Know God Know Good
Date:
Channel: Bilal Philips
File Size: 55.39MB
Episode Notes
This lecture deals with essential principles governing Islam and its teachings. Every Muslim is instructed to know the religion in accordance to the well known statement made by our Prophet where he said: “Seeking knowledge is compulsory for every Muslim.”This statement is a direct encouragement for all Muslims to know the teachings of Islam. Therefore, you do not just inherit the religion from your parents like a custom or tradition without understanding.
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AI Generated Summary ©
The importance of knowing the religion and teachings in shaping one's life is emphasized, along with the need for common sense and prioritizing knowledge over effort. The importance of history and the law in shaping reality is emphasized, along with the need for people to have a clear understanding of God and the importance of educating young people to avoid problems. The conversation includes discussion of the concept of space and how it relates to our understanding of life on Earth, as well as the importance of space exploration and discoveries. The speakers emphasize the multi-year process that involves complex physical systems and changes in space, as well as the importance of space exploration as a way to discover new unknowns.AI Generated Transcript ©
I would like to come and commence with the lecture.
Thank you all for your patience again. Is this an attempt to meet with an open ear, an open mind and an open heart? Thank you
to align Peace and blessings and the last messenger
the topic this evening,
no God.
What is
it deals with
essential principle
governing Islam
teaches
that every Muslim is instructed
to know the religion
is a well known statement of Prophet Muhammad. Peace and blessings be upon you follow me for
seeking knowledge is compulsory for every Muslim.
This
statement is a direct encouragement
for almost
to know the teachings of Islam, meaning that they do not just inherited
from parents
without reflection, without understanding
that is just a custom tradition, which is handed down and people follow it unquestioningly.
Islam encourages
us
to get that understanding.
We have no questions you can't ask.
You may not get an answer.
But you're still free to ask.
And we believe
all of the essential questions that need to be answered are in fact answered
within the folds
of
knowledge from the Muslim perspective.
Prioritize. There's some knowledge which is most important,
some knowledge which is less important.
Of course, when we embark on the quest for knowledge, we should prioritize that which is most important.
That's common sense.
And the importance of
any given area of knowledge
will be determined by the importance of its content, what is the knowledge about
from the Islamic perspective,
the most important
thing that we need to have knowledge about
is the creator.
That is the starting point of knowledge.
So, students are
encouraged to understand or know about God
to know his attributes,
so know the elements, which are related to his creation of this world is the troll of politics place in the world
to know his mercy
and to know his displeasure
know, the purpose of operation
because
think of God
as the creator,
to have created us without informing us of what we need to do in this life.
That was
for us, why theological.
So, it's not enough for us just to say, but I believe there is a God
No.
Once we say I believe there is a God,
and it is God who has the attributes of ultimate wisdom, knowledge,
mercy,
power, etc. Then
common sense tells us
that God had to tell us why we're here.
What this life is about.
Because any normal circumstance in which we
set up a company,
hired people to come and work in that company.
But we don't inform the people what they're supposed to do in the company. The consequence of such a move
would be disastrous.
Nobody has to tell us this. No, you need to tell the workers,
you need to tell them. What are they supposed to be doing here?
Otherwise, what are they gonna do? They'll come to the
business institution, find the closest canteen and go and drink tea
until somebody comes along and tells them Oh, listen here, you're supposed to be doing this.
So it's such a simple level, it's obvious that people need to know what they were hired for.
Or they were sent to a particular location,
then surely, God who created this world, is not going to put us in this world and not tell us what to do.
no knowledge of what was supposed to be here
has to have been conveyed to us.
As a Muslim, we believe it's conveyed by revelation, that God in fact, did communicate his will do human beings.
We believe that it began with Adam
and Eve,
continued
throughout
human existence, until
the final message is given.
In the sixth century,
Prophet Muhammad, may God's peace and blessings be upon him, following the message that was given to Prophet Jesus.
So,
knowledge, knowledge of a law provides for us knowledge, how we should function.
And everybody in this life wants good,
we all desire, what is good.
We want to avoid what is evil,
that is natural
nature to want to do and to gain what is good and to avoid what is evil.
Now, the issue is, how do we know what is in fact good?
people.
Some people say, we can figure that out ourselves.
We have democracy,
secular democracy, which will tell us what is good and what is evil, do not need to resort to
democracy based on
the idea that although is a
good idea
along with it, rational empiricism, we as individuals have the capability of reasoning, learning from our history from what came before etc, figuring out what's good for us.
And then discussion is concerned that we come together
and
everything is open to discussion. There are no absolutes
course of our discussion,
we arrive at what the majority considers
majority considers to be good and becomes,
of course,
as you mentioned earlier, if good is simply what the majority decides is good,
it means then that good has
no solid foundation
to change from society to society, time to time, place to place,
people to people.
So, what was considered bad yesterday and be considered good today
was considered good yesterday, can be considered bad today.
So, there is no
guidelines on good that good, we can find the objective good, that ultimate goal which will last
throughout.
That is why,
when we look at the American Constitution, for example,
18th century, the most enlightened minds of that time put together a document.
And in that document,
in that document, it states there,
that a black man
ought to be considered three fifths of
the enlightened minds.
They enshrined in the Constitution.
It's no longer
an option.
But it was the natural consequence, not that the people the founders were bad people, evil people.
But they were influenced by the
circumstances in that time.
Most of them own slaves.
slaves were basically not people.
And it was inconceivable that the slaves would be equal to themselves
the other way around. So
it made sense that their value would not be the same as the one
at that time,
it wasn't good for white people.
So it was subjective.
To those individuals was the one later on, of course, looking back at it, in our times, after cell line,
the end was supposed to end of racial discrimination in the US,
then that was looking for something evil.
So,
how then do we arrive at something which is objective?
From a Muslim perspective, that's from knowing
God who has created human beings,
those
working
from the first human being to the last
in the world
of human beings,
psychology,
biology,
social relations, etc.
He then laid laws
which took into account the objective reality of human beings.
So, when he defined certain
statements, etc, as good
that good
was not
for the people on that time.
It was a good
it was good for all people
all the time.
So, that is why,
in spite of its divisions and issues, that
Faced with coming out of
colonialism
it stands and holds its ground on issues today, which other societies have accepted
variety of different issues,
among them the death
penalty, which has been cancelled a number of states of the US,
UK is another country,
the Muslim world
scholarship
somebody kills somebody else,
then that person is to be
an element
favor,
that can absolve that person, or excuse that person from execution that is given to the family of the ones who suffered the loss.
Arguing to a
jury
of individuals who are completely unrelated
to decide amongst themselves should not person get the death penalty or should they not,
that is left to the other ones.
So, if they decide
to be merciful, and to let that person go,
perhaps also with the payment,
fine for taking their life.
Some people call it blind
person can be extreme, but it is left in the hands of the family of the murdered individual.
So, that principle
is in
life remains on change, but it has an element of flexibility where families are involved.
So, it's a brother, or a father or son was killed. And the family know that brother, father or son was in fact, not a very good person.
They were hurting those around.
They have the option of saying don't kill that person.
But it's up to them to understand
if they wish
or
to insist that that person is life.
So, that is the
basic position.
Knowing God
is the source of knowing what is ultimately
not relative.
But ultimately,
the ultimate enemy of good goodness is in fact, morality, about he touched in previous lectures.
Because
and we know that that is the case because of the fact that the Prophet
himself said in the library security
law I was only sent to perfect for you the highest of moral.
So the essential message of Islam is a moral message. It's not a scientific message, technological message.
political message.
It is essentially a moral
morality with regards to God.
One is morally good in relationships with God
by worshipping Him alone
I was not worried. I
By worshiping others besides Him, or along with him,
or denying his existence,
how human beings relate with other human beings, what is morally good? Honestly, justice
and what is morally evil?
murder,
rape,
how
human beings relate to the world in which they were created, the environment
or the environment, this is something which God has granted us is a gift from God, this world in which we live. And it's morally good to look after it, take care of it, protected from destruction, it is for our benefit.
And it's morally evil,
to destroy
all of the various issues which are now becoming big issues in the world.
Concerning the environment, Islam
supports that, and it did a very
inspiring message.
So what this means, practically speaking, is that when we look at
the fundamental teachings of Islam,
what we need to focus on
is the moral message. That is
what we tend to do,
because it's much easier.
And today, the common, most common is to focus on the rituals,
the rituals of the religion, we know that well,
to varying degrees, and we do that without any reflection.
So it just becomes a habit. I do this, because my parents, my family does.
Not enough for me. But
is that what God wants?
Because those rituals and rites were not an end.
They were not a goal, which we, as Muslims were supposed to see, there are only
so
knowing God,
knowing the messengers of God, who came,
who gave
the understanding
of how a person should live a godly life, a life which is pleasing to God, on the life,
human beings in
life which is pleasing to God, they demonstrated, they showed how.
And the essential guidance that is there
is the moral message in all of its principles. So when we go back and look at what are known as the five pillars of Islam,
these are
foundational,
the Prophet
he stated that Islam is built on five.
And he explained,
watch those five pillars.
So it's not something that people came up with.
After he died. Centuries later, down the line, people have different opinions. That's one thing
that you will find everywhere in the world, no matter where you go, and listen to virtually everywhere in the world.
Everybody knows that Islam is built on
five pillars of practice,
which constitute the body of Islam, the social
regular kind
Done, which is supposed to be bringing us closer to God, supposed to give us greater consciousness or awareness.
And each and every pillar has behind it moral principles for which those pillars were described.
But the most of us, as I said,
when we learn, nobody mentioned,
they didn't talk about them all.
Maybe in passing, somehow, some way is mentioned. But it's not. It wasn't brought along, we just were taught.
And if somebody asked you today, what is the moral principle behind this pillar, that
is reality.
It means, then, that we really hadn't understood,
we practice the ritual as everybody else. But
the ultimate goal of human beings is to attain paradise,
then those rituals in and of themselves, will not take us
without the soul,
the heart of this rituals, which are the moral principles, which we are supposed to
translate into a good life,
a godly life, a life which is pleasing to God
is that is missing, then the rituals are just
not ultimately taking us.
So if we go to the first of the pillars of Islam,
the Shahada, the two declarations of
when a person wants to become a Muslim, under normal circumstances, they are required to declare their faith
witness
the principle behind that is openness.
That we be open.
We don't have two phases, one face when we deal with certain people and other face when we need to deal with
what is in your heart.
secretiveness The opposite is this not? And you can find it in the bond? Where was it last night or not? The secret meetings that people hold, for the most part, they're evil.
And other prosecutions, all these societies that are secret societies, you can't get in you have to get to know somebody, you have to go through this dynamic before you can get into hidden hidden from the society.
Those societies they benefit themselves the members are benefited. If you have a court case
and you do a hand signal, the judge decides not to be on finger
dancing, knows
that subjective good
but in the society do
people have their rights. So these secret meetings last a lot went on to say except if you are gathering secretly to give charity in a way that others
want
to give charity without people knowing who gave
the higher level.
One levels you give people No.
Give nobody knows.
Are you and yours
after something good for both the person who receives it, as well as the one who gets it. Because if we're able to give
without seeking praise, seeking gratitude from others, status, etc. Then our giving is a great
So
the basic principle in the declaration of faith, to declarations of faith
encourages this moral principle of openness, transparency.
Of course, there are always exceptions. And there is an exception, if you fear for your life,
different parts of the world if somebody says I want to become a
family look,
we know the ruler of Ethiopia, Muslim history, who converted to Islam hidden from his people, to prevent harm to his family, and
it was only one
we had
the first part of that declaration of faith, which is not in the law, declaring that there's no God worthy of worship. But
that, of course, encourages the development of
God consciousness. And that is going to be found throughout all of this.
But in Arabic is going to stop being conscious.
Of course, to be able to say that statement to make that statement, one has to have
knowledge.
So we don't know who God is.
And we say that statement, it's meaningless.
The prophet in order to emphasize its significance, he said,
my father lied on the law and agenda, whoever states that there is no god worthy of worship, but the wanting God, because I'm law, and I'm hiring, a law
and others other languages, God, capital, G, whatever.
Because we don't claim that the term used by Adam, Grant and all the prophets of God was
Muslim, get off.
Whatever language
people use to
describe or identify
the attributes of
inquiry, it is aniline.
You see what the meaning of acronym is?
Understood.
So, the point is that,
when one commits oneself,
to accept God in their lives as the one true God, the only one worthy of worship,
he or she makes a commitment must know.
If you don't know God's attributes, etc, then you may commit yourself to the worship of a human being.
who say he is God.
Oh, I didn't say he was God. But people said he was God.
So you have all of that out there.
Or somebody will tell you it's a stone, or a cow, or anything. It can tell you all kinds of things, and there are a lot of people who worship God.
And that for me that way,
is a result of their own culture, etc.
The second aspect
of the declaration of faith is Mohammed, declaring that Mohammed was the last messenger.
The first part is most important, because, as the Prophet said,
Whoever says, There is no god worthy of worship. But the one true you need God along with
meaning, saying it's with understanding,
with understanding, along with that, with each era of the prophets.
The additional statement of faith included Moosa
Moses was the messenger
Abraham
Jesus
have
all of these profits, and many others we don't know about.
Because the understanding of profits is not limited to the few 25 profits that are mentioned in the
Bible. But as the Prophet said, there were only more than 124,000.
So they're sent to all nations and tribes around the world.
So in that time, and the Prophet was there, enlightening the people, to the one true God, all deserve to be worship.
They were also required to believe in that profit.
And that
develops in the individual, the quality of obedience,
obedience
to those
no more,
have more love more
position in society
than us, obedient to them.
As a form of respect,
to ensure proper guidance. And of course,
when we're going beyond that of the prophets, in terms of obedience, we have conditions.
As the Prophet himself explains,
obedience to the creatures of God
is not
acceptable, if it involves disobedience to the Creator.
So we have a condition. So obedience is there and it shouldn't be children should obey their parents.
Families should obey their community, community should obey
the leaders of their countries, etc, the regions, but it's not blind obedience, meaning anything they say
obedience, quality,
you know yourself.
That
is your obedience to your parents.
disobedience.
Obviously, they don't love you anymore, but you are hurting and damaging
pillar of Islam. So
I
just wanted
to point of five times daily prayer is to organize our day around the worship of God,
the consciousness
so when we get up in the morning,
rather than simply getting up because you got to go to work. So that's why you get up.
Put some food in the system, so you can function
and then midday break for lunch.
Break time, you know, wear yourself out
the oven, keep the program going, and so on. All you're doing is around what?
That's your framework.
money
or
what the most important
is
that one, be conscious.
So five times to get up in the morning. First and foremost, why should
we make that connection, have that connection with
the day?
Again, renew that connection with God. It doesn't mean that we don't eat and do the things
we normally do.
functioning, we do those things, but priority is given to remembering by bringing God
in our life as much as possible.
So five times
that was described by profit
received that this revelation from God that is Muslim.
So it forms the framework of
prayer,
encouraging, establishing regular contact with God.
Now,
that is supposed to develop this concept of consciousness.
But it also should be translated into
how we communicate how we deal with people socially around us. So I said is upon in the salon done Hi I'm Sasha
prayer, regular prayer established prayer, prevents evil speech and evil deeds.
So,
we are praying five times a day.
And we still speaking evil,
doing evil. And we ask the question, what kind of prayer are you looking?
It's not the prayer which was described.
It was just
the reflection, the understanding, contemplation.
So it doesn't have an impact in our day to day lives.
Some people say Oh, you did it
every morning to get up. lunchtime, evening. Sunset, regular bed.
robot. Is it better? to worship God?
So when you worship God, this thing in your heart, love.
don't feel a thing in your heart today.
Or this week? This month, six months? Years go by never feeling
what are your brain out?
strikes
when you've got something major happens in your life, you know, you're just distraught you whatever what do you do? Oh god. Oh god.
I call that the atheist prayer.
Why? Because for sure
if you're not on the airplane
boy
740 700 whatever.
And you're sitting next to an atheist
and you look out the window and one of the engines falls off.
Explain starts to turn head into that guy that you know there's no coming back.
That is his will not sit there and say
you will see him raise his hands. Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god. Even more than you.
You'll be praying harder than you
because of desperation.
Our prayer as Muslims
is like that.
And if we leave contact with God only to that time of desperation, then that is not real prayer.
It is calling on God he and all his life he said there was no God. But at that time is calling on God. What?
Maybe
Maybe there is a God.
We treat prayer in the same way. Maybe
precautionary
so the president he comes up they call it Friday Muslim
mosque on Friday
or around Ramadan, you see him 24 seven.
Why don't really believe that was just in case.
precautionary just
But that's not
in Islam is that commitment that obedience to the command of God
which we organize our daily life with.
And from which
was proper contemplation, reflection, we will
come closer,
we will become better.
The same can be said
that is the obligatory charge,
contribution.
In Islamic system, this amount of money is to be given to the needy,
not to the church, or the mosque
is given to the needy
to help them
we are forced to give some of the wealth, which was fun God anyway.
Give some of that wealth to the needy elements.
And when we do that, if we do it sincerely, it makes us better people.
Because we respect generosity.
all societies, they admire those who are gender
equality is one of the moral principles of generosity, reaching out and helping others sharing with others
which is
and fasting.
Just torturing yourself
Well, yeah, if you're doing the ritual, you get hungry. Or actually, when you do the ritual, you don't get hungry.
Because what we do we have for 31 meal before dawn, we have
a break.
But what we do
is that for that morning, Neil,
we prepare
and we take off we fill up right to do we can't eat anymore.
We go back to sleep.
Wake up later.
Food is still digesting and as
we go through the day, still digesting, till just before sunset,
digestion and
waiting for
the sun so we can eat. And again What do we do? As I say take out you know get the big meal and pack it all in again.
So then, what happened?
Was that the
planning to the ritual You didn't eat after
dawn
until the
letter of the law
but the Spirit
this Ramadan dry the way of the Prophet has a lot of
bread
and not how many loaves of
bread and how many
of you
a whole different
one you've never experienced before.
And it will be real
fast now. We're fighting the time. He went back to sleep after fudger you will back up again. To feel hungry
not just before sunset.
Do you feel hunger pangs out? Those hunger pangs remind you of those people who are not fasting by choice.
Because
you don't want to be able to emphasize sympathize with others who are starving. You see, these pictures are different places in the world sell for things.
But it's not the same as when you feel that hunger,
never many stops hunger.
You really don't know
anything
beyond
that we're supposed to feel that hunger and it should motivate us to want to share to help others or needy.
And the ultimate goal of course, again is
when we hear of cases we see cases etc. We remember God to go ahead and do it, remember that
it has real meaning in our lives.
And the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca,
pilgrimage,
which brings Muslims from all over the world, and verging
on
doing rites of worship, rituals connected to
Prophet Abraham's sacrifice, willingness to sacrifice.
HR has a
surprise that she faced
being left alone
in Arabia
gathering
brings together Muslims from all over the world.
Which reminds us of the universality of
as there is one God
and he created one human race. Of course, we got caught up in different races there, Caucasian, negroid, Mongoloid and all these other kinds of names that were given to us but it's not
there's only one
because and God loves certain signs in human life to point to different areas
an odd time he left the sign
in the blood,
actually some biologists and others they say you know,
people who share the same type of arawaks are actually closer
goes across the life
anyway, the blood thing is much clearer.
If somebody comes from Norway
the white is the white blond blond, blue eyes the world
amen Oh negative.
Family members can tell their blood cannot say
but somebody who comes from
southern India
so black
doctors is
back here
as a negative or negative is blood can save
he's not not assigned
one
all these variations in touch with
me because they can think small spot in all kinds of we never say this is a
currency column that comes from that area.
But we don't say is another race of cows.
Gas sending, sorry cats, big cats, small cats all kinds of
human beings. One
house reminds people that
There is this one creation, one God,
one human race,
human race, he said one way of life, one religion,
a variety of different religions to confuse people. These are confused with that and what the how and why
that confusion came from us, we made up the difference.
The one religion she gave Adam,
as Muslims, we believe that religion was
because Islam is not unique to Prophet Muhammad,
it was the same message given to all prophets
submission of the human will
that is essential human beings
and worship
worship God.
So, how much remind reminds us and requires of us patience
and tolerance,
patience and house, you cannot make a
ritual,
but you will not follow the principles
a lot of times is very
clearly defined
about essential elements have had a lot of
big data
that there is no
bad words bad actions corruption.
So, it means that when all these people are jammed together
in one place, doing the same right, somebody is going to step on,
somebody is going to bounce into responsibility.
You see some people that are
good morning all the people that
unfortunately,
on the purifying quality
screens that should bring our patients to be patient,
very, very important quality in
with our patients.
Patients can handle things that are happening around with you, in the end, what else is left for you.
So,
that message is there.
And the one is tolerance is there.
But
God prescribed patch.
Knowing that in time, the vast majority
of Muslims,
the vast majority of Muslims will not be able to make
most people will not be
so then why only those people want the means they get the reward. Other people don't have the means
because who decided whether they had the means or not,
is the one who gave those.
So
that said, Amen.
These are ultimately judged by their intention. So intention became the most important elements of writing.
So if you have the intention to make house
and God did not provide the means for you to make, he will reward you.
Maybe you're the one who will be many times more than many who actually go there
and do all the rights to come.
But they weren't therefore adding stripes.
Because he
does not change them.
And
a lot of Muslims get caught up in this.
And they will tell their children, young people like yourself, if you decide to go make Hajj
What does that mean? many more things to do.
So if you gotta go make had, you got to make sure that you receive,
use it all up. So you're not just, you know, you're going there just to get that final blessing wipes away all of your savings.
That's why you see the death rate
which cannot be stopped. Because people are walking up the
steps to catch the plane.
They're walking off the plane, the agenda is all down.
Everywhere
only old people are making
the vast majority of
people on the verge of death
is an obligation on us. Any of us who have the means
you have the means your family has the means to make sure that you make the house ohmygosh
will change your life. If you go there proper understanding
make the sacrifices that are involved.
a life changing experience. Malcolm X, for example.
That was the turning point for him. He had grown up in the Nation of Islam, defender spokesman for the lot Muslims over the Nation of Islam, which was really a Nation of Islam.
Do you want
to understand
intrusiveness
restricted to one group or another?
There are also the six pillars of
foundational principles.
I won't go into
otherwise.
So I'm going to just stop here you got the idea? How do we need to revisit, regroup?
Knowing God
and knowing
that knowing God
knowing God is not just knowledge
itself, as we believe
Adam and Eve turned back to repentance.
Because they didn't know a word to repentance only if
God is just like
your Lord.
So that knowledge by itself is not enough.
knowledge has to be translated into action. That's why would they define scholars when they sit and they define what is
It is a release,
which is
implemented by the.
So, for the most
part
unless circumstances are possible,
somebody says just
because I don't
talk to each other.
So,
first and foremost, ask ourselves, do we really know God?
Have we really understood the
unique oneness of God is manifest in our lives? Are we living lives? Which should be the product of knowing God? Or are we living our own lives? doing our own? Picking from Islam? what's convenient, what suits me what I don't like or whatever?
The biggest law that is your,
your version.
And there's no such thing.
So,
I will stop here.
opportunity to
raise questions
open for discussion
on the concept of knowing God
and knowing what is good
from the Muslim perspective obviously, presented
our perspective
naturally.
So, anybody would like to start, and we will follow the principle of asking the question and responding to the question. Not getting into long debates.
Keep it as a question and not as a lecture.
On the female side, we have Mike.
Mike, ahead.
So
my question is regarding
is it advisable or allow me to do as many as possible? Because some people say that is your to do one one
time? No, that's not true.
It's not true. You can do as many as you want. You do the hardest, but the one that counts is the first time if you are already past puberty, then that is the hottest.
But you can still do further.
And
if you do better than what you did before, they can make up for some of the weaknesses which existed in the previous ad that you did. So there's no limitation as to how many
it's true.
But
a longer amount of time.
So we're only one they would not done with it.
Knowledge
Hold on.
Thank you so much.
But
I really enjoy
my
system, which I do, it tends to be,
you know, generally speaking up with the white line, or the majority of other people. So Islam as a religion that doesn't advocate these kinds of divisions, everybody's equal everything.
But how do we address
the fact that democracy is out of Islam? Because you see these kinds of devices present?
So how do we ask people addresses within ourselves, sometimes we
say,
democracy
in some cases,
for Muslims in India, for example,
if the government became a radical into government,
and there is elements of that already anyway. But if it were open,
and not democratic, it would be very harmful
if it was a nationalist,
racialist,
culturalism
system.
So, in our context, democracy, the
rights of people.
So, it's not the automatic simply the democracy, because there are even democratic elements within Islamic teachings, but
with control
the other aspects of the impact of democracy on Muslim countries.
I would say, you know, that is the consequence of the era of colonialism, where systems were left behind.
Supposedly based on democratic principles,
though most of those countries ended up as dictatorships
not following democratic principles at all.
So we have
struggled as Muslims in the future, to change our world.
In line ultimately, with God, or
responsibility, that effort, in my view,
should be through
peaceful means.
Through education, which can actually change people's way of thinking, not through
suicide bombing, and, you know, blowing this up and blowing that up. Boko Haram on ISIS and all this other stuff that went on. No, that's not gonna change, ultimately.
It is true.
The correct
people will understand the
way all
the way across
because it's weird to think that the better way is the way of the revolutionaries.
We call them guerrilla warfare.
Two people go off in the bush, they get on arms, and they come back and
leaders
with the idea that if you can just kill off these leaders and take hold of power,
but what happens is that those people follow principles of by any means necessary. So they will do anything, any evil thing that they feel it will get them closer to that goal.
So what happens is that when they eventually grab power, they are worse than the people that are replacing
us he will he will get
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. When he started promoting the teaching of Islam. People accepted Islam he
To gather
the strongest
of the voyage who accepted Islam
and so on and so forth, made a small band and go and capture the rulers of Mecca.
decapitate, assassinate, finish off, takeover establishes.
That way,
it spreads violence in society. And you end up creating worse scenarios that you are trying to learn, you're trying to correct to try to make things better. In fact,
a lot of Muslims are very hyped up, somebody shows you
10 pictures of what happened to the children
going on all these kind of things, and you're fired up.
Somebody's got to pay for this
emotion.
Because that leads you to this kind of feeling that
somebody leaves your mother, you can go with his mother,
you cannot use the harm, which is done by some as justification for you know, committing similar crimes.
So you need to know, in spite of your Yes, emotionally, you're worked out, you've seen the suffering, you feel it in your eyes, something, do something, which is in keeping with the teaching
people they need.
They need technology, they need a variety of different things, if you aren't able to do it,
give what you
know, rundown and try and catch on it's really tourist and then
I have a question that I think it's
based on the can
some people
of my age because we start thinking about what life is about
a look around. So if
you're a person like me, and I want to learn Islam, and not your heritage, from what my passion
how that work would use it as
the first step towards
study the profits lies
on how you would
get to know their vision for themselves.
How how the person should
be assessed
without
blowing my own trumpet,
I would advise you to take the course free
is a course called the foundations.
It goes through lecture I gave a series of lectures I gave in Ireland for
the conference,
going through the basic areas and providing for them
the insight into the various disabilities and
also we have
we have a lecture done by Dr. Yasser she did on the life of the Prophet.
This is also useful
to build something learning from the life of the Prophet
and also from understanding
under all the courses there
You are going to
have to use your time whenever it's convenient for you.
And it's not to say it's the only one. There are other universities on internet such offering. And that's something we have today, which we didn't have yesterday.
30 years ago, there was no internet.
Get rid of
the blessing from God that we have that
we don't have any excuse not to obtain that knowledge.
We go on the internet for Facebook.
We use it for all kinds of other things.
Take some time out and learn about
because
as we understand
when we read this, well, the first thing that we asked about is manga
will be held responsible for knowing.
Hi, I have a question.
Regarding
females in Islamic Society, what is your opinion on the unequal treatment of women in certain Islamic countries? We all know that women are equal as men, they are not
rational and intelligent. So why the difference? And secondly, good, very good one. Otherwise,
I want you to come back to the
issue of
inequality
which exists people say in the Muslim world, the world or is it everywhere? Is it in America isn't in the UK, you know, how many people are in the parliament, women, all men are in
every society in the world is played with this.
Women
have not been given the opportunities.
This is not something unique
societies, Muslim societies coming out of colonialism.
The issue is does Islam teach this inequality
people human beings, human beings, males, in most societies dominate and they function according to their own subjective.
So women
are suffering around the world, different times different areas, etc. So it is a common phenomenon phenomenon worldwide.
as prominent, though, we may have laws and very carefully worded laws, etc.
Against harassment of women and all these other kinds of things in the West, the West tends to put stuff up as ideal, this is the
top of the evolutionary pyramid,
a variety of risks. So therefore, whatever is in the West must be the best
realities. Women are
just as much in many, many times worse.
Because when you put women because of the issue of
women feeling that they have to prove that you're equal to men, so the woman now has to go into the army, as we have GI Joe, we must have gi J.
Of course GI Joe is life is no fun. It was a nice experience.
She is she is raped, all kinds of things happen to her.
To the heads of
defense systems so much
wasn't really worth it.
Just to have a GI Jane
Islamic Society you would say, no, it does not work.
Can I finish? Can I finish please? You're welcome. You're welcome to raise a point.
This is the Islamic perspective that we do not put our women, women of our society in places of danger, places of harm, if we're going to fight, and then go into the fight.
Women protect the family as the norm. So this is our perspective, you know, different societies.
But I'm just addressing the point of saying that, why are Muslims oppressing their women as the only people in the world in which women
know behind you?
Okay, so to continue my question, I was referring more to basic rights. I agree that women are being oppressed to various degrees in various countries and various religions.
And in my culture, but legally, women do have more rights in other societies as they do in Islamic Society as referring more specifically to like the right to drive the right to work. In some countries, they are not allowed to work unless they have the permission of a male
family member and are allowed to go to a hospital
being accompanied by a family member. And then if
Why is this such a difference between different is the way different Islamic countries implement.
Some countries are more free, some countries are less free. And even with time, such as Iran with the Islamic Revolution, women's rights actually took a few steps back as time progresses and even with
so that's my second question.
Your question is
why
there is a variance in the treatment of women from one country to another, and even across time and across time. Okay. I will say, ask the same question in Western society
and Western countries. Why is there a difference in the treatment of women in some countries in other countries and across time?
It's not something unique is when you want to try to establish some point, you need to bring something which establishes its uniqueness
to establish the uniqueness and we're not asking for a comparison. We're asking you specifically about Islam, which is what
I said as far as design is concerned, oppression of women is not the problem.
Would you like to make sure the documents rather than talking?
I said that women cannot be raped by their husbands.
I don't think that's what I said.
This is something you have
something
okay, I have a document.
Of course, which I talked about contemporary issues.
Could you give me a reference when I said women cannot be raped in marriage?
Please, seven Yeah.
Okay, the statement
I have here
statement,
because as you said that I said men, women cannot be raped by their husbands, there must be a clear line when
you read that from
reading through the whole document.
A woman cannot be read.
He may not be charged with rape.
I did not say that a woman cannot be raped by her husband, he will not be charged with rape that will not constitute rape.
Well, you know, the bottom line is that
probably the most people in the world today don't consider that to be rape also.
If we go to China,
China
is not classified as
we go to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, these countries.
These are multi millions of people gathered many countries.
The bottom line is that
up until the 90s 1990s,
most western countries did not consider the issue of marriage.
What are we talking about? We're talking about 20 years ago, 24 years ago, up until 24 years ago,
marital rape was not considered
as an act of
peace. Can I finish? Can I finish? Please?
over the topic here,
the point is that in common law enforcement in North America and the British Commonwealth, marital rape was treated as an impossibility
based on the traditional views of marriage, of male female sexuality,
that is, America, and the rest of the world.
So, that
indicates
that there was a time until very recently, this was not considered. And the majority of people in terms of numbers in the world still do not consider this simply because some countries have decided to label this an act where a man forces himself on his wife, and decided to label it as rape, that is the choice of
Islamic law. If a man forces his wife, partners or foster
parents are in the process,
he is liable to punishment under physical abuse, not to say that he is free to do anything he wishes. Instead, if we look at this society, because this always happens, when you take something out of a society, which has a different set of rules, and you try to put it in another society, which has a different set of rules, then you have obvious contradictions, because in Islamic law,
again, Islamic law states, that it is the right of the husband, that he obeyed.
It is the right of the woman that she be taken care of completely. So, there is there is a
balance here.
The husband has the right to be obeyed.
woman has the right to be taken care of. Now in western law, the woman does not have a right to be taken care of.
So to talk about, that the man has to be obeyed, becomes irrelevant. It will seem oppressive. Why? Why should he have to obey Him.
Whereas in a society where it is an obligation on the man to take care of the woman, provide housing, clothing, all of her needs, she is not
required to work if she works is your own earning.
She wants to share someone with a husband, she can do so.
But it's not a requirement, because it is his primary requirement in marriage to provide for her. And if she doesn't provide for her, she has the right to have that marriage or No.
That is
the other side of it is that a man has the right to believe.
He has the right to call his wife to have relations with him. And she should obey you. But if she doesn't obey Him, He doesn't have the right to break her arm, bring your foot, tire up and do anything he wants to.
If he does, so, he's committed a crime, a crime for which you will be punished, you will be punished according to the Sharia.
Because it's not permissible for a Muslim to harm another
human life, or people outside of the Family Center. So this is the context in which Islam does not why it does not recognize
the issue or the principle of marital rape,
marital abuse, punished. But we also know that this principle exists in Christian teachings, you can find also in the first Corinthians seven verses three to five, the wife who does not, the wife does not have authority over her own body.
But the husband does.
The teaching that is
understood by the vast majority of societies around the world.
So I don't think that we can make a case here.
Here it is, within a context.
Somebody else wants to make the point.
I was just wondering, if a man takes care of itself a woman, then it is the duty to obey the husband,
the wife,
the husband to take care of the wife.
But if
the woman to have sex with him, even if she doesn't want to, isn't that mental abuse? And how is that taking care of your life? Well, the issue is, when we talk about mental abuse, this is a huge subject. You know, mental abuse can be all kinds of, so let's just say I would leave off mental abuse part, and just stick with physical abuse, where a physical abuse takes place, that is clear, something measurable, something, you know, quantifiable, but when you talk about mental abuse, then you enter into around which will be credited, because what you might consider to be mental abuse, somebody else might not consider to be mental abuse. So
if a woman feels she's meant to be abused, she's meant to be abused. I don't agree with that.
I don't agree with that. That's why we have laws, you know, if I feel that I have been, you know, physically abused,
I have been physically abused, you know, unnecessarily, I might have done something to somebody else, and they hit me back or they hurt me. But, but I, you know, something happened to me, but as a result of something I did, so, you know, the area of simply saying, if a woman feels she's mentally abused, she is, in fact, mentally abused. I would say no, I don't agree with that. And you you have the right to hold that opinion. You know, I used to express it. And that's your opinion, and I'm expressing my opinion, that I do not believe that. It's simply because a woman feels she's meant to be abused. She's meant to be abused. If you want to do a hands off here, those people who feel that
if a woman feels she's mentally abused, it means in fact that she is mentally bruised. Please put up your hands.
Well, you know, I think you lost
democracy, democracy, and he's right here. Yes.
Please, please, please, please, please, hold on. Please, please, please, please, please excuse me.
You may have brought your issues. I've responded to them. We'll put them both to the people see if you convince them see if they were agreed.
And we see that the vast majority did not tell us. So let me just leave it at that
penalty. if let's say a mother,
daughter, or daughter, and the father is dead, who decides whether the death penalty should be applied.
If a mother kills her son,
or daughter,
then this is the decision of the court.
The closer relatives don't come into play in this case,
somebody from outside of the family, they have an issue of the family decided, within the family itself. A brother kills his sister
who decides
that such cases the Sharia applies itself.
The next question says, if someone is killed as a result of self defense,
what will happen to the person who have done a killing So, someone is attacking the person and the person being attacked off defense in Islamic law you are innocent,
as a murderer in that case,
he would be killed in defense of yourself in life the property these issues
somebody dies,
what we call premeditated murder, intentional murder.
Thank you Dr. Pillai. The next question says
what are the moral principles of fasting other than empathy?
How
How should
I guess this word is conscious, how should cultures be changed by fasting regularly
the moral principle of fasting is a force involving more than issues and empathy empathy is a part of
what is happening in the fast a person who gives up something which is basically permissible for them
to give up
trade relations,
this is something basically
and the purpose behind it is in order to build up the human will to give up what is in fact.
So, there is training of the human will
strengthen the human will to give up what is harmful, what is evil, what is that?
And of course, it is also an involves a remembering
that one because what is it that stops a person from cheating in this matter?
You can tell just by looking at the face.
Maybe they're going to the bathroom and tickets because market and looking like everybody else.
So, why is it that stops you under those circumstances?
That consciousness awareness of a commitment and responsibility
to build that. But again, as I said, it has to be with the proper approach, proper reflection, proper understanding, and not merely following the ritual.
Okay, thank you. Any more questions from the audience on both sides?
First of all, I just had one question. And before asking question, I would like to thank you very much for coming all the way here. Really, really quick. And my question is, if anonymous and from anonymous in perspective, if anonymous, come up to you and ask three questions, what is a lot? What is Mohamed salah and what is Islam? You know, in your opinion, what would you say? There is no question. And
yeah, one question.
That's the one question. Yeah, that was the one.
That one
say we can always come back to you know, this is not actually a question but just saying that to represent Islam, that you're a speaker from very far away. Just try to become
And
I thank you so much.
All right.
But of course,
what the actions of some people that
represent the actions
and consideration doesn't mean open
doors or
unfair or statements which
become long winded arguments, etc, etc. It's enough we share what you have issues we deal with, we have to draw lines, if we don't draw lines, then we have
some of what we're experiencing, where people wouldn't follow the normal principles becomes chaotic.
Anyway, in terms of the three questions,
I would say that
who is,
is the creator sustainer, Educator of the universe, was Muhammad, Muhammad was the last of the prophets of God.
All of them. What is Islam? Islam was the way of life that God prescribed for human beings from the first human being in this world.
As a way,
no questions on the other side,
the topic of discussion,
have a friend,
this person that she believes in the model,
I don't know how to talk.
It says that you need to find out the root
of the problem. What is causing her to have a problem with the ritual? What is it about the ritual, which has made it a problem for
you understand what's behind it, then you can advise her or take her to others, more knowledgeable than yourself, who can advise her whatever. But as long as you don't know what's behind it, and you're only dealing with the surface? It's very difficult to offer.
Some people actually
claim that
like the actual
assets, that they actually have a backup
of
are you
the
only one?
So the claim that the Quran actually supports the acts of
ISIS, read what came before.
This is a famous methodology of those who seek to distort the message of Islam. You take something out of context, and then you use it the way you want to understand it. Because if you read what came before it, yes, God is saying that, in the case of war,
in the case of war, where the enemy is
trying to kill you. And yes, you have to kill them. This is the place to go kill them. But it doesn't mean go kill everybody.
You know, because they come from a particular country or rich region or whatever it means the lives of all those people now become permissibility. Those people who are fighting against taking up arms against in the battlefield, kill them wherever you find them.
Because it's the same thing. There's another verse where it's mentioned after war, battle or fighting with
worshippers, this video verse, a similar statement, and is in the context of the battlefield. And some people in order to distort the image of Islam it says there is
any this believer that you find,
Where'd you find that killer?
teaching? What did the Prophet say in the implementation of these laws? When he saw innocent people had been killed in some of the battle? He said,
women and children, people who are in their monasteries or whatever, you know, do not, don't burn the fields don't destroy the crops, don't you make a number of statements clarifying the principles of
war is the finest human life, he laid down principles based on regulation, when those principles became enshrined in the Geneva Convention.
1000 1000 plus years.
My question is regarding corruption.
There are a lot of leaders who tend to kill in the name of Islam.
As
US citizens, what actions can you take? What Islamic action can you take to make?
You mentioned education earlier that even if we tried to change education, somehow the system stopped us from doing that?
The violent way or other ways? So what can you do?
I mean, I think you're describing a scenario which may not actually exist. Because the setting up of schools and running of schools, in most societies you're allowed to do and of course, there's limitations. If you are teaching in the school, go overthrow the government in such a way that you're gonna run into problems. But if you are just educating the people, you know, educating young people to understand what Islam is, and their moral responsibility to society, you know, and to be morally upright, then it is enough that they graduate, morally sound people who could then not be corrupted, that you have made a difference. Because if the process of education is producing more
and more corrupt people, people will cheat on their exams and their assignments and all these different activities, then how is society ever change? You know, if you are a product of that system, where you have no scruples, you have no moral guidelines, no moral compass, then once you gain power, even though you might be talking about justice and freedom and everything, but once you gain power, you do the same thing and those who come before you, then they've been a different form, it's covered up, it's hidden or whatever. So the change that will be sustainable. My view is this change which comes through the re education of the nation.
That's why the motto of my university pharmacology University is changing the nation through education.
That actually practicing some some of the teachings totally for calling what really supposed to
be for some of the reasons and these kind of things. So
you always have bizarre incentives
to I mean,
this
is kind of like
this kind of incentives intact.
do all these things, is one of the reasons why actually, they do this by the lack of morality, that the idea that real idea of
the behind the teachings is being
lost.
I believe that the real reason or the major
causes the foundation's original correct teachings to be lost.
But when people know what is correct, then they have an option.
And more people will choose that option. Because it is our nature to try to be good.
No good is too bad.
So once the knowledge education reaches, then people can change their lives in the direction where it is not there. It's just ritual handed down generation family, culture, society, then it's not surprising that the moral element
and focus tends to be on ritual.
Okay,
last question.
Hi.
I just have a question.
What is the concept?
Meaning someone who is not from
someone who doesn't believe in higher in the creator or
the concept of cafe,
and of course, it's sort of taken on become like a bad word, multiple.
The concept of capture is one who doesn't
believe in God,
or in accordance with
standards, standard revelation has been accepted as a relation to the profits for nonprofits of the past, etc. So where a person doesn't believe in God in that way, then they're considered to be a disbeliever or non believer who doesn't believe in that tradition.
Because if we go just to believe in God, then
Hindus who may also have idols, many other factors, etc, they also believe, ultimately,
but they're
frustrating before items. So, and other societies have other concepts. So it's not simply whether you believe in God, I don't believe in God that's between atheists, and theists.
But it is
an issue of believe in God belief in God, as God revealed or as we believe,
from our perspective,
as we believe God revealed himself to the prophets,
Jesus, Moses, Abraham, the other prophets elsewhere, sharing the same as
those who don't share that belief that those people are considered to be
non believers.
Determine how Arabic is after because actually the way that Arabic it really just means actually, one who covers
because according to
that, first
non believer
is a person who, when the truth comes to them, they will cover it up. They will not accept it.
This is what the original meaning of capture is
referred to farmer.
Thank you