Acting ‘to be seen of men’

Acting ‘to be seen of men’

1987 1 January 30 Acting ‘to be seen of men’ (69) Abu Hurayra reported the Prophet exhorting his followers to seek refuge from the Pit of Grief. He was asked what this Pit of Grief was, and he said it was a gorge in Hell which Hell itself sought refuge from four hundred times a day. The Prophet was then asked who would enter that Pit. “Those scholars who act to be seen of men,” he replied.

(Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)

Potential for Preaching the Word of God

1987 1 January 30 Potential for Preaching the Word of God (293) In September 1985, news appeared in the Arabic weekly AI-Dawah, published from Riyadh, that a Dr. Girennier from France had embraced Islam. Here is part of what Dr. Girennier said on his reasons for becoming Muslim:

I looked into all the verses of the Quran dealing with the physical and medical sciences which I have studied since youth and with which I am well-acquainted. I found that these verses of the Quran tally completely with our modern knowledge. I have accepted Islam because of my conviction that Mohammad came with the plain truth. Born a thousand years ago, he studied in no worldly school and had no human teacher; still, all that he said has proved true. I suggest that every expert in each separate field of the arts and science should do as I have done and compare the relevant verses of the Quran with the knowledge at his disposal. If he is intelligent and free of self-motivation, he will surely accept Islam.

Such is the impact the Quran has on one who studies it objectively. He instinctively feels that this is the work of One who, as early as the seventh century, knew facts that have only come to light much later, in the twentieth century. This is a unique feature of the Quran, proving beyond all doubt that the Quran was revealed by God, who knows all things; it could not be the work of man. This is the living miracle of the Quran. When we say that the Quran is the Book of God, the miraculous nature of the Quran itself backs up our claim, leaving people no choice but to believe. Only those dominated by self-interest will discard the truth after it has been plainly demonstrated to them.