ANSWER TO LORETTA RAJKUMAR’S VIEWS WHO SAYS MOHAMMAD ALVI MAY HAVE READ THE GITA AND VEDAS BUT CAN HE COMMENT ON THE BIBLE [Part - I]

Dear Ms. Loretta Rajkumar

 

Response to your comment had been pending since some time now. I have finally found time to respond.

 

You start your comment by saying that “God was against idol worship and He spoke to Moses; Moses was the only prophet who came face to face with the Holy God.” I agree with you that idol worship is not the desired mode of worship. Even many Hindus are against idol worship as they find no sanction for idol worship in the scriptures. But when you say God “spoke to Moses; Moses was the only prophet who came face to face with the Holy God,” you are partially correct and partially wrong. God did speak to Moses, that’s true. Old Testament as well as the Quran confirms this. But was Moses face to face with the Holy God? If you say so, that means God came to present Himself on that mountain top. Quran says it was God’s ‘tajalli’ or God’s light which was made visible to Moses. Saying Moses was face to face with God is akin to giving a form and shape to God, whereas He has none (even as per Christian view). His powers are visible in several manifest forms and the light visible to Moses was proof of God’s presence. Moses was unable to withstand even this light and fell unconscious.

 

Your claim that Moses was the only prophet who came face to face with the Holy God may be your view based on information available in the Old Testament. Quran explicitly talks of Prophet Mohammad being taken by angels to the abode of God and even talks of a distance of ‘two spears or even lesser’ between the Creator and His creation. You are requested to tell your view regarding whether Jesus got the opportunity to come face to face with the Holy God or not. I say this because you have given Jesus the status of ‘Son of God’ while you yourself are saying that none but Moses came face to face with the Holy God. Kindly tell whether the ‘Son of God’ ever had the opportunity to come face-to-face with his ‘Father’? Can you supplement your view (whatever it is) from the scriptures? If Jesus indeed came face to face with his ‘Father God’ then when did this happen? If he didn’t then you will have to agree that Moses was superior to Jesus in some attributes, which is not true and I too didn’t believe in this.

 

After this, madam, you are mentioning an altogether different subject. In nutshell, you are talking about God making extinct the great civilizations of the past including those of Phoenicia, Mesopotamia, Babylon, Assyria, Persia, Egypt, etc. and ‘he didn’t ask sinful mankind like you n me to do His dirty work of killing His creations, He is God Almighty; he can’t fail, he has hosts of angels to take up His battle, not u and I nor I or Mohammad…” I agree with you fully. Man has no right to kill another human being without a reason. You are saying so because my name is Mohammad Alvi – a seemingly Muslim name – and all that you are hearing lately about Muslims through the media is their beastliness and cruelty. What I wish to tell you is that despite you hearing so much about the cruelty of Muslims who are fighting for Al-Qaida, ISIS and similar organizations, such people are still in minority. I consider all such people who are killing others in the name of Islam as having no link to Islam. Quran says clearly: “One who kills one innocent person is akin to killing the entire humanity.” This means anyone who has willingly killed one innocent person, his sin is as if he has killed the entire humanity. There is no place for savagery or brutality in true Islam. I say true Islam, because a pseudo-Islam has been propagated that endorses all such killings in the name of religion. But I must say that whatever logics these insane people give in the name of Islam for killing others, neither Prophet Mohammad’s life or teachings nor Quran endorse such treatment. Quran says: “To you your religion, to me mine.” It talks of righteousness and piety as the desired characteristics in a man. It even says that if a person sees injustice/oppression being done and remains mute witness without speaking in favour of the oppressed, his conduct is equivalent to as if he himself has committed the injustice/oppression. Is there any room for savage and brutal killing of innocents in the light of many such teachings? No! There is none. Not once during his entire life did the Prophet attacked anybody. All wars were fought in self-defence when armies marched on him. And whatever the propagandists may say against him, he did not kill one person in his life. Quran describes him as a Prophet of Benevolence, Peace and Good Conduct. And that he indeed was.

 

After saying all this, I agree that not only in this age but during all ages since the demise of Prophet Mohammad, there have been people who used Islam to their advantage. Islamic teachings were sabotaged by self-interest seekers very soon after Prophet’s death. The books that Muslims possess today give a mix of real teachings and those propagated by self-interest seekers. A vivid example of the extent to which Prophet Mohammad’s teachings were sabotaged can be seen by the brutal and savage assault by the Muslim rulers of the time, barely 50 years after Prophet’s demise, on Prophet’s family itself. All but one of the male members of the family of Prophet’s grandson and all his friends and well-wishers were brutally killed, so much so that neither the aged nor the 6-month old children were spared. The savagery of al-Qaida and ISIS fades in front of the savagery committed by the killers of Prophet Mohammad’s grandson. Truth is that when the teachings of Islam were usurped and sabotaged, the greatest price was paid by none but the Prophet’s own family which had continued to remain the torchbearer of true Islamic teachings. Consequently, Prophet’s family and descendants remained in house-arrests or imprisonment and many of them were killed either by sword or poison, by the hands of those who had usurped Islamic teachings and yet were trying to show themselves as rulers of Muslims. Therefore, when you see ISIS and al-Qaida in their present conduct, don’t blame their conduct on Islam and Prophet Mohammad but you should know that the Prophet’s family has paid the greatest price for remaining on the path taught by Prophet Mohammad and standing opposed to those who were flaunting Prophet’s teachings and showing them as true Islam.  

 

There is one clarification that I wish to give. You in your writing say that ‘after Jesus’s death, 700 years later Mohammad comes and changes the whole world of thinking that he is the only messenger of god.’ This is not true. Both Mohammad and Quran endorses all the Biblical prophets from Adam till Jesus but says that Mohammad was the Prophet that even Jesus had prophesied when he advised to his trusted followers not to go with his teachings beyond the lost tribes of Israel and they would not have done so that the Promised Son of Man would arrive. As you rightly said, Mohammad was born in 570 A.D., the time that would have taken to Jesus’s followers to go with his teachings to the lost tribes of Israel. Muslims are of view that the term ‘Paraclete’ in Bible is reference to Mohammad and I have proved on several occasions that the Spirit of Truth that Jesus was repeatedly talking about was the Rooh or Holy Spirit that resulted in the birth of Divinities – the Ahlulbayt – one of whom was Mohammad. And when the Light (Noor) of Ahlulbayt came one after another in human form, it was the Spirit of Truth that had actually descended on earth because the light or spirit of 14 together comprise the Holy Spirit. Moreover, you might not be aware, Mohammad was known as the most truthful person in the whole of Arabia even before the time when he proclaimed that he had been appointed the Messenger of God. There are stories of innumerable Christians who acknowledged from their own scriptures including the teachings of Jesus that Mohammad was the last Prophet who had been prophesied not just by Jesus but by other Prophets prior to Jesus. Since Christians and Jews who acknowledged from their scriptures that Mohammad was the prophesied Prophet had embraced Islam, those who were left were those who either couldn’t recognize him or didn’t want to recognize. If you are a Christian, it shouldn’t be difficult for you to understand this because you know how the Jews denied Jesus’s divine role, despite all the miracles that he showed and all the good things that he did and preached. Those from among the Jews who identified Jesus’s link with Divinity embraced his teachings while those who didn’t continued to remain Jews and oppose Jesus’s teachings. Just as there were those who didn’t connect Jesus with Divinity, 600 years later there were still more who were not ready to connect Mohammad with Divinity.

 

Next you say that because of Islam and Mohammad’s teachings the world is in chaos… God gave the 10 commandments, because of the idol worshippers… God didn’t go and say that go and kill all unbelievers… but teach them and show love and compassion…” I have already said that Islam and Mohammad’s teachings have nothing to do with the conduct of the present day Muslims who have since long deviated from the teachings of Mohammad and the path that he was preaching. I value the 10 commandments and it has been made obligatory in Quran to respect and revere the 10 commandments given to Moses. Quran even wants Muslims to give the same weightage and value to the Ten Commandments as is given to the Quran.

 

The conduct of present day Muslims and a lot many others who preceded them is very much like the followers of Moses, who started worshipping the idol of a calf, within 40 days of Moses’ departure. When Moses returned with his 10 commandments, ‘because of the idol worshippers’, as you say, most of his followers were already worshipping the idol that they had themselves made. Would you blame Moses, his religion or his God for this deviation? Just as you will not blame Moses, his religion or his God, you are not justified if you blame Mohammad or the path that he showed or Allah – the God – for the conduct of present day ISIS, Jaish and al-Qaida members. Or in other words, just as when you see the Christian Spaniards wiping out the Aztecs from South America, you see the European Christians wiping out Indians from North America, or migrant Christians killing millions of local aborigines in Australia, the Christian US destroying two cities in Japan in a single day or the Christian Nazis driving out the Jews from mainland Europe and you don’t put the blame on Christianity or Jesus or His God, you will be unjustified if you put the blame for the conduct of ISIS, Jaish and al-Qaida on Mohammad, the path shown by him or the One God of the cosmos that the Muslims believe in.

 

Jesus indeed was a champion of righteousness and peace. He didn’t retaliate even with his persecutors. Mohammad’s conduct was no different. Bani Umayya tribe of Quraish had waged several wars on Mohammad. Several neo-Muslims were killed by them and no effort was spared by them to cut the cord of Islam in its infancy. While Mohammad was in Makkah, all kinds of torture, cruelty and humiliation were inflicted on him and his followers. Yet, we see, about 12 years after he was forced to leave Makkah, when Mohammad returned to Makkah with thousands of believers in Islam, not even a drop of blood was spilled despite the fact that he was all powerful and the Bani Umayya had no chance to even flee. General amnesty was declared. There was no forceful conversion as well. Nobody was imprisoned or tortured. There were several people who had tortured Mohammad in the past, who had inflicted humiliation on him, and had in the past tried to inflict as many damages possible on Islam and its followers, yet none was killed, imprisoned or tortured.

 

Countless other examples can be given of Mohammad’s hatred of violence and war and his total love for peace and justice to prevail. The study of lives and conduct of the true followers of Islam – the Ahlulbayt – too reveal the extent they would go to maintain peace and avert war or bloodshed. Ali would never fight with a person who was disarmed, who was with his back to him or who didn’t come to wage an attack on him. Ali even spared an enemy who had come to kill him but when he was about to be killed, spat on Ali’s face. Ali immediately let go his opponent because he didn’t want to fight him in a fit of rage. History has recorded that while Muawiya – Ali’s chief opponent who belonged to Bani Umayya tribe – used deceit as his chief weapon, Ali never resorted to the same tactics and was seen as the most upright and peace loving person even when he was fighting a war.

 

Now we come to a very crucial subject that you have raised. You say: “Can you tell me which 12 tribes does Islam belongs? As from the time God chose the 12 tribes of Israel, he accurately told Abraham to go and possess the land given to him and his descendants… and the Bible clearly states that it was Isaac the promised seed of Abraham will be the sacrifice and not Ismael.  Now that Abraham who was a Hebrew/Jewish… Sara who was a mobite woman and Hagar was an Egyptian maid, how does that link to Islam that came about 4000 years later… then why change all Jewish names to Islam, eg. Abraham Abrahim, Jacob to Yacob, Isaac to Isaak, Moses to Musa, etc…. the bible clearly says that no words must be taken from this bible or add on, those who do this will face eternal damnation, respect our holy bible as most contents was taken from the old testament by Mohammad.. Jesus didn’t come and rewrite the Bible, He came to save mankind through his death which was prophecised accurately by the prophets of Old Testament.”

 

Again, Madam, there are some points that I agree to and some that I don’t. Let us see your point of view. You say Abraham was a Hebrew/Jewish. Is it true? If Abraham was Jewish, then you will have to agree that all Christians are on the wrong. Because Jesus never said he was bringing a new religion. He always kept saying that he was merely reiterating what had been said earlier. If Abraham was Jewish, then Christians should call them as Jewish because there is no religion that Jesus brought. The answer to what you said lies in your statement alone. Truth is that Abraham was not Jewish. Abraham was propagating the path of the One Lord of the Universe; the same path that was propagated by other Prophets before and after him. It is we humans who gave the names likes Jews and Christians.

 

You are trying to belittle the position of Hajira (Hager) when you say while Sara was a noble woman, Hajira (Hager) was an Egyptian maid. Neither the teachings of Jesus nor that of Mohammad value a man on the basis of his wealth and status. The sole criteria for measuring a person is righteousness and good deeds. When you belittle Hajira because she was a maid, you are speaking against the teachings of Jesus. Moreover, all Jews who were freed by Moses were at one point in time slaves in that very Egypt from where Hajira belonged. So, from your point of view, how can the Jews make claim of supremacy over others? Even Joseph was taken as slave and sold as slave during one phase of his life. Does this give a reason to belittle his position? Hajira’s elevated position in the eyes of the God can be seen in Genesis itself when God couldn’t see Hajira running to fetch water for his dying son and made water sprout from close to Ismael’s feet.

 

You put the blame on Muslims for changing the Jewish names to Islam, eg. Abraham to Ibrahim, Jacob to Yaqoob, Isaac to Isaak, Moses to Musa, etc. I think you have said this because of your lack of knowledge in this area. It is not Muslims who have changed names but it is the European Christians who are in the habit of changing names. When Muslims reached the shores of Spain, their fleet was being commanded by Tariq, who landed near a mountain on the Spanish coast. Muslims called that mountain ‘Jabr-ut-tariq’ or ‘mountain of Tariq’. Europeans call it Gibraltor today. Born in 721 A.D., Jabir ibn Hayyan gave so much contribution to the field of Chemistry that he is known as Father of Chemistry. Europeans call him Geber. Abu Ali Husain nicknamed Ibn-e-Sina is regarded as one of the most significant thinkers and writers of the Islamic Golden Age. Europeans call him Avicenna. Abu al-Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas Al-Zahrawi is described by many as father of modern surgery. His books, originally written in Arabic, were translated in European languages and were taught to the students of medicine as recently till the last century. West call him Albucasis. These are just few examples out of the many that I can give to show that it is not the Muslims but the Western world which has changed names so that they appear less Muslim and people do not realize the contribution of Muslims to science and technology.

 

The same happened to the case of the names of Prophets of yesteryears. You are perhaps reading the English translations of your scriptures. Do you know the names that you are reading in English have not been similarly pronounced in the original Hebrew texts? Even the name of Jesus is not mentioned in Hebrew text but the pronunciation is similar to the Quranic Isa. The same is the case with Musa (and not Moses). Conclusion: if you really feel like asking questions in this regard, then you should ask the Western world why they have altered the pronunciations of the names of their own prophets.

 

The great tortures and hardships that the Christians had to face for several hundred years after Jesus, from the hands of Roman rulers, slowly led to an amalgamation of Roman beliefs and Christian teachings. Jesus was nowhere the ‘Son of God’ in early Christian teachings but he became the ‘Son of God’ with progress in time. Likewise, lot many changes were brought about in the translations of Old Testament and Bible by the later day priests to suit their advantage.

 

For instance, I can give examples from Old Testament itself which will shed light on how the Christian world replaced the name of Ismael with Isaac wherever the description of the son’s sacrifice given by Ibrahim (Abraham) is talked about in the Old Testament. I know this will come hard on your existing belief but I request you to give this a patient reading.

 

Let’s read what description Old Testament (Genesis, 22.1 onwards) says when it talks of the sacrifice given by Abraham. You will agree that Genesis talks about Isaac and not Ismael in its description. Genesis says:

 

22:1 Some time after these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” Abraham replied. 22:2 God said, “Take your son – your only son, whom you love, Isaac – and go to the land of Moriah! Offer him up there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will indicate to you.”

22:3 Early in the morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took two of his young servants with him, along with his son Isaac. When he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he started out for the place God had spoken to him about.

22:4 On the third day Abraham caught sight of the place in the distance. 22:5 So he said to his servants, “You two stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go up there. We will worship and then return to you.”

22:6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. Then he took the fire and the knife in his hand, and the two of them walked on together. 22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father?” “What is it, my son?” he replied. “Here is the fire and the wood,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 22:8 “God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham replied. The two of them continued on together.

22:9 When they came to the place God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood on it. Next he tied up his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand, took the knife, and prepared to slaughter his son. 22:11 But the Lord’s angel called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” the angel said. “Do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”

22:13 Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 22:14 And Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord provides.” It is said to this day, “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.”

22:15 The Lord’s angel called to Abraham a second time from heaven 22:16 and said, “‘I solemnly swear by my own name,’ decrees the Lord, ‘that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 22:17 I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the strongholds of their enemies. 22:18 Because you have obeyed me, all the nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of your descendants.’”

22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed.

 

Quran says Abraham took his elder son Ismael for sacrifice but Genesis says that he took Isaac. The prayer made by Abraham regarding his progeny’s expansion from Ismael; remaining of leadership (Imamat) even in his descendants; and about the 12 princes in the progeny is mentioned in the Quran but Old Testament is showing Abraham praying for his son Isaac and his progeny. How will you decide now, at a time when we are face to face with two contradicting versions, the real truth? How will you know who is right and who is wrong? And who altered the description by changing the names of the persons mentioned. Was it Isaac’s name that was replaced with the name of Ismael or was it Ismael’s name that was replaced with the name of Isaac? This is important because while Mohammad and the 12 princes (the 12 Imams) were born in the progeny of Ismael, the progeny of Isaac saw illustrious prophets like Jacob, David, Lot, Moses, Jesus and many more. While the prophets in the progeny of Isaac are respectful figures for all – Jews, Christians and Muslims – Mohammad who was born in the progeny of Ismael is revered only by the Muslims.

 

The issue can be solved by no other means but by the use of intellect. I request you to understand the issue through use of your faculties of reason and intellect. I will give three proofs from Old Testament itself which will give an indication that it were the Christians (or Jews) who replaced the name of Ismael with that of Isaac wherever the mention of the sacrifice had been made so that people face difficulty in reaching the truth.

 

I request you to read the aforementioned description from Genesis regarding the sacrifice. Again and again, Isaac is being called the ‘only son’ whereas it may be proved from Genesis itself that Ismael was the elder brother who was taken along with his mother Hajira (Hager) and left at a far off place in a barren land. If Isaac indeed was the one who had been taken for sacrifice, why the repeated mention of ‘only son’.

 

Come, let’s use our intellect! Abraham was 86 years old when Ismael was born to Abraham and Hajira. This can be proved from Genesis itself which says:

 

 

16:15 So Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, whom Abram named Ishmael. 16:16 (Now Abram was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.)

 

Genesis 17:24 tells that Abraham was 99 years old when the Divine Order for circumcision came and Abraham not only ordered circumcision of his 13 year old son Ismael but rest of the people. The same year, the angels arrived and gave glad tidings to Sara (Abraham’s other wife) regarding the birth of a son. This proves that when Isaac was born, Ismael must have been 14 years old. Quran says that when the kid Ismael grew big enough to move around with his father, the order for sacrifice came. Naturally, it is apparent from Quran that Ismael was not a grown up youth when the sacrifice was given but had just started helping his father in his work. Isaac was born when Ismael was 14 years old, as per Genesis. The repeated stress on the term ‘only son’ in Genesis shows that originally there was the mention of Ismael, who was the only son of Abraham till he was 14, but his name was later replaced with that of Isaac.

 

Now see the second proof. The barren desert of Beer Sheba was the place where Abraham had left his wife Hajira and infant son Ismael. If you read the history of Beer Sheba, it was considered as the border outpost of the then inhabited region, beyond which there was nothing but barren desert. Clearly, Abraham had gone beyond Beer Sheba to the barren desert and left his wife and child there. Quran is of view that Hajira and Ismael were left at the place which is now called Makkah. Quran also narrates the incident of spring flowing from near the feet of Ismael and that place is still considered sacred by the Muslims. See 21.14 onwards from Genesis:

 

21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, and sent her away. So she went wandering aimlessly through the wilderness of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot away; for she thought, “I refuse to watch the child die.” So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably.

 

The description tells that Hajira and not Sara “went wandering aimlessly through the wilderness of Beer Sheba.” The description in Genesis also talks about water coming out miraculously from close to the feet of Ismael. Thus, the description in Genesis is same as the description in Quran when it comes to water sprouting from the ground for Ismael, with the only difference that while Quran indicates the place as modern day Makkah, Genesis describes it as the ‘wilderness of Beer Sheba’.

 

I invite you to read the aforementioned description of Genesis (22.1 onwards) where the sacrifice is mentioned. The description talks about Abraham taking two of his servants and traveling for three days to reach the foot of the mountain where he was to give the sacrifice. It talks about his attempt to give sacrifice of his ‘only son’ (Isaac, as mentioned in Genesis) but ends with:

 

22:19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set out together for Beer Sheba where Abraham stayed.

 

This descriptions shows that Abraham was staying at Beer Sheba while 21.14 tells that Hajira with her son Ismael wandered around in the wilderness of Beer Sheeba. This too proofs that the sacrifice was given of Ismael and not of Isaac who lived somewhere near Jerusalem.

 

Now the third proof, which is more logical in nature. That this incident of sacrifice occurred with Ismael and not Isaac can be inferred from the fact that its remembrance remained in the progeny of Ismael while the progeny of Isaac retained not even a single remembrance in terms of rituals. All through history, since the time of Ismael, his progeny and followers, continued with the rituals of running between two hills (Safa and Marwah) in remembrance of Hajira’s run in search of water to and fro seven times. The ritual was retained as part of the Hajj ritual by Prophet Mohammad, perhaps because it is a living proof that the sacrifice was meant for Ismael and not for Isaac. Are these not enough reasons to prove my point of view?

 

To be continued…

 

STATUS OF WOMAN IN ISLAM [Part – I]

It has been found lately that a lot many people, here on social media, are leaving no opportunity to criticize Islam and its teachings. Attacks are being made on Prophet Mohammad, as if he was a womaniser with least regards to morals and religious legitimacy. Most of these attacks are being made by those with vested interests (and some by those with little or no understanding of the true teachings of Islam). Some people try to portray as if Islam gives no rights to women. This is ironical considering the fact that Islam, for the first time, bestowed rights on women, at a time when rest of humanity was treating women as slaves. This was happening all over, be it in India or be it among the Jews and Christians. It is unfortunate that people whose books talk very little or practically nothing related to women’s rights are criticising Prophet Mohammad and his teachings without even bothering to verify the criticisms or the credentials of the critics. Some of these people are so much obsessed with criticizing anything that has any relation to Islam that when I of my friend commented about journalist Tarun Tejpal’s issue recently, a gentleman even went on to relate that too with Mohammad’s teachings. Such is the negative view that these people have formed regarding Mohammad and his teachings. The greatest irony of times is that it seems that God knew well beforehand what was to happen and had created a relation with Vedas and Islam several thousand years back.

I wish to make it clear that Islam has for the first time bestowed rights on women, true to their nature. I have been talking about the Forces of Noor (Guidance) and the Forces of Darkness (Misguidance) in my earlier posts. I have also attempted to prove that it has been the Divine Will that people, of all times, reach Paramatma (the Manifest Self) through the Divine Guides appointed by the Manifest Self. We have to identify the guides and adhere to their path in our lives in this world where the Forces of Darkness have been let loose to misguide or deviate us from the identification of the Divine Guides and from adhering to their path till death. We are also attempting to prove that these guides were identified by Vedas as Devas and later they took birth in the secret place of Arabia and were called Ahlulbayt [People of the House (of God)].

It is beyond conjecture that whenever and wherever an attempt was made by Paramatma to reveal the path or the identity of these Divine Guides, the Forces of Darkness left no stone unturned to ensure that mankind was removed from their identification and path to the extent that it continues to move in wilderness of misguidance. Forces of Darkness act in this manner because the day mankind will get to identify the Divine Guides and their Path, it will mean that the Forces of Darkness get defeated. This too is per the Divine Creation Plan.

I am sure the Muslims, with their present mind-set, will disagree when I say that Satan too is working under God’s command. But fact is that this is true. Iblis may not be working under God’s command but the Force of Darkness or Shaytan (which misguided Iblis) is definitely working under God’s command. Quran has shown this when it says clearly that on the Day of Judgment, Satan will distance himself from all humans and tell them that it was not he, the Satan, who misguided them but they themselves got misguided by obeying to Satan. Also, in the description of Prophet Ayyub, it is written that he was a handsome man with lot of wealth and 7 sons. Ayyub worshipped God extensively. Satan first said to God that he would acknowledge Ayyub’s worship if his wealth was taken away and he still continue to worship in similar fashion. It is written that God told Satan to take away the wealth which he did. Ayyub still continued to worship God with same intensity. Then Satan said to God that I would acknowledge Ayyub’s worship if his sons were taken away. God said to Satan to take away Ayyub’s sons, which Satan did but Ayyub still continued to worship God in the same manner. Then Satan said that I would acknowledge if Ayyub’s health was taken away and God asked Satan to do this as well, which Satan did. Entire skin of Ayyub had sores where even insects could be seen feeding on the pus and blood but Ayyub continued to praise God with same intensity even then. Most times we just read and pass on. Question is that if Satan had been expelled from heaven, why is he talking to God still? Why is it that God is allowing Satan to do work that is otherwise assigned to God Himself, to the extent that God even asks Satan to take away Ayyub’s sons, thereby meaning that power to give death is at times bestowed on Satan. These are just two of the many examples that may be given to prove that Forces of Darkness are very much the part of God’s Creation Plan and they would never ever allow man to identify the Straight Path of the Divine Guides and provide mankind enough respite to tread on that path without getting deviated yet again. But since we know that God has shown confidence in man’s ability, we can say for certainty that there will be a time when man, at least some of them, will defeat Satan’s game plan and will identify and tread upon the path of the Divine Guides to reach salvation.

If this is the Creation Plan, we must understand that the Forces of Darkness must have tried to corrupt the teachings (regarding the identity of the Devas, and later, when the Devas took birth in human form as Ahlulbayt) to the extent that man would get confused regarding their identity. Take for instance the case of Indradev, the head of the Devas, who took birth in human form and was named Mohammad – the head of the Ahlulbayt.

We have seen that all attempts were made to malign the character of Indradev, so much so that it is a general belief of people that Indradev remained intoxicated all the time, was surrounded by apsaras, and even came to earth time and again to impregnate virgins. Even today, there is a custom in some parts of India and Nepal, that when there is no rain, women plough the field naked at night, so as to please Indradev. It is believed that Indradev will get pleased upon seeing a naked body of a woman and would gratify the area with rain, the control of which has been bestowed in his hands by God. We do not even think for a while that if we keep such believes, we are even belittling God who bestowed provisions like rain and food on a person with such character. But this is not true. There are Upanishads which ask questions like where is Indradev, he has not come till now, and none has seen him. The various stories that are in circulation cannot be verified at all by the Vedas, the Upanishads or the Gita, thus proving that these were circulated at the behest of Forces of Darkness.

Let us come back to the initial years of Islam, when the Devas took birth as humans and were called Ahlulbayt. Undoubtedly, Mohammad was the head of the 14 Ahlulbayt and Ali was next most important of the Ahlulbayt. Mohammad declared that he was the Prophet when he was 40. During the next 23 years of his life as human being, he culminated the teachings of Islam. By the time Mohammad left this world, most of Arabia had converted to Islam and even the greatest enemies of Mohammad’s teachings embraced Islam when they felt that Islam was growing as a force and it would be best to remain inside rather than fight the path of Mohammad from outside. These were the hypocrites, who remained in Islamic fold but continued to work to change its teachings to their advantage.

Mohammad married Khadija when he was 25 and Khadija was a widow at 40. Khadija was still his only wife when Mohammad declared that he was the Prophet, at the age of 40. Khadija must be 55 year old at that time. Khadija lived for another 12 years or so, thereby meaning that Mohammad was 52 years old when Khadija died. Is it possible that a man who remained loyal to one wife would all of a sudden become a womaniser as some people are trying to project him? No. Fact is that the Forces of Darkness used all the skills at hand to project him as a womaniser, so much so that these attempts even found place in certain books to misguide the man of today from coming to the Straight Path. Is it not similar to the case of Indradev, who took birth as human being to be called Mohammad?

I have written time and again how the Umayyad rulers used pulpits of 70000 mosques all over their dominion, each Friday prayer, to tarnish the image of Ali. Merely a few days after Prophet’s demise, Ali was dragged in the streets of Medina with a rope tied to his neck. The door of Ali’s house, very next to the Prophet’s mosque, was set on fire by those who called themselves Muslims. Muslims even went on to push open this burning door and it fell on Fatima (third most important of the Ahlulbayt, daughter of Mohammad, wife of Ali and the mother of remaining 11 Ahlulbayt). Rips of Fatima broke and a child died in her womb. She died from the injury a few days later. After Mohammad, none but last of the Ahlulbayt died their own death; they were all killed by Muslims.

It is evident therefore that Forces of Darkness used all their powers to corrupt those who had embraced Islam from the true teachings of Quran and Mohammad to the extent that they showed no regard whatsoever to the very kin of Mohammad. They did not do so because they were merely daughter, son-in-law or grandsons of Mohammad but because Mohammad and Quran (supposed to be the word of Allah) had ordained a special position for them so much so that they had been made the door-keepers of heaven and following their path made essential for salvation. It is evident that Muslims were used by the Forces of Darkness to accomplish its task of deviating mankind from the true path. Only a true pursuer of spiritual heights would know the kind of forces that are used to digress a common man from pursuing that path. There is no point trying to identify those people or to reveal their name. But it is obvious that while some were truly working for Forces of Darkness (willingly or unwillingly), there were others who followed them out of ignorance.

When such extensive preparations were made to belittle the character of 13 of the 14 Ahlulbayt, when there were more enemies for them than friends in the Muslim world, when most of their lives were spent in house-arrests or imprisonment, why don’t we apply our minds to construe and conclude that similar forces must have been used to corrupt the teachings of Mohammad – the head of the Ahlulbayt – and also to tarnish his character? Since it was Mohammad who had brought the teachings which these later day Muslims were claiming to follow, it was not possible to reject out-rightly the Divine position of Mohammad, as they did for the remaining 13 Ahlulbayt. Therefore, all attempts were made to belittle Mohammad’s personality and malign his character.

The conditions of Muslims were so bad that no attempt to write history was made at least till about 50 years after Prophet’s death. What else, first attempts to ensure that Quran remains one and intact for all Muslims was made during the time of 2nd caliph, about 10 years after Mohammad’s departure. Contrary to Mohammad’s teachings, conquests were considered more important than spiritual pursuit and learning. The narration books considered most authentic by Muslims were written about 200 to 300 years after Mohammad. In the meantime, all the rest of Ahlulbayt were killed in succession. It is no wonder that some of these books show Mohammad’s character in bad light.

It is extremely sorry that when Quran (considered by Muslims to be the word of Allah) says that the hearts of two of the wives of Prophet Mohammad were not upright, there is no attempt by Muslims to find who these two wives are. On the contrary Muslims regard all the wives of Prophet Mohammad with equal reverence. This is despite the fact that most of the traditions which are being used by people with vested interests to tarnish the image of Mohammad are related to these two wives. This is also despite the fact that one of these two wives even came to fight a bloody battle with Ali, when the later became the Caliph of Muslims. You can judge for yourself whether the Muslims are obeying to the word of Allah?

Another unfortunate part is that Mohammad’s 10 wives is a subject of discussion among people whose own books talk of 11000 wives of Krishna. Several commentators try to explain this by saying that Krishna had not married these women but they came under his guardianship when a certain king who kept a great number of wives was killed. These people, out of their zeal to describe what has been already written, forget that the very text that writes of 11000 wives also talks of a much greater number of sons. If the sons too are talked about it shows that the books, when they were written, wanted to degrade Krishna’s character but the scholars of today failed to look at that aspect. Fact that only the number of sons is mentioned and no mention of daughters is made shows that daughters didn’t count during those times. In similar manner, Mohammad’s sexual encounters with two of his wives are being repeatedly put here on social media to tarnish his image but nobody is willing to accept that the books may have been written by people with vested interests or the two wives, as Quran confirms, may have been under the influence of Forces of Darkness.

Question arises that if Mohammad didn’t marry another lady till Khadija was alive and till he was past 50 years of age, why was there a need to marry 9 ladies in quick succession after Khadija’s death? If there is lust in a person’s character, the signs are first seen in early ages of youth or during the peak of manhood? If there is bestiality in character, it too is visible between 15 to 30 years of age. Have you seen a person who carried or showed no such traits in the first 50 years of his life, but suddenly develops a nature that is far removed from the life that he lived during the first 50 years? Also keep in mind that Mohammad was an employee of Khadija and Khadija married him only when he found her to be honest, upright and of good moral character. By the time Mohammad was 40, he was considered the most honest and truthful of all men in Makkah.

We will have to look at message that Mohammad had brought in order to understand his stance. Arabia was the darkest of all regions on earth when the Devas were born in human form and called Ahlulbayt. Men used to bury their daughters alive, because they felt that they would have to bend in front of some other man, whom she would marry. Child marriage was common. Dowry was common. Slavery was rampant. Sex with slave girl was accepted as normal. Even married wife was treated as slave not just in Arabia but also in Europe which was passing through a dark age. There was no concept of remarriage and widows had to live a life of disgrace. Despite this, sex was taboo and there was a need to frame laws.

Mohammad changed all this for better. Burial of girl child was stopped altogether. Instead of dowry a system was introduced where the bridegroom promised a sum to his wife. No father, no mother mattered but consensus between bride and bridegroom. Taboo associated with sex was removed so much so that it was made possible for both husband and wife to walk out of marriage. But at the same time, talaq was made despicable. Instead of parents marrying the girl at young age, Islam ordained that it was left to the will of the girl and the day she felt that she should marry, she was free to marry. This rule was far better than what we have now because it checked illicit relationship and sex outside marriage, but at the same time ensured that marriage would take place only when the girl (and also the boy) would feel the urge for sex (hence marriage). We in India have fixed 21 years and 18 years as the marriage age for bridegroom and bride respectively. But we have also seen how the cases of illicit sex outside of marriage are increasingly happening in youth. We have also seen how courts had to allow marriages at lower age and accept that some boys and girls mature faster than the rest.

Slavery was so deep-rooted and rampant that it was not abolished immediately but laws were framed regarding how to treat them. Great concessions in the next world were promised for someone who would release a slave. These concessions were so charming that gradually the entire system of keeping slaves ended. As regards to married wife, rules were framed for her as well, so much so that she was given equal (at times higher) position than her spouse. Concept of remarriage for widows and divorcees was introduced.

If we see Mohammad’s acts in the light of the law that he had given and upon which he was treading himself, we will realize the true significance of all his acts. You are invited to read the lives of Mohammad’s wives in details. You will be amazed to know that all of them (with the exception of one, viz. Aisha) were either widows or divorcees. During the last 10 years of his life, when 9 of the 10 marriages were solemnized, Mohammad was powerful enough to marry any young girl of his choice or even a beautiful wife of another person, something that we commonly see among powerful men. But the fact that these women were all widows or divorcees (some so old that one cannot fathom having sex with them) is enough to show that Mohammad had a particular reason for taking all these women in marriage, who were not being taken by anybody else because of the prevalent taboos. This was an attempt to deliver a message, a forceful one.

As regards Aisha, who is subject of much discussion, we must read her life history as well to come to the truth. Aisha, when a young girl of 6, was promised in marriage by his father, to a grown man. This is enough of a proof that this custom was prevalent. Aisha’s father accepted Islam but once he did so, the man with whom the kid Aisha had been betrothed refused to marry her. Aisha’s father recounted his fear to Mohammad. Clearly, as per the existing custom, when her marriage to the man with whom she was betrothed broke down, none would have married her. Therefore, Mohammad had to accede to marrying her, so as to push forth a message here as well.

There are accounts available which show that Aisha was in her late teens when she was married to Mohammad. But for some strange reason, a good number of Muslim scholars have considered marriage at 6 and moving to husband’s house when 9 as more authentic. If the Forces of Darkness had a hand here as well cannot be said with certainty. But this is for sure that the Muslim world got involved in infighting to such an extent that they could not even unify on the date when Prophet Mohammad died. It is hard to accept but true how Muslims couldn’t keep count of the date of departure of the person who had brought Divine Teachings to them. Even today, Muslims are divided over the date of Mohammad’s death. That they are not bothered about checking which of the two wives are being described as having hearts that were not upright is not amazing. But what will you do if all the absurd stories of sexual fantasies, orgies, etc. are ascribed to two of the 10 wives in various books of narrations.

I invite you to read the following account (from a book) to see for yourself how Islam honours woman, how it values equality in all areas including human esteem, following religious introductions and obligations, faith, reward in the hereafter, participation in collective rituals and in enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, woman’s right in personal liberty and equality in speech, thought and belief.

To be continued…