by Ibrahim B. Syed, Ph. D.
President
Islamic Research Foundation International, Inc.
7102 W. Shefford Lane
Louisville, KY 40242-6462, USA
E-mail: IRFI@INAME.COM
Website:  http://WWW.IRFI.ORG
 

The Washington Post on June 2, ran an article, which citing Pentagon sources, claimed that India had decided to move its indigenously-developed Prithvimedium-range ballistic missile to Jalandhar near its border with Pakistan. The missile could easily strike targets well into the Pakistani heartland if it has actually been deployed at Jalandhar. As a retaliatory measure, Pakistan would feel compelled to install its own M-11 missiles at appropriate locations. Before long the two adversaries, could willy-nilly become involved in a financially costly and strategically destabilizing venture.
 

Many will be surprised to know that the Indian Missiles were developed by a Muslim Indian Scientist. The following is a very brief account of some of the Muslim Scientists chosen randomly and their contribution to science and medicine in India. The author regrets that many well deserving Muslim Scientists have not been included in this article, however it is unintentional or lack of information on them. The Embassy of India in Washington, D.C. could not render any help to the author in this regard.
 

Dr. A.P.J. Abul Kalam - India's Missile Man
 

Dr. Arvul Pakir Jainulabedin Abul Kalam, popularly known as Dr. A.P.J. Abul Kalam, caught national and international attention as "India's Missile Man" with the successful launching of 'Agni' from

Chandipur(Orissa) on May 22, 1989. 

Born in 1931 at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Abul Kalam is a DMIT (Diploma from the Madras Institute of Technology) in Aero Engineering. He was awarded a Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) degree (Honoris Causa). He was Director-in-charge of ASL-V mission at Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) before becoming the Director of the Defense Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL) which is located in Hyderabad, in Andhra Pradesh. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences.
 

Dr. Abul Kalam is the brain behind "Agni"; the indigenously developed 17 meter long and 75 ton multiple stage missile with a payload of 1000 kg (kilogram). Its range is anywhere between 1600 km (kilometers) to 2500 km. He was assisted by a 400-strong team of scientists.

Due to his team's efforts, India overcame the stipulations made by the seven Western Countries' Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) to deny missile technology to the third world countries.
 

According to the eminent space scientist, "our indigenous missile technology is comparable to the best in the East or the West with its re-entry technology guidance and control technology with on-board computers."
 

Dr. APJ Abul Kalam, who hails from Tamil Nadu, worked on projects such as 'Prithvi', etc. at the DRDL in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. For his contributions to India's Missile Program and the successful detonation of Nuclear Weapons in May 1998, he was appointed as Advisor to the Defense Minister and subsequently awarded "Bharat Ratna" the highest civilian award by the Government of India.

 

Dr. Israr Ahmed - Physicist 

Dr. Israr Ahmed, Director, Center for Promotion of Science, Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Aligarh, is a distinguished scientist. He is considered an authority on Theoretical Nuclear Physics and Quantum Scattering Theory. Besides, he edits the AMU's Urdu monthly 'Tahzibul Akhlaq' and Hindi monthly 'Nishant' since 1986.

Born on December 19, 1940, Dr. Israr Ahmed, is the son of Mr. Mukhtar Ahmed. After his graduation from Gorakhpur University in 1959, he pursued his post-graduation studies and earned a Ph.D. in Physics from AMU. He joined the AMU as a Lecturer in 1961. Since 1984 he is serving the Physics department as its Chairman. 

His 48 research papers have so far been published in the international journals. A number of research scholars have been awarded M.Phil and Ph.D. under his supervision. 

Dr. Israr Ahmed is an associate member of the International Center for Theoretical Physics located in Trieste (Italy) headed by the late Nobel Laureate, Dr. Abdus Salam. He is a member of the New York Academy of Sciences and as well as the Indian Physics Association. 

He organized a conference on 'Religious Seminarae and Science Education' on March 26-28, 1987 and DAE (Department of Atomic Energy) Symposium on Nuclear Physics December 26-31, 1989 at the AMU, Aligarh. He also conducted several introductory science courses for the teachers of Muslim religious seminaries. Besides, he is also a science fiction writer in Hindi, Urdu, and English. 

M. Ahmed - Founder of 'Cardinal Geometry' 

Mr. M. Ahmed, IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer, is the author of a Calendar for all years from 45 B.C. to 1999 A.D. and an abridged version of it for 250 years.

He can tell in few seconds the day one was born, if he puts before him his date of birth. He has evolved new concepts in Mathematics, popularly known as'Cardinal Geometry.' 

It is a new type of Geometry, which deals with the Mathematical Curves, surfaces and coordinates. He has also written a treatise on the subject. 

He was born to Mr. Abdul Muthalib Rawther on November 2, 1941 at Adder (Kerala). Mr. Ahmed was the first rank holder in the University of Kerala in both B.Sc. (1961) and M.Sc. (1963) examinations in Mathematics.

After a year as a lecturer in Mathematics in different colleges, he joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1965. He was the Collector of Madras, Member-Secretary, Madras Metropolitan Development Authority, Secretary to the Government, Chairman and Managing Director of the Tamil Nadu Warehousing Corporation and is now Vice Chairman, Madras Metropolitan Development Authority. Recently he has been elevated to the grade of Special Commissioner. 

In spite of his busy schedule as an administrator, Mr. Ahmed spends some time in academic work and has made a significant contribution to the Mathematics by evolving new principles.

The Cardinal Geometry is an innovative concept in Geometry, developed by Mr. Ahmed, enabling the creation and study of many symmetric mathematical curves and surfaces. The classical geometry knows only a few symmetric curves and surfaces like the circle, ellipse, parabola, hyperbola, cardioid, limacon, lemniscafe, curves of Cassini etc., and some of their surfaces of revolution. Besides these curves, many lemniscafes, blimps, crescents etc. have been generated by him. 

According to Mr. Ahmed, the Cardinal Geometry theory could possibly be extended to the study of magnetism, motion of particles and bodies. It would have both theoretical and practical use in Engineering and Architecture. 

Dr. S.Z. Qasim - Antarctica Hero 

Dr. Syed Zahoor Qasim, Member Planning Commission, Government of India, was till recently the Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia(University) in Delhi. He has had his early education in Allahabad and then at the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh from where he took his M.Sc. degree in Zoology. He stood first in the order of Merit for which he was awarded University Gold Medal. For a few years, he was a lecturer in the Department of Zoology at Aligarh before proceeding to the United Kingdom for higher studies in 1953.

He returned to India in December of 1956 and joined the Department of Zoology of AMU as a Lecturer. He became Reader in 1957 and started a new laboratory of Fish and Fisheries in the Department. In 1962, he joined the Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Bombay (Mumbai) as a Professor of Fisheries Biology and in 1964, moved to Cochin as Assistant Director in the Directorate of International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). Here he extensively worked on biological oceanography especially on the primary productivity of Kerala Backwaters and on the atolls of Lakshwadeep. 

From 1970 to 1973, Dr. Qasim was the Director of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute at Cochin. He also held the additional charge of the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin for about one year. Here he promoted new lines of work in Fisheries Biology and initiated the development of mussel culture and pearl culture techniques for the first time in India. This work earned him the prestigious award of "Padma Shri." 

In January 1974, he took over as the Director of the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa. In February 1976 he was responsible for the commissioning of the first Oceanographic Research Vessel Ganeshani for NIO. He initiated many new programs on the productivity of the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. 

In May 1981, Dr. Qasim was appointed Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Environment(DOE) and within a year (April 1982) he took over as Secretary of the newly established Department of Ocean Development. He has been responsible for the acquisition of a second Oceanographic Research Vessel "Sagar Sampada" for the Indian Oceanographic research. 

Dr. Qasim led India's First Expedition to the Antarctica and successfully organized and guided the other seven expeditions to the frozen continent from 1981 to 1988. 

His work on Fisheries Biology, primary productivity, mari-culture particularly mussel and pearl culture, estuarine ecology, environmental pollution and Antarctic research will always be quoted profusely. He has published more than 200 original research papers in national and international journals. For his original work and distinguished services, he won many honors and awards.

He led many delegations of India in several international conferences and meetings. 

Dr. Qasim is a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, Indian academy of Sciences, Bangalore, National Academy of Sciences, Allahabad, among many others. Under his guidance nearly 40 students obtained their Ph.D. degrees from various universities in India. 

He is Editor for several journals and member of the Editorial Boards of many national and international scientific journals. he is an Honorary Professor of several Universities including Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Annamalai University, Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (Chennai) in Tamil Nadu, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh and the Jamia Millia Islamia(University) in Delhi. 

Dr. Qasim is blessed with three daughters and lives in New Delhi. 

 

Dr. C. M. Habibullah - Eminent Gastroenterologist 

Dr. C. M. Habibullah is known as one of the most eminent Gastroenterologists of the country. He is presently Dean of the Decccan Medical College and Director of Owesi Medical and Research Center located in Hyderabad. Formerly Professor and Head of the Department of Gastroenterology at the Osmania Medical College and Hospital, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. 

He is also Chairman, Academic Committee, All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS), New Delhi and president, National Association of Liver Study Group. 

Son of Mr. Ahmed Hussain, he was born on 12th October, 1936 at Chittor(Andhra Pradesh). He took his early education from Chennai. Afterwards, he did his MBBS from Guntur Medical College in 1958 and was awarded Gold Medals in Pathology and Surgery. He was awarded M.D.(General Medicine) in 1963 and D.M.(Gastroenterology) in 1972. 

Afterwards, he worked in a number of Hospitals and Medical Colleges in different parts of the country. He is associated with a number of institutions. He is a fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences, American College of Gastroenterology, and International College of Angiology and also elected member of the Academy of Medical Sciences(Gastroenterology) of the former USSR and nominated member of National Board of Examination and AIIMS. 

More than 80 major research papers by him have appeared in scientific journals. More than 106 papers have been presented by him at national and international conferences. His current interest is in liver cell transplantation therapy in cases of acute liver failure and vaccine action program in viral hepatitis cases. 

Several scholars have obtained M.D., D.M., and Ph.D. degrees under his guidance and many research projects have been completed. Besides, new drug trials have also been done. 

He has two children lives in Hyderabad.
 

Dr. S. N. A. Rizvi - Authority in Nephrology 

Dr. S.N.A. Rizvi is considered one of the few authorities on Nephrology in India. He is a Professor of Medicine, Head of Nephrology and Endocrinology Division, Maulana Azad medical College and associated Hospitals in New Delhi
 

Son of Hakim S. Sultan Ahmed Rizvi, he was born in a family of renowned for Hikmat, on 1 August 1939 at Amroha(District Moradabad, U.P.). After doing his graduation and postgraduation in Biochemistry, from AMU, he took admission in Medical College. Thereafter completed M.B.B.S. and M.D. degrees in 1969 with gold medal in clinical thesis from Delhi University. 

Dr. Rizvi, who has specialized in four fields-Endocrinology including diabetes, Nephrology, Rheumatology and Internal Medicine, is supervising the Dialysis services at Maulana Azad Medical College and LNJP and G.P. Pant Hospitals since 1972. Since then about 24,000 patients have been given free dialysis service. It is the only Hospital in the country which provides free dialysis. it costs about $600.00 The new dialysis unit is fully equipped with ten machines in non-infection units and two in Australia antigen units. The latter is the only unit available in the country. Dr. Rizvi reduced patient Mortality from 69 percent to 36 percent; Acute renal failure from 69 % to 36 %; and Chronic renal failure from 100 % to 60 % . He reduced Poisoning from 60 % to 4 %. 

Dr. S.N.A. Rizvi, who has recently taken over as the head of the newly established Tetanus Department, has been honored with several fellowships and awards- Fellowship of AIID(All India Institute of Infectious Diseases), Bombay(Mumbai) in 1980 for his distinguished work on diabetes; Fellow of the Indian Academy of Medical Sciences, Delhi in 1983; Fellow of the Indian Society of Nephrology in Chandigarh in 1984; Fellow of the Indian Congress in Nutrition(International Nutrition) in 1985. Fellow of the Indian Congress of Allergy and Immunology) in Delhi in 1986; Indian Congress of Physicians Fellowship in 1990 besides a number of national and international awards. He was recently been awarded by the Nobel Laureate Mother Theressa in recognition of his significant contribution to Nephrology. He was invited as a Guest Speaker to speak on several topics by national and international organizations. 

He has also been a life member of numerous scientific societies. His 220 papers have so far been published besides contribution of chapters in various books of medical sciences. he has also been the Associate Editor of the Journal of Indian Medical Association(IMA) of Medical Specialties, and member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Indian Medical Association and also member of the editorial board of the Journal of Indian Society of Nephrology. 

He has got special interest in the poor. He spends Sundays at free medical camps in Delhi organized by the medical or voluntary organizations. He has three children and lives in New Delhi.
 

Ornithology - Study of birds 

India has the credit of having eminent ornithologists who are Muslims. Mughal Emperor Jahangir was an expert ornithologist. Jahangir described with care and accuracy various characteristics of animals and birds, their geographical distribution and behavior. The internationally renowned Indian ornithologist, Salim Ali, says, "His memoirs are a veritable gazetteer of natural history of the India of his day."  

For the first time in the history of ornithology, he noted how sarus cranes mate, brood over their eggs, in turn, and how chicks are hatched and taken care of. He also observed one human quality in this bird: the parents love not only their eggs and chicks but also each other. 

In 1958 there was sensation in the world of ornithology when a Russian researcher, A. Ivanov, discovered a portrait of the dodo, a large, non-flying pigeon-like bird which had become extinct about three centuries ago, in a collection of paintings at the Institute of Orientalists of the Soviet Academy of Sciences. There was nothing to identify the painter, but the style was without doubt of Ustad Mansur, the court painter of Jahangir. Now there is other evidence to show that it was the portrait of a Mauritius dodo which a merchant had presented to the Emperor around 1624. So, in the world of ornithology, Jahangir and the dodo made a dramatic reappearance nearly three centuries after they had died. 

Salim Ali - Internationally recognized Ornithologist 

Salim Moizuddin Abdul Ali, better known as Salim Ali, the bird watcher extraordinary was born on November 12, 1896. 

He is a recipient of the J. Paul Getty Wild Life Conservation Prize for his contributions to ornithology, the study of birds. He has won several national honors and awards as well. Surprisingly, Salim Ali has no university degree. He is a world renowned expert on weaver birds. Salim discovered Finn's Baya which was believed to have been extinct for 100 years until he discovered it in the Kumaon hills. 

In 1941 he published 'The Book of Indian Birds' that contained lively descriptions and colored pictures of every species. It made spotting a bird easy for the layman.
 

In 1948 he began an ambitious project in collaboration with S. Dillon Ripley, an ornithologist of international repute, to bring out in ten volumes Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan. This work contains all that is known of birds of the subcontinent, their appearance, where thy are generally found, their breeding habits, migration and what remains to be studied about them. 

Salim Ali has travelled all over India on his bird-watching surveys. It is claimed that there is hardly a place in the country where his heavy rubber shoes have not left their mark. 

Professor Mushahid Husain - This is written by Muzammil Husain

We are providing this section for our new brother and sisters so that they may have more information regarding the teachings of Islam; the religion of absolute submission to the one God; Allah.

We sincerely hope that you will benefit from it, and that it may deepen your knowledge and increase your interest in Islam. Although we live in the twentieth century - in probably the most secular and irreligious age in history - many of us are still inclined to stop from time to time to think about religion. And yet we find that there are so many different opinions about religion. Religions seem to cling fanatically to their own beliefs. Each in turn seems to claim that it possesses all truth, while all others are lost in hopeless error.

In an age torn by hatred, war and strife among the races, many of us look back to religion for guidance to peace and brotherhood and are disappointed when we find in most of them intolerance and narrowness of spirituality.

So, we may ask, is there a religion which teaches the Oneness of God and the oneness of mankind, and yet, at the same time is tolerant of other points of view? This is exactly the teaching of Islam. In fact, Islam teaches that this message of the Oneness of God and the brotherhood of all races is the original message which Allah sent to all prophets and religions since the dawn of human history.

However, man has changed this original teaching of Oneness and developed out of numerous mutually antagonistic sects. As Allah says in the Holy Qur'an, the revelation of Allah to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh):

Islam still preserves this teaching of the Oneness of God and the brotherhood of all mankind. Islam seeks to implement this spirit among all races, and yet, at the same time, remains tolerant and respectful of all other heavenly religions and their followers who share the belief in the One and only God. The Holy Qur'an teaches:

It is false to call Islam Mohammedanism, as has been done so frequently in the West. We have already pointed out that Muslims believe that Islam is the eternal message which Allah sent to all prophets, peace be upon them, from the dawn of mankind, and not a new belief which began with the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Muslims call their religion Islam, and the Arabic word Islam implies the attainment of peace through submission to Allah. The word Muslim is an adjective derived from the noun Islam, and implies one who has peace within himself from his submission to Allah.

Muslims believe in the One, Eternal God, Who created the heavens and the earth and all that exists. In Arabic, God is called Allah. There is absolutely no difference between Allah and the God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them all. Muslims do not believe that Prophet Muhammad was the only Prophet; rather they believe that he was the last of the Prophets of the Old and New Testaments. The Holy Qur'an is the revealed and sacred scripture of Islam, and it teaches:

The most fundamental concept of Islam and the backbone of all its other principles and practices is the Oneness of God - tawhiid. Islam is monotheism in its purest form, and the logic of pure monotheism is the thread which runs through the entire fabric of the Islamic way of life. Islam teaches a fundamental difference between Allah, the Creator and that which He has created. The sky, the moon, the stars, the harmony and perfection of the natural world, the grace and beauty of the human body and the excellence of the human mind, the alternation of day and night, the change of the seasons, and the mystery of life and death all point to something beyond, greater than themselves. To the believer these are all signs (ayaat) of Allah. Islam teaches that Allah is not to be likened to anything which He has created. He is All-Powerful, All-Knowing. He is beyond any imperfection, and is the fulfillment of all Perfection. He is not a substance, nor is He like any of His creatures. He is not a far away and distant God, nor is He an unapproachable ideal. He is All-Kind, All-Merciful, and All-Compassionate.

Islam teaches that Allah is eternal. He was not Himself begotten, nor has He, in turn begotten a son or a daughter. Islam rejects the concept of the incarnation of God, which is found in Hinduism, Christianity, and other religions, and believes that the concept of incarnation limits the concept of God and destroys the believer's conviction of God's Activeness and Perfection.

The Qur'an describes Allah being perfect and active:

Islam rejects the notion that Jesus (PBUH) was the son of God. Rather it honors and respects him as one of the great messengers and prophets of Allah to the Children of Israel.

Islam rejects the concept of trinity and considers it a contradiction of pure monotheism. It also rejects the argument of some Christians that God made Himself incarnate in Jesus, peace be upon him, so that God could be known by men, and also rejects the argument that Jesus, peace be upon him, died on the cross for mankind's sins. To begin with, Islam believes that man can come to know Allah and feel close to Him by means of proper prayer, fasting, charity, pilgrimage, and righteous deeds. The very practice of Islam is meant to purify the believer's soul and to bring him/her closer to Allah. With regard to the second argument, Islam teaches no human being can bear the burden of another's responsibility.

Allah is very aware of our human weaknesses and imperfection. He does not condemn us because we are created imperfect; rather He guides us to self-perfection and He forgives us and showers His Mercy upon us when we fail and then ask His forgiveness sincerely.

Muslims believe in the divine origin of the Old and New Testaments, although Muslims doubt the historical authenticity of some parts of the Old and New Testaments and do not believe them to be exact representations of what Allah originally revealed. The Qur'an upheld this view of the text of the Old and New Testaments hundreds of years ago, and in recent years, this view has been upheld by textual studies of biblical scholars. Muslims believe in the Angels of Allah, and His Prophets, peace be upon them. They believe in the resurrection of the dead at the end of the world; they believe in the coming of the Day of Judgement and eternal life in Paradise or Hell.

Although Muslims believe that Allah is All-Powerful and maintains complete control over His creation, they also believe that Allah has created man with free will and the ability to choose and act, and that Allah is just in making man morally responsible for what man does during his/her lifetime. It is false to say that Islam teaches its followers to resign meekly and passively to whatever is their fate or destiny. Rather Islam challenges the believer to fight against wrong and oppression and to strive for the establishment of righteousness and justice.

Faith without action is a dead letter. Islam teaches us that faith by itself is not enough until it is transformed into action. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

Each Muslim is taught that he/she is personally responsible for his/her own actions, both in this world and in the hereafter. Islam teaches that every individual must carry the responsibility of his/her own actions and that no one can carry that burden for them.

Islam teaches that the woman is not inherently inferior to man; rather man and woman are of similar nature. They both are equal in intellectual and spiritual capacity. Furthermore, they are both equally responsible for their deeds before Allah.

It is also true that Islam regards the woman as having a primary role to play in the constitution and running of the family. Islam places great emphasis on the role of the Muslim woman as a wife and particularly as a mother, and Muslims are often of the opinion that the best position for the woman is in the home with her children and family. However, the Muslim woman is not prohibited from leaving her home to pursue education, a teaching profession, or other worthwhile and constructive goals which profit not only her but society as well. The Qur'an establishes the spiritual equality and mutual responsibility of man and woman in verses like the following:

The relationship of the Muslim man to his wife is not that of master to slave. Rather the entire responsibility of economic support is placed on the shoulders of the man alone and he cannot demand of his wife that she also become economically productive to support the family, although she is able to do this if she desires.

The Qur'an enunciates this responsibility of men to women in the following verse:

The important point that should be made is that Islam has great respect for the woman. It does not teach that she is without a soul or that she is the root of all evil or that she is inferior to man and must be kept in seclusion and subjugation. It is also worthy of mention that the Qur'an does not teach that man fell from Paradise because of the temptation of Eve. Rather the Qur'an directs all the responsibility toward Adam himself, while adding that Allah turned to Adam in mercy and forgave him his sin. Therefore, Adam's sin stops with Adam himself, and Allah, who is the Beneficent and the Merciful, does not hold mankind responsible for the sin of Adam.

We cannot deny that the condition of women has at times been regrettable in the Muslim world, as well as in the rest of the world at large. We do not wish to justify these circumstances, but only to make the point that they did not originate from the teachings of Islam itself.

Islam teaches that the human family is one, that there is no superiority of white over black or black over white. Islam rejects radically all notions of racial prejudice and teaches that the only basis of distinction between human beings is their individual moral qualities.

The concept of Islamic brotherhood has two primary dimensions; the relationship of Muslims to Muslims and the relationship of Muslims to non-Muslims. As for the first category Islam teaches that the brotherhood between all Muslim is to be absolute and total. The Arab has no privileges over the non-Arab, and, since there is no clergy or priesthood in Islam, all Muslims are basically equal, from top to bottom, from rich to poor, from educated to uneducated.

As for the relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims, the teaching of Islam is that this is to be a relationship of mutual respect and particularly of tolerance. It is preferable that Muslims and non-Muslims live in peace, protect each other, and cooperate with each other. As the Qur'an says: "There is no compulsion in religion ..." (Qur'an 2:256) and "You have your religion and I have mine."(Qur'an 109:6)

Muslims consider their religion to be very rational and consistent with the dictates of the believing and reasoning mind. Furthermore, the Qur'an teaches that the rational faculty is one of the greatest gifts of Allah to man, and it encourages us to use this faculty and to develop it. Islam does not ask its followers to believe and then follow everything blindly and unquestioningly. The Quran says, for instance:

Islam encourages reasoning, thought and personal opinion. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "The differences of opinion among the learned of my followers are Allah's mercy." Islam has great respect for learning science and for man's exploration of the secrets of nature and of creation. In fact Allah challenges man on many occasions in the Qur'an to deepen his faith, knowledge, and wisdom from study and contemplation of the natural world, its harmony, symmetry, and beauty. For example:

The individual capacities and unique abilities of people are a gift of Allah, to be developed, perfected, and used for the benefit of humanity. Islam does not try to crush the individuality of its believers, but rather to guide each believer to perfection and purify his own uniqueness. This multiplicity of expressive and developed personalities enriches society and places it on a higher level, like the beauty of an intricate but unified arabesque.

In the eyes of some commentators on Islam in the West, Islam has been portrayed as a militant religion, a religion of blood, fire, and sword. We have already tried to draw attention to the fundamental concern of Islam for tolerance and religious freedom, and have also commented upon the emphasis Islam places on peace and cooperation among mankind. However, Islam is a practical religion, a religion which never ignores for a single moment the complexities and demands of the harsh realities and facts of life.

Islam is fundamentally concerned with establishing societies in which the rights of freedom of belief, human rights, and protection of life, dignity, and property are secure from both internal and external threats.

Therefore, Islam teaches its followers to be merciful and inclined toward forgiveness and peace even in times of war.
Islam therefore stipulates principles which Muslims are to follow before, during, and after war. Peace is to be established on the basis of justice. Muslims are not to be aggressive or to violate treaties which they have concluded with others, but war is to be waged in defence of the Muslim community and what it stands for. During war, there is to be no killing of civilians and those who do no participate directly in the war. Prisoners are to be treated humanely. Destruction of lands, fruit trees, animals, and towns and villages is to be avoided. Muslims are to be inclined to peace if the enemy is truthfully inclined to peace, and they are to make treaties and agreements to preserve that peace and then observe those treaties as long as the enemy observes them. The concept of 'jihad' is one of the highest concepts in Islam. The term has at times been translated as 'Holy War'. However, this translation is incomplete for Jihad also means by language 'struggling'. It is a concept which places great emphasis on activism and self-sacrifice, although it does not apply to sacrifice in war alone. The Prophet (PBUH) said that the greatest jihad is the striving of the Muslim to purify himself. The lesser jihad consists of all the striving the Muslim does in his external life, charity, righteous living and acts, the constant effort to achieve the Right Path in his dealings with his fellow men. This is true striving in the Way of Allah.

Islam sets down five principle duties which are obligatory upon all Muslims, and form the structure, or pillars, of his/her life. They are:

1. Belief in the Oneness of Allah, and the bearing of witness to this belief by the words. "I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and that Muhammad is His Prophet and Messenger."

2. The five daily prayers at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and nightfall. These five daily prayers help one to develop Allah consciousness in his/her everyday life. The importance of these cannot be over-emphasized. They are a constant reminder to the worshipper of the Presence and Power of Allah and help the worshipper to keep himself from deviating from the Right Path.

3. The bestowal of charity on one's fellow man. Islam places great emphasis on generosity and charity as a means of purifying one's soul and getting closer to Allah. The Muslim is enjoined to give voluntarily whenever he/she can; however, he/she is required each year to pay an obligatory charity tax of two and a half percent of his/her annual net earnings that exceed necessities, to go to the poor and the needy, etc. The Zakat - charity - thus enables the Muslim community to take care of all its members and insures that no one will be deprived of his/her basic human right to exist.

4. Fasting during the ninth month of the lunar year 'Ramadan'. This fast is enjoined upon Muslims of good health and sound body who have attained the age of physical maturity and are not prevented from performing the fast by various circumstances like travel, sickness, mental illness, or specifically in the case of women, menstruation, or childbirth. The fast of Ramadan begins at dawn and last until sunset. During this period the Muslim abstains from eating, and drinking, sexual activity and smoking. Fasting teaches self discipline and control, while purifying the soul and body and strengthening one's consciousness of Allah.

5. The pilgrimage to Mecca. The pilgrimage is required of all Muslims at least once during their lifetime, if they have the financial means. The annual pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the greatest events of the Muslim world, uniting Muslims from every race and from every corner of the world. This is a great experience in the life of a Muslim which enables him to draw himself closer to Allah. We would like to remind the reader that the Holy Mosque in Mecca was built by Prophet Abraham and his son, the Prophet Ishmail, peace be upon them.

Since there is no priesthood in Islam, no clergy and no official religious institution, all one has to do to become a Muslim is to be personally convinced of the truth of what Islam teaches and bear witness that "There is no god except Allah, and that Muhammad is His Prophet."

One of the great beauties of Islam is its simplicity, its naturalness, and its lack of formalities. Islam is the religion of Adam and of mankind in its earliest and most advanced stages of development. Allah says in the Holy Qur'an:

Among the many benefits of embracing Islam are that once you bear witness that: "There is no god except Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet," all your past sins are forgiven and all your past sins are transformed into merits! You also receive the reward of believing the religion of the Prophet Jesus, if you are a Christian, or Prophet Moses, if you are a Jew, and the religion of Prophet Muhammad, which means that you receive two rewards.