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Islam made lawful the consumption of the flesh of goats, sheep, cows, camels, fish, deer, geese, chickens, ducks, rabbits and game birds but made unlawful the consumption of the flesh of swine. The question is why pork in particular? And is this prohibition arbitrary, discriminatory and whimsical? Is it a strategy adopted by Islam to stand out among other religions as the one which prohibits pork? Or is this prohibition based on sound, scientific arguments made for the best interest of man, physical and spiritual? 
In answer to the third question, namely that Islam prohibited pork merely to stand out amongst other religions for this prohibition, let me say from the onset that Islam is not the only religion that prohibits pork.  Before Islam, Judaism did, and so did Christianity as testified by the Bible itself: In the Old Testament consumption of pork is explicitly forbidden: Read more »

The story of Lot in the Bible is encased in Abraham’s. The life of the uncle (Abraham) and the nephew (Lot) are intimately connected: they leave their homeland, Ur of the Chaldees, they travel to Harran, to Canaan in Palestine, then to Egypt and then back to Palestine where they have to part because the land is unable to accommodate their cattle and flocks and because their respective herdsmen nearly fell out with each other over the grazing ground. Abraham instigates an amicable settlement according to which Lot takes The Plain of Jordan, including Sodom and Gomorra, and Abraham the land of Canaan.  They separate only to be reunited forthwith: Lot is taken captive by King Chedorlaomer who, with the assistance of three confederate kings, defeats the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their allied kings. Abraham, against all odds, arms his servants (in its typical propensity towards precision, the Bible tells us that the number of the servants turned overnight into redoubtable warriors was 318!) and charges into the camp of the enemy. Not only does this peaceful farmer transformed overnight into a bellicose soldier liberate Lot and recuperate his goods but also he smites the enemy and routs them! (this story is inextant in the Qur’an) Immediately after, Abraham is visited by the Lord and three angels (who despite their immaterial existence feast on the generous banquet prepared by Abraham in their honour!) and upon hearing that Sodom and Gomorrah are going to be destroyed he pleads with the Lord so that the righteous be saved. When doom was due, the angels leave for Sodom and Gomorrah. They were to spend the night in the street but upon Lot’s insistence they come into his house. Upon knowing that the villages were to be destroyed, Lot pleads with the Lord so that he spares the village of Zoar where he would go and hide. The lord grants the request. Lot and his family are ordered not to look back as they flee from the wicked villages. They all comply except lot’s wife who, as punishment, is metamorphosed into a pillar of salt. Read more »

As soon as the story of Abraham unfolds in the Bible we are told that God will make of him a great nation, that he will be blessed and that his name shall be glorified.

Now the Lord had said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

And I will make of thee s great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

                                                                            (Genesis 12:1-3)

These verses necessarily imply that Abraham possesses great qualities that entitle him to such a high status in the sight of God. However, to the reader’s dismay, the character that is portrayed is devoid of any such qualities. Rather, he is presented as a cunning, materialistic, greedy person roaming the land in search for more money, more land. Like his forefather Noah, Abraham wins a reputation for something he does not deserve! Read more »

There is some similarity between Noah’s story in the Bible and the Qur’an: in both books Noah is ordered by God to make an ark and load therein animals, in both books there is a destructive flood which ultimately subsides and Noah and his followers are allowed to start rebuilding the land. However, at a closer scrutiny even this superficial similarity is dismissed, let alone the enormous differences in terms of theological and moral purports. Here follows some of the notable differences between the two:

• In terms of motives for the Flood, the two stories are at polar opposites: in the Bible God regrets and repents to have created creation and is determined to annihilate the entire Earth and everything living therein. Therefore, he orders Noah to make an Ark in preparation for the forthcoming universal destructive flood: Read more »

Of all social evils and personal tragedies, the consumption of alcoholic drinks is the most pernicious and destructive. It is, as the prophet pbuh calls it, “the mother of all evils”. Indeed, how many homes broken by an alcoholic father or mother! How many murders, suicides, homicides triggered by excess of drinking! How many rapes committed because of intoxicants! How many incestuous sexual relations! How many innocent people treated cruelly and unfairly! How many bankruptcies and squandered fortunes because of drinking bouts! How many mental disorders and nervous breakdown related to alcohol consumption! How many women and children stained with ….How many celebrities dragged in the mud of scandals because of drinking! How many billions swallowed up in drinking! How many digestive ailments, heart failure caused! And the list goes on and on. Read more »

When one has reached the apex of achievement in a given area thereby gaining absolute confidence in the truthfulness of his/her beliefs and findings, one is naturally predisposed to meet and face up to any challenge thereto related . More, one is prepared to provide skeptics with the ways whereby they can prove him/her wrong.

That is what is called a falsification test— a common contemporary requirement in the field of scientific research by which a researcher provides the scientific community with ways that can prove whether the theory he/she is propounding is scientifically valid or invalid. If the theory stands the test then it is proved true and valid.

An analogy suggested by Dr. Miller eloquently illustrates the falsification test: after completing an exam a student writes a note to the instructor saying: ‘this exam is perfect. There are no mistakes. [Check the grammar, the syntax, the vocabulary, the style, read between the lines]* Find one mistake if you can!” Read more »

The story of Adam is commonly known in western culture as the story of the Fall; in Islamic culture, it is known as the story of Adam. The storyline in both the Bible and the Qur’an goes roughly like this: Allah creates Adam, then a woman (called Eve in the Bible) from Adam. He puts them in the Garden and allows them to eat from everywhere but warns them not to eat from a particular tree. They transgress Allah’s command and as a punishment they are expelled from the Garden.

The story of Adam in the Qur’an may bear some resemblance to the one in the Bible in terms of storyline, but, at a closer scrutiny, it is completely different from it in terms of content, particularly as regards theological and moral purports. Here follows some of the notable differences between the two: Read more »

Hana: Oh in about an hour we’ll be flying to London. I feel so excited, but I’m a bit worried, too.
Needa: what worries you, Hana?
Hana: well, the campaign of denigration against Muslim women and the headscarf. They say that Muslim women are hassled in the streets!
Needa: We should not care about that. Our headscarf is the badge of our human dignity and through our achievements and good manners the westerners will eventually learn to respect us. Read more »

Mute and sorry was the child
Fresh and sweet was the spring
Around the child was silence
And the iron face of things

Farhat Ahmed Ali

When I was thirteen,
Fifty-three was like science fiction.
Now that I am fifty-three,
Thirteen’s like a misty fantasy

Farhat Ahmed Ali