the Mahometan and Gentoo [Hindu] as well as the Christian religion.” George Washington went out of his way to praise Muslims on several occasions, and suggested that he would welcome them at Mount Vernon if they were willing to work. Benjamin Franklin argued that Muslims should be able to preach to Christians if we insisted on the right to preach to them. Near the end of his life, he impersonated a Muslim essayist, to mock American hypocrisy over slavery.

Thomas Jefferson, especially, had a familiarity with Islam that borders on the astonishing. Like Adams, he owned a Koran, a 1764 English edition that he bought while studying law as a young man in Wi

lliamsburg, Va. Only two years ago, that Koran became the center of a controversy, when the first Muslim ever elected to Congress, Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, asked if he could place his hand on it while taking his oath of office — a request that elicited tremendous screeches from the talk radio extremists. Jefferson even tried to learn Arabic, and wrote his Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom to protect “the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mahometan, the Hindoo and infidel of every denomination.”

Jefferson and Adams led many of our early negotiations with the Islamic powers as the United States lurched into existence. A favorable treaty was signed with Morocco, simply because the Moroccans considered the Americans ahl-al-kitab, or “people of the book,” similar to Muslims, who likewise eschewed the idolatry of Europe’s ornate state religions. When Adams was president, a treaty with Tripoli (Libya) insisted that the United States was “not in any sense founded upon the Christian religion” and therefore has “no character of enmity against the laws, religion and tranquility of Mussulmen.”

There was another important group of Americans who read the Koran, not as a legal sourcebook, or a work of exoticism, but as something very different — a reminder of home. While evidence is fragmentary, as many as 20 percent of African-American slaves may have come from Islamic backgrounds. They kept their knowledge of the Koran alive through memory, or chanted suras, or, in rare cases, smuggled copies of the book itself. In the 1930s, when WPA workers were interviewing elderly African-Americans in Georgia’s Sea Islands, they were told of an ancestor named Bilali who spoke Arabic and owned a copy of the Koran — a remarkable fact when we remember that it was a crime for slaves to read. In the War of 1812, Bilali and his fellow Muslims helped to defend America from a British attack, inverting nearly all of our stereotypes in the process.

In 1790, as the last of the original 13 states embraced the Constitution, and the United States finally lived up to its name, George Washington visited that state — unruly Rhode Island — and its Jewish congregation at Newport. The letter he wrote to them afterwards struck the perfect note, and drained much of the antiforeign invective that was already poisoning the political atmosphere, only a year into his presidency. Addressing himself to “the children of the Stock of Abraham” (who, in theory, include Muslims as well as Jews), the president of the United States offered an expansive vision indeed:

“May the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and figtree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”

For democracy to survive, it required consent; a willingness to surrender some bits of cultural identity to preserve the higher goal of a working community. Washington’s letter still offers a tantalizing prospect, especially as his successor turns from the distracting noise of Gainesville to the essential work of building peace in the Middle East, for all of the children of the Stock of Abraham.

Ted Widmer is the Beatrice and Julio Mario Santo Domingo director and librarian of the John Carter Brown Library at Brown University.
© Copyright 2010 Globe Newspaper Company.

Related posts:

1. A History of Muslims in America
2. Islam in America During the Slavery Years
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Respected Pastor Terry Jones,

I have read your worldwide call for the burning of the Quran on this coming 11th of September. Your message stated that you are a pastor of one of the churches in Florida in the United States of America.

As an Arab Catholic priest from Damascus (Syria), I wondered what would be your objective, as an American pastor, for such a call?

I wondered, and I ask you: What are your responsibilities as a pastor?
Are you really a Christian pastor serving God in a church in America?
Or are you merely a layperson from America who is pretending to be in the service of Christ?

Did you give in to your nationalism (Americanism) rather than giving in to your Christianity?

What is your aim with that call?

(Do you wish) to further fuel hatred among people? Is that consistent with (the teachings of) Jesus, whom you represent in your eyes and the eyes of many others?
Tell me, is there in the character of Jesus, in his words or in his actions anything that would remotely justify even a hint of promoting disdain and hatred among people?

Have you forgotten that Jesus was completely for love, forgiveness and peace? Have you forgotten what he taught us when he told his disciples and the people after them to tell God the heavenly Father of all to “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who wrong us”? You overlooked or forgot that when Jesus was hanging on the cross and being subjected to insults and vile words, he raised his voice, saying, “O Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Who, then, do you represent or who are you trying to guide with this call of yours?

Isn’t it enough what has been happening since September 11, 2001: the killing, destruction, displacement and starvation of hundreds of millions of people throughout the world, from Palestine – the land of Jesus – by your leaders in particular, headed by George Bush, who was claiming direct communication with God?

Wouldn’t you agree with me that with your call (to burn the Quran), you have demonstrated that you are really unfamiliar with Jesus and that you desperately need to re-discover him again to be a true Christian pastor who calls, like Jesus, for the comprehensive love and full respect for every human being and a commitment to the full and wonderful teachings that call upon all believers, without exception, to always stand beside the poor, the oppressed and the disadvantaged?

My brother Pastor Terry Jones. Can you tell me, honestly, if Jesus came today, whose side would he take?

Is it the side of the powerful and arrogant oppressors who dominate the world and endlessly plunder its resources, violate its laws and international treaties, and kill people in their countries and destroy houses on top of their owners and turn them into refugees across the earth? Or is it the side of those who are oppressed, the disadvantaged, hungry, and homeless?

Did you forget what Jesus himself would say on the Day of Judgment to each person in front of him: “All that you did to one of my brothers, you actually did to me”?

I wonder if you have overlooked or forgotten that Jesus did not point in that speech on the Day of Judgment to the religion of any of those mistreated persons. He only referred to everyone as belonging to the human race and to his standing with the deprived, the weak, and the oppressed in this world.

So how could you as an American Christian pastor stand with the oppressors from your country whose injustice has spread around the world?

Aren’t you afraid of when you appear before Jesus on Judgment Day and you are burdened with a heavy conscience, like your leaders who are blinded by the gods of power, money, control and greed?

My brother Pastor Terry. Do you think I am being unfair if I conclude that your hatred toward Islam is what drove you to such a reprehensible call for the burning of Islam’s holy book, the Quran?

But let me ask you, as a Syrian Roman Catholic priest: What do you know about Islam? It appears to me from your call to burn the Quran that you are ignorant of Christ and Christianity, and that makes me believe that you are also ignorant of Islam and Muslims.

Believe me, it is not my intention to indict you and it is not my intention to engage with you in a religious debate about Christianity or Islam. However, after I prayed for a long time, let me suggest for both of us to make a joint effort on this coming September 11.

You might ask me what effort can we do jointly when you are in Florida and I’m in Damascus?

Here is my suggestion.

I invite you to visit Syria, where you will be my guest and the guest of many of my Muslim and Christian friends. Syria is a country populated mostly by Muslims and in which Christians are indigenous to the land and have lived side-by-side with Muslims for centuries and centuries.

Come and don’t worry about anything.

Come and you will find out about Islam and Muslims what will comfort you, please you, surprise you, and even lead you, from where you are today in Florida, to invite all people to live in respect, love and cooperation among all people.

This is what people need rather than the un-Christian call to fuel the sentiment of hatred and division.

Come to Syria and you will be amazed by the good nature of people and their faith, their relations, friendly cooperation and openness toward all strangers.

Come to Damascus to witness and live an experience that is not in your mind nor the mind or expectation of all the churches of the West or their bishops, pastors, and clergymen.

Come to see and hear two choruses, Christian and Muslim, singing together during Christian and Islamic holidays to praise Allah, the One God, who created us all, and to whom we all return.

My brother Pastor Terry.

I call you my brother and I am serious about calling you brother and about my invitation to you. I await a word (of reply) from you. Trust me that you will find a brother in Damascus, actually many brothers.

Please contact me and don’t delay. I am waiting for you in Damascus.

I ask God to make our anticipated meeting the beginning of a long and interesting path that we undertake together with other brothers in Damascus and around the world.

How desperate is the need of our world for bright roads.

Come, the road to Damascus is waiting for you.

Father Elias Zahlawi

Related posts:

1. Understanding The Statements “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” & “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father”
2. “My Father is Greater Than I”
3. I and my Father are one

We urge people of all faiths to support our campaign in protest of this unconscionable act. Please click below to donate to our campaign. We will print and distribute 50 copies of the Quran for every $100 donation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For further information, please contact Wajahat Sayeed at (630) 620-0801.

Book of Signs Foundation Counters Quran-Burning in Florida

Addison, Illinois—August 12, 2010. In response to the “Qur’an Burning” event taking place in the Dove World Outreach Center on Sept. 11, the Book of Signs Foundation is distributing 50 free Qur’ans for every Qur’an burned.

Though the Book of Signs Foundation, a non-profit based in Illinois, regularly delivers free copies of the English Translation of the Message of the Qur’an all over the U.S., the Foundation is willing to send out even more in an attempt to educate the community.

“As a non-profit foundation that delivers free Qur’ans, we understand the importance of the Qur’an. We deliver the Qur’an, in a positive way, in the hopes that we can build a bridge between the communities so that people can understand the religion, not from the actions of people, but rather from what the book says itself,” said Wajahat Sayeed, President of the Book of Signs Foundation.

In addition to distributing 50 free Qur’ans for every Qur’an burned, the Book of Signs Foundation is refusing to sell Qur’ans to those who are involved in the Qur’an burning and are urging other bookstores to do the same.

“In protest of this unconscionable act, the Book of Signs Foundation will neither tolerate nor participate in spreading Islamophobia and hate. To burn a Qur’an is offensive to Muslims and serves no purpose but to polarize our communities even more.What the church fails to realize is that unlike other books, even if all the Qur’ans in the world were to be burned, there are millions of Muslims, some as young as 7 years old, who have committed the entire Qur’an to memory and can rewrite it cover to cover. This is the Miracle of the Qur’an as the only book that cannot be destroyed,” said Sayeed. “Our campaign will let such people know that whatever symbolic gestures of hate they want to portray, they will be in vain and will only encourage us to increase our efforts at education– 50 times more!”

The Book of Signs Foundation will also have facts about the Qur’an listed on the website, along with the awareness campaign. “We are urging people of conscience and mosques around the U.S. to take part in the Foundation’s efforts to counter the Qur’an burning. It is promoting wrong ideas about Islam. Islam is not of the devil and it doesn’t promote violence. In fact, in the Qur’an [6,108], it’s written ‘Do not be abusive towards those whom they call upon [another God] besides Allah … [unless] they may be abusive towards Allah, in their ignorance.’ said Sayeed.

“Though the church in Florida is attacking Islam by burning the Qur’an, we, as Muslims, will not mimic their tactics by burning the Bible. Rather the Book of Signs foundation is taking a higher road. We are simply sending out an awareness campaign to widely spread the message of the Qur’an to counter the burning.. We will continue to do what we have always been doing, which is distributing modern English translations of the Qur’an all over the U.S.”

For those who are interested in receiving a free copy of the Qur’an or finding out more about the efforts of the Book of Signs Foundation, please visit www.bookofsigns.org.
###

The Book of Signs Foundation is a non-profit based in Illinois that aims to deliver free copies of the English Translation of the Message of the Qur’an to educate the residence of the U.S. on the Qur’an, Islam and Muslims by making the Qur’an widely accessible.

In addition, we are recommending a select number of books below that are geared towards building bridges between the Abrahamic faiths; Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

Christ Jesus, The Son of Mary: A Muslim Perspective $12.50	The Cross & The Crescent $13.95	The Abrahamic Faiths: Islam, Christianity and Judaism, Similarities and Contrasts $15.95
The Children of Abraham:Judaism, Christianity, Islam $17.95	Crescent Between Cross and Star $29.95	A Day Apart: How Jews, Christians, and Muslims Find Faith, Freedom, and Joy on the Sabbath $18.95

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2. The Ability to See the Signs of God
3. Signs of The Last Day

The great messenger of God, Jesus, says: “And this is life eternal, that they might know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” John 17:3

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Do not over-praise me as the Christians over-praised Jesus the son of Mary. I am His slave, so say: ‘God’s slave and messenger’.” Narrated by both Al-Bukhari and Muslim

What Did Jesus Really Say?

The book contains detailed information and descriptions that show how the Bible was changed and tampered with over the past two millennia. The account and the discussions presented are based on, and collected from, the writings of Christian authors, the Church and the Bible.

Excerpt from the Preface to the book

How to read this book:

As mentioned previously, this book has been written with the goal of being a little more comprehensive than most other such English publication which I have come across during my research. I have also done my utmost to ensure that it is as easy to read as possible. What I mean by this is not that I feel at all superior to these great scholars, only that the English publications I have thus far come across did not convey the overall picture of Islam, Christianity, and the relationship between them which I wished to see in one English reference. The inevitable result of making a book comprehensive is that it also becomes large. For this reason, an attempt has been made to divide this book into many sub-topics with each sub-topic spanning only a few pages, and thus, the book becomes easy to read a piece at a time. I strongly encourage the reader to read this book in the order in which it was written. This is because the chapters will complement each other more completely if they are read in their written order. However, an attempt has also been made to make the chapters independent of one another for those readers who wish to jump directly to a specific topic of interest to them. For such readers a chart has been supplied to help them select the most relevant topic to them by asking the reader a few simple questions. Start at the top of the chart and work your way down by answering the questions and following the resultant directions.

I would like to thank all of those who helped me to publish this book, including Shaik Ahmed Deedat, brother John Siedlidz, brother Ammar Amonette, brother Idris Palmer, brother Ali Al-Tamimi, brother Ismael Mujahid, brother Dawood Madan, Dr. Rafil Dhafir, brother Abdullah Firdous Abdulrazzak, brother Saad Al-Qasabi, brother Abdulaziz Al-Suhaibani, brother Mansor Matbouli, brother Abdulrahman Al-Ali, brother Sherif Muhammad, brother Reza Scholten, brother Farid Adlouni, Dr. Bassem Khafagi, brother Kamil Mufti, brother Nader Salah, brother Khalifa (you know who you are), and brother Ibraheem Pastuszak, who all contributed in one way or another in the completion of this book, either with suggestions on modifications or corrections, in countless hours proof-reading it, or in various other aspects such as generally helping out with their comments and suggestions whenever possible. For all of the countless others who have assisted in this project but who I have forgotten to mention here, I ask your forgiveness for my weak memory, your efforts are very deeply appreciated. I would also like to thank all of the above authors for their efforts which have made these matters clear for us. May Allah Almighty guide us all unto his whole truth. Amen.

Misha’al ibn Abdullah

May 1996

You can purchase this book here.

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Peace be upon those who follow the guidance:

Newton and his buddy M. Rafiqul-Haqq published a list of grammatical errors in the Qur’ân in 1996. Most of us are unaware that the famous orientalist of our times John Burton wrote a paper called the Linguistic Errors In The Qur’ân in the Journal Of Semitic Studies, Volume XXXIII/2, Autumn 1988. He dealt with the hadîth of A’isha(R) where she has supposed to have said that the ayahs 4:162, 5:69 and 20:63 are grammatically incorrect. Burton also dealt with the ayah 2:177 to show its grammatical inconsistency. These four verses are also dealt by Newton et al. in their homepage.

In 1992, M A S Abdel Haleem, a Professor from School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, London (UK) published a paper called Grammatical Shift For The Rhetorical Purposes: Iltifât And Related Features In The Qur’ân, in the Bulletin of School of Oriental and African Studies, Volume LV, Part 3. In this paper, he not only dealt with the so-called-linguistic (grammatical) errors published by John Burton, but also showed that people need to be thorough in classical Arabic before saying anything about the Qur’ân and its grammatical structure. Most of the discussion on Iltifât below is taken from this paper.

To begin with: Iltifât means to ‘turn/turn one’s face to’. It is an important part of balâgha (Arabic rhetoric) where there is a sudden shift in the pronoun of the speaker or the person spoken about. Muslim literary critics over the centuries have greatly admired this technique. Iltifât has been called by rhetoricians shajâ’at al-’arabiyya as it shows, in their opinion, the daring nature of the Arabic language. If any ‘daring’ is to be attached to it, it should above all be the daring of the language of the Qur’ân since it employs this feature far more extensively and in more variations than does Arabic poetry. Most of the authors who talk about iltifât use the examples from the Qur’ân. No one seems to quote references in prose other than from the Qur’ân: and indeed a sampling of hadith material found not a single instance.

The types of iltifât and related features are of following types:

1. Changes in person, between 1st, 2nd and 3rd person, which is the most common and is usually divided into six kinds. The four important examples that are found in the Qur’ân are:

Transition from the 3rd to 1st person. This is the most common type. Over 140 instances can be found in the Qur’ân.
From 1st to 3rd person – nearly 100 such instances can be found in the Qur’ân.
From 3rd to 2nd person – nearly 60 instances.
From 2nd to 3rd person – under 30 instances.
2. Change in the number, between singular, dual and plural.

3. Change in the addressee.

4. Change in the tense of the verb.

5. Change in the case marker.

6. Using noun in the place of pronoun.

Examples from the Qur’ân of the above mentioned cases can be seen in M A S Abdel Haleem’s paper. The so-called-grammatical errors in ayahs 4:162, 5:69, 20:63 and 2:177 are already dealt by him. Interested persons can read his paper which is online. The Investigating Islam website deals with iltifât and other grammatical constructions to refute Newton’s material.

Muhammad Ghoneim from France had dealt with the issue of grammatical errors at Newton’s website by quoting the Arabic grammarians. He has brought to our notice some very interesting points.

Apart from this, we also have the first refutation by Brother Wail Ibrahim which appeared on soc.religion.islam newsgroup that can be viewed here.

We are also tempted to add that Newton did not even mention that the hadîth of A’isha(R) is considered to be weak by the hadîth specialists. One can only presuppose that in the spirit of deception, such arrogant and authoritative charges are made possible through the suppression of facts and selective argumentation.

And Allah knows best!

Source: http://www.islamic-awareness.org/Quran/Text/Grammar/gramrefut.html

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Let’s start by pointing out some basic differences between Depression and Sadness. In essence, sadness is part and parcel of human life and part of being “human”. It is a normal human emotion that more or less all human beings experience in different phases in their lives. Even holy personalities like Moses, Jesus and Muhammad went through deep sadness. This is just like if a bee comes and stings someone, there will be an immediate reaction. The Quran, the holy book of Islam, provides ample examples from the lives of different messengers-who were the greatest of all human beings-that they all went through pain, suffering and the resulting sadness in their lives. From that perspective, we can conclude that sadness is “normal. According to Islamic teachings, God Himself claims that it is HE who bestows happiness and sadness:

“IT IS HE WHO MAKES YOU LAUGH AND CRY” (QURAN)

But still that immense sadness of Prophets and Messengers (PBUT) didn’t stop them from pursuing their missions even more vigorously. Their sadness didn’t result in hopelessness nor in a state of inaction-in other words, they went through periods of sadness but not depression.

Depression on the other hand, is characterized by hopelessness, loss of meaning in life, self-worthlessness and feeling of sadness without being able to identify the cause of the gloominess in life. The two states of crying and laughing are unique to the Human being, that no other animals shares, and its purpose is to make us reflect on the realities of life. Everyone experiences symptoms of depression, but when the symptoms remain for two weeks or more it is called clinical depression. However, the Quran teaches us, we have to be careful of many of the symptoms of depression even it is for a short time. Depression is the result of not being able to do what we want. It is a sense of loss of freedom & control.

Below we will discuss different types of depressions, and will have solutions to the hopelessness, meaninglessness, self-worthlessness and daily dysfunctional life from an Islamic perspective. All change begins by sees things in a new light. By embracing these truths you will be able to bring light into the gloom of your life.

Some Basic Truths

1) No human being is burdened with trouble and difficulties they cannot bear.

The Quran teaches “(God) will never place a burden on a soul that it can not bear”. This shows that the human being can bear many unthinkable burdens, that one initially feels that they cannot bear. How many times in your life, you felt you cannot take it anymore, but you lived through it? How many humans go through great difficulties in life but live through it?

2) After every hardship is ease

Life is one difficulty after another. One task after another, one issue after another. However, it is important to know that while life tests us, there is ease after hardship. There is the ease of death after the hardship of life, there is ease of sleep after the hardships of the day, there is ease of retirement after the hardship of a career, and everything has a high and a low. What goes up, must come down, likewise, Tough times only mean, the times of ease are near. The Quran teaches, “The morning light after the stillness of darkness”….when its dark everything seems still as if it will never go away. The fact is nothing remains forever and nothing remains the same. So, after every time of difficulty there is ease. The Quran teaches, “There is ease after hardship, Indeed there is ease after hardship.”

3) Suffering purifies our humanness

When we go through difficult times, when we have a financial loss, when we lose a loved one, when we struck by bad times, it brings out the real humanness in us, and we begin to ask the very questions that are most fundamental to us, “Why are we here?”, “What is the purpose of life”, “why me”, “What happened to all my plans and dreams, etc. We learn the frailty of our humanness. The Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Look at the ones who are less fortunate then you, not at the ones are more fortunate then you.”

Hunger attracts food. Hunger is a spiritual experience, it is good for the soul, and food is an experience of the body. In the same way, ease and happiness is good liked by the body and is welcomed, and hardships and difficulty are disliked by the body but are very good for the soul. It forces the soul to deal with the difficult questions of life. It helps us to grow as humans, to find and deal with our human frailness. And our human frailness helps us to find our inner most nature.

It’s not the events, which take place that cause happiness or depression-but it’s our inner reflection of our situation that determines our spirituality and our emotional maturity.

4) You are not in control, but can choose what you want to do

Depression happens because of a feeling of helplessness. A feeling that we are not in control; you should embrace that you are not in control at the moment. You should embrace your lack of control over your situation. Most depression occurs because of external situations and how we allow external situations to affect our insides. Perhaps, it’s a good time to turn to the One Who does control everything. All we ask is you is to, try this… pray to God, even if you don’t believe in God, pray to Him, talk to Him, and you will feel so comforted in your heart. Tell God that you know He is in control. Cry to him. We are taught that by turning to God, we restore ourselves like a dying plant becomes green with water. As an experiment, do this on blind faith and see if it works, say, “All admiration belongs to you, if good comes to me its from you, and if some trouble comes to me its from you, I submit to you, and this situation to you.” Say this even if you do not believe in God, and see how you feel in the inside. Second, you can take action regarding your situation. Life is all about choices; a choice is like putting a seed in the ground that may bare fruit. You put the seed, and the unseen forces bring the rain. Work on what you can do, you can sow the seed, you can make the right choices, and you can start to work in a direction that you want to move in.

5) Three Days

The past is gone forever. The Present is all you have, and the future; leave it for when it comes. The life in this world is short, our time for this life is constantly running out. One of the great scholars of Islam said, “There is only one day separating me and the Kings. As for the yesterday, their taste of it has vanished, and both they and I equally fear what tomorrow will bring. Thus, there is only today. What will today bring?”

6) Everything is in a Flux, and Most Change is Spontaneous

Nothing stays the same. The atoms, the celestial bodies in the heavens, air, water, etc, nothing stay the same from one moment to the next. Everything is in a flux, this means people in health will soon face illness, people in illness will soon have relief. Those that are happy today will soon undergo some sadness, and those that are sad will have happiness. Most changes in life are spontaneous; losing a job, death of a loved one, an accident, a terminal illness, etc. This means that your situation will not be the same forever, if you are not in control today, there will come a time where it is.

7) Belief is the Greatest Cure

No pill, counseling session, techniques to cope can compare to a strong belief in God. As long as one believes in a loving God, one has a reason to be optimistic. Belief can give you the ability to handle all sorts of difficult situations. It can give a person the ability to see the positive in the overwhelmingly negative situation. If you do not believe in God, I would suggest to believe in Him, give it a try and see if your outlook on the situation changes for the positive. We all need a something to keep us focused and keep us going, we all need something that bring clarity to our world, all need to hold on to something for support. If there is a God, and there is, there is nothing stronger then the knowledge you can hold on to him to help you cope with your situation. Also, if there is a God, there must be good in what you are going through, you may not understand that today, but if we look at our past situations in life, we will see how the hard times, made us grow. There is a saying, “God does not create trash.”—Humans being the greatest creation of God, and YOU were an idea God had that came into existence, so your worth is that God thought of you to begin with. Also, God does not forsake His care over his creation and you are His creation.

Expectations

Most of our depression happens due to high and sometimes unrealistic expectations. If we can lower our expectations, we minimize the risk of going into depression. If we can minimize our expectation from others-then we really put ourselves in a position of strength and fortify ourselves from being exposed to feelings of being let down, betrayal and rejection-which are strong precipitating factors for losing self esteem, feeling low and going into depression.

Classification of Depression as a Psychiatric Disorder:

According to DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical manual Version IV), Below are some of the major types of Depression:

Major depressive disorder (also known as clinical depression or major depression), this is a specific diagnosis from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association.

Here are some sub-categories of major depression:

• Atypical depression, a cyclical sub-type of major depression where sleep, feeding and perception of pleasure are normal but there is a feeling of lethargy
• Melancholic depression a sub-type of major depression characterized by an inability to feel pleasure combined with physical agitation, insomnia, or decreased appetite
• Psychotic depression, a sub-type of major depression combined with psychotic or delusional perceptions
• Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
• Postpartum depression, a depressive episode occurring within a year of childbirth
• Dysthymia, a long-term low-grade depressive condition
• Adjustment disorder with depressed mood, previously known as “reactive depression”
• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a depressed mood related to the seasons
• Other major categories include Bi-polar Depression (manic Depression) and Dual Diagnosis (Depression along with Substance Abuse). Dual Diagnosis is most difficult to diagnose and treat because most often people suffering from major depression self medicate using illegal addictive substances and end up seeking therapy for substance use. Once treatment for addiction progresses to an extent, depression comes up to the surface. On other times, depression acts as a catalyst to relapse in substance abuse and maintains the vicious cycle for the victim of dual disorder.

The Quranic Treatment of Depression:

Let’s now talk about some of the evidence based reasons why people develop depression:

Social causes of Depression:

Family problems: marital problems, parent-child relationship, marital problem and depression of parents affecting their children. Lack of affection, attachment, acceptance and bond within the family. When marriage is not working, it often turns to a stressor, which leads to depression and substance abuse. Depression of one spouse usually affects the other and the marriage. Even if the depressed spouse recovers-he/she is likely to relapse due to unsatisfying marriage. Marital discord often leads to depression and vice-versa, it may also lead to verbal, physical and emotional abuse.

Solution: If you find yourself in this situation then

• The first thing to think about is if you need to be in a healthier environment. Never stay in an abusive place.
• As a family; try to do activities together like eating, going out to the park, taking a walk, do something spiritual, etc. Do not do things in which the family is not engaged with themselves like watching tv, movie, etc.
• Help the family member admit there is a problem
• The husband and wife should make a list of their grievances and share it with each other every night or at least every week. Know your triggers. Focus on YOUR own responsibilities, rather then YOUR rights.
• Journal and/or find a hobby
• Help someone; especially someone in your situation
• Take a holiday trip together
• Lack of Positive Social Network: Stressful social environments, lack of support network, high expectations and social competition due to cultural norms, ethnicity and social class play a role in overwhelming people and as a result, they become vulnerable to depression. A depressed person turns out to be over-sensitive to social criticism and feed-back, displays low self esteem, becomes dependent on people and constantly seeks re-assurance in a way that drives people away from him/her and thus re-enforces his/her idea that he/she is unworthy as a person.

Solution: If you find yourself in this situation then

• Spend a day doing good deeds
• Smile
• Journal one good thing about yourself everyday. Did you do a good deed? Did some good fortune come your way?
• Join any sports club, gym or volunteer at a place
• Attend a seminar on a topic you like
• Get a pet
• Rebuild relationships you have lost over time from your family, relatives, high school days, etc

Gender Issues:

Societal norms regarding gender expectations can be source of stress, especially when women have to play multiple roles like a working mom who has to take care of her family, go to work and may be attending school simultaneously. Research also suggests that women are more likely to get overwhelmed by stressful events than men. Research suggests that single mothers are thrice more prone to depression than married mothers. Relative lack of power and discrimination in workplace, financial stress of low paid jobs, lack of social support network-especially for single mothers, biological factors like menstrual cycle, pregnancy, child-birth and menopause-they all contribute to increased risk of depression in women.

Solution: If you find yourself in this situation then:

• See what are the responsibilities you really want to take on & those things that others can do, you do not need to over burden yourself with— prioritize, and don’t let other things bother you
• Do not let yourself become over stressed, and if you do take a break
• Know yourself and your body’s limits. Eat properly, sleep properly, give yourself personal time, exercise, etc.
• Create a schedule
• Read a book
• It’s ok to ask for help (friend, spouse, a support group, a self help for working mothers or single mothers)
• Hang out with friends

Medical Reasons:

Research suggests that stroke, heart attack, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and hormonal disorders can cause depression in a person by causing chemical imbalance in the person’s brain..

Solution: If you find yourself in this situation then

• Take extra care of your nutrition.
• Do not over eat. Fill your stomach with 1/3 food, 1/3 water, and leave one 1/3 for air
• Exercise
• Spend time looking at & contemplating nature
• Sleep well
• Incorporate Prayer in your daily schedule
• If you hear bad news, or something that make you upset, just sit down have a drink of water and see the bright side to the situation

Now, let’s shed some light on how depression is affecting the modern society:

Social Impact of Depression

Major depression is 4th most disabling condition in the world, and 2nd most in the developed world. As well as the human cost, the burden on society is incredible. At the rate of increase, it will be the 2nd most disabling condition in the world by 2020, behind heart disease. It is estimated 35 to 40 million Americans living today will suffer from major depression at some time during their lives, with about half of this amount suffering from recurring depression symptoms. A major risk outcome of depression is suicide. Here are some facts correlating depression and suicide:

• About a quarter of suicides in the US are felt to be due to undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed major depression.
• Up to 80% of suicide deaths are in sufferers of major depression.Given that suicide is the 8th largest cause of death in the US, it’s no wonder that major depression is classed as “the nation’s leading mental health problem”

Islamic Solution to Depression:

• Defining Goal of life: Islam teaches us that we should focus our goal on succeeding in our life to come after this life. If we emphasize on the transitory nature of this worldly life-then most of our problems of this life lose it’s importance in our lives and subsequently lose their power of a having negative impact on us.
• With difficulty, comes ease.
• Everyone needs a support system, and everyone needs a best friend, and everyone need role models.
• God never burdens a soul more than it can bear.
• Develop gratitude for the blessings that God has given you.
• A depressed person needs a source to turn to, turn to God for help, support, mercy and forgiveness.
• If there is a God, and there is, only good will become of the negative situation one finds themselves in.
• Find out purpose and value in your life and in everything that you’re going through.
• Incorporate prayer in your schedule at least twice a day. Talk to God.
• Live one day at a time.
• Surrender your unmanageable problems and things over which you’ve lost control of to God.
• Always Hope in Allah’s mercy.
• Get involved with your religious organizations, charities, or some other volunteer work
• One should say “al-hamdu lillah” a few hundred times a day. A phrase in the Arabic language that means “All praise and gratitude for God”. Muslims say this phrase when they are in difficult situations.
• If we think it is a bad situation, it could have been worse. If we think it is a good situation, it is still a test for us. Everything is from God and we should praise Him often. Thanking Him is one way to praise Him—al-hamdu lillah.
• Each one of us came to this world for a purpose
• Exercise
• Nutrition
• Sleep well
• Read
• Contemplate
• Write a Journal
• Reconnect with your lost relationships
• Spend time in nature
• REMEMBER THE “SOME BASIC TRUTHS”

Related posts:

1. The Prophethood and Sadness
2. What an Islamic City Would Look Like?
3. Islamic Position on Gambling

Related posts:

1. The Miraculous Creation of Jesus In Islam
2. Reflecting on Nature (Part 1)
3. The Design in Nature

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1. US Guantanamo guard converts to Islam – 13 Apr 09

“The Sky We (I, Your God) have raised it, and placed a balance. So, do not disturb this balance, and keep up the standards with justice and do not let the standards be in loss”

(Quran)

What is Climate Change?

…Eat and drink the sustenance God has provided and do not act wrongfully in the land, causing corruption.

(Qur’an 2:60)

Climate change is a far greater threat to the world than international terrorism

(UK Government chief scientific adviser Sir David King)

The Earth’s climate (weather) changes all the time, but most scientists say that it is now starting to change suddenly, drastically and unpredictably, in ways that may well result in catastrophic floods, droughts, storms, forest fires, heat waves etc. We are already seeing an increase in the rate of such natural disasters around the world. Many scientists agree that the most likely reason for these changes is a build-up of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere, due to human beings’ excessive burning of fossil fuels, such as oil, gas, and coal. This has increased the temperature of the earth by trapping heat from the sun (the ‘Greenhouse Effect’), causing ‘global warming’. This is being seen in many places but in particular in the polar ice caps and glaciers, which are melting at an unprecedented rate. As the ice melts, another ‘greenhouse’ gas, methane, is released from trapped bubbles and from the peat bogs that have been frozen for many centuries. Methane is highly flammable and contributes even more to global warming than carbon dioxide. Methane is also released in large quantities from animals and human beings as they digest their food. As the ice melts, the rate of global warms increases even faster, as the ice no longer reflects the heat of the sun out into space. Since human beings appear to have played an important part in upsetting the balance of the climate, people all over the world are being asked to find ways to cut their carbon emissions by abandoning fossil fuels and turning to renewable energy sources, such as the sun, wind, water, volcanic heat, and waves.

How green is my family?

It is Allah who created the heavens and earth, who has sent down water from the sky and with it brought forth produce to nourish you;

He has made ships useful to you, sailing the sea by His command, and the rivers too; He has made the sun and the moon useful to you…

(Qur’an 14:32-33)

• We grow our own food
• We buy locally grown organic food
• We donate unwanted items to schools/ others who can use them
• We take more showers than baths
• We turn down the thermostat to control the temperature
• We switch appliances off instead of using standby
• We use low energy bulbs for lighting
• We reduce, reuse and recycle items around the house
• We walk or cycle whenever we can instead of using the car

Cycling

(Allah’s Servants) are those who are neither wasteful nor

miserly when they spend, but keep to a just balance

(Qur’an 25:67)

What’s the issue?

• Most fossil fuel transportation is very polluting and harms the environment.
• The majority of journeys in cars, in the UK, average only 2 miles.
• People exercise less, so diabetes, obesity & high blood pressure are increasing.

How can my family help?

• Look for opportunities to walk more or use a bicycle for shorter journeys.
• Cycling improves health and provides exercise.
• Cycling does not pollute the environment, as it has no exhaust fumes.
• Cycling is something people can enjoy as a family

TOP TIPS!

Use a bike for shorter trips

Enjoy cycling as a family

Get into healthy habits

Cycle to keep fit

Air Travel

Do not squander your wealth wastefully

(Qur’an 17:26)

What’s the issue?

• Air travel emits greenhouse gases which make the world hotter and hurt the environment .
• More people now travel by air more times every year: cheap airlines have made foreign travel easier.
• Alternative aviation fuels are being tested at the moment and may soon be in use.

How can my family help?

• Take fewer holidays or trips requiring air travel, try-taking holidays or trips inside the UK by train.
• When you travel by air, ask if the pollution of the journey can be balanced with a ‘carbon offset’.
• The newer the airline’ fleet of aircraft, the better the efficiency and clean technology of the engines.
• Ask yourself if you really need to make more than one Hajj or Umrah journey.

TOP TIPS!

Try the train when you can

Try combining trips

Can you use web video to talk instead of traveling?

Cars

Do not be tight fisted, nor so openhanded that you end up blamed and overwhelmed with regret

(Qur’an 17:29)

What’s the issue?

• Cars produce a lot of polluting gases that make it hard to breath and they hurt the environment.
• More people own cars, are driving further and engines are thirstier than ever before. A quarter of all car journeys in the are under 2 miles, that’s a lot of short, polluting trips.

How can my family help?

• For your next car try a smaller engine (1.0L or 1.3L), try a hybrid car or one that uses alternative fuels such as electricity, LPG, hydrogen fuel cell. All these pollute less than petrol.
• Try to walk or use a bike for journeys under 2 miles, over half of our journeys are short and don’t need a car, try it and you will feel healthier, it will help you to lose weight as well as being great for the environment.

TOP TIPS!

Walk more, use the car less

Try smaller-engined cars, they’re cleaner & cheaper

Share your journeys

Ride a bike when you car

Waste: The 3 ‘R’s

What’s the issue?

• An estimated 6.7 million tonnes of household food waste is produced each year in the UK, most of which could have been eaten. This wastes good food, costs us all money and adversely impacts on the environment..
• Rechargeable batteries can be reused many times before they need throwing away, normal batteries create unnecessary waste.
• 70% less energy is required to recycle paper compared with making it from raw wood pulp. Saving paper saves trees, which can then continue to absorb carbon dioxide.

How can my family help?

• Reduce: what you buy and use it all up
• Reuse: reuse whatever you can.
• Recycle: when things are ready to be disposed of, see if they can be recycled.

TOP TIPS!

Get into the habit of the 3 R’s:

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

When you recycle, get the whole family involved

Waste: Recycle

How can my family help?

• Recycling different materials: Many materials can be recycled, such as paper, garden waste, wood, plastic, metal, and glass.
• Buy products that can be recycled: When shopping, buy products that can be recycled easily such as glass jars and bottles and tin cans.
• Buy products that have been made from recycled material: check by looking on the label.
• Avoiding buying hazardous material: It is difficult to recycle products like fluorescent lighting tubes that contain hazardous waste. They can only be disposed of safely via your local recycling center.
• Recycling bins: Make sure you have a recycling bin in your home. Keep it in an obvious place so you won’t forget to use it. Your local council should be able to provide you with a recycling bin that can be used for materials such as glass, paper, aluminum and plastic.
• Use your local council recycling center: If you can get transport, take your waste to the local center, or hire a skip.

TOP TIPS!

Make sure you know what facilities your local council provides.

Join with neighbors to collect and then drop off at recycling points

Assist the elderly in your street

Waste: Reuse

How can my family help?

• Carrier bags and twist ties: Carrier bags can be reused in the shops or as bin bags around the house.
• Envelopes: By sticking labels over the address you can reuse envelopes. Alternatively, old envelopes can be used as scrap paper to make notes.
• Jars and pots: By cleaning glass jars and small pots, you can use them as small containers to store odds and ends. You can make your own preserves (e.g. fruit, jam, pickles and sauces) and store them in used jars after sterilizing them with heat.
• Newspaper, cardboard and bubble wrap: Make useful packing material when sending parcels, moving house or storing items.
• Old clothes, toys, household goods and books can be made into other textile items such as cushion covers or stuffing or teapot cosies, or even paper. You can recycle them by taking them to charity shops. Other people can reuse your unwanted clothes and books when you donate them to charity shops.

TOP TIPS!

Donate old electrical equipment to schools or community centers so that others can reuse them.

Try fixing instead of disposing.

Refill spent printer cartridges

Waste: Reduce

Do not be tight‑fisted, nor so open‑handed that you end up blamed and overwhelmed with regret

(Qur’an 17:29)

How can my family help?

• Buy only what you need and avoid wasting money on goods you won’t use.
• Buy products that can be reused, plastic containers, glass jars and cloth shopping bags can be reused.
• Buy products with little packaging: the less packaging the less waste.
• Sell or give away unwanted items, someone else may well need them.
• Reduce paper waste by cancelling unwanted mail.
• Buy non-toxic products whenever possible, they are less harmful to the environment.
• Use water sparingly when taking a bath

TOP TIPS!

Waste reduction starts at the supermarket.

Use food in order of age, so that it doesn’t rot.

Don’t open another thing before you finish the first one.

Laundry

Clean your garments; keep away from all filth

(Qur’an 74:4-5)

What is the issue?

FACT: A recent study by Cambridge University’s Institute of Manufacturing found that 60% of the energy associated with a piece of clothing is spent in washing and drying it.

How can my family help?

• Wash your clothes in warm water instead of hot.
• Save up to launder a few big loads instead of many smaller ones.
• Use the most efficient machine you can find-newer ones can use as little as one-quarter of the energy of older machines.
• Separate clothes by material, some may last you longer by hand washing rather than washing by machine.
• When they’re clean, dry your clothes the natural way, by hanging them on a line, airing rack, or radiator rather than loading them in a dryer.

TOP TIPS!

Do large loads of laundry instead of smaller ones

Dry using a clothes line outside or a clothes rack inside

Lighting

When you …remove stones, thorns and bones from the road, …it counts for you as charity

(Prophet Muhammad)

What is the issue?

• The more electricity we use, the more harmful emissions are released into the atmosphere.
• Lighting is essential in our homes, the more lights we have, the more electricity we use.
• Up to 15% of your electricity bills are just from using lights around the house.

How can my family help?

• Where possible, change your normal light bulbs for energy-efficient light bulbs.
• When you leave a room, switch the lights off. Get into this good habit and it will make a difference.
• Check the watts number on your lights, if they are more than 60 watts, ask if they can be changed for a lower power usage e.g. 40 watts, or better still change for energy-efficient bulbs.

TOP TIPS!

Use low energy light bulbs

Switch off lights

Fit single instead of multiple light fittings

Use more natural light if available

Electricity

What is the issue?

Everyone now takes electricity for granted, but producing energy using fossil

fuels like coal and gas contributes to climate change.

How can my family help?

• Switch to a renewable energy supplier / tariff.
• Don’t leave electrical appliances on standby, switch them off.
• Tumble dryers use a lot of energy, instead, air dry when possible.
• Buy appliances that are energy ‘A’ rated, and above, to save electricity.
• Switch off the TV and play in the park or garden with your family, you will enjoy it more and feel healthier for it.
• Use air conditioning sparingly

TOP TIPS!

Switch off avoid ‘standby’

Use energy efficient ‘A’ rated appliances

Dispose of old items at recycle points

Water Heating

What is the issue?

Heating or cooling water in all its forms, whether for heating, cooking or air conditioning, uses large amounts of energy, and this contributes to climate change.

How can my family help?

• If your boiler is over 10 years old, then you can save energy by changing the boiler for an efficient condensing boiler.
• Baths use more energy than an efficient shower, you will save water and energy by using showers to bath
• Older houses may let the cold air through windows, try installing double glazing to reduce your heating needs.
• If it’s warm weather or you’re going away for a few days switch off the central heating. Try turning down the thermostat.
• Air conditioning uses a lot of energy, more than almost all of your home appliances. Be aware before you install or use

TOP TIPS!

Use showers not baths

Switch off the heating

Fit double glazing

Food & Cooking

What is the issue?

FACT: The USA spends I Billion per year on organic food, but the effect is reduced as it’s flown around the world. When organic products are imported by plane from New Zealand, the transport energy used is 235 times greater than the energy savings of organic production.

How can my family help?

• Think before you buy. Demand local and organic and seasonal food.
• Getting produce out of season means either growing it using glasshouses or importing it, sometimes by air.
• Cook from fresh, as fresh is better for your health.
• Use a toaster rather than the grill to make toast – it will use less energy.
• Buy organic milk – it takes over three times as much energy to produce a litre of non-organic milk as organic.
• Buy in bulk for everyday items. As well as saving money, this avoids emissions produced in packaging individual items

Top Tips

Buy local/organic food

Buy in season

Cook efficiently

Buy in bulk

Water Heating

What is the issue?

Heating or cooling water in all its forms, whether for heating, cooking or air conditioning, uses large amounts of energy, and this contributes to climate change.

How can my family help?

• If your boiler is over 10 years old, then you can save energy by changing the boiler for an efficient condensing boiler.
• Baths use more energy than an efficient shower, you will save water and energy by using showers to bathe.
• Older houses may let the cold air through windows, try installing double glazing to reduce your heating needs.
• If it’s warm weather or you’re going away for a few days switch off the central heating. Try turning down the thermostat.
• Air conditioning uses a lot of energy, more than almost all of your home appliances. Be aware before you install or use.

TOP TIPS!

Use showers not baths

Switch off the heating

Fit double glazing

Islam teaches that the future holds the following environmental issues

Oil

“The one who brought forth the herbage, then turn it into black flood water type liquid (petroleum)” (Quran)

This oil will be finished and it will cause the sinking of the land in Arabia according to saying of the Prophet (pbuh).

Water

Many of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) show that the earth’s fresh water supply will dry up.  In a narration the Prophet said about a group of people will come to a dry lake and say there used to be water here.

People Will Go Back To Living With Technology

Many of the Prophets saying suggest that a time will come when humans live without the technology, and there will be small group of the people who will have the resources of the world with them and the technology.

The spiritual cause of the Global Warming

The Prophet of Islam taught us that the earth gets hotter because of the sins or wrongs the humans do on earth.

The Solution in Islam

Everything in nature mostly gets its energy mostly from the sun.  In a sense the water and sun play the most significant role, but even the water needs the sun to make the water cycle function.  The Quran suggests harnessing solar energy as a solution.  Also, humans should not do away with God’s creatures to help humans.  For example, horses should always be a way of transport of choice.

The second issue we need to discuss is look into as how we will survive if we do go back an age with no oil, lack of water and resources.  Also, we need to seriously ponder over the question what does the next generation need to know to survive in such a wilderness?

No related posts.

The Deen Show strives to provide correct information about Islam to non-Muslims and Muslims from authentic sources which are the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The Deen Show’s goal is to help everyone recognize the existence of God Almighty and our duties towards Him.

As Muslims (someone who submits to one God) we are commanded by God Almighty to learn, teach and share the message of “The Purpose of Life” with all of our fellow mankind. This is not an option but rather an obligation, which all true believers in Islam (submission to one God alone in peace) take very seriously.

Disc 1

1. What Is The Purpose Of Life?
   by Dr Bilal Philips
2. Meet Former Air Force Major Dr Lawrence Brown
3. How To Get Salvation
   by Nouman Ali Khan
4. BONUS: Question & Answer
   by Yasir Qadhi

Disc 2

1. Top Ten Reasons God Is Not A Man
   by Josh Evans
2. Let’s Talk Marriage
   by Imam Shpendim
3. Who Was The Final Messenger
   by Yusuf Estes
4. BONUS: Live Shahada
   Watch someone join the largest family in the world.

[Click images below to enlarge]

Note from producer

For some time now people have been requesting Eddie to put TheDeenShow on DVDs. We thought that since the shows are for free at TheDeenShow.com there was no need to do so.

Due to TheDeenShow’s growing popularity (all thanks is to Allah God the Creator), the demand has gotten even greater and we realized there are still many people who don’t have access to the internet or just prefer to watch TheDeenShow on the big screen. Also, many people wanted to be able to share the TheDeenshow with their non-Muslim friends and colleagues so they needed a good quality DVD of TheDeenShow that they could give as a gift to others and this would also be their way of doing their duty of Dawa.

After much thought and Dua to Allah swt and consultation we decided to go forward and invest in a top quality professional DVD that people could share with the world. With this production came costs and while many who make DVDs sell them for $10-$15-$20-$25 dollars we decided to take a minimum donation for the DVD of only $5 which will go back into making more and more DVDs so that, God-willing, we can get this Message of Islam (Submission to the one Creator Allah Alone without partners in peace) out to the world.

Thank you all for your support and contributions. We pray that Allah swt accepts this from us.

Please keep Eddie and those who are helping TheDeenshow and doing the Dawa in your Dua’s.

Related posts:

1. What must I do to inherit eternal life?