Islamic teachings that promote peace and security on a global level
Friday sermon by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, given June 22nd, 2007.
In the aftermath of WWII the UNO was formed with its various bodies, e.g. the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, and the International Court of Justice. However, the current affairs around the world are a testimony to the failure of this institution. The reason for this failure is lack of righteousness. Based on power or arrogance some nations of the world have an upper hand in the UNO; there are dual standards of permanent and non-permanent membership.
If lasting peace and security is to spread in the world, it will be through the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). The Holy Quran addresses all nations of the world on the basis of humanity:
“O mankind We have created you from male and female; and We have made you into clans and tribes that you may recognize one another. Verily, the most honorable among you, in the sight of Allah, is he who is the most righteous among you. Surely, Allah is All Knowing, All-Aware.” (Al Quran 49:14)
‘Let the Muslim be my Master in Outward Things!’ References to Islam in the Promotion of Religious Tolerance in Christian Europe
by Abdul Haq Compier
Religious tolerance may seem very self-evident to the modern reader, who is educated to believe that tolerance is one of the fundamental values upon which Europe was built. However, up until the 16th century, religious tolerance was not seen anywhere in Europe. Ever since the Roman Empire, Christian rulers governed by the phrase ‘One Empire, One Law, One Faith.’ Christian theology regarded Christ as the only way to salvation, and the Church as the only way to Christ. Disbelievers were regarded to be exempted from salvation, and hence criminals, ‘children of Satan.’ The Church argued that it was the responsibility of the ruler to cleanse the community of corruption, or he would be held responsible. When persecutions became unbearable, Christians looked to Islam for help. Read more online.
Europe’s debt to the Muslim Empire
by Zakaria Virk
‘It was under the influence of,’ wrote Robert Briffault in the Making of Humanity, ‘Arabian and Moorish revival of culture and not in the 15th century, that the real renaissance took place.’ Zakaria Virk has done an excellent job demonstrating the validity of Briffault’s conclusion, not only in this article but several others and has authored several books on this subject.
Science and Technology in Ottoman Sultanate
by Zakaria Virk
Clarence S Day an American writer once wrote, “The world of books is the most remarkable creation of man. Nothing else that he builds ever lasts. Monuments fall; nations perish; civilizations grow old and die out; and, after an era of darkness, new races build others. But in the world of books are volumes that have seen this happen again and again, and yet live on, still young, still as fresh as the day they were written, still telling men’s hearts of the hearts of men centuries dead.
And even the books that do not last long, penetrate their own times at last, sailing farther than Ulysses even dreamed of, like ships on the seas. It is author’s part to call into being their cargoes and passengers, — living thoughts and rich bales of study and jeweled ideas. And as for the publishers, it is they who build the fleet, plan the voyage, and sail on, facing wreck, till they find every possible harbor that will value their burden.” The books written in Baghdad and Cordova in Spain from 7th till the 14th centuries certainly did not go waste! They caused the European renaissance. This is a prelude to not only this article but the whole of this eGazette: continue reading online ].
The Dark Ages
This is a documentary by history channel.
It says that the Crusades that were fought over eight generations countless Crusaders brought back with them the books from the Muslims in the Holy land in Jerusalem. That is what kick started the Renaissance.
More than a hundred years after the Treaty of Jerusalem was signed by Hazrat Umar, Charlemagne was converting populations of his neighboring countries on the point of sword to Christianity. This is not only outlined clearly in the documentary but the Wikipedia states, “He also campaigned against the peoples to his east, especially the Saxons, and after a protracted war subjected them to his rule. By forcibly converting them to Christianity, he integrated them into his realm and thus paved the way for the later Ottonian dynasty.”
Charlemagne, Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus, meaning Charles the Great was King of the Franks from 768 AD to his death in 814 AD. He expanded the Frankish kingdoms into a Frankish Empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800 as a rival of the Byzantine Emperor in Constantinople. Today he is regarded not only as the founding father of both French and German monarchies, but also as the father of Europe: his empire united most of Western Europe for the first time since the Romans.
You can find the documentary in YouTube or else where online.
The legacy of Islam
by Sir Thomas Arnold and Alfred Guillaume
In the preface Arnold says that the book seeks to give an account of those elements in the culture of Europe which are derived from the Islamic world. He further states, “It was a fortunate thing for Islam that its message was delivered at a time when Arabic was potentially at its zenith. Aramaic was a poverty-stricken tongue compared with Arabic, and not even classical Hebrew at its best could rival Arabic in its astonishing elasticity. From its own inner resources it could evolve by autogenous processes the mot juste which new arts and new sciences demanded for their intellectual expression.” The book is available on Archive.org.
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January 2010
Islam and Science – a BBC Documentary
by Prof. James Al-Khalili
Al-Khalili is professor of physics, and professor of the public engagement in science, at the University of Surrey, UK. He is author of several books on physics and producers of several movies. In this documentary he very precisely examines the heritage of Muslim scientists, including the calculation, of earth’s circumference, by Al Biruni within 1% of the correct value. Every now and then an idea takes form that changes everything, it revolutionizes the way we see and understand the world around us. Al-Khalili believes that just such an idea took form in the medieval Islamic world. It is the idea that everything from the stars above to the working of our own bodies is not arbitrary or whimsical, but subject to certain systematic rules, and we humans may be able to work out what those rules might be. This idea with additional refinements led to what we now call the scientific method. The documentary has three episodes:
[ Episode 1 ] – [ Episode 2] – [ Episode 3 ]
President Barack Obama’s Cairo speech
Obama said in his Cairo speech in June of 2009:
“As a student of history, I also know civilization’s debt to Islam. It was Islam – at places like Al-Azhar University – that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.”
Read the rest of his speech online.
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