Lecture
(Duration – 1 hour 35 minutes)

Mohammad Naik: Asssalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu! We welcome all of you to this 8th Day evening session of the 10-Day Islamic Conference and Exhibition. We begin today’s session with the Qirat by Shaikh Salaah Abdur Rahmaan Al Bukhatir from UAE.

Shaikh Salaah Abdur Rahmaan Al Bukhatir: Asssalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu!

[Qirat…]

Mohammad Naik: JazakAllah Shaikh Bukhatir. Now we have the translation of the Qirat being presented by Br. Jamal Richards from London, United Kingdom. Brother Jamal…

Jamal Richards: In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

The Hour has come near, and the moon has split in two.

And if they see a miracle, they turn away and say, Passing magic.

And they denied and followed their inclinations. But for every matter is a time of settlement.

And there has already come to them of information that in which there is deterrence – Extensive wisdom – but warning does not avail them.

So leave them, O Muhammad. The Day the Caller calls to something forbidden.

Their eyes humbled, they will emerge from the graves as if they were locusts spreading.

Racing ahead toward the Caller. The disbelievers will say, “This is a difficult Day.”

The people of Noah denied before them, and they denied Our servant and said, “A madman,” and he was repelled.

So he invoked his Lord, “Indeed, I am overpowered, so help.”

Then We opened the gates of the heaven with rain pouring down

and caused the earth to burst with springs, and the waters met for a matter already predestined.

And We carried him on a construction of planks and nails, sailing under Our observation as reward for he who had been denied.

And We left it as a sign, so is there any who will remember?

And how severe were My punishment and warning.

And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?

And ‘Aad denied; and how severe were My punishment and warning.

Indeed, We sent upon them a screaming wind on a day of continuous misfortune,

Extracting the people as if they were trunks of palm trees uprooted.

And how severe were My punishment and warning.

And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?

Thamud denied the warning and said, “Is it one human being among us that we should follow? Indeed, we would then be in error and madness.

Has the message been sent down upon him from among us? Rather, he is an insolent liar.

[They will know tomorrow who is the insolent liar]

Indeed, We are sending the she-camel as trial for them, so watch them and be patient.

And inform them that the water is shared between them, each day of drink attended by turn.

But they called their companion, and he dared and hamstrung her.

And how severe were My punishment and warning.

Indeed, We sent upon them one shriek a blast from the sky, and they became like the dry twig fragments of an animal pen.

And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?

The people of Lot denied the warning.

Indeed, We sent upon them a storm of stones, except the family of Lot – We saved them before dawn as favor from us. Thus do We reward he who is grateful.

And he had already warned them of Our assault, but they disputed the warning.

And they had demanded from him his guests, but We obliterated their eyes, saying, “Taste My punishment and warning.”

And there came upon them by morning an abiding punishment.

So taste My punishment and warning.

And We have certainly made the Qur’an easy for remembrance, so is there any who will remember?

And there certainly came to the people of Pharaoh warning.

They denied Our signs, all of them, so We seized them with a seizure of Exalted in Might and Perfect in Ability.

Muhsin Khan

(They) belied all Our Signs, so We seized them with a Seizure of the All-Mighty, All-Capable to carry out what he Will (Omnipotent).

Are your disbelievers better than those former ones, or have you immunity in the scriptures?

Muhsin Khan

Are your disbelievers (O Quraish!) better than these [nations of Nuh (Noah), Lout (Lot), Salih (Saleh), and the people of Fir’aun (Pharaoh), etc., who were destroyed)? Or have you an immunity (against Our Torment) in the Divine Scriptures?

Or do they say: “We are an assembly supporting each other”?

Muhsin Khan

Or do they say: “We are a great multitude, and we shall be victorious?”

Their assembly will be defeated, and they will turn their backs in retreat.

Muhsin Khan

Their multitude will be put to flight, and they will show their backs.

But the Hour is their appointment for due punishment, and the Hour is more disastrous and more bitter.

Muhsin Khan

Nay, but the Hour is their appointed time (for their full recompense), and the Hour will be more grievous and more bitter.

Indeed, the criminals are in error and madness.

Muhsin Khan

Verily, the Mujrimun (polytheists, disbelievers, sinners, criminals, etc.) are in error (in this world) and will burn (in the Hell-fire in the Hereafter).

The Day they are dragged into the Fire on their faces it will be said, “Taste the touch of Saqar.”

Muhsin Khan

The Day they will be dragged in the Fire on their faces (it will be said to them): “Taste you the touch of Hell!”

Indeed, all things We created with predestination.

And Our command is but one, like a glance of the eye.

And We have already destroyed your kinds, so is there any who will remember?

And everything they did is in written records.

And every small and great thing is inscribed.

Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and rivers,

In a seat of honor near a Sovereign, perfect in Ability.

Mohammad Naik: JazakAllah Khair brother Jamal Richards for the translation. Now we start the formal public talk session. Our speaker for today needs no introduction to many present here but for those who would not know about him, I present the formal introduction.

Dr. Zakir Naik is the President of the Islamic Research Foundation. A medical doctor by professional training. He is renowned as a dynamic Islamic Orator on Islam and Comparative Religion. Dr. Zakir clarifies Islamic view points and clears misconceptions about Islam using the Quran, authentic Hadith and other religious scriptures in conjunction with reason, logic and scientific facts. He is 44 years old.

Dr. Zakir is popular for his critical analysis and convincing answers to challenging questions posed by audiences and critics after his public talks. In the last 13 years, Dr. Zakir, has delivered more than 1300 public talks in far away places as USA, Canada, UK, Saudi Arabia, UAE Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, South Africa, Italy, Mauritius, Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Guyana, South America, Trinidad & Tobago and many other countries in addition to numerous public talks in India too.

He has successfully participated in several symposia and dialogues with prominent personalities of other faiths.

The late Shaikh Ahmed Deedat, the world famous orator on Islam and Comparative religion, a pioneer in his field who had called Dr. Zakir ‘Deedat Plus’ in 1994, presented a plaque in the year 2000 with an engraved citation on it “Awarded to Zakir Abdul Karim Naik for his achievement in the field of Da’wah and the study of comparative religion” and he went on further to say “Son what you have done in the last 4 years, had taken me 40 years to accomplish, Alhamdulillah.”

Dr. Zakir appears regularly on many international Television channels in more than 200 countries worldwide. He is regularly invited for TV and radio interviews, hundreds of his talks, dialogues, debates and symposia are available on VCDs, DVDs and other digital and internet media.

Peace TV is his passionate and professional far reaching presentation of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims worldwide. He has authored books on Islam and comparative religion, the more popular ones being ‘Quran and Modern Science – Compatible or Incompatible?’, ‘Women’s Rights in Islam – Protected or Subjugated?’, ‘Concept of God in major Religions’, and ‘Answers to non-Muslims, common questions about Islam.’

Brothers and sisters to speak to us today on a vital topic ‘Al Quran – Should it be Read with Understanding?’ may I present before you, Dr. Zakir Naik.

Dr. Zakir Naik: Alhamdulillah was salaatu was salaam ala rasoolillah wa ala aalihi wa ashaabihi wa ajma’een, amma baad.

A’uzu billahi minash shaytan nir-rajeem, Bismillah hirrahman nirraheem

“Walaqad Yassar nal Qur-ana lilththikri fahal min muddakir”

Rabbish rahli sadri Wa Yassir Li ‘Amri Wa Ahlul `Uqdatan Min Lisani Yafqahu Qawli

My respected elders and dear brothers and sisters, I welcome all of you with the Islamic Greetings Assalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh, May peace, mercy and blessings of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), of All Mighty God, be on all of you.

The topic of this evening’s talk is ‘Al Quran – Should it be Read with Understanding?’

The Glorious Quran is the last and final revelation of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), of All Mighty God which was revealed to the last and final messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The Glorious Quran is the most positive book in the world, it is a proclamation to humanity, it is a fountain of mercy and wisdom, it is a guide to the erring, it is a warning to the heedless, an assurance to those in doubt, it’s a solace to the suffering and it is a hope to those in despair.

How is it possible to derive all these benefits of the Quran without reading the Quran, without understanding the Quran, without pondering over the meaning of the Quran and without implementing the Quran in your life? Alhamdulillah, the glorious Quran is the most widely read book in the world. But unfortunately it is also the book which is most widely read without understanding because the majority of the Muslims read the Quran without understanding, that’s the reason the contact, the benefit that the Muslims derive from the Quran, it has decreased. The touch of the Muslims with the Quran has declined. Imagine, if a person comes to the Quran and he goes away empty handed, hearts untouched, soul unmoved and the life unchanged, what a tragic misfortunate it is!

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Ale Imran ch. no. 3 verse no. 110

“Kuntum Khayra Ummatin Ukhrijat lilnnasi”

“O ye Muslims! Ye are the best of people evolved for mankind”

Ta’muroona Bil Ma’roofi wa Tanhawna Anil Munkar Wa Tu’minoona Billah”

“Because we enjoin what is good and we forbid what is wrong and we believe in Allah.

Allah is calling us, the Muslims, the ‘Khayra Ummah’, the best of people evolved for humankind? And the reason He is giving us is because we enjoin what is good and we forbid what is wrong and we believe in Allah. If we Muslims read the Quran without understanding, how can we enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong. And if we do not enjoin what is good and if we do not forbid what is wrong we aren’t fit to be called as Muslims, we aren’t fit to be called as Kharya Ummah. So if we want to be called as Khayra Ummah, if we want to be Muslims, we have to read the Quran with understanding so that we can enjoin what is good and forbid what is wrong.

The Arabic word Quran is derived from the Arabic word ‘Qara’ which means book, its also derived from the Arabic word ‘Iqra’ which means to read, which means to recite, which means to proclaim. How can we proclaim the message of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) without understanding the message. And another title given to Quran is Furqaan i.e. the criteria to judge right from wrong. We can only judge between right and wrong if we understand the message of the Quran. Without understanding the message of the Quran, it’s not possible that we can use the Quran as the Furqaan as the criteria to judge between right from wrong.

Let’s analyze today the various excuses given by us Muslims for not reading the Quran with understanding.

The most common excuse is ‘We do not know Arabic as a language’. Today the world population is approximately 6 billion and about 20-25% of the world population are Muslims, about 1.3 to 1.5 billion Muslims are there in the world. And out of the Muslim population approximately 15% are Arabs and there are very few non-Arabs who understand Arabic as a language. So amongst the Muslim population more than 80% of the Muslims, they don’t understand Arabic as a language. So the most common excuse that we Muslims have not to read the Quran with understanding is, we do not know Arabic as a language.

When a human being is born, he does not know any language. The child, he initially learns the mother tongue so that he can converse with the family members, later on he may learn the language of the society so that he can communicate with the people around him, he may learn the language in which he is educated, almost all the human beings, they at least know, 2 or 3 different languages. Some know 3 to 5 languages, some are linguists but most of the human beings, almost all, they at least know 2 to 3 different languages. Isn’t it a requirement that we should know the language in which our Creator, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), has revealed His last and final message, the Glorious Quran, isn’t it a must that we Muslims should learn Arabic as a language to understand the Quran? I know that it is much easier for a person to learn a language during childhood but age is never a barrier to prevent any human being from doing any good work.

And that reminds me of an example of Dr. Maurice Bucaille. Many of you may be aware that Dr. Maurice Bucaille was a very famous surgeon and a scientist who was given the French Academy Award in medicine. And Dr. Maurice Bucaille, he was selected for doing research on the Mummy of Merneptah i.e. the mummy of the body of Pharaoh who was there at the time of Moses (peace be upon him) which is mentioned in the Bible. And after he did research on this Mummy of Merneptah which was found in the valley of Kings. He being a Christian, he was aware of the background mentioned of Moses (peace be upon him) in the Bible, and he was aware that the Pharaoh at the time of Moses (peace be upon him), when he followed Moses (peace be upon him), when he parted the sea and when he followed him, the sea again came back to normal and the Pharaoh had drowned. But when he went to Saudi Arabia there he learnt that a Muslim told him that the Quran already mentions in

Surah Yunus ch. no. 10 verse no. 92 that, Allah says,

“We shall save the body of the Pharaoh as a sign for posterity”

Dr. Maurice Bucaille, he was shocked that how does this book, the Glorious Quran, 1400 years back says that All Mighty God will save the body of the Pharaoh as a sign for posterity?, as a sign for humankind and this is not mentioned in the Bible. So that instigated him to read the translation of the Quran and after he read the translation of the Quran, he was so much inspired that he wanted to understand the Quran better so at the age of 50, he learnt Arabic as a language to understand the Quran better. Imagine a non-Muslim, a Christian to understand the Quran better, he learns Arabic as a language and after he does research, he says that the scientific points mentioned in the Quran are in perfect conformity with what modern science has discovered and unfortunately there are many things in the Bible which do not confirm with modern science. And after doing further research, hew writes a book ‘The Bible, The Quran and Science’ which became very famous. The point to be noted here is, Imagine a person of the age of 50 being a non-Muslim, being a Christian to understand the Quran better, he learns Arabic as a language.

So we Muslims, the best excuse we have is that we don’t know Arabic as a language. I do not expect every Muslim to be as enthusiastic as Dr. Maurice Bucaille that he’d like to learn Arabic at the age of 50 but even if a Muslim does not know Arabic as a language yet he has got no excuse because he can yet read the translation of the Quran and Alhamdulillah the Quran has been translated into most of the major languages of the world. Maulana Abdul Majeed Dariyabadi says, the Quran is the most untranslatable book in the world, the language of the Quran is so pure, it is divine, it in noble, it is unsurpassable, it is intelligible and that’s the reason it makes Quran the most difficult book to translate. Not only does it make it the most difficult book to translate infact it is a book which is impossible to translate. Yet Alhamdulillah, there are many scholars who have spent several years, who have spent decades in doing research and have translated the Glorious Quran into most of the major languages of the world. Even though I agree that no translation is 100% perfect because a translation is a human handiwork and the Arabic Quran is the word of All Mighty God, the Creator. But in spite of that these translations at least; they let us understand the basic message of the Quran, the basic message of our Creator, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala).

We Muslims we give excuses for not reading the translation of the Quran saying we are very busy, we are very busy in our studies, we are busy in our profession, we are busy in our business, most of us we have spent decades reading and memorizing volumes of books in schools, in collages as well as in universities just to acquire a degree. Don’t we have the time to read the message of our Creator, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala)? How much time does it take to read the Quran? Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said, it’s a Sahih Hadith in Trimidhi where he said that

“Anyone who reads the Quran in less than 3 days, he has not understood the Quran”

That means if he reads the Quran with concentration, it will minimum take a person 3 days, minimum. If he reads a bit slowly, it may take him 5 days, if he reads one Juz, one part a day, it will take him one month to read the Quran.

The degree that we acquire in the collages and universities, it may or may not help you in this world. There are hundreds and thousands of graduates and post-graduates that I know that are jobless and the education you acquire in school, collages and universities if it does not get you closer to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), if it does not get you closer to you Creator, All Mighty God then this education is useless for the hereafter. So the educations that you get in the collages, in schools and in universities may or may not help you in this world and if does not get you closer to your Creator, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), it is useless in the hereafter. But as far as the Quran is concerned,

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Baqarah ch. no. 2 verse no. 1 and 2

“Alif-lam-meem

Thalikal Kitabu la rayba feehi hudan lil Muttaqeen”

“Alif Laam Meem, This is a Book of Guidance without doubt for those who have Taqwa, for those who fear Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala).”

That means Allah is giving you a promise that this Book is a book of Guidance and it will surely benefit you in this world as well as the hereafter. Allah says in the Quran in

Surah Kahf ch. no. 18 verse no. 54 that

“This is a Book which mentions in detail many similitudes in which there is benefit for humankind. But men is in most things contentious.”

Allah repeats a similar message in Surah Al Zumar ch. no. 39 verse no. 27 that

“Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) has mentioned in detail many similitudes so that men may receive admonition”

If you read the Quran it will surely benefit you in this world as well as the hereafter. You read the Quran, if you don’t know Arabic, read the Quran in the language you understand. If you understand English, read it in English, the language you understand the best, if you understand Urdu, read it in Urdu, if you understand Hindi, read it in Hindi, if you understand French, read it in French, if you understand German, read it in German, read it in the language you understand irrespective whether you read the English translation, the Urdu translation, the Hindi Translation, the French translation or German translation at least read the translation of the Glorious Quran so that you can understand the message of your Creator.

I would like to give you one example suppose a very close friend of yours, who is a German, he comes from Germany and he spends a couple of weeks with you in Bombay, he being a German he can’t speak English fluently but he can converse with you, he spends a couple of weeks with you in Bombay and when he goes back to Germany, he writes to you a letter in German because he can’t speak English fluently, he can’t write English fluently so he writes to you a letter in German. Now when you get that letter in German, you don’t understand German, what will you do? But natural because he is your close friend, you will have that letter translated; you will want to know what did your good friend tell you from Germany, you will have that letter translated.

Don’t you want to know what is the message, the last and final message given by our Creator, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala)? You don’t have to go and translate the Quran. The Quran Alhamdulillah has already been translated in the major languages of the world.

Many Muslims they think that the Quran was only revealed for the Muslims and the Quran is not meant for the non-Muslims.

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Ibrahim ch. no. 14 verse no. 1

“Alif Lam Ra”

“This is a book which Allah has revealed so that thou may guidesth the humankind from the depths of darkness to light.”

Allah is telling this book, the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) so that he could guide the humankind from the depths of darkness to light.

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Ibrahim ch. no. 14 verse no. 52 that

“Here is a message to mankind! Let them take warning therefrom, let them know there is one God, let the men of understanding take heed.”

Quran says in Surah Baqarah ch. 2 verse no. 185

“Ramadhaan is the month in which the Quran was revealed as a guide for humankind as a criteria to judge right from wrong”

The Quran is a book which was revealed in the month of Ramadhaan as a guide to humankind not only for the Muslims or the Arabs but for the whole of human kinds.

Allah says in Surah ch. no. 39 verse no. 41

“We have revealed the message to thee so that thou may instruct the humankind…”

So to say the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) so that he may instruct the Muslims and the Arabs so that he may instruct the whole of humankind. Yet there are many Muslims who do not want to share the Quran with the non-Muslims thinking what will these non-Muslims understand the Quran, these non-Muslims, these mushriks, these Kaafirs, what will they understand the Quran thinking that they are very superior. Do you know this Quran was revealed 1400 years ago? At that time it was revealed in Arabia, at that time it was known as Yaum-e-Jahiliyah, the days of ignorance, at that time before the Quran was revealed the Arabs were known as the most ignorant people of the world and imagine this Quran has changed the life of these Arabs and made them the torch bearers of the world. So when the Quran could change those people 1400 years ago why can’t the Quran change the non-Muslims of this time. These are not the days of ignorance. History tells us that was known as Yaum-e-Jahiliyah, the days of ignorance.

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Anbiya ch. no. 21 verse no. 107

“Wama Arsalnaka illa Rahmatan lil Aalameen”

That

“We have sent thee not but as a mercy to the whole of humankind, as a mercy to all the creatures, as a mercy to all the worlds”

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not sent only for the Muslims or the Arabs, the last and final messenger was sent for the whole of humankind.

The Quran says in ch. no. 34 [verse 28]

“Wama Arsalnaka illa Kaffatan lilnnas Basheeran wa Nazeeran”

“We have sent thee not but as a universal messenger giving glad tidings and warning them against sin but most of the human beings yet do not know”

So Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was not only for the Muslims or the Arabs, he was sent for the whole of humankind.

We Muslims, we unfortunately want to sit on the Quran like a cobra neither do we read it neither do we want the others to read it. And many of the Muslims, the quote the Quran saying that Quran cannot be given to the non-Muslims because Allah says in the Quran and they quote

Surah Waaq’iah ch. no. 56 verse no. 77 to 80 where it says that

“This is the Quran which is kept in a tablet well preserved who none shall touch except those who are pure, it is from the Lord of the Worlds.”

And many Muslims say that see the Quran says that none shall touch the Quran except those who are pure and the non-Muslim they are najish, they are na-paak, they are unclean that’s the reason these non-Muslims, they cannot touch the Quran.

If you read the Nuzul-e-Quran why were these verses revealed we come to know that the Mushriks and the Kuffaars of Makkah, they laid allegations that this Quran, Na’uzubillah, are the words of the Satan, the words of Shaitaan. Allah revealed this that none can touch…the Arabic word used is Kitaab-e-Maqnoon that means a book well preserved, Kitaab-e-Maqnoon.

This Kitaab-e-Maqnoon does not refer to this Glorious Quran. This book Quran in Arabic, is called as a Mushaf. What the Quran is referring to… if you read cross reference… of

Surah Al Buruj ch. no. 85 verse no. 21 and 22 which says that

“Allah has kept the Quran in a tablet well preserved, in Lawh-e-Mehfooz”

So this Quran was being referred, it is referred to the Lawh-e-Mehfooz, the tablet well preserved, the book well preserved, its not talking about this Quran. Because if it was this Quran and if the Arabic word used, ‘Mutahhireen’, that means that only body cleanliness then any non-Muslim can easily go to the market place and buy a copy of the Quran for 150 rupees, for 200 rupees, for $4, for $5 and the Quran will be proved wrong.

The Mutahireen word used does not refer only to the bodily cleanliness, it refers to a person who is pure at heart, in mind, in soul, a person who is sinless referring to the angels that none will be able to touch the Quran in the tablet well preserved, Lawh-e-Mehfooz except the angels trying to give a reply to the allegation of the Mushriks of Makkah that this Quran was not the words of the Satan. So this verse of the Quran does not indicate that a person should not be pure in body. If he is, it’s good, its Mustahab but its not a must. And furthermore even if it was a requirement imagine even if it was a requirement that if a person’s Shirk can be removed from his life even if you consider this as a small mistake to touch the Quran without Wudu yet removing the Shirk which is the biggest sin in Islam to do a small mistake to remove the biggest sin in Islam, it is yet a very good bargain. But the scholars of Tafseer, they say this verse does not refer and does not indicate that a person should be in Wudu to touch the Quran but being in Wudu is good, it’s Mustahab, Alhamdulillah but not a must.

There are many people, many Muslims who tell me Okay brother Zakir, give the Quran to the non-Muslims but only give the English translation, don’t give the Arabic text or give the Hindi translation, the Urdu translation. I have got no problem if someone only gives the translation of the Quran but I personally prefer giving the Arabic text along with the translation, why? Because the translation is the work of the human being and no human being is perfect as I mentioned earlier that no translation is perfect and if there is a mistake in the translation, it will not be attributed to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) because if we check it up with the Arabic text besides the translation we can easily verify that if there is a mistake in the translation, it is the work of the human being and not of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). So I personally prefer giving along with the translation the Arabic text so that if there is a mistake, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), He’ll not be responsible, it is the responsibility of the translator.

And furthermore if Allah holds me responsible I will be in good company, I will be in the company of the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam), why? Because if we read the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam), he dictated letters to non-Muslim kings in which he dictated verses of the Quran because the Sahabas, he dictated letters to non-Muslim kings in which he dictated verses of the Quran, he sent letters to Negus of Abyssinia, to Emperor Heracules, Emperor of Persia, King of Yemen, King of Egypt.. many of these kings Alhamdulillah, accepted Islam but some of them, they even tore the letter, some of them even trampled it beneath their feet. Imagine! The verses of the Quran dictated by the Prophet, they were torn by these kings and some of them even trampled it beneath the feet and one such letter is available in the Topkapi museum in Turkey in which the Prophet had dictated the verses of

Surah Ale Imran ch. no. 3 verse no. 64 which says

“Qul Ya ‘Ahlal-Kitaab”,

“Say O people of the Book”

“Ta`alaw ‘Ilá Kalimatin Sawa’in Baynana Wa Baynakum”

“Come to common terms as between us and you”

Which is the first term?

“Alla Na`buda ‘Illallah”

“That we worship none but Allah”

“Wa La Nushrika Bihi Shay’an”

“That we associate no partners with him”

“Wa La Yattakhidha Ba`duna Ba`dan ‘Arbaban Min Dunillahi”

“That we erect not among ourselves Lords and Patrons other than Allah.”

“Fa’in Tawallaw”

“If then they turn back”

“Faqulush hadu”

“Say ye bear witness”

“Bi’anna Muslimun”

“That we are Muslims bowing our will to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala)”

This verse of the Quran was dictated to the non-Muslim kings by the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam). It’s yet available in the museum, the Topkapi museum in Turkey.

And I want to ask you the question. Today there are about 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians who are Christians since generations, I am asking you the question which translation of the Quran will you give to these 14 million Coptic Arab Christians? Do you want to translate the Arabic Quran into Arabic again? You will have to give the original text to these Christian Arabs who understand Arabic as a language, Arabic is their mother tongue, which translation will you give? Will you give the Urdu translation? Will you give the English translation; you have to give the original Kalaam of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) in Arabic. That’s the reason I personally prefer along with the translation to give the original Arabic text and the Quran was revealed for the whole of humankind and the last and final messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sent as a messenger to the whole of humankind.

There are many Muslims who say that the Quran is meant to be read with understanding only by the Aalims, only by the scholars. A layman Muslim should not try to understand the Quran, the Quran is meant to be read with understanding only by the Aalims, only by the scholars.

I started my talk by quoting a verse of the Qur’an which is also recited by the Qari in the beginning of the program which occurs in Surah Qamar ch. no. 54 no less than 4 times

Surah Qamar ch. no. 54 verse no. 17 verse no. 22 verse no. 32 and verse no. 40

“Walaqad Yassarnal Qur-ana lilththikri fahal min Muddakirin”

“We have made the Qur’an easy for you to understand and memorize then which of you shall not receive admonition”

Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), our Creator says that We have made the Qur’an easy for you to understand than which of you shall not receive admonition.

Allah says in the Qur’an in several places in several verses including

Surah Baqarah ch. no. 2 verse no. 242

“la’allakum ta’qiloona”

“So that they will understand”

Allah says in Surah Hijr ch. no. 15 verse no. 1

“Alif-lam-ra tilka ayatu alkitabi waqur-anin mubeenin”

That

“Alif laam raa, these are the verses of the Qur’an that make things clear to you.”

So Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) is saying that this Qur’an…We have made is easy for you to understand. Allah says “so that ‘they understand”. Allah says “we have revealed the verses of the Qur’an so that it may make things clear to you” so who will you obey who will you follow…those Muslims who say that the Qur’an was only meant for the scholars to understand it or should we follow the guidance of the Creator, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) that it was made easy for the human beings to understand.

If you don’t understand certain things, Allah says in the Qur’an in

Surah Nahl ch. 16 verse 43 and Surah Ambiya ch. 21 verse no. 7 Allah says:

“That if you do not know ask the person who possess the message ask the person who posses the knowledge that if you do not know anything if you do not posses the message ask the person who is knowledgeable”

For e.g. if the Qur’an speaks about science who will you go and ask? Will you ask the cobbler? Will you ask the barber? You will ask a scientist because a scientist is an expert in the field of science, a scientist is an Aalim in the field of science.

Similarly if the Qur’an speaks about medicine, who will you ask? But natural you will ask the Doctor because the Doctor is an Aalim he is an expert in the field of Medicine. Similarly if you want to know something about Nuzul-e-Qur’an.. Who will you ask? You will ask an Aalim who has gone to Daarul Uloom may be for 7 years for 10 years a person who is expert about the Nuzul-e-Qur’an. So deepening upon what field you want to know you have to ask an expert in that field.

So the Qur’an says that while reading the Qur’an if you have certain problems you can surely very well ask a person who is an expert in that field.

And that reminds me of the example of Professor Keith Moore. There were a group of Arabs who followed the advice given in the Quran in

Surah Nahl ch. 16 verse 43 and Surah Ambiya ch. 21 verse no. 7

“Fas-aloo ahla alththikri in kuntum la Ta’lamoona”

“If you don’t know then ask the person who possess the knowledge”

So these group of Arabs they collected all the material in the Qur’an and the Hadith which speaks about embryology and they presented it to professor Dr. Keith Moore who at that time in the early 80’s 1980 he was one of the persons who was the authority in the field of embryology and he was the head of the department of anatomy in the university of Toronto.

So they presented the translation of the various verses of the Qur’an to professor Keith Moore and they asked him that what are your comments so after going through the translation of the various verses of the Quran and Hadith he said that most of the information given in the Qur’an is in perfect conformity with modern embryology but there are a few verses which I cannot say that they are correct neither can I say that they are wrong because I myself do not know about it and two such verses were the first two verses of the Qur’an to be revealed from

Surah Iqra, Surah Alaq ch. 96 verse no 1-2 which says

“Iqra bi-ismi Rabbika allathee Khalaq

Khalaqa al-insana min Alaq”

“Read, recite and proclaim; in the name of thy lord who created; who created the human beings from something which clings, a leech like substance”.

The Arabic word Alaq means something which clings it even means a congealed Blood it also means a leech like substance.

So Professor Dr. Keith Moore said “I do not know whether the embryo in the initial stages looks like a leech or not”. So he went in his laboratory and under a very powerful microscope he observed the early initial stages of the Embryo and compared it with the photograph of a leech and he was astonished at the striking resemblance. And later on when about 80 questions were asked to him, he said at that time in the early 1980’s that if you would have asked these questions to me 30 years ago, I would not be able to answer more than 50 % because embryology is a new branch of medicine which has developed.

And he is the author of a very famous book ‘The Developing Human’ and whatever additional material he acquired from the Qur’an Hadith he incorporated it in his third edition ‘The Developing Human’ and he got an award for the best medical book written by a single author in that year.

And when I was in my medical college in the 1980’s in the first year of medicine in the subject embryology if we wanted to score high marks we used to refer to ‘The Development Human’ the book written by Professor Dr. Keith Moore.

If we wanted just passing marks we used to refer to the book written by Dr. Indarbir Singh…you know just pass if you want to score high marks then we used to read the book the Developing Human by Professor Keith Moore.

And this book later on was translated into several languages of the world and Professor Keith Moore said that I have no objection in agreeing that this Qur’an, it has to be the word of the Creator Almighty God and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) he has to be the messenger of this God Almighty.

Whenever we purchase an equipment, along with the equipment we get an instruction manual. For e.g. when we purchase a DVD player we get an instructional manual which tells us how the DVD player should be operated if you want you play the DVD put the disk and press the play button if you want to skip…press the skip button if you want to stop …press the stop button don’t drop it from a height it will get damaged…don’t immerse it in water it will get spoilt… all these details are given in the instructional manual whenever we buy an equipment it has an instructional manual and more complicated the machine the more requirement of the instruction manual.

If you allow me to call the human beings a machine I would say it is the most complicated machine on the face of this earth, don’t you think it requires an instructional manual?

The instructional manual for the human beings it is the Glorious Qur’an. The Glorious Qur’an is the last and final instruction manual for the human being. How a human being should lead his or her life is given in the Qur’an.

Imagine if you buy equipment and it is in the language you don’t understand and we know today Japan is very advanced most of the electronic equipments they come from Japan but when we get the instructional manual we get it in the language we understand there maybe a Japanese instructional manual but along with is the English translation, if you buy in India you also get the Hindi translation. So when you want to understand the equipment whether it’s a DVD player, whether it’s a washing machine you read the instructional manual in the language you understand. Don’t you want to read the instructional manual of the human being? What has our Creator, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), what has He mentioned in the last and final instructional manual of the human beings the Glorious Qur’an. We don’t have to get it translated it’s already available.

Previously when automobiles were introduced the first time in India people did not know how to drive, so whenever you purchased a car the company along with the car the company also gave you a driver.

Once a Nawab, a famous Nawab, a very rich man, he buys a car so along with the car, the company also provides the driver. One day in the morning the Nawab Sahab, the rich multi millionaire he tells his driver that “I want to take my Begum Sahiba, I want to take my wife for shopping please get the car ready” the driver replies; “Nawab saheb, the car is not in working condition” Nawab Saheb is very angry….. “put the car back in working condition immediately”. So driver says “To put the car in working condition I require 10 liters of milk, 20 kgs of pure honey, 30 kgs of pure ghee and 40 kgs of rice that also basmati rice” So Nawab Saheb, the rich multi millionaire he gives the driver 10 liters of milk, 20 kgs of pure honey, 30 kgs of pure ghee and 40 kgs of rice that also basmati rice of top quality, the driver gives it to his wife and then the car is in working condition.

I am asking you a question, today, if your driver tells you that to put the car in working condition he requires 10 liters of milk, 20 kgs of pure honey, 30 kgs of pure ghee and 40 kgs of basmati rice…what will you do? What will you do? Will you give it to him? What will you do? You will kick him out of the job. Even though you are not a mechanic, you know how to drive the car you know very well that a car runs on gas and petrol, it does not run on milk, ghee, rice you know very well even tough you are not a mechanic you know the basics, how a car functions.

Similarly today if you know the basic message of our Creator, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) if you know what our Creator, All Mighty God has mentioned in His last and final instruction, Qur’an, no one will take you for a ride, you will understand your deen much easier. No one will make a fool out of you.

There are some people who tell me that brother Zakir see suppose if you are driving a car and you have a temporary…temporary license we say “kacha” license in India, temporary license and if you have an accident the police will give you a small fine but we have a permanent license and if you have an accident the police will give you a bigger fine. Therefore if we don’t read the Qur’an and we don’t understand the Qur’an and if we make any sin, God will punish you less…if you understand the Qur’an and then if you commit a sin then God will give you double punishment…..you know very good logic you know why to understand the Qur’an, you know, behave like a person who has a temporary license and enjoy life you know less punishment.

I told this brother for the sake of argument I agree with you that a person who has a temporary license, a person who has a kacha license if he has an accident maybe the police will fine him with a thousand rupees or a thousand dollars and if a person who has a permanent license, if he has an accident maybe the police will fine him double 2 thousand rupees or 2 thousand dollars……okay I agree with you but the point to be noted is that if a person who has a permanent license in one year the chances he will have an accident is maybe one but a person who has the temporary license who has not learnt driving well, the chances he will have an accident in one year is maybe 50. So at the end of the year the person who has permanent license pays a fine of 1 thousand rupees or 1 thousand dollars and the person who has a temporary license he pays a fine of 50 thousand dollars. A person who has a temporary license pays 1 thousand dollars a person who has a permanent license pays 2 thousand dollars so if he has an accident once a year at the end of the year he pays the fine of 2 thousand dollars and a person who has a temporary license maybe he will have 50 accidents in a year at the end of the year…he pays the fine of 50 thousand dollars or 50 thousand rupees.

There are some Muslims who go to the other extreme who commit excess and they say that reading the Qur’an in Arabic it is not useful.

Allah says in the Qur’an in Surah Nisa ch. no. 4 verse no. 171

“La taghloo fee Deenikum”

“Do not commit excess in your religion”

To say that a person does not benefit by reading only Arabic is wrong. There are various verses in the Qur’an there are various Hadith which talk about the blessing, the Sawaab a person gets even for reading Arabic.

Allah says in the Qur’an in Surah Ankabut ch. no. 29 verse no. 45 that,

“We have revealed the verses of the Qur’an and recite what We have revealed to you”

“Utlu ma oohiya ilayka mina alkitab”

That “Recite what We have revealed to you of the Quran”

And our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said it’s a Hadith in Trimidhi Hadith no. 2910 where the beloved Prophet said that

“Anyone who recites one letter from of the word of Allah the book of Allah he gets one sawaab one hasana and that is multiplied ten fold. And Allah is not one letter Alif is a letter, laam is a letter, haa is a letter. So you get ten..ten..ten.. thirty sawaab”

For e.g. if you recite alif….laam…meem you get ten …ten .. ten.. ten …thirty sawaab and this is confirmed and there is no doubt about it. But the amount of mistakes we make throughout the day, through out the life, the amount of sins we commit are these ten …ten…ten sawaab sufficient to transport you to Jannah? If besides reading in Arabic if we understand in the language we know what Allah has commanded and if we implement the message of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) InshaAllah you will get multiple time sawaab.

And Allah says in the Qur’an in Surah Jumu’ah ch. no. 62 verse no. 5

“The parable of those who were given the obligations of the Mosaic Law”, talking about the Jews, “but they did not fulfill their obligations, is the example of a donkey which carries tons of books but they understand it not”

Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), He chose the Jews and He delivered the message to them but they did not do their duty…. they did not follow the instruction of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) so Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) says they are like donkeys which carry tons of books but they understand it not and Allah says if you do not do your job …if you do not follow the instruction of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala)

Allah says in Surah Muhammad ch. no. 47 verse no. 38 Allah says

“Yastabdil Qawman ghayrakum Summa la yakoono Amsalakum”

“And if you do not do your job Allah will substitute in your place another people

“Summa la yakoono amsalakum”

“And they will not be like you”

We Muslims we very often do Khatm-e-Qur’an you know especially in Ramadan we read the Qur’an once… twice…five times ten times…Alhamdulillah but most of us Muslims even tough we don’t understand Arabic ….we only recite the Arabic Qur’an twice …thrice…I tell them instead of reciting only in Arabic the Qur’an twice and if you don’t understand Arabic recite in Arabic once and the second time read the translation in the language you understand the best, if you English read the English translation of the Qur’an, if you know Urdu read the Urdu translation of the Qur’an…if you know Hindi read the Hindi translation of the Qur’an…if you know German read the German translation of the Qur’an…if you know French read the French translation of the Qur’an…read the translation of the Qur’an in the language you understand the best it will get you more benefit so that you can implement on the guidance of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala).

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said it’s a Hadith mentioned in

Ibn Maajah ch. no. 16 Hadith no. 219 narrated by Abu Darr (may Allah be pleased with him), he said that the Prophet said that

“O Abu Darr!” (may Allah be pleased with him) “It is better that you learn one verse of the Quran rather than pray 100 rakahs of Salaah”

The Prophet said if one verse of the book of Allah, if you learn, if you understand, it is far superior than reading 100 Rakats Salaah and every Rakaat Salaah minimum that you have to recite is Surah Fathia, minimum 7 verses so in 100 Rakaat, minimum verses you’ll recite is 700 verses of the Quran. So according to this Hadith if you learn and understand one verse of the Quran and implement it, it is far superior than reciting 700 verses of the Quran.

When we ask the Muslims that why was the Qur’an revealed many of us say it was revealed for “Qur’an Khaani” you know when we have opening ceremony of a office shop so we recite the Qur’an. When we buy a new house…house warming ceremony we recite the Qur’an. When someone dies then we recite the Qur’an. I do not know of any verse in the Qur’an no Sahih Hadith in which the Prophet or any of the Sahaba they recited the Qur’an for the opening ceremony of the house or the shop or when someone died. And they get a group of people and they recite the Qur’an fast….maybe 30 people each one reciting one Juz. So I tell them that if you really want to do Qur’an khaani instead of that do Qur’an Fehmi, do it on this occasion, no problem, do it once a month do it once a week do it daily when you call 30 people… instead of reciting Arabic 1 Juz along with Arabic even read the translation of that Juz which you have recited. Instead of 30 people call 60 people read half Juz in Arabic, half Juz the translation which you understand the best have Qur’an Fehmi understand the Qur’an understand the message, InshaAllah…InshaAllah, it will get you multiple times more sawaab.

I would like to give you an example, that there was a person an Indian who goes to France to get a Bachelor’s Degree but when he goes to France, the language of instruction was French and this Indian he did not know French so he used to attend the classes religiously, regularly. Whenever he used to attend, he used to get a ‘P’. P is for present, full year he attends the class but the instruction is in French which he does not understand it. After one year, he appears for the examination, the question paper is in French but yet he gets a ‘P’. P is not for pass, P is for present but just by being present do you think he will pass in the examination?, he does not understand a word. May be because he knows English… like how many of us we know Urdu script so we can recite the Quran so he can read some of the French without understanding because the script of English and French is the same. Do you think, he will pass in the examination? He gets a P, P is for present but not for pass. That’s the reason, it’s very important that we read the Quran with understanding.

Muslims, we give respect to the Quran Alhumdulillah but many of us they go beyond the limit, they give so much respect that they forget for what purpose the Qur’an was revealed. You know we keep the Qur’an on the top most shelves, Alhamdulillah, they keep it so much on top that it’s difficult to reach and the Qur’an catches dust.

The Qur’an is a book of guide…it’s a guide book.. you know, suppose you are studying….the guide book is normally at a shelf which is reachable, you know, it’s kept at a shelf which you can reach the easiest you wont keep it on top where it is difficult…to get a stool to get it down. So Qur’an is a book which should be referred everyday …it should be handy.

And many of us Muslims, you know, we tie the Qur’an is a pure silk cloth and then we tie a knot on it. Suppose if you want to read the Qur’an you start thinking … okay 5 minutes to open the Qur’an…5 minutes again to tie the Qur’an…10 minutes the thought of you opening the Qur’an and again tying it will be a deterrent and if you have ten minutes “das minute abhi kholne mein or bandhne mein hi jayenge” if you have 10 minutes time you know to open the Qur’an… close…10 minutes so better not to read the Qur’an.

See we have to respect the Qur’an but the main respect is in the heart I’m not against keeping the Qur’an on top don’t get me wrong… but see to it that it is accessible… it’s easily available for guidance.

You know many of us Muslims before touching the Qur’an we scrutinize a thousand things as though it’s an RDX bomb “Qur’an! Wearing shoes, can I touch the Qur’an? Can I read the Qur’an while standing? Can I read it in the Qur’an in office? All these things, they prevent you from reading the Qur’an.. We scrutinize the Qur’an as though it’s an RDX bomb going to explode. The Qur’an is a book of guidance that’s the reason many of us Indians object to the Arabs, MashaAllah, they treat the Qur’an they give respect but as tough it’s a guide it’s available, we Muslims keep it on top most shelf you know in India it’s catching dust and rarely will we find people when they have 5 minutes …10 minutes, they refer to the Qur’an because it is you know … we have to have that frame of that mind and then we have to see 10 things.. we cant have shoes? And we can’t stand and we have to have a hat over your head etc. etc. see many things are good but don’t make life so difficult that the main purpose of the Qur’an is for guidance is defeated.

And very often if you go to the gulf countries many of the Arab when they come for Salaah few minutes before you find them taking the Qur’an and reading. In India rarely will you find that and suppose someone is reading in the first row and someone takes the Qur’an and reads in the second row there will be a person who will object “how can you read the Qur’an in the second row? The back is facing the Qur’an… ‘HARAM’” KHALLAS!

And if you have to sit in the mosque and suppose at your home or in the mosque if by mistake if you happen to read the Qur’an while your back facing Qiblah…. Khallas… you get Fatwa, Haraam! You know you can’t read the Qur’an with your back facing the Qiblah, back facing the Kabah.

I’ve been to Haram several times in Makkah several times you know they have this Taalimul Qur’an they have this Hifz classes you know and the students they sit in rows many of the backs face the Qur’an of the other student whose carrying a Qur’an in the hand …and many a times the teacher is facing the Kaabah and the students back are facing the Kaabah. So where do they get this from…which verse of the Qur’an from which Hadith I don’t know…

So we have to love the Qur’an we have to respect but we have to know that the main reason the Qur’an was revealed was for hidaayah, was for guidance.

Once there was an Indian Imaam, very good Qaari he went to Saudi Arabia and because he was famous it was Magrib time so they told the Qaari they told the Imaam…”Imaam you lead the Salaah” So the Indian Imam… he goes and he leads the Salaah for Magrib… he recites and he finishes the Salaah and when he finishes the Salaah one Saudi smiles at him. So then he asks that what’s the problem was there any problem in my Qiraat so the Saudi told him “No your Qiraat was wonderful I was only wondering that when you recited Surah Yusuf, you put Yusuf (Alaihe Salaam) in the well but before you completed the Salaah why didn’t you get him out of the well” This anecdote would be understood only by those people who read the Qur’an with understanding…those who don’t read the Qur’an with understanding will not be able to understand the anecdote.

The Saudi was telling him if you read Surah Yusuf, it speaks about the story of the story of Yusuf (Alaihe Salaam) that how he was betrayed by his brother and his brother put him in the well and later a caravan comes and Yusuf (Alaihe Salaam) got out from well. So the Saudi tells him that you recited very well but in your Salaah you put Yusuf (Alaihe Salaam) in the well but at least before ending the Salaah you should at least brought him our of the well.

That means we start the Surah from anywhere and we end it anywhere without realizing have we completed the meaning or not.

We Muslims, we have several excuses for not reading Qur’an with understanding and we always give excuses for not reading.

We have the time to read books volumes, memorize them but the Glorious Qur’an which is the last and final revelation from Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), unfortunately, we didn’t take out time to read the message of our creator Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala).

Allah says in the Qur’an in Surah Muhammad ch. no. 47 verse No. 24, Allah says

“Afala Yatadabbaroona alQur-an”

“Do they not ponder over Qur’an or are their hearts locked up”

Allah is saying that don’t you ponder the verses of the Qur’an or are your hearts locked up.

Allah Says in Surah Baqarah, Ch. No. 2 verse No. 159 that

“Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), when He makes the signs clear after it has been revealed to you and make the guidance clear and if you conceal them, Allah’s curse is on you”

Allah says “Those who conceal the Signs after it’s made clear to you and the guidance after it is given to you, Allah’s curse is on such people”

Allah says in Surah Furqaan ch. No. 25 Verse No. 30

Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam), he says that, “these are my people who took the Qur’an for foolish non sense.”

Imagine the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) saying that these are my people who took the Qur’an for foolish non sense but natural the context of the verse is talking about the Munafiq, ‘Utbah’. But unfortunately today we have Muslims who yet, take the Qur’an for foolish non sense, ‘Na’uzubillah’.

The Qur’an was revealed as guidance for whole of humanity.

And we read the Qur’an there are two types of reading. One is called ‘Tazakkur-e-Qur’an’ and the other is ‘Tadabbur-e-Qur’an’.

Tazakkur-e-Qur’an is reading the Qur’an and understanding the meaning superficially which can be very well done by reading the translation of the Qur’an as well as the Arabic.

The other is ‘Tadabbur-e-Quran’ is pondering over the meaning of the Qur’an. Thinking over the meaning of the Qur’an. This if you read the translation it can be done to certain level but if you know Arabic as language it is the best.

Tadabbur-e-Quran can be done much better by knowing Arabic as a language a person can say that he has done ‘Tazakkur-e-Qur’an’ he has read the Qur’an but no one can say that he has finished doing ‘Tadabbur-e-Qur’an’, he has finished pondering over all the verses of the Qur’an because the Qur’an is beautiful, it is unlike any other book that you read once, its finished. If it’s a very good book you read it twice, thrice, that’s it. Quran even if you read it a thousand times, the thousand and first time you read, you get more guidance. Every verse of the Quran, it has different angles to look at, the words of the Quran are fantastic. That’s the reason; no human being can say that I have finished pondering over the verses of the Quran. You can do Tazakkur-e-Quran but Tadabbur-e-Quran, the more you read, the more you ponder, the more you understand, InshaAllah, the more will you implement.

Every Muslim home should have a copy of the Qur’an and if don’t understand Arabic, they should have the translation of the Qur’an in the language they understand the best.

This Qur’an is the best gift you can give to any human being irrespective whether he is Muslim or non Muslim. Irrespective whether the person you are giving the gift to is rich or poor, whether it’s a Nikaah or whether it’s a house warming ceremony. The best gift you can give the most invaluable gift is the copy of the Glorious Qur’an. And if the person doesn’t understand Arabic give the translation of the Glorious Qur’an in the language he understands the best.

The best gift you can give to your child is the Qur’an. Many of us Muslims we send our children to learn how to recite the Qur’an, some of them ‘Hafiz-e-Qur’an’ but very few non Arabs they make their children and they educate their children in the language of Arabic. So that they can understand the Qur’an directly, very few, the best gift you can give to your child is, the gift of the Qur’an.

Most of us including myself we were unfortunate that our parents did not think it important that we should learn Arabic as a language when we were children. Don’t make that same mistake, see to it that you teach your children Arabic as a language. It is the best gift you can give to your children; it is the best degree you can give, believe me, all the other degrees of colleges, universities it may or may not help him in this world. In the Aakhirah if it does not get him to closer to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) it is useless. But if you give the gift of the Qur’an, if you give the gift of the language of Arabic, InshaAllah… because our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said that

“When a person dies three things yet get him Sawaab-e-Jaariyaa. One is what he has spent in the way of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) number two the knowledge that he spreads in the way of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and number three pious children who pray for him.”

So the best gift you can give to your children is the gift of the Qur’an…it is a guide for his full life.

And if you make it a habit that we read the Qur’an daily whichever time you feel is the best lets daily have a family gathering, mother and father along with the children and recite depending upon the time available, may be two Rukoo, three Rukoo Arabic along with the translation you understand the best. If every day you read the Quran with understanding it will change your life.

And I also tell all the Muslim businessmen that make it compulsory for your employees to read the Qur’an daily. In Islamic Research Foundation, MashaAllah, we have more than 400 employees in all the organization. Alhamdulillah. It’s compulsory every day when they come the first thing when they swipe their card or they put their thumb print you know the new machines… thumb print and the attendance chip takes the attendance.. Ok… this is so and so he come to the office at 10 O’clock. The first thing he has to do is read at lest for 15 minutes at least one Rukoo, two Rukoo of the Qur’an along with the translation in the language he understands the best. Some people will think 15 minutes every day, six days a week, twelve month in a year, 400 employees… calculate… lakhs of rupees gone down the drain every month. Believe me; it will benefit you when your employees when they read the Qur’an along with the translation they will work better for you. They will learn honesty, they will come on straight path irrespective whether your employee is Muslim or non Muslim he will get Hidayaa. In our organization, it’s compulsory that you should read the Qur’an along with the translation every day, compulsory. I request that all the businessmen here who have got businesses and employees see to it you implement it in your business place also, InshaAllah, it will benefit you.

And there are various different ways you can read the Qur’an from first page to last page see to it you complete it. At times you may want to read it via the index you want to read what the Qur’an speaks about women, what does the Qur’an speaks about heaven, what does the Qur’an speaks about the angels, topic wise or you open the Qur’an and read whatever comes there are various ways. But see to it that you daily read the Qur’an and even regularly reading from cover to cover is very important.

And since the talk is in English there are, MashaAllah, more than 50 different English translations of the Qur’an, more than 50 and in our organization we have more than 50 different languages in which the Qur’an has been translated…much more than that in our organization we have more than 50 different languages.

In the English translation the one that I recommend best is by Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Amongst all the translations that I have read.. I feel this is the most comprehensive and he took approximately 40 years to write the translation and though his English is a bit Archaic means Biblical ‘ye’ ‘thee’ ‘thou’ but it is more closer to Arabic in normal English when you say ‘you’ it’s the same. In Arabic you know for ‘you’ for female is different for male is different, singular is different, dual is different, plural is different 6 types ‘anta’ ‘anti’ you know all in English one ‘you’ whether it is a male single or female single…male dual or female dual, male multiple or female multiple all six is same … ‘you’ short cut. So this Archaic English is more closer but it may be difficult for the modern people to understand but there are other people who have made it easy but Abdullah Yusuf Ali over all I feel…the commentary that he has given and the foot notes and the index topic wise I recommend for a non-Muslims as well as a Muslim this is one of the good English translation available.

The other one is the Sahih International which has been translated a few years back by three American revert sisters and the English is more simple and it is more modern.

The other translation is the Noble Qur’an by Taqi ud din Hilaali and Dr. Mohsin Khan but this I would not recommend it to be given to non-Muslims. Muslims fine because there are too many brackets in the foot notes there are many Hadith you know Bukhari…Muslim which is good for the Muslims but there are so many brackets that you fail to realize who is saying that Allah or the person who has translated so if you give footnotes no problem but if you give too many brackets you fail to realize, is this message from translator or from Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) so that’s the reason it is good for references…Bukhari…Muslim Sahih Hadith but for a non-Muslim I personally don’t advice you to give that.

The other fourth translation which is good is by Maulana Abdul Majeed Daryabadi, it’s good for comparative religion he gives references from the Bible, he gives references from the Hindu Scriptures, it’s available in four volumes.

The other one is Marmaduke Pickthall, Mohammad Marmaduke Pickthall, he was a Britisher even that translation is good but it doesn’t have any commentary.

The other one good is by Muhammad Asad. Muhammad Asad, his translation is good, he quotes very often Zamakhshari and he gives root words of Arabic but you have to be careful because Zamakhshari is a logical Tafseer but sometimes it deviates from the Sahih Hadith, so you have to be careful.

I normally prefer translations which are directly done from Arabic into that language. So English translations translated directly from Arabic to English are the best there are other translations which are translated from Arabic to Urdu and then English like Maulana Maududi….Daawatul Qur’an by Shams Peerzaada they are good but their chances of error is more because someone translates from Arabic to Urdu then from Urdu to English and that’s what happened with Maulana Maududi’s translation and the second edition the second translation done by Zafar Ishaq Ansari is far better. So this was just a few translations which is named.

There are other by T.B. Irving. T.B. Irving is a translation more of American English and there are several other translations.

Before I end my talk I’d like to give the message which Allah says in the Qur’an in

Surah Hashr ch. no. 59 verse no. 21 Allah says that

“Had this Qur’an be revealed on the mountain it would have surely fallen down in utter ruin”

That means if the Qur’an would have been revealed on a mountain and if the mountain had feelings, the mountain would have tumbled down and would have come down to pieces but to us Muslims it makes no difference…why? Because you don’t understand it. Allah says that if the mountains …you know mountain is a sign of power of something which is hard like a rock… if the Qur’an would have been revealed on a mountain…the mountain would have fallen down to utter ruin but it makes no difference to us.

We Muslims, we have to read the Qur’an with understanding and we Muslims if we see back to the history. We Muslims we were on top of the world today we Muslims are on the receiving end…why? The reason previously we were on top of the world was because we were close to Qur’an and Sahih Hadith and today we are on the receiving end is because we have gone far away from our religious scriptures… far away from Qur’an and Sunnah… if we get back close to the Qur’an and Sunnah, InshaAllah, we Muslims would again become the torch bearers of the worlds.

I would like to end my speech with the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) which is mentioned in Sahih Bukhari Hadith no. 5027 of Bukhari in the old edition vol. no. 6 Hadith no. 545

where Hazrat Usman (may Allah be pleased with him) said that our beloved Prophet (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said;

“Khairakum min ta’laa min Qur’aana wa allamal”

That

“Best amongst you are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it to the others.”

Wa Aakhiru Da’waana Anil Hamdu Lillahi Rabbil Aalameen!

Al-Qur’an should it be read with understanding?

(Somaya ground 2009)

Mohammad Naik: Jazakamullah Khair, Dr. Zakir Naik for your vital and emphatic speech on reading Al Quran with understanding. Jazakamullah Khair, May Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), God All Mighty reward all of you with His blessings for your earnest and attentive listening to the talk. I am certain the same would continue in the, InshaAllah, more interesting session, the question and answer session.

Your session, your opportunity to cross question Dr. Zakir Naik. Your opportunity to ask for clarifications on what has been spoken and any other question you may have on the topic. To derive more measure, more mileage in the available time that we have, you need to follow the following rules. Kindly note…

One, your question should be on the topic ‘Al Quran – Should it be read with understanding?’ only. Only on the topic, if you have general questions tomorrow, InshaAllah, we have the ‘Ask Dr. Zakir’ an open exclusively open Question – Answer Session, reserve those question for tomorrow, not for today.

Second point, your question should be brief and to the point preferably framed in 1 to 5 sentences, this is question time for you, not a lecture or a thesis discussion time. Please note.

Third point, your question should be only one at a time, for your second question you need to go back at the queue and line up again and await your chance.

We have three mikes arranged in this open ground, two for gents, one close to me in front of the gents section for the gents, the second question mike for the gents is in the rare section of the gents. We have the third mike in the ladies section in front of the ladies seating for the ladies to put forward their question on.

Non-Muslims would be given first question to put forward their questions. Volunteers at the mikes are requested to kindly ensure that the same is implemented firmly and kindly.

Kindly state your name and profession before putting forward your question to Dr. Zakir. May we have the first question on the mike number 1.

Questioner: Dr. Zakir…

Mohammad Naik: Your name and profession please first?

Questioner: Vinod Shah is my name, I am professional by spiritual healer. I am doing aura photography and physic surgery… surgery without cut, this is exactly the spiritual science we can say medical science is the science of medicine and the spiritual science is the science of human body, its the body, mind and soul what we say is Rooh or soul. Science is of a God power once the person developed the spiritual power by Saadna or whatever the prayers, spiritual prayers or whatever the Namaz or whatever we are doing and it will develop the spiritual ability to heal others. This is the difference between the ordinary human being and a super human being, what we say. And the science of this energy, invisible energy. Now there is a two type of things which exist in human being one is visible physical body and another is his soul body, Rooh. So now the science of the Rooh, soul body, is 99% and science of the body is 1%. Today what we are practicing is the medical science is a science of medicine and not the science of human body. And purpose of any religion is to keep human body healthy throughout the life and achieve the final goal of the life. So understand this science of this invisible power… God power…

Mohammad Naik: Sir, sir, sir… sir.. sir, can we have your question without a background so that.. just you can have your background in 2-3 sentences then your question.

Questioner: Ya…

Mohammad Naik: Please sir…

Questioner: If.. if we follow the path of religion, any religion or Quran we can keep ourselves healthy throughout the life, if we don’t get any disease in the body…

Dr. Zakir: Brother asked a question that he is a spiritual healer and he heals things without cut, without using a knife and treats patients etc. talking about spirituality healing of the body, healing of the soul. Basically brother, as far as spiritual healing is concerned, there is something like true spiritual healing and something which is like a deceit… there is a world of difference in that. We do have many spiritual healing in public done by missionaries and I have attended some of their programs, Christian missionaries and they a person and they get him on the stage and the person is lame and he starts walking, a person is blind, he starts seeing and we find many and I don’t know whether you have seen, I have seen many documentaries which have tried to expose, how they do it, how they do it. And in our Islamic Research Foundation, ours is a research organization on Islam and Comparative religion and we try and collect material dealing with such things. There are many documentaries which show that how they do it, how they make a fool of the public.

For example, they show a person that there is a person lame sitting in the audience, the healer goes and picks up the stick “In the name of Jesus, start running” and the person starts running but the person who starts running is the person who was sitting on the right, the person who was lame was sitting on the left. So what we realize that all these are pre-planned. You know, these are pre-planned what I tell them that really if you are a spiritual healer you come to the hospital, you know, I am a medical doctor, I tell them come to my hospital direct, readymade, if you treat the full family will convert. So if you are a spiritual healer and if really it’s the truth we require hundreds of people like you, we don’t want to have all these government hospitals you know Nair hospital, Sion hospital, KEM Hospital, we’ll employ you. So what we have to realize that is it the truth or not.

Yes there are some things like spiritual like for example the Quran says that the verses of the Quran can be used for healing but what you have to realize in Islam the person to heal is Huas Shafi, it is He who heals. If anyone says, I heal, it is non-sense, it is All Mighty God who heals whether through a doctor but doing this surgery without knife… fine there is laser technology but surely you aren’t using laser technology. Are you using laser technology?

Questioner: see.. I am

Dr. Zakir: Are you… so what I am trying to say that the spiritual thing that you are talking about…

Questioner: Yes…

Dr. Zakir: I being a medical doctor coming from medical background if it was true we would have learnt in medical 1st year that there is this method so we would prefer having more of such people than spending 5 and a half years there. So what I am trying to say that most of these things what people talk about spiritual healing, it is more of a big farce, it is trying to make fast buck, fast money but.. but.. but there is All Mighty God, MashaAllah, there are verses of the Quran which can get peace for you in your mind which can treat you, there are certain diseases which science cannot understand .. beyond science understanding there may be but what we see today mostly in these spiritually healing sessions in vast gathering according to me it is nothing but a gimmick and all these people who heal, I would like to invite you brother lets tomorrow go to Sion hospital, fine. And you heal the people better have you than have 50 doctors..

Questioner: Healing, generally, what we say is healing, healing is not for the curing the disease what occurred in the body but if you treat your mind and soul body you will never get the disease throughout the life so preventive care, what we do day-to-day prayer, Namaz and whatever we do it properly you will never get a health problem and if you understand the science behind it, it is a science of God power and how to use God-power in our day-to-day life what is relation of God-power with human body. So if you understand that science totally which is 99% of human health, medical science has not understood the mind and soul science, because it is western science this is the science of body only. And it is the 1 % of total knowledge, 99% knowledge is the mind and soul knowledge which is a secret knowledge lost from India and today what I am also a science student, I gave up my religion Jainism by going to the temples and other things for 20 years after learning this science and when I came to know in 92 about this spiritual healing about Reki and Prani killing which has came from the foreign means foreign people are teaching our own science in India.. the science which was there in 5000 years in India, Vedic science, Jainism whatever that is lost because western science has taken over charge of our human body and human health and this science was discovered to kill virus and bacteria only…

Dr. Zakir: I have understood your question brother..

Questioner: It is chemical poison

Dr. Zakir: Brother this is a question-answer time not a speech time. So we have got your question. You are saying that if you know this spiritual healing you will never get the disease of the body, I disagree with you. Yes if you do practice there may be on certain occasion where there are less chances that you may acquire diseases but if you say that you will never get diseases, I disagree with you, I disagree with you. What you have to realize that I do know that there are certain… for example you spoke about Namaz, I can a give a talk on the scientific benefits of Salaah, I can give a talk of 1 hour on the scientific benefits of Salaah for example, the best part of Salaah is the Sujood. Now when you do Sujood you put the highest part of the body, the forehead, on the lowest part of the ground and when we do that what we find that there is more supply of the blood going to the brain that makes a healthy brain there are less chances of having chilblains i.e. the diseases of the skin of the face. When you are doing Sujood there is drainage of the bronchial tree, so less chances of having bronchial diseases.

Now when we breathe normally, when we breathe normally 1/3rd of the air in the lungs remains, it’s called as residual air. When you breathe in the Sujood, the abdominal viscera, they press against the diaphragm and the diaphragm, it exhales out the residual air so you breathe in more fresh air so because you breathe in more fresh air there is less residual air the chances your lung will be healthy is far superior, less chances of having lung diseases.

Furthermore there is more increase in the venus return of abdominal viscera, there is less chances of having piles. When you get up from the position of Sajda, when you stand up there is more stress of the calf muscles and the calf muscles according to medical science they are known as peripheral heart. It pumps the blood to the lower party of the body. I can go on and on giving references how does Salaah benefit but.. but we Muslims, we don’t pray Salaah for all these benefits, we pray because we thank Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). These medical benefits are side dishes, dessert, our main dish, Biryani, is because we thank Allah and we worship Him. These medical benefits may inspire a non-Muslim, he may come closer to Islam, it will keep you healthy but mainly, it is to thank Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) because we worship Him. It is not because we want to do exercise, these are extra benefits, side dishes but even I have read about other religions about Vedic and all, some I do agree do have some benefits but to say that if you do this you will never get any disease, I disagree with it and it has not been proven by science at all. And as for the non-Muslims if they would like to ask any question even outside the topic, if he or she is a non-Muslim, you are most welcome to ask questions even outside the topic. Hope that answers the question brother.

Mohammad Naik: May we have the next question from the brother in the rare.

Questioner: Salaamu Alaikum Sir. My name is S.K. Randarne, Deputy Engineer, Government of Maharashtra, Water supply Department. Mein non-Islamic hoon. Mere Questions are why the religions are created in the world? Why the number of religions in the world? Iss mein ek sentence likha hai, Peace TV ke neeche ‘Peace the Solution for Humanity’, mera iss mein rai hai ke peace ke liye knowledge aur wisdom chaiye. Thanks sir.

Dr. Zakir: Brother’s asked a question that why are there so many religions, is the first question and after that he made a comment that ‘Peace the Solution for Humanity’, the tag line of Peace TV, for peace you require knowledge and wisdom and I do agree with you.

As far as the first part of the question is concerned that why are there so many religions, if you realize that All Mighty God, our Creator, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) has sent only one religion.

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Ale Imran ch. no. 3 verse no. 19

“Innad deena indallahil Islam”

The only religion, the only way of life acceptable in the sight of God is submitting your will to God.

So All Mighty God only sent down one religion. And all the messengers that came right from Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad (peace be upon them all), all of them taught nothing but submitting your will to All Mighty God. Now in Arabic when a person submits his will to All Mighty God, he is called as a Muslim and the religion of Islam comes from the root word Salaam which means peace, its also derived from the Arabic word ‘Silm’ which means to submit your will to All Mighty God so Islam in short means peace acquired by submitting your will to All Mighty God. So All Mighty God, our Creator, got only one religion but by the passage of time the scriptures kept on getting changed, there was interpolation, there was fabrication and whenever the scriptures kept on changing as Allah says in the Quran in

Surah Baqarah ch. no. 2 verse no. 79

“Fawaylun lillatheena yaktuboona alkitaba bi-aydeehim thumma yaqooloona hatha min indillah liyashtaroo bihi thamanan qaleelan fawaylun lahum mimma katabat aydeehim wawaylun lahum mimma yaksiboon”

“Woe to those who write the book with their own hands and then say this is from Allah to traffic with it for a miserable price, woe to those for what they write; woe to those for what they earn”

Now whenever All Mighty God sent a revelation, sent an instruction manual, in the passage of time the instruction manual, the revelation of All Mighty God changed. Now when the message got corrupted, All Mighty God sent a new messenger and a new message. This kept on happening until All Mighty God sent the last and final messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and last and final message i.e. the Glorious Quran.

All the messengers that came previously… our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said that All Mighty God sent hundred and twenty four thousand messengers on the face of the earth. By name only 25 are mentioned in the Quran. The others we don’t know. May be.. someone asked me that can you consider you coming from a Hindu background if you ask me can you consider ‘Ram’ as the messenger of God? Or can you consider Shri Krishna to be the messenger of God? I say since his name is not mentioned in the Quran or the Hadith I don’t know may be he was, may be he was not. I cannot say for sure.

But the point to be noted, all the messengers that came before Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) they were only sent for those people and for that time so even if Ram was a messenger of God, even if Krishna was a messenger of God, he was sent for those people and for that time. Today all the human beings irrespective whether they live in India or in America or Saudi Arabia or Canada or UK, any part of the world, they should follow the last and final messenger Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) and last and final message, that’s the glorious Quran.

And Allah has taken a promise in Surah Hijr ch. no. 15 verse no. 9 that

“We have revealed the Quran and We shall guard it from corruption”

So All Mighty God sent only one religion i.e. submitting your will to God. Islam means ‘peace acquired by submitting your will to God’. And you said that peace can be acquired by knowledge and wisdom, yes. Knowledge from whom? The best is who? Is All Mighty God, our Creator. Who is the most wise, Al Haqeem? It is Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala), All Mighty God. So the best peace can be given to you is by following the knowledge and guidance of our Creator Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). Hope that answers the question.

Questioner: Thank you.

Mohammad Naik: Yes sister..

Questioner: Good Evening, Sir. My name is Manju Singh, I would like to ask you one question, first of all that I would like to tell you something that I have seen your videos that in Hinduism – Similarities with Islam so I would like to ask you that what is the difference if any non-Muslim will read, with understand the Vedas or he or she should read with understand of Al Quran? So it is necessary that all the non-Muslims go with that Al Quran?

Dr. Zakir: Sister’s asked a very good question that what is the importance of reading the Veda with understanding like how I gave a talk on ‘Al Quran – Should it be read with Understanding?’ and this sister has seen my video cassette, the DVD on ‘Similarities between Islam and Hinduism’; and sister towards the end of my talk, I told and I requested the Government of India, I said that you should teach Sanskrit as a language. Unfortunately, Sanskrit has become a dead language only a handful of people know. I requested the government of India that teach Sanskrit so that the Hindus read the Veda and when they read the Veda, they will come closer to All Mighty God. When you read the Hindu scriptures, the Hindu Scriptures says, if you read the Upanishad, it is mentioned in

Chandogya Upanishad ch. no. 6, Sec. no. 2, verse no. 1

“Ekam Eviditiyam”

“God is only one without a second.”

Its mentioned in Svetashvatara Upanishad ch. no. 6 verse no. 9

“Na casya kascij janita na cadhipah”

“Of that God, He has got no superior, He has got no parents”

All Mighty God has got no father, he has got no mother. It’s mentioned in

Svetasvatara Upanishad ch. no. 4 verse no. 19

“Na tasya pratima asti”

Of that God there is no pratima. Pratima in Sanskrit means image, photograph, picture, painting, sculpture, idol according to

Svetasvatara Upanishad ch. no. 4 verse no. 19, it says

“Na tasya pratima asti”

Of that God there is no image, there is no picture, there is no painting, there is no portrait, there is no sculpture, there is no statue, there is no idol.

Same thing Yajurveda ch. no. 32 verse no. 3

“Natasya Pratima Asti”

Of that God there is no image.

So I am asking you sister that if you read your Hindu scripture with understanding not only chanting the verses, InshaAllah, you will come closer to God and InshaAllah, you will submit your will to God. And if you read your Hindu scriptures, it’s mentioned in the Hindu scriptures, I can give hundreds of references, it talks about the coming of the last and final messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

If you read the Bavishya Purana Parv 3 Khand 3 Adhyay 3 Shloka no. 5 to 8, it speaks about Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam)

It’s mentioned in Bhavishya Purana Parv 3 Khand 3 Adhyay 3 Shlokas 10 to 27 about the coming of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam)

It’s mentioned in AtharvaVeda in Kuntab Sukta in Book no. 20 Hymn no. 127 verse no. 1 to 14

He is prophesized in Atharvaveda Book no. 20 Hymn no. 21 verse no. 6

And only references I can keep on giving in which is mentioned about Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam). He is mentioned as Ahmad. Ahmad means one who praises. And he is mentioned in several places if you read

Uttarachika Mantra no. 1500, it speaks about Ahmad, Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam).

If you read Indra ch. no. 2 verse no. 152, it speaks about Ahmad

If you read Yajurveda ch. no. 31 verse no. 19, it speaks about Ahmad.

He is also prophesied as ‘Narashansa’, Nar means man, Shansa means praiseworthy. Narashansa means a person who is praiseworthy, if you translate into Arabic, it is Mohammad. So Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) is also mentioned by name as Narashansa in several places,

In Rigveda Book no. 1 Hymn no. 13 Mantra no. 3,

In Rigveda Book no. 1 Hymn no. 18 verse no. 9,

In Rigveda Book no. 2 Hymn no. 3 verse no. 2

In Rigveda Book no. 7 Hymn no. 2 verse no. 2

In Yajurveda ch. no. 20 verse no. 37

Yajurveda ch. no. 20 verse no. 57

Yajurveda ch. no. 21 verse no. 31

Yajurveda ch. no. 28 verse no. 19

I can go on quoting only references from the Hindu scriptures about the coming of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam).

So sister if you understand Sanskrit and if you read the Sanskrit scriptures, if you read the scripture you will understand that you should submit your will only to God, He has got no image, He has got no portrait and you have to follow the last and final messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Hope that answers the question sister.

Questioner: Thank you.

Mohammad Naik: The next question from any brother? If there is a non-Muslim brother here, we’ll allow or on the next mike there’s someone. Is there any non-Muslim brother here? We’ll allow on the next mike. yes brother…

Questioner: Sir, I am asking on the behalf of a non-Muslim brother..

Mohammad Naik: okay we will allow that.

Questioner: Sir, he is like an atheist. He doesn’t believe in God and what he says that we don’t believe in Quran and you should not believe in God. Why in this 21st centaury you are believing in All Mighty God, this is modern era, the science technology is that much higher then why should you believe in God, you should not believe in God, you should do what is better for human beings. Thank you.

Dr. Zakir: The brother’s asked a question on behalf of his friend who is an atheist that why believe in God in this age of science and technology, you know, be a good human being. Brother the first thing I will do is that I will congratulate your friend, why? Because most of the human beings unfortunately, they are doing blind belief, he is a Hindu because his father is a Hindu, he is a Christian because his father is a Christian. Some people are Muslims because the father is a Muslim. This fried of yours Atheist is thinking, he may be coming from a religious background but he may not agree that the god which his parents worship, they are worth being called as God. So the reason I congratulate him is because he has said the first part of the Islamic Shahadah ‘La ilaa ha’ ‘there is no god’. The only thing I have to do is prove to you ‘ill Allah’ but Allah which I shall do InshaAllah.

So this person… half my job is done. To the other non-Muslim first I have to prove to him that the God he is worshiping is false god. And then prove to him about true Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). This non-Muslim who is an atheist, half my job is done. He’s already said the first part of the Islamic Shahadah ‘La ila ha’ there is no god’, the only thing I have to do is ‘ill Allah’ but Allah which I shall do InshaAllah.

Now since you said that your friend believes in science and technology and the world is advancing, I will ask the atheist a question that suppose an equipment is brought in front of him who no one in the world has ever seen and if the question is asked to your friend.

That who will be the first person who will be able to tell you the mechanism of this equipment who no one in the world has ever seen who is the first person?

And the reply he will give, he may say that the manufacturer or he may say the inventor or he may say the creator or he may say the maker. Whatever he says it will be somewhat similar either creator either maker, manufacturer, inventor whatever it is, it will be similar. And the second person is who ever the creator, the manufacturer has told, he will be the second person. But the first person would be, the creator the manufacturer, the inventor. Keep this answer at the back of your mind and ask him the next question that

How did our universe come into existence?

So he will tell you that you know today science has advanced and we have come to know that our universe was once a primary nebula then there was a big-bang, there was a secondary separation which gave rise to galaxies, the stars, the sun, the moon and the earth on which we live.

When did you come to know this?

So he will tell you it was in 1973 when a group of scientists, they described the big-bang and the creation of the universe. So you tell him what you came to know hardly about 35, 36 years back is already mentioned in the Quran 1400 years ago in

Surah Anbiya ch. no. 21 verse no. 30 where it says

“Awalam Yaral Ladhina Kafaru”

“Do not the unbelievers see”

“Annas Samawati Wal ‘Arda Kaanata Ratqan Fafataqnahuma”

“That the heavens and the earth were joined together and we clove them asunder.”

Who could have mentioned this in the Quran 1400 years ago?

So the atheist may say, may be it was a fluke. Don’t argue, continue. Ask him the next question…

What is the shape of the earth?

So he will tell you that previously the human beings thought that the earth that we live on is flat, it was in 1579 when Sir Francis Drake when he sailed around the Earth, he proved that the earth is spherical. You came to know in 1579 hardly 400 years back, Quran mentions 1400 years ago.

It’s mentioned in the Quran in Surah Naziyaat ch. no. 79 verse no. 30

“Wal arda ba’da Zalika Dahaha”

“And thereafter We have made the earth egg-shaped”

‘Dahaha’ one of it meaning is expanse and the earth is an expanse. The other meaning is derived from the Arabic word ‘Duhiyah’ which means an egg. And it does not refer to a normal egg and we know today that the world is not completely round like a ball, it is flattened from the poles. It is geo-spherical in shape. And the Arabic word Dahaha doesn’t refer to a normal egg, it especially refers to the egg of an ostrich. And if you analyze the shape of an egg of an ostrich, that too is geo-spherical in shape. Imagine! The Quran speaks about the geo-spherical shape of the earth 1400 years ago.

You ask your friend, who could have mentioned this in the Quran?

He will say “O may be your Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) he was an intelligent man.”

Don’t argue, continue. You ask him…

That the light of the moon, is it its own light or reflected light?

So he will tell you that previously we human beings thought that the light of the moon is its own light. Recently in science, 100 years back, 200 years back, 300 years back we came to know that the light of the moon is not its own light, it’s a reflected light. What you came to know recently is mentioned in the Quran 1400 years ago in

Surah Furqaan ch. no. 25 verse no. 61, the Quran says,

The light of the sun is its own light and the light of the moon is described as Munir or Noor meaning borrowed light or reflection light.

So who could have mentioned that that light of the moon is not its own light but reflected light 1400 years ago?

He may give a pause and say okay, may be your Prophet was a very-very intelligent. Don’t argue, continue.

I learnt in school that the sun though it revolved in the solar system, in the galaxy, it did not rotate about its own axis. Is it what is mentioned in the Quran, no no that is what I learnt in school in 1982… 1982, 27 years back I had learnt that the sun was stationary, the Quran says in

Surah Anbiya ch. no. 21 verse no. 33

“Huwal Ladhi Khalaqal Layla Wan Nahara”

“It is Allah who has created the night and the day”

“Wash Shamsa Wal Qamar”

“The Sun and the Moon”

“Kullun Fi Falakin Yasbahun”

“Each one traveling in orbit, with its own motion”

The Arabic word Yasbahoon means, it describes the motion of a moving body. The Quran says the sun and the moon besides revolving; it even rotates about its own axis. And today science has come to know hat the sun takes approximately 25 days to complete one rotation.

Who could have mentioned this in the Quran 1400 years back which we came to know recently, hardly 20 years back, 30 years back?

He’ll give you a pause, don’t wait for the answer, you can continue.

Quran speaks about that the sky, All Mighty God, has made a protected ceiling without it life cannot exist on the face of the earth in

Surah Anbiya ch. no. 21 verse no. 32

Quran speaks about water cycle in several places in the Qur’an

in Surah Al Zumar ch. 39 verse no. 21,

in Surah Room ch. no. 30 verse 24,

in Surah Hijr ch. no. 15 verse no. 22,

in Surah Mu’minoon ch. 23 verse no. 18,
in Surah Noor ch. no. 24 verse no. 40,

in Surah A’raaf ch. no. 7 verse 57

Several places, the Quran speaks about water cycle in great detail.

Who could have mentioned this 1400 years back?

He’ll give a pause, don’t argue, keep on continuing.

Quran speaks about biology that

“We have created every living thing from water”

Quran speaks about Botany that

“We have created every plant in pairs, two and two, in sexes, male or female”

In Surah Taa Haa ch. no. 20 verse no. 53,

Quran speaks about that the animals have been created from water

Surah Noor ch. 24 verse no. 45,

Quran speaks about that the human beings have been created from water

Surah Furqaan ch. no. 25 verse no. 54.

The Quran speaks about genetics that it is the male fluid which is responsible for determining the sex of the child in

Surah Najam ch. no. 53 verse no. 45 and 46 and Surah Qiyaamah ch. no. 75 verse no. 37 to 39,

The Quran speaks about embryology; the Quran speaks about geology the Quran speaks about oceanology. You can give a talk for hours together, after every scientific sign mentioned in the Quran, ask your friend who could have mentioned this in the Quran, 1400 years back?

The only reply he can give you is the Creator, the manufacturer, the maker, the inventor, this creator, this manufacturer, this inventor we Muslims call as Allah, we call Him God. So today science is not eliminating God, it is eliminating models of God. ‘La ila ha ill Allah’ that’s the reason a famous philosopher by the name of Francis Bacon said “Little knowledge of science, makes you an atheist but in-depth knowledge of science brings you closer to All Mighty God”

you can ask your friend to see my video cassette ‘Is the Quran, God’s Word? and ‘Quran and Modern Science’ in which there are various other proofs talking about the existence of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). Hope that answers the question.

Mohammad Naik: We would request non-Muslim brothers and sisters, if you are curious, why this book ‘Al Quran’ it should be read compared to so many other readings which you may have which may be more engrossing, more interesting, more thrilling for you, feel free, this is your opportunity to ask. We have Dr. Zakir Naik on this side and this is your session, I am here to help you clarify and help you get a proper answer, InshaAllah.

May we have the next question from the sister’s side?

Questioner: Assalaamu Alaikum brother.

Mohammad Naik: Any non-Muslim sister?

Questioner: This question is on behalf of a non-Muslim friend named Deepti. She is working in a call centre.

Mohammad Naik: Excuse me… If any non-Muslim sister is here who has any reservation on coming in front on the mike, we would allow them to put your question to your friend or there are question slips available in the aisles with our volunteers. Feel free to write your questions. I would request the volunteers to kindly have slips presented and show them your hands so they can get the slips from you. Put your question on the slip, have it sent down to me on the stage and InshaAllah the more interesting one from them, we would put it forward to Dr. Zakir. But it is more preferable that you ask on the mike so that it’s known that I am playing around with the slip or juggling with them putting the more easy question in front. Yes sister…

Questioner: Brother her question is, is it compulsory for me to accept Islam to read the Quran? Can I read the Quran without accepting Islam?

Dr. Zakir: Sister asked a good question that is it compulsory for me to accept Islam to read the Quran or can I read the Quran without accepting Islam? As I mentioned in my talk that the Quran was revealed as a guidance for the whole of humanity, it’s not necessary that you have to be a Muslim to read the Quran but InshaAllah if you read the Quran with an open mind, an unbiased mind and an open heart, InshaAllah-InshaAllah, after reading the Qur’an InshaAllah she will accept Islam. That’s the reason Yusuf Islam in an interview he said that it is good that I read the Quran before meeting the Muslims, he read the Quran and accepted Islam, if he had met the Muslims before reading the Quran may be he wouldn’t have accepted Islam. So the Quran is the best example, it is the guidance for the whole of humanity and your friend can very-well read the translation of the Quran in the language she understands the best and if she has any query she is most welcome to ask on the email or to our foundation at www.irf.net. Hope that answers the question.

Mohammad Naik: May I clarify for those who didn’t know. Brother Yusuf Islam is the same person Cat Stevens, the very famous one of the leading pop-singers, British pop-singers. Yes sister…

Questioner: This is a question from a student, Aparna, she is in the audience today and she would like to know why is Friday given more importance?

Dr. Zakir: Sister’s asked the question that why is Friday given more importance. Our beloved Prophet said, it is our weekly Eid.. a weekly Eid. Like how the Christians, they have Sunday, the Jews had Saturday so us Muslims to be different, that’s the reason the Prophet chose Friday. And there are various Ahadith which mention the importance even on Friday the Sahih Hadith mentioning that the Noah’s ark came and it got the land when there was a flood on a Friday and various benefits but in the Islamic context, it is the weekly important day in which we have the congregational Salaah and the congregational Salaah, it is more important. Normally we pray 5 times a day but once a week we offer the Jumuah Salaah which is a bigger gathering, it is like a weekly Eid and its compulsory that we should pray in that gathering and in that Jumuah Salaah like we had today in the afternoon the Imaam gives a Khutbah, he gives a speech and he gives guidance, the weekly guidance to the Muslims what’s the requirement, he may talk about the local affairs, he may talk about things which are important and convey the message. So Friday basically is a weekly Eid, a weekly main day of the Muslims. Hope that answers the question.

Mohammad Naik: Yes brother…

Questioner: Good evening sir. My name is Rohit Rana sir basically I am a Hindu and I just recently converted to Islam and.. not only because…I am in love with a Muslim girl not only because of that problems and all those things because I accept Islam from the bottom of heart and I tell you frankly I don’t know about Arabic, I don’t know about Urdu on the very initially and I don’t know about the Sanskrit also because I am from the Hindu background. Now I want to learn about Islam not only because… I am going to be married to a Muslim girl. And why the controversies are there so much in the nature that people are creating not God is creating that controversy and God is not giving the message to people that do all those that if non-Muslim marry a Hindu…Muslim girl and if a non-Muslim Hindu marry a Muslim girl. So why the controversies are there? And if I accept Islam then there is no problem in their family also. So why there… there must be a lot of controversies? Please explain me.

Dr. Zakir: Brother asked a question that Alhamdulillah he accepted Islam recently and he was in love with a Muslim girl but that was not the main reason. He accepted Islam from the bottom of the heart. He says he doesn’t understand Arabic, he doesn’t know Sanskrit. Brother its not compulsory that you should know Arabic to go to Jannah, its not compulsory..

Questioner: But at present I am translating English-Arabic.

Dr. Zakir: Brother as I said, it’s not compulsory for a person to know Arabic as a language to go to Jannah. I said if you know Arabic, you can understand the Quran, the best. If you don’t know Arabic, read the Quran in the language you understand the best. If you know English, read the English translation of the Quran, if you know Hindi, read the Hindi translation of the Quran. What you’ll have to do is minimum what is required for your Salaah. Salaah is one of the important pillars of Islam. What’s required for Salaah, that much at least you should memorize because when you worship Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) in your Salaah, you have to say in the original word. If you translate, your translation may be wrong. So besides this, knowing is not compulsory but read the translation of the Quran in the language you understand the best.

As far as your main question is concerned that why these controversy, you have accepted Islam so what the controversy? As far as the Muslim are concerned there is no controversy.

Questioner: No I am not telling about the Muslim controversy, I am telling about the Hindu controversy…

Dr. Zakir: Hindu Controversy! Why…why I am saying because the Quran says in

Surah Baqarah ch. no. 2 verse no. 221, it says that

“Do not marry an idol worshipper until he believes. A believing man even if he is a bondsman, even if he is a salve, he is far better than an idol worshipper even if he allures you”

And the same is vice versa for the girl and for the boy.

The reason is that when if you have a vehicle and one tire is of the bicycle and the other of the truck how will the vehicle run? But natural all the tiers should be similar and but natural any good pious girl would want that the husband also goes to Jannah, goes to paradise. So if she has found the way to paradise i.e. acquire peace by submitting your will to All Mighty God, that’s what she may have requested you and that’s the reason you may have accepted Islam.

As far as the Hindus are concerned you have to show them my video cassette ‘Similarities between Islam and Hinduism’ what I tell them. You know, people talk about inter-faith I tell them, at least agree, I tell the non-Muslims, you know, I don’t believe in interfaith dialogues that Islam is the same religion as Hinduism as Christianity, all are same. I don’t agree with that. I being a student of comparative religion, I know there are differences.

What I tell them I agree that one book is 100% the word of God. So the Christian will say I don’t mind in agreeing that Bible is the 100% the word of God. The Hindu will say I don’t mind believing Veda to be the word of God. The Muslim will say I don’t mind agreeing that Quran is the word of God. So I tell them that whatever is common in all these scriptures, let us agree to follow 100%. What is different, what is contradicting we can discuss tomorrow. At least what is common let us agree to follow 100%. And when we read the scriptures, all these scriptures say that there is only one God. All these scriptures say All Mighty God has got no images, He has got no idol, He has got no statue. So let us all of us agree to believe and worship one God who has got no image, who has got no idol all these scriptures whether the Vedas, whether the Bible, whether the Quran, they say that the last and final messenger is Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Even if you read the Bible Jesus (peace be upon him) said, it’s mentioned in the

Gospel of John ch. no. 16 verse no. 12 to 14, Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) said has said

“I have many things to say unto ye, but ye cannot bear them now for he when he the sprit of truth shall come, he shall guide you unto all truth. He shall not speak of himself, all that he hears, shall he speak. He shall show you things to come.”

So here Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) is telling that I have many things to say unto you but you cannot grasp my message, he when the sprit of truth shall come, he shall guide you unto all truth. Talking about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The scripture of all the major world religions Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, all of them say there is one God, you have to worship Him alone and the last and final messenger is Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). So if all the religious people read this scripture, InshaAllah, this conflict would be solved and all of them would acquire peace by submitting their will to All Mighty God. Hope that answers the question.

Mohammad Naik: Yes, any non-Muslim brother on the mike? Any sister?

Questioner: Assalaamu Alaikum. This is on behalf of a non-Muslim sister. Her question is, there are certain verses in the Hindu scriptures which speak of monotheism whereas there are some which speak of the opposite. So her question is to quote those verses which are contradictory to monotheism.

Dr. Zakir: Sister’s asked a very good question that there are verses in the Hindu scriptures which speak about monotheism which I quoted but there are verses which speak exactly the opposite about many gods. So why don’t I quote that? As I mentioned that the most highest is authority amongst all the Hindu scriptures, it is the Veda. And the Veda basically speaks about monotheism. There are other scriptures, other scriptures which are lower down in authority which do speak about pantheism, which do speak about polytheism but as a logic that if there is a contradiction, we follow the higher thing. And what I mentioned in my formula, I said what is differing we will discuss tomorrow. So even if there is a verse of polytheism, there is no verse of polytheism in the Quran. So that goes out. We are talking about that which is common and logically how can All Mighty God contradict. How can All Mighty God say in one place, there is one God and other places there are many gods that means there is a contradiction and if there is a contradiction, it cannot be the word of God. So then it is a Hindu to decide that how can they follow a scripture which has got contradiction?

Quran says in Surah Nisa ch. 4 verse 82

“Afala yatadabbaroona alQur-ana walaw kana min indi ghayri Allahi lawajadoo feehi ikhtilafan katheera”

“Do they not consider the Quran with care? Had it been from anyone besides Allah, there would have been many contradictions, there had been many mistakes”

So how can a word of God have contradiction? So if there are contradiction, you have to reject that scripture. It’s easy! And if you follow my formula, I am taking only that which is common. I can give a longer speech talking about the differences in Islam and Hinduism but I have not come here to bring the differences, I have come here to get the similarities because All Mighty God says in the Quran how to speak with other people in

Surah Ale Imran ch. 3 verse 64 which says

“Ta`alaw ‘Ilá Kalimatin Sawa’in Baynana Wa Baynakum”

“Come to common terms as between us and you”

Which is the first term?

“Alla Na`buda ‘Illallah”

“That we worship none but Allah”

“Wa La Nushrika Bihi Shay’an”

“That we associate no partners with him”

“Wa La Yattakhidha Ba`duna Ba`dan ‘Arbaban Min Dunillah”

“That we erect not among ourselves Lords and Patrons other than Allah.”

“Fa’in Tawallaw”

“If then they turn back”

“Faqulush hadu”

“Say ye bear witness”

“Bi’anna Muslimun”

“That we are Muslims bowing our will to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala)”

So this is a formula shown in the Quran how to speak with different types of people that come to common terms, differences we can discuss tomorrow. Today we come to common terms and let us agree to follow what is common. So I am picking up those verses which are matching with the Quran. If there is a contradiction, I reject that scripture; I don’t consider it to be the word of God. But because the Hindus consider it to be a word of God, I am quoting from their scriptures. Hope that answers the question sister.

Mohammad Naik: Yes brother…

Questioner: Good evening Mr. Zakir Naik, my name is Gulabchand Vishkarma and I have a question. Bakri Eid is very kareeb, very near this time and Muslims believe that on the occasion of Bakri Eid they sacrifice the Goats, Buffalos and Cows and all that and according to the Islam ‘Insaniyat’ and humanity is very important and every one should be kind on animals and human being and all that then if they believe in this then why they give this sacrifice of goats, cows, and buffalos on the occasion of Bakri Eid. Whether they should do it, whether it is in favor of humanity… humanity or Insaniyat?

Dr. Zakir: Brother asked a very good question that why are we sacrificing goat on Bakri Eid, if its not on Bakri Eid can we sacrifice goat..?

Questioner: No…no…no .. any animal…any animal

Dr. Zakir: No, can we sacrifice goat if there is no Bakri Eid?

Questioner: They…they sacrifices, they kills and..

Dr. Zakir: I am asking you the question that means if no Bakri Eid if we sacrifice an animal it is allowed?

Questioner: No.

Dr. Zakir: Generally.. why do you ask? So ask direct question why do you have non-veg? Correct

Questioner: no-no I am not getting what you are saying..

Dr. Zakir: Your main question is why do you have non-veg, why do you have meat?

Questioner: Actually I want to say on the occasion of Bakri Eid and other occasion as well.

Dr. Zakir: All… okay. I’ll will answer both. On the occasion of Bakri Eid,

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Hajj ch. no. 22 [verse 37] that

“The blood and the meat does not go to Allah, it is your piety which goes to Allah”

So unlike other religions, in other religions when they sacrifice, they sacrifice the goat and keep it in the alter in the name of deity. And who eats? God All Mighty eats? In Islam when we sacrifice what do we do, 1/3rd compulsory minimum, we have to give to the poor people. 1/3rd we have to give to the relatives and friends, 1/3rd we can keep for yourselves. So maximum you can keep is 1/3rd for yourself. If you want to give full charity, you can give. So when we are sacrificing, what are we doing, we are benefiting the humankind. We are giving them food to eat, now giving them food to eat is good or bad brother? Giving food to the poor people to eat, is it good or bad?

Questioner: Good.

Dr. Zakir: In humanity, is it good or bad?

Questioner: Good.

Dr. Zakir: So therefore Islam is a religion of humanity. Now you may ask the question. What about killing animals? It’s good for humanity but what about animals? In short a Muslim can be a very good Muslim even by being a pure vegetarian. Its not compulsory in Islam that you should have non-veg but since All Mighty God has given us permission to have non-veg, why should we not have non-veg?

Allah says in the Quran in Surah Maidah ch. no. 5 verse no.1

“Eat of the four-footed animals which has been made lawful for you”

Allah says in

Surah Nahl ch. no. 16 verse no. 5 that

“The cattle has been made for you so that you benefit from them and of their meat, you can eat”

The same message is repeated in

Surah Mu’minoon ch. no. 23 verse no. 21 that

“In the cattle there’s instructive sign from the belly you drink milk and of their meat you eat”

So since All Mighty God has given us permission why should we not have it?

Now coming to the logical aspect. Today science tells us that in non-veg food in flesh food it’s rich in vitamins and it is the only food which has got complete protein. Our human body there are total 23 amino acid required by the human body out of which 8 are not synthesized in the body, it has to be given from the external diet. There is no vegetarian food which gives you all the eight amino acids. It is the flesh food the non-veg food which gives all the eight amino acids.

Furthermore if you analyze the set of teeth of the herbivorous animals cow, goat, sheep, they’ve got flat set of teeth. They only have vegetables, they can’t have flesh. If we analyze the set of teeth of the carnivorous animals, tiger, leper, lion, they have got pointed set of teeth they have got a carnivorous set of teeth a canine set of teeth, they only have flesh food. They can’t have vegetables.

If you go in front of the mirror and we see our set of teeth, we have got pointed teeth as well as flat teeth we have got omnivorous set of teeth. If All Mighty God wanted have to us only vegetables why did he give us the pointed teeth? for what? to have the flesh food.

Furthermore the digestive system of the herbivorous animals’ cow, goat, sheep can only digest vegetables, they can’t digest flesh food. The digestive system of the carnivorous animals tiger, leopard, lion, can only digest flesh food, they can’t digest vegetables but the digestive system of the human being has got small intestine and long intestine we can digest vegetable as well as flesh food. If All Mighty God wanted us to have only vegetables, why did he give us a digestive system where we can digest both?

Furthermore there is a misconception that Hindus should not have non-veg. it’s a misconception. If you read the Hindu scriptures, it’s mentioned in

Manu Smirti ch. no. 5 verse no. 30 that

“All Mighty God created some animals to eat and some to be eaten. If you eat the animals which are created to be eaten, you are not doing a sin”

It’s mentioned in Manusmirti ch. no. 5 verse no. 31 that

“All Mighty God has created some animals for sacrifice. So if you kill the sacrificial animal, you are not doing a sin.”

It is mentioned in Manusmirti ch. no. 5 verse no. 40 that

“Killing in sacrifice is not a sin”

There are various references in the Hindu scripture and the Vedas that the sages and sants, they had non-veg, they even had beef.

If you read Mahabharat, Anusashan Parv ch. no. 88, you know the story of the Pandavs, you know Pandavs, 5 brothers. The eldest brother is Yudishter, he asks Bhishma that what should we give in Yagna, in Pooja so that our ancestors will be satisfied. So Bhishma replies that if you give Herbs and Shrubs and vegetables, our ancestors will be satisfied for one month. If you give fish, for two months. If you give meat, for three months. If you give hare, rabbit for four months. If you give goat, for five months. If you give Bacon, for six months. If you give birds, for seven months, if you give deer, eight months.

And the menu continues, if you give Buffalo, for 11 months. If you give cow our ancestors will be satisfied for one full year and if you want your ancestors to be satisfies inexhaustibly, give read meat of goat or a Rhinoceroses

Who says that? Bishma to Yudishter. The full menu is there.. vegetables, fish, rabbit , goat. Everything is there. Buffalo, cow. So even in Hindu scriptures eating non-veg is permitted.

It is many of the Hindus because they were being influenced by other philosophies of Ahimsa, they started practicing it. And this people who follow Ahimsa, that’s non-violence, not killing any living creature. If any human being can lead a life without killing living creatures, I am for it.

What they say killing animals is a big sin because they have life. Killing life is prohibited. Today science has advanced and we have come to know that even the plants have got life. So by eating vegetables, you are killing life also but the logic has changed, no-no we understand that the plants have got life but the plants can’t feel pain. Therefore killing a plant is a lesser sin as compared to killing animal for sake of argument I agree.

Today science tells us that the human ear can hear frequencies between 20 cycles per second to 20,000 cycles per second anything below and above, we can’t hear. Today science tells us that even the plant cries but the human ear cannot hear. So there was a farmer in USA who had an equipment which converted the cry of the plant to the human ear and he used to know that he required water.

Someone will say okay-okay, fine; I agree that a plant can feel pain but you know It has got 2 or 3 senses less. Therefore killing a plant is a lesser sin as compared to killing an animal which has got 5 senses. For the sake of argument I agree that plants have got 2 senses less as compared to the animal. I am asking you a question that suppose your brother, God-Forbid, is born deaf and dumb and when he grows up if someone comes and kills him so will you go and tell the judge ‘Me lord, give the murderer less punishment because my brother he was deaf and dumb’ will you say that. You will tell the judge, “give him a bigger punishment. My brother was a Masoom, he could not hear, he could not speak”. So in Islam it does not work like that 2 senses more or 2 senses less, Allah says in the Quran in

Surah Baqarah ch. no. 2 verse no. 168

“Eat of the good things We have provided for you”

What is good, what is Tayyab you can have.

And furthermore I personally have got no problem if the non-Muslims don’t want to have non-veg, I have got no problem, personally. Only when they tell me it’s a sin or you tell me it’s against humanity, I give the reply. Personally if the non-Muslims continue having vegetarian food, its good for me. If all the non-Muslims start having non-veg then the price of mutton and beef will go high. So personally I have got no problem.

Mohammad Naik: The next question from the brother in the rare…

Questioner: Ya… this is a question from non-Muslim brother. My name is Suffiyan and his name is Ankit. Assalaamu Alaikum. He has one question which is divided into 2 parts. He was about to become a Muslim, he took a step back. He told that as a Hindu, Muslim also have a caste like you are divided into Shia, Bori, Sunni, Jamaati, Ahle Hadith. And he has a second question that he can go to the graves, Kabrastan and he can ask from them and they are their mediator between him and Allah?

Dr. Zakir: Brother asked a question that one of his Hindu friends was about to accept Islam, he took a step back thinking that even in Islam there are sects like how they have in Hinduism… in Islam they have got sects Shia, Sunni, Jaamat-e-Islami, Ahle Hadith. Brother, you read the Quran; there is no Shia-Sunni in the Quran. There is no Shia-Sunni, there is no Jamaat-e-Islami, there is no Ahle Hadith in the Quran. What does the Quran say? Quran says in

Surah Ale Imran ch. no. 3 verse no. 103

“Wa’tasimoo bihablillahi jamee’an wala Tafarraqu”

“Hold to the rope of Allah strongly and be not divided”

The rope of Allah is the glorious Quran. We have to hold to the Glorious Quran and the authentic Hadith of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) and be not divided.

And it’s clearly mentioned in the Quran in

Surah An’aam Ch. No. 6 verse no. 159 where Allah says, He says to the Prophet that

“O Prophet! If anyone makes divisions, sects in the religion of Islam, you have nothing to do with him. Allah will look after his affairs on the Day of Judgment”

So making sects in Islam is Haraam, it is prohibited. What was our beloved Prophet? Was he Shia? Was he Sunni? What was he? Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam), he was a Muslim. That’s the reason when I spoke about the master key of

Surah Ale Imran ch. no. 3 verse no. 64, which says,

“Ta`alaw ‘Ilá Kalimatin Sawa’in Baynana Wa Baynakum”

“Alla Na`buda ‘Illallah”

“Wa La Nushrika Bihi Shay’an” “Wa La Yattakhidha Ba`duna Ba`dan ‘Arbaban Min Dunillahi”

“Fain Tawallaw”

“Faqulush hadu”

“Bi’anna Muslimun”

That say ye bear witness that we are Muslims bowing our will to Allah.

So Muslim is a person who submits his will to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). So tell your friend, in Islam there is no caste system, there is no sect. We have to be Muslims. Muslim means someone who submits his will to All Mighty God. And anyone who submits his will to All Mighty God, he is called as a Muslim and if we have to ask Allah, Allah says in

Surah Fathia ch. no. 1 verse no. 5

“Iyyaka na’budu wa-iyyaka nasta’een”

“Thee alone we worship, Thee alone we ask for help”

Allah says in Surah Gaafir ch. no. 40 verse no. 60

“You ask Me and I will answer your prayer”

So if you want to ask Allah, ask Allah directly that is the right way and that is the best way. Hope that answers the question.

Mohammad Naik: Yes sister…

Questioner: Assalaamu Alaikum! This is a question from a non-Muslim sister, her name is Apoorva and she is a student. Her question is why are the Muslims not allowed to sing Vande Mataram?

Dr. Zakir: The sister’s asked a question that why are Muslims not allowed to say Vande Mataram. Before I give the answer this is a common question why are Muslims not allowed to sing Vande Mataram which was even asked in press conference at the beginning of the conference by the press media. Before answering that I would like to tell you that even the Hindus, even they should not say Vande Mataram. Because if you know the song written by Bankim Chattopadhyay. Vande Mataram means I bow down to my motherland. Vande Mataram, it occurs thrice in the full song and as I mentioned earlier according to the Veda it’s clearly mentioned in

Yajurveda ch. no. 32 verse no. 3 and Shevetashvatara Upanishad ch. no. 4 verse no. 19

“Na Tasya Pratima Asti”

Of that God, there is no pratima, there is no image, there is no photograph, there is no picture, there is no portrait, there is no sculpture, there is no idol.

So where is the question of worshiping the land? So any Hindu who has knowledge of his Veda will never agree with Vande Mataram. If he does not know his scripture, he may say it but if he knows his scriptures there are 3 lines, 3 stanzas whenever it says Vande Matram, I bow down, I worship to my motherland, he is going against his Veda.

As far as Muslims are concerned, there are 12 lines which are against the Quran and Sahih Hadith, thrice it says that I bow down to my motherland which is prohibited. In Islam, we only bow to our Creator, Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). We Muslims as long as the law of the land does not go against the law of the Creator, we are for the country. We love the country, we want to support the country, we want to up bring the country if required for the truth we are ready to die for the country but we are not ready to worship the country because we worship only Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). He alone deserves to be worshipped and this land, who is the Creator of this land? Allah, All Mighty God. So why should we worship the creation. Worship the Creator, not the creation.

And furthermore there are stanzas in Vande Matram talking about divine giving attributes, talking about Laxmi, talking about Durga… all these things, they go against the concept of the Quran.

That’s the reason and if you go back to history this became a political issue just a couple of years back, you know, it was written in eighteen hundred and sixties or seventies by Bankim Chattopadhyay, it was more of a political motive and today they want to make a political gimmick not realizing it is going against their own religion. This song ‘Vande Matram’ is going against their own religion. So my advice is not only Muslims, my advice to the Hindus is that even you don’t say ‘Vande Matram’.

Mohammad Naik: Yes brother…

Questioner: Assalamu Alaikum! My name is Leon John and firstly I would like to thank my friend Noorulah for bringing me here and giving me this opportunity to hear some wonderful teachings from you. Now I have got two questions to ask. First is what does it take to be a true Muslim and the second question is Muslims pray 5 times a day, why don’t we Catholics and other religions pray 5 times a day? Is there any explanation for this?

Dr. Zakir: Brother asked two questions. First is that what does it take to be a true Muslim, what is the requirement. And second is why do Muslims pray 5 times, Catholics pray less what is the reason.

As far as what dos it take to be a Muslim as I mentioned earlier Muslim means, a person who submits his will to God. So if you submit your will to God and follow the commandments of God, you are called a Muslim. The no. 1 thing is that you bear witness that there is no God but Allah, no God but one true All Mighty God and you bear witness that Prophet Muhammad is the servant and the messenger of God then this is the basic faith, it is the fundamental creed known as Shahadah. So once you say this, you enter into the basic fundamental creed and to be a good Muslim, you should submit your will to All Mighty God. So if you follow the commandments given by All Mighty God in the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) i.e. the authentic Hadith then you will be a good practicing Muslim.

As far as your second question is concerned why do Muslims pray 5 times and we Christians, we pray less. The reason is, we Muslims… Salaah is a sort of programming towards righteousness. See normally people, they say pray. Pray is not the right translation of Salaah. Pray means to ask for help. In oxford dictionary pray means ‘beseech’. In Salaah we don’t merely ask for help, besides asking for help we are getting guidance from Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). In other religions they only ask for help. In Islam besides asking for help we are getting guidance from Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala).

For example, if the Imam after Surah Fathia we recite the verse of the Quran of

Surah Maidah ch. no. 5 verse no. 90

“Ya Ayyuhal lazeena Amanoo”

“O you who believe”

“Inna Mal Khamru Wal Maysiru”

“Most certainly intoxicants and gambling”

“Wal-ansabu Wal-azlamu”

“Dedications of stones, divination of arrows”

“Rijsum Min Amalish Shaytan”

“These are Satan’s handiwork”

“Fajtaniboohu la’allakum Tuflihoon”

“Abstain from the handiwork that you may prosper”

Here we are getting guidance from Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) in our Salaah that don’t have intoxicants, don’t gamble, don’t do fortune telling, don’t do idol worship these are Satan’s handiwork, abstain from it that you may prosper. So besides asking for help, besides asking we are getting guidance from Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) and we are thanking Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). So I prefer calling Salaah as ‘programming towards righteousness’, programming towards righteousness.

And if we analyze today the amount of evil we see around us, you know, bad things happening, evil things, obscenity, cheating there are high chances that we can get deprogrammed. How a doctor tells you, for a healthy body 3 meals a day so our Creator, All Mighty God knows that we have to be programmed 5 times a day so that we will be on the straight track. So He is our Creator, He knows that. So if you are a true Christian even you should offer 5 times you know why? Because if you read your scripture, the Book of Acts that like how we do ablution

Surah Maidah ch. 5 verse no. 5 that

“You have to wash your hands, wash your face, rub the head with water and wash the feet upto ankle.”

Similarly it’s mentioned in the Book of Acts similarly in the Book of Exodus that Aaron and Moses, they washed their face and hands before they appeared in front of their Lord. Same thing the basic part of Sajdah, the Sujood if you read

Genesis ch. no. 17 verse no. 3, it says that

“Abraham fell on his face and prayed to God”

In Numbers ch. no. 20 verse no. 6

“Aaron and Moses, they fell on their face and prayed to God”

Joshua ch. no. 5 verse no. 14

“Joshua fell on his face and prayed to God”

If you read the Gospel of Matthew ch. no. 26 that

“Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) in the garden of Gethsemane he took a few steps forward and fell on his face and prayed to God”

Can an acrobat fall on his face and pray to God better than the way we Muslims do? When you do Sujood, we put the highest part of the body, the forehead on the lowest part of the ground and say “Glory be to Allah, the Most High”, “Glory be to Allah, the Most High” thrice. So all the Prophets of the Bible, they prayed the same way as we Muslims pray. And Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) said in the

Gospel of John ch. no. 16 verse no. 12 to 14

“I have many things to say unto you but ye cannot bear them now for he when the sprit of truth shall come, he shall guide you unto all truth. He shall not speak of himself, all that he hears shall he speak. He shall glorify me.”

Now Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) said wait for the sprit of truth, talking about Muhammad (peace be upon him) and there are various references of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament.

If you read the Old Testament in

Deuteronomy ch. no. 18 verse no. 18,

in the Book of Deuteronomy ch. no. 18 verse no. 19,

in the Book of Isaiah ch. 29 verse no. 12,

in the Song of Solomon ch. no. 5 verse no. 16,

All of these references speak about the coming of the last and final messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Even in the New Testament

Gospel of John ch. no. 14 verse no. 16,

Gospel of John ch. no. 15 verse no. 26,

Gospel of John ch. no. 16 verse no. 7,

Gospel of John ch. no. 16 verse no. 12 to 14,

All of these references speak about the last and final messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). So if you are a true Christian… if Christian means a person who follows the teachings of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), we Muslims are more Christians than the Christians themselves. If you are a true Christian, you have to follow the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and do ablution before Salaah, you should do Sujood and you should pray 5 times a day. Hope that answers the question.

Questioner: Thank you, I appreciate that.

Mohammad Naik: Thank you Brother Leon for your question. The next question from the brother in the rare.

Questioner: Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu! Sir, I am having a question. This question is been framed by my professor. I am a student of First year Computer Science and my sir is teaching me physics. His name is Rajeev Bhatt and I am from N.G. Acharya D.K. Marathe Collage, Chembur. He is convinced by all the.. I mean to say what-what misconceptions regarding Islam was there, he has accepted that… it is the misconceptions. So he is not only convinced by the last point i.e. ruthlessly killing of a goat during Bakri Eid.

Dr. Zakir: If I heard your question correctly, your professor wants to know that can we have non-veg from the Hindu Scriptures, that’s your question?

Questioner: I mean to say the ruthless killing of a goat.

Dr. Zakir: The ruthless killing…

Questioner: He believes that you are killing the goat directly from the.. slowly.. slowly from the… from the neck.

Dr. Zakir: Brother asked a question, why ruthlessly killing. He agrees with killing of the goat but why ruthless killing is his question.

Questioner: Ya.

Dr. Zakir: Fine. So he is convinced that you can have non-veg but he is asking why do the Muslims, they torture the animal before killing.

Questioner: Ya.

Dr. Zakir: Just one Jatka, Phatak, the animal dies, why this Zabiha, slowly torturing. There was a discussion going on between a Sikh and a Muslim and the Sikh raised the same question, you Muslims, you’ll are merciless, you’ll are ruthless. You’ll kill the animals slowly and torture the animal to death. We Sikh, one Jatka, phatak, and the animal dies. So the Muslim replied, you know, we Muslims we are ‘Mard ka Bacha’, we attack from the front, we are Macho, you Sikh, you’ll are coward, you are Buzdil, you attack from behind.

Anyways this is not the real reason why we Muslims do Zabiha. This was his wisdom, his Hiqma. This is not the real reason why we Muslims do Zabiha. The reason we Muslim do Zabiha, that’s Islamic slaughtering is when you do Zabiha, we cut the throat and the vessels of the neck and the wind pipe without damaging the spinal cord because if the spinal cord is damaged then there will be cardiac arrest and the nerve going to the heart will be severed and the blood will immediately stagnate. Now when we cut the throat and the windpipe and the vessels of the neck without damaging the spinal cord, the heart is yet pumping and majority of the blood, it flows out of the body.

Today science tells us that blood is a very good media of germs and bacteria. So we Muslims, we are hygienic we want to let the blood flow out of the body. When the blood flows out of the body even the toxins and the germs and the bacteria that contain in the blood flows out of the body, there are less chances of having diseases when we have that meat.

Furthermore when we cut the throat and the windpipe and the vessels of the neck the nerve which is responsible for the feeling of the pain going to the brain is also severed. So the animal does not feel pain. The animal kicks and writhers, it is due to the gush of the flow of the blood outside the body. The kicking and writhing is not due to pain, it is due to the muscle contraction and relaxation. So the animal dies a peaceful death.

In the method of stunning very often the animal dies a painful death after hours. So the Islamic method of slaughtering is far more humane and furthermore if you slaughter the animal by the Islamic Zabiha method, the mutton and the meat remains fresh for a longer time because it does not have blood. Hope that answers the question brother.

Questioner: JazakAllah Khair.

Mohammad Naik: Yes sister…

Questioner: Assalaamu Alaikum. I am asking this question on behalf of my friend who is a Hindu. His name is Sachin and he is an actor by profession. He would like to know why Muslim women are not allowed in the Kabarasthan or graveyard and if it is the grave that women are not allowed to visit then does that include the Darga?

Dr. Zakir: Sister asked the question that why aren’t women allowed to visit the graveyard. There are various different Hadith… there are Hadith in Sahih Bukhari in which the Prophet said, he prevented the women from going to the grave and the reasons may be many because may be they are very emotional and they may not be able to take the death of a human being. That’s one of the reasons. And furthermore there are other occasions in which the Prophet said that theses women are not allowed because of their deeds that means he restricted certain women because of their deeds. So this is the reason why women are not permitted in the graves.

Though there are scholars, other scholars who do say that there are different Hadith in which Prophet did permit certain women to go depending upon the context. As far as your question is concerned that about the grave, the beloved Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) said that a person should visit the grave, it will remind you of your Aakhira. That means it reminds you that finally you die but when you go to the grave you should pray for the person not to the person or through the person. Hope that answers the question.

Mohammad Naik: Yes brother… your name and profession and your question?

Questioner: My name is Kedar and this is my friend Nazish. My question to you Mr. Naik is that the laws that govern the universe has not changed from the time the universe was created. They were always there since the creation of the universe so does God have any choice in changing the laws of the universe since time immemorial. Why hasn’t God not changed the laws which governs the universe if the God has no choice in changing the laws of the universe then why call him God?

Dr. Zakir: The Brother’s asked a very good question that the laws of the universe has been same since the time it has been formed so does God have a choice of changing the laws or not and if God does not have a choice then why call Him God, I agree with you. It is God’s choice that He does not want to change, that’s the reason He hasn’t changed. He should not follow your choice. So it is God’s will that He does not want to change now you are forcing Him to change, why should He follow you? If God wants to change, He can easily change but Allah says in the Quran in

Surah Room ch. no. 30 verse no. 30 that

“Follow the nature of the law”

So this is God’s law, if he wants he can change.

But He does not want to change. That’s His choice. Now you will tell Him that okay that God, He wants to make the sun rise from the east and set in the west. The challenge is you, that can you make the sun rise in the west and set in the east? The answer is no. But on the Day of the Qiyamah, one of the signs of Qiyamah is that the sun will rise from the west. To show that if God wants he can do it. So on the day of Judgment, Qiyamah that will happen. How will it happen? Allahu Alam. So Quran says clearly in

Surah Fatir ch. 35 verse no. 1 that

“Allah has power over all things.”

That He has power over all things but Allah does things which He wants and He does Godly things. Hope that answers the question brother.

Questioner: Thank you.

Mohammad Naik: Yes.. any non-Muslim brother there?

Questioner: Assalaamu Alaikum brother. I am asking this question on behalf of my very close friend. He is a non-Muslim. He don’t want to disclose his name but he is an engineer by profession. He wants to know Quran does not contradict with modern science but it says Adam (Alaihe Salaam) was the first man on the face of the earth but this goes against the theory of Charles Darwin regarding evolution?

Dr. Zakir: Brother asked a question that if Quran matches with science but it does not agree with the statement of the Quran that Adam (Alaihe Salaam) is the first human being, it goes against the theory of Charles Darwin and I agree with you. The Quran dos not agree with the theory of Charles Darwin because Charles Darwin’s is a theory, Quran is a book of fact, not a book of theory.

And if you read the book of Charles Darwin, if you read the book of Charles Darwin, ‘The Origin of Species’, it says that Charles Darwin went on the ship by the name of H.M.S Beagle which went on the Island of Galapagos and he saw a bird pecking in holes and niches depending upon the niches the bird pecked the beak became small and long based on this observation, he propounded his theory of natural selection but he wrote a letter to his friend Thomas Thomton saying that I have got no 100% proof regarding my theory but because it helps me in embryology, in rudimentary organs etc. he has propounded that. Otherwise Charles Darwin himself agreed that there were missing links. That’s the reason in school if we had to insult someone we used to say that if you were present during Charles Darwin’s time then his theory would have been proved right, insinuating that he looks like an ape.

So this is just a theory, it is not a fact at all. I have not come across a single book which is called as a fact of evolution all of these are theories of evolution. And furthermore according P.P. Grasse, he says it is letting a man’s imagination run too wide just based on few wastages that we are assuming that we have been evolved from apes.

Today, science has found 4 waves. First is Australopithecus from the ice-age, then Cro-Magnon, Neanderthal man… all these what science has found there is no link between them and there is no proof that we have been evolved from apes. And according to Hansis Craig who is an expert in molecular biology, he says

“It is absurd just based on DNA to assume that our forefathers were apes.”

It is just an assumption. There are hundreds of scientists who have written against Darwin’s theory. Darwin’s theory has been proved false long ago. Now something has come on the internet recently… okay Darwin’s theory. These are just hypothesis. But certain things of Darwin that life has been evolved from water, no problem, Quran says that in Surah Anbiya ch. no. 21 verse no. 30 so certain things are correct but as a whole that human beings have been derived from apes is unscientific, it’s a theory and that’s not a fact. Hope that answers the question.

Mohammad Naik: Any sister?

Questioner: Assalaamu Alaikum brother. This is a question from a non-Muslim audience. Her question states that we see on television many women being tortured in Afghanistan, why do Muslim men torture or degrade women in Islam.

Dr. Zakir: Sister’s asked a question that we see on the television, you know, that in Afghanistan Muslim men are torturing women so why in Islam Muslim men torture and degrade the women. Sister this question was replied just a few days earlier on the second day of the conference on Saturday. On Saturday, 31st of October I gave a talk ‘Women in Islam – Protected or Subjugated?’ and I gave a talk in detail. So ask your friend to watch that tape, watch the DVD, InshaAllah, it will answer all her queries.

Regarding your main point that she saw on the television that in Afghanistan Muslim men, they are beating the women. And once when I was travelling I came across a Malaysian couple both of them were doctors. They said that they spent more than a month in Afghanistan and they told me that what they saw on television the Talibans beating the women, they aren’t Taliban so I asked them how do you know? They told me that we have been in Afghanistan for more than a month we know how the Taliban ties their turban. You know, when we see an Arab we feel all Arabs are the same, Emirati, Saudi, Kuwaiti but they themselves know that a Saudi ties a Ghatra in a different way, an Emirati ties in a different style, if you go to a Kuwaiti, different style. So similarly the Taliban they have a particular style of tying the Turban. So what she told and what he told the couple that what they shot even that they didn’t do properly. That means they could shoot the parting of the seas in Hollywood, you know ‘10 Commandments’ Moses (peace be upon him) parted the sea but they made a fault when they showed Muslim men in Afghanistan beating the women. So therefore the Quran says in

Surah Hujuraat ch. no. 49 verse no. 6

“Whenever you get an information, you check it up before you pass it on to the third person”

What we realize this is the gimmick of the media and in the last conference, 2008, my last talk was ‘Media and Islam – War or Peace?’ and I showed how the media goes out of the way to malign Islam. I am not saying all Muslims are 100% good Muslims, there are black sheep in our community but what the media does, picks up these black sheep and portray as though they are exemplary Muslims and many a times they show things which are absolutely non-sense, it does not exist in Islam. So ask your friend to watch my tape ‘Women’s Rights in Islam – Protected or Subjugated?’ and ‘Media and Islam – War or Peace?’ Hope that answers the question.

Mohammad Naik: Yes brother…

Questioner: My name is Vinod Saiyaragad. I am doing research on this subject of spiritual a science aura. One Muslim lady I have treated for breast cancer, she was operated for one breast, right side breast in Tata hospital and second time she got breast cancer in the left breast and I have taken photograph of that lady, I came to know about the soul that was present, animal soul what non-veg you are eating. Animal soul you can visualize in the shape of that animal only. So this is an energy an electro-magnetic energy of any kind is a root cause of 99% of health problem. Say mobile, how much mobile is danger? To kill 100 Crore people of India the mobile itself is sufficient and government doesn’t know medical science doesn’t know this science of spiritual science of invisible energy, that’s electro magnetic energy… any electricity

Mohammad Naik: Brother.. Brother.. Brother.. Dr. Zakir is a medical and a science student. What I would suggest let us keep aside the background, ask your question

Dr. Zakir: Ya..eating a non-veg, it is a process which is prescribed how to cut the animal so if it is cut in one shot the soul goes out, energy goes out and you don’t get any health problem from that meat but if it is not cut properly and it is.. cruel way it is cut the energy remain in that meat and you don’t know when you are going to get that type of meat. If it is cut in a Jhoperpatti and if its cut in a factory then it will…soul goes out there is no harm in taking that meat but if it is not cut properly then you are going to get cancer, paralysis attack and this is happening what I observe for 10 years with a photograph. Now there is each and every topic….

Dr. Zakir: Brother will I answer? Will I answer? Brother’s asked a question saying that there was a Muslim woman and he cured breast cancer and then she got in her other left breast and he cured the cancer and then he went on to say that the animal if its killed immediately the soul goes out, no problem if the animal is killed ruthlessly, it remains and there is a problem and cancer comes. In short.

Brother, I am requesting you again why don’t you join the Tata Memorial hospital of Cancer., I know the doctors there

Questioner: Yes.. I can tell you

Dr. Zakir: Brother.. Brother

Questioner: Government has made a law, drugs and magic remedy act 1954…

Dr. Zakir: Brother…

Questioner: Which says that so many diseases cannot be cured, it cannot claim for the disease and that is 99% ..now I ….

Dr. Zakir: Brother I haven’t answered your question.. there is 5 minutes left, we have to give other people a chance. I’ll answer your question. Government is rightly not giving you permission because we don’t want to have more problem in the hospital.

Dr. Zakir: What you have to do..

Questioner: yes medical science is only…

Dr. Zakir: what you have to do, if you can cure cancer why are you standing here? You will get the noble prize.

(Simultaneously Questioner 🙂 Medical science is 400 years old

Dr. Zakir: You will get a noble prize for science if you can cure cancer and cure the diseases just by spiritual thing then I’ll ask the noble committee to give you the noble prize but.. but.. the committee will never select you, I will tell you why. I gave such a scientific reason why Muslims slaughter the animal and let the blood flow out yet you are staying that the soul remains and the soul goes out, you will have cancer… brother your medical knowledge is so weak…is so weak…

Questioner: I am not a medical student…I’m a spiritual…

Dr. Zakir: Today science tells us that blood is a good medium of bacteria and germs and toxins…if we slaughter the Islamic way the blood goes out and the toxins goes out, there is less chances of having diseases, you are saying the opposite. Now which science you are talking about, I don’t know. I am a medical doctor, I have got an MBBS degree and Quran says in

Surah Nahl ch. 16 verse 43 and

Surah Ambiya ch. no. 21 verse no. 7

“Fas-aloo ahla alththikri in kuntum la Ta’lamoon”

“If you don’t know, ask the person who knows”

So this is my specialty. You can very-well do what you want, the way you want to practice but I am giving you a scientific reason why we do it and that’s the reason the Islamic method is far superior and it is much more hygienic and the meat remains fresh for a longer time. Hope that answers the question.

Mohammad Naik: Any sister?

Questioner: This is on behalf of a non-Muslim sister.

Mohammad Naik: That would be the last question of the day please.

Questioner: Her question is what is the major difference between Prophet Jesus and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)? If Prophet Jesus teaches people how to live life and worship God, the same thing is taught by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) those who are following Jesus, are they correct or should they follow the instructions of Prophet Muhammad because Prophet Jesus may come again on this earth so he could be the last Prophet?

Dr. Zakir: Sister’s asked a very good question, she asked the question, what is the difference between Prophet Jesus and Prophet Muhammad? If both of them taught good things to worship the same God, what’s the difference? Who should we follow and Prophet Jesus is going to come again so he will be the last Prophet. As far as the Question is concerned that amongst all the Prophets 5 Prophets are considered according to the Hadith as great Prophets,

Prophet Abraham, Prophet Nuh (Alaihe Salaam), Prophet Moses, Prophet Jesus and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

So we consider Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) as one of the mightiest messengers of Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala). Before I answer the question I would like to tell you one thing that no Muslim is a Muslim if he does not believe in Jesus Christ (peace be upon him)

We believe that he was none of the mightiest messengers of God.

We believe that he was the Messiah, translated Christ.

We believe that he was born miraculously without any male intervention which many modern day Christian do not believe.

We believe that he gave life to the dead with God’s permission.

We believe he healed those born blind and lepers with God’s permission.

The Christians and the Muslims, we are going together. You may ask where is the parting of ways? The parting of ways is that many Christians, they say that Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), he claimed divinity. In fact if you read the Bible, there is not a single unequivocal statement in the complete Bible where Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) himself says that “I am God” or where he says “worship me”. If any Christian can point out any verse of the Bible, any unequivocal statement, any unambiguous statement from the Bible where Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) himself says that “I am God” or where he says “worship me” I am ready to accept Christianity.

In fact if you read the Bible, Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) said it’s mentioned in the

Gospel of John Ch. no 14 verse no. 28

“My Father is greater than I.”

Gospel of John ch. no. 10 verse no. 29

“My Father is greater than all.”

Gospel of Mathew ch. No . 12 verse no. 28

“I with the finger of God, cast out devils”

Gospel of Luke ch. No. 11 verse no. 20

“I with the sprit of God, cast of devil”

Gospel of John Ch. No. 5 verse no. 30
“I can of my own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; for I seek not my own will, but the will of my Father”

Anyone who says “I seek not my will but the will of All Mighty God”, he is a Muslim. Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) was a Muslim, he never claimed divinity. It’s clearly mentioned in the

Gospel of John ch. no. 14 verse no. 24 where he said that

“The words that you hear are not mine but my Father’s who has sent me”

It’s mentioned in the Gospel of John ch. no. 17 verse no. 3

Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) said

“This is life eternal so that you may know there is one God and Jesus Christ whom Thou has sent”

It’s clearly mentioned in the Book of Acts ch. no. 2 verse no.22

“Ye men of Israel, listen to this; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God amongst you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him and you were witnessed to it.”

A man approved of God amongst you by wonders and miracles and signs which God did by Him and you were witnessed to it.

So Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) was one of the mightiest messengers of God but he was not God. And if you want to follow him as I mentioned earlier in

Gospel of John ch. no. 16 verse no. 12 to 14, he said

“I have many things to say unto thee, but ye cannot bear them now for he when he the sprit of truth shall come, he shall guide you unto all truth.”

That means if you are a true follower of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him), besides believing in one God, you also have to follow the last and final messenger Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

As far as your last question us concerned that he will come again so isn’t he the last Prophet? It’s mentioned in the Quran in

Surah Maidah ch. no. 5 verse no. 116 that Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) says to Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta’ala) that

“ye bear witness I never said “worship me” but I said

“U’budoo Allaha”

“Worship Allah”

“Rabbee warabbakum”

“Whose my Lord and your Lord”

So he will come in the second coming, why? He is the only messenger of God whose followers as a whole mistook him that he claimed divinity. All the other messengers, none of their followers mistook that they claimed divinity. Isa (Alaihe Salaam), Jesus (peace be upon him), is the only messenger whose followers had a misunderstanding that he claimed divinity. That’s the reason in his second coming; he will come as a follower of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam). He will not bring any new teachings, he will come to testify that he never claimed divinity; he will not bring any new message. The message is complete. Quran says in

Surah Maidah ch. 5 verse no. 3

“This day, have We perfected your religion for you and I have chosen for you Islam and I have completed My favor on you”

So nothing new can be added or subtracted from Islam. Isa (Alaihe Salaam) in his second coming, he will come to testify to the Christians, he never said “worship me” but

“U’budoo Allaha”

Worship Allah

“Rabbee warabbakum”

“Whose my Lord and your Lord”

So he will come as an Ummat of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihe wa sallam) to clarify the misconception among the Christians. Hope that answers the question.

Wa Aakhiru Da’waana Anil Hamdu Lillaahi Rabbil Aalameen!

Mohammad Naik: JazakAllah, Dr. Zakir. We apologize for those who didn’t get a chance, InshaAllah; this session will continue tomorrow so much so that we will have no lecture of Dr. Zakir. Your challenging questions can be asked in an exclusive open question and answer session called ‘Ask Dr. Zakir’. InshaAllah, it will start with the Qirat by Shaikh Salaah Al Budair, Imam Masjid Al Nabwi, tomorrow same place, same open ground, 6:20pm. Before that of course we’ll have the morning sessions too as per the program schedule.

Assalaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi! Jazakumullah Khairan!