What Do You Know About Islam?

What Do You Know About Islam?
This is the text version of the lecture delivered by Shaykh Khalid Yasin to a group of non-Muslims in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.


Part 2 of 2



So through the Quran, the word Islam came. As a word – Islam, it came in the Quran, because when the building is complete you call it a house. When a car is on the assembly line, it is not an automobile, it is in the process of assembly. When the assembling has been completed and when it has been certified and when it has been test driven, it is now an automobile. When Islam was completed as a revelation, as a book, as an example through the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), it then became Islam. It became a complete way of life. Deen Al-Islam. So it is the word that was new, but not the practice, not the Prophet, not the order from God, not a new God, not a new revelation, but only a name Islam. And as we said previously – what were all the Prophets? They were all Muslims. Another distinction which we need to keep in mind is that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) unlike his predecessors, he did not come to the Arabs or his own people exclusively. No. Therefore Islam is not a religion of the Arabs, it is not for Arabs only. Yes, Muhammad (pbuh), the son of Abdullah was born in Makkah, a city in Arabian peninsula, so certainly he was an Arab by birth – consequences of his birth, choice of the Almighty. Additionally, the Quran was revealed in the Arabic language to protect it, make it clear, make it pure and precise. Yet the Quran dispels any inclinations or associations that the message of Muhammad (pbuh) was limited or meant for Arabs only.



Sura 34 - Saba [Saba, Sheba] Verse 28-28:
28. وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلا كَافَّةً لِلنَّاسِ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا وَلَكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لا يَعْلَمُونَ


Sura 34 - Saba [Saba, Sheba] Verse 28-28:
28. We have not sent thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad tidings, and warning them (against sin), but most men understand not.



As such Muhammad (pbuh) is the finality of the great Prophets/Messengers before him. And since we are making reference to the Quran to support our presentation, we should give some background information on the Quran itself. First of all, the Quran makes the claim that it is product of divine revelation ie it was sent down to Muhammad (pbuh) from Almighty God through inspiration.


Sura 53 - An-Najm [The Star] Verse 3-4:
3. وَمَا يَنْطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى
4. إِنْ هُوَ إِلا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى


Sura 53 - An-Najm [The Star] Verse 3-4:
3. Nor does he say (aught) of (his own) Desire.
4. It is no less than inspiration sent down to him:



This is a statement of Allah. If we are to convince someone about the authenticity of the Quran, then we must prove that it was impossible for Muhammad (pbuh) to manufacture such a book. Secondly, we must prove that it was equally impossible for any human agency to have created it.

Let us think about this. The Quran makes the statement:


Sura 96 - Al-Alaq [The Clot, Read] Verse 2-2:
2. خَلَقَ الإنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ


Sura 96 - Al-Alaq [The Clot, Read] Verse 2-2:
2. Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood:



How did the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) know that the embryo started out as a clot and clinging to the wall of the Uterus of the mother? Did he have a Telescope? Did he have a Stethoscope? Or did he have some kind of X-Ray vision? How did he receive this knowledge when it was just discovered around 50 years ago?

How did he know that the oceans have a barrier between them to separate the salt and the fresh water?

How did he know that Sun and the Moon and the Planets are all swimming in an orbit that has been ordained for them?

How did he know that? And on and on and on. How did he know that when these things have just been discovered 30 or 40 years ago?

Technology and Science, the sophistication of which you and I know have just discovered these things. How did Muhammad (pbuh) know about these things over 1400 years ago? An uneducated Shepherd, a man raised in the desert, a man who was uneducated, who could neither read nor write. How could he say something like this (The Quran)? How could he produce something like this (the Quran)? And how could someone living with him, before or after him, produce something which has just been discovered recently? How could a man who never left the Arabian Peninsula, who never sailed on a Ship, who lived 14 centuries ago, make such clear and astounding descriptions that were recently discovered.

Also, if this is not enough, let me mention to you that the Quran has 114 chapters and over 6000 verses. And there were 100s of people in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) who memorized this book entirely. Where they some kind of genius? How did that happen? Did anyone memorize any of the Gospels, the Old and New testament, the Psalms of David? Nobody; not even the Pope, but there are millions of Muslims today, who has memorized this entire book. This is the ambition of every Muslim. Not some, every.

How many Christians have you ever met in your life who have memorized their Bible? None. You never met any Christian who has memorized the whole Bible, because you never met a Christian who even knew what was the whole Bible – because the Christians themselves have over 700 different denominations and they are approximately 39 different versions of the Bible, with different books and different versions, different amount of verses and different amount of chapters and they don’t agree to that, so how could they even memorize what they don’t agree about?

In a condemning fashion, I am a person who was a Christian. A person who found out these things to my own investigation. A person who is now sharing this information for you, over turning some rocks for you to look under. And it is up to you.

Finally, suppose I told you that this book has been universally preserved, without the slightest alteration of any kind in over 14 centuries. If all of this is true – what all I am saying. If it is all true, would you agree that this book is quite profound and unique to say the least, would you be honest enough to say that? Of course you would if you were honest and you are. Within yourselves you will have to come to that conclusion. Many other non-Muslims came to the same conclusion. For example: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill and many others. I can go on and on and on, they came to the same conclusion. Whether they accepted Islam openly or not, they came to that conclusion, that there is no other literature in the world, that is so profound as the Quran and as a source of Wisdom and Healing and Direction.

Now that we have settled the issue of the authenticity of the Quran, let us turn to another subject matter – the basic themes of the Quran, which are: The Supreme Oneness of Almighty God, which includes His names, the Attributes, the relationship between the Almighty and His creations and how man should maintain that relationship. The continuity of Prophets and Messages, their lives and their messages and their overall mission. The insistence upon following the final and Universal example Muhammad (pbuh) – the seal of the Prophets and Messengers. Reminding the human beings of the shortness of this life and calling them towards the eternity of this life and calling them towards the eternity of the life here after. Life here after; meaning after here. After you leave here, you are going somewhere, I mean today/tonight. Well after you die and leave this earth, you are going somewhere, whether you accept it or not, you are going there, where you will be held responsible for your deeds. And you have been told even, but you have rejected. Because the object of this life is not for you to sit here and after this do nothing and have no effect. Every cause has an effect. And we came into this life for a cause and a purpose and it must have an effect. You don’t go to school to stay there, you don’t go to work not to get paid, you don’t build a house and not move in, you don’t make a suite and don’t wear it, you don’t grow up as a child and don’t become an adult, you don’t work without expecting a reward, you cannot live without expecting to die, you cannot die without the expectancy of the grave and you cannot expect that the grave is the end, because that would mean that God has created you for a foolish purpose. And you have not gone to school or worked or came here today/tonight for a foolish purpose. So how can you assign to God something less than yourself. In attempt to capture and prevent the imagination and faculties of reasoning, the Quran goes through great length and view to expound upon Oceans and Rivers, the Trees and Plants, the Birds and Insects, the Wild and Domestic animals, the Mountains and the Valleys, the expansions of the Heavens, the Universe, the Fishes and the Aquatic life, the Human Anatomy and Biology, the Human Civilization and History, the description of Paradise and Hell, the evolution of Human Embryo, the mission of all the Prophets and Messengers and the purpose of life on Earth. And how could a man born in the desert, a man who was illiterate and could not read and was watching Sheep, expound on subjects to which he was never exposed to? The most unique aspect of Quran is that it sources to confirm all the previously revealed scriptures. And that if you decide becoming a Muslim, you do not have to consider yourself changing your religion, you are not changing your religion. If you gain weight and you have a suit and you really like that suit, you don’t have to throw the suit away – do you? No! take it to the tailor and tell him, "listen, make some adjustments and make it little bigger because I really like this suit". Similarly if you have lost some weight, you don’t have to throw away the 500 dollar suit, take it to the tailor and say, "listen, make it little tight by making some alterations because I like this suit". With your belief, your honour, your virtue, your love of Jesus Christ, your attachment to God, your Worship, your truthfulness and your dedication to Almighty God, you don’t have to change and throw that away – you hold on to them, but you have to make alterations when you know that the truth has been revealed to you. That is all, but you have to be honest enough to know that you have lost some weight and need to make some adjustments. Islam is simple my brothers/sisters. Bear witness that there is none to be Worshipped except Almighty God. If I ask any of you to bear witness that "my father is my father", how many of you will bear witness that "my father is my father", "my son is my son", "my wife is my wife", "I am who I am", then how is it that you hesitate to bear witness that Almighty God is One and Almighty God is the Only and Almighty God is your Lord and your Creator. Why? Are you arrogant? Are you being Glorious? Do you possess something which God does not possess? Do you possess some secret that you want to share with us? Or are you confused? That is the question you have to ask yourself.

If you thought that you will die tonight and in front of you was Paradise and back of you was Hell Fire and you had a chance to put things straight with your conscience and to put things straight with God and to ask God to accept the best of your deeds, if you had a chance to do that and if you thought you will die tonight, you will not hesitate to bear witness that there is only One God, you will not hesitate to bear witness that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of God and representative of all the Prophets. You will not hesitate that; you are one of those who would like to be written down in the book of God as, those who submit. You will not hesitate, but you think you are going to live little more while and you want to enjoy few more things, you want to drink little more scotch, you want to lie down with few more girls, you want to wear few more panty suits, you want to dance little bit more, you want to sing little bit more, you want to hang out little bit more. And of course you are not ready to pray every day, that is because you think you are going to live a while. But how much is a while? I see some of you getting bald like me. How long ago was it when you had full hair? I see that some of you have grey hair. How long ago was it when your hair were all black? You have aches and pains in your knees and elbows and other places. How long ago was it when you were just a child, running and playing without a care? How long ago was it? It was yesterday, yes! And you are going to die tomorrow. So how long do you want to wait?

Islam is to bear witness that Almighty God is the God, the Only God, the Only One without any partners.

Islam is to acknowledge the existence of the Angels who were sent with the duty of revealing the revelations to the Prophets, carrying the message to the Prophets, controlling the winds, the mountains and the oceans and taking the life of those to whom God has ordered to die.

Acknowledge that all the Prophets and Messengers of God were righteous men and they were all sent by Almighty God.

And acknowledge the fact that there will be final day of judgement for all creatures.

Acknowledge that all Good and Evil has been proportioned by Almighty God.

Acknowledge that there will definitely be a resurrection after death.

The fundamental duties of every Muslim is simple; five things. Islam is like a big house. And every house has to be built with Pillars and Foundation. Pillars and Foundation. And you have to build the house with rules. The Pillars are the rules. And when you build your house you must follow the rules.

The first of the five rules of Islam is to uphold the code of strict monotheism i.e.

not to accept any partners with God not worship anything along with God not to say anything about God that you have no right to say not to say that He has a father or a son or a daughter or a mother or uncle or aunt or board of trustees or anybody He has to ask or to say anything about God that you have no right to say To bear witness; now you sentence yourself. You take the sentence you want. You sentence yourself to Peace and Paradise or you sentence yourself to Confusion, Frustration, Hell Fire and Punishment. You sentence yourself. You ask yourself. Do I bear witness that there is only One God? If you ask yourself that question, you will say, yes I bear witness. Do I witness that Muhammad (pbuh) as he as been explained, is the Messenger of God? Yes I do bear witness. If you bear witness to that, then all of you and all of us are Muslims. Yes, Muslims. And you don’t have to change what you were, you just have to make alteration in what you were i.e. in your thinking and practice. In finality; brothers/sisters, I ask you a honest and direct question. How many of you understood what I said to you? How many of you understood – just raise your hands? How many of you disagree with what I said about God, about Muhammad, about the creation of Life? How many disagree essentially with what I said? OK! All those who agree with what I said raise your hands. Say: I bear witness that there is only One God, I bear witness that there is only One God and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Amen! Amen! Amen!

May Allah bless us, may Allah help us and may Allah guide us. I would say to all you brothers/sisters that you were very honest and very patient.