11 CAPTAIN (JACQUES) COUSTEAU (French) [In France Islam has been spreading at a high velocity among people who have made fame in various areas. The number of people who have abandoned Christianity and chosen Islam have reached one hundred thousand already. This score has been confirmed by the Archbishop of Paris, the highest Catholic rank in France. It is noteworthy that people who have preferred Islam are not only from among workers and civil servants but also from among people renowned in every respect. Among people who have chosen Islam is Captain Cousteau, whom the entire world closely knows for his explorations about life under water. As the groundswell of embracing Islam was spreading among France’s universal celebrities, Captain Cousteau, the world’s most eminent undersea explorer, announced that by accepting Islam he had made the most correct decision of his life. Captain Cousteau, who has revealed the secrets of oceans one by one with the films that he made and which are being televised worldover in a program subheaded The Living Sea, said that what actually prompted him to choose the Islamic religion was, after observing that the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean did not mix with each other, his seeing that the same phenomenon was written in the Qur’ân al-kerîm which had been revealed fourteen hundred years before.] Captain Cousteau told of the event that had caused him to become a Muslim, as follows: “In 1962 German scientists said that the waters of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean did not mix with each other in the Strait of Bâb-ul-Mandab where the Aden Bay and the Red Sea join. So we began to examine whether the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean mixed with each other. First we analyzed the water in the Mediterranean to find out its natural salinity and density, and the life it contained. We repeated the same procedure in the Atlantic Ocean. The two masses of water had been meeting each other in the Gibraltar for thousands of years. Accordingly, the two masses of water must have been mixing with each other and they must have been sharing identical, or, at least, similar properties in salinity and density. On the contrary, even at places where the two seas were closest to each other, each mass of water preserved its properties. In other words, at the point where the two seas met, a curtain of water prevented the waters belonging to the two seas from mixing. When I told Professor Maurice Bucaille about this phenomenon, he said that it was no surprise and that it was written clearly in Islam’s Holy Book, the Qur’ân al-kerîm.[1] Indeed, this fact was defined in a plain language in the Qur’ân al-kerîm. When I knew this, I believed in the fact that the Qur’ân al-kerîm was the ‘Word of Allah’. I chose Islam, the true religion. The spiritual potency inherent in the Islamic religion gave me the strength to endure the pain I had been suffering for the loss of my son.” 12 MUHAMMAD EMÎN HOBOHN (German) (Muhammad Emîn Hobohn is both a diplomat and a missionary. He is a man of knowledge and religion with a social career.) Why are Europeans abandoning their religion and becoming Muslims? It has various reasons. Among them is the ‘Haqq=Truth; Right; Reality’. The principles that Islam is based on are so logical, so true and honest that it is out of the question for a wise and educated person seeking for truth and reality in a religion not to accept them. For instance, the Islamic religion professes the existence of one god. It appeals to the human common sense, and never descends to inculcating people with superstitions. The Islamic religion states that people all over the world, regardless of their races, are the born slaves of Allâhu ta’âlâ, equal and similar. We German people essentially believe in the fact that Allâhu ta’âlâ is a great creator who gives us power and energy and who guides our souls to perfection. The concept of Allah infuses security and peace into us. Yet the Christian religion falls short of giving us this sense of peace. It is the Islamic religion, alone, that teaches us the greatness of Allâhu ta’âlâ and which, at the same time, guides us in regard to where the human soul will go after death. The Islamic religion guides us not only in [1] “Allâhu ta’âlâ has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together: Between them is a Barrier which they do not transgress:” (55-19,20) the world, but also in the Hereafter. It teaches in a plain and logical manner what should be done in the world in preparation for a comfortable life in the Hereafter. An awareness of the fact that Allâhu ta’âlâ will subject human beings to an equitable interrogation in the Hereafter on what they have done in the world, will urge them that they should abide by justice and integrity in the world. For this reason, true Muslims never attempt to do something before thinking well and being firmly convinced that what they are going to do is really something useful. Thereby this great religion establishes control over human beings in such a degree as could be managed by no worldly police organization, and permanently keeps them on the right way. Another aspect that makes Islam an attractive choice in the eyes of Europeans is its norms of worship. The namâz (the five daily ritual prayers) teaches punctuality to people, and fasting drills a strong sense of will power into them. What other factor could be as essential to success in life as punctuality and determination? Great men owe their accomplishments only to these two determinants. Now I come to a most beautiful aspect of the Islamic religion: While educating people in the ethical and humanistic areas in the most logical styles, the Islamic religion never compels them beyond their capacities. On the contrary, it offers them many opportunities to lead a prosperous and comfortable life. Allâhu ta’âlâ wishes people to live in comfort and happiness. To this end, He commands people not to commit sins. Muslims believe that they are perpetually in the presence of Allâhu ta’âlâ. They avoid committing sins. Neither in the other religions nor in any of the systems established in Europe is there another arrangement as lovely or as useful as this. I have been to many places and districts of the world on diplomatic and religious missions. I have studied other religions and social systems minutely. I have seen neither a religion nor a social system as faultless or as immaculate as Islam. At first sight, communism may seem to be a correct system of thoughts. Likewise, the western-born democracy, which has been looked on as the most capacious administration system in worldly matters, and Nazism may contain some factual aspects. And then none of these aspects is complete in itself. All of them have a number of deficiencies. The one and only perfect and faultless system is Islam. It is for this reason that many a person with common sense and perfect reasoning accepts Islam without any hesitation. And so did I. Islam is a practical religion, not a theoretical one. Islam means submission to Allâhu ta’âlâ, who is compassionate and forgiving and who always shows the right way. What on earth could be more beautiful? 13 Dr. HÂMID MARCUS (German) (Dr. Marcus is a renowned man of ideas, a writer, and the founder of a magazine, i.e. the magazine entitled Berlinde Moslemische Revue.) I was only a child when I took an interest in Islam and began to collect information about Islam. In the library of my hometown I came across an old translation of Qur’ân al-kerîm that had been printed in 1164 [1750 C.E.]. According to a narrative, Goethe had read the same translation of the Qur’ân al-kerîm during his research on the Islamic religion and had expressed his admiration for the book. As I read the Qur’ân al-kerîm, I was deeply impressed by its exceedingly logical and fascinating style of expression that penetrated deep into the soul. How genuine and useful the principles formulated by Islam were, was manifest in the fact that nations honoured with Islam had been attaining the zenith of civilization in a very short time. When I left my hometown and went to Berlin, I made friends with all the Muslims living there, joined them and attended with rapt attention the interesting and instructive conferences held by the members of the Islamic Mission. The more friendly I became with the members of the Islamic Mission, the more closely was I able to examine Islam. After a while I reached the conclusion that Islam was the true religion I had been aspiring after, believed in it, and accepted Islam. According to Islam, Allah is One, and belief in One Creator is Islam’s most sacred credal tenet. The Islamic religion does not contain any irrational or unbelievable tenet. There is not a creator besides Allâhu ta’âlâ. In Islam you cannot find a single dot disagreeable with or contradictory to modern sciences. All its commandments and inculcations are entirely logical and useful. In Islam, belief and logic do not contradict each other, which is the common blemish of other religions. Consequently, for a person like me who has dedicated all his life-time to natural sciences, what could be more natural than preferring Islam, which is in full conformity with the scientific results that he obtained from his lucubrations, to the other religions that are quite the other way round? Another reason I feel compelled to add is that the other religions are awash in a score of grotesque and ridiculous ideas that suggest only a far-fetched mood of spirituality. They have nothing to do with real life situations. Islam, on the other hand, is a practical religion which guides man also in his trek of life. Commandments of the Islamic religion lead a person to the right way not only in the Hereafter, but also in the world, and, in the meanwhile, they never restrict his freedom. As a Muslim I have been studying my religion for many years. In every new situation I see even more clearly how perfect a religion it is, and this in its turn gives me all the more mental peace. How exquisite a passageway it is that Islam lays between the individual and the social life! Islam arranges these two lives. Islam is a religion of perfect justice and its sole aim is to guide people to the good end. Islam embodies all the good aspects of all the world’s social trends.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 07:55:14 +0000