If you are Muslim you will have more faith when you read this page and you will see th bright aspect of Islam which the cloudy secularism tried to conceal from the sights.

If you are non Muslim, you will be fascinated as you are going to read about Islam and its civilization for the first time. You may be more fascinated when you read the statements authenticated with evidences from the Holy Qura'n and the tradition (Sunna) of prophet Mohammad. Hence, conversation about Islam is not nonsense or defence but it is indication of facts hidden from the non Muslims or the Muslims themselves whose mother tongue is not Arabic. This is because of two reasons:

1- There are only few books dealing with Islam and its bright civilization in English.

2- Many of the Muslims could not present Islam in its real image.

What is Islam?

Islam is the concluding heavenly religions. The Islam mission is intended for Liberating human being from slavery and idols to worship the lord of human being alone without any partner, in more general sense, to profess that Allah is one and eternal without partner, wife, or son. He is the eternal one and only one.

Islam is the only system in the world of which source are the words of Allah, neither deformed, non altered, or mixed with the illusions of human being. Unlike christianity or Judaism of which source is diving in originality but they were corrupted, altered, and abused by people ; many verses were omitted, and so the words of Allah have been mixed with the words of people, and thus there has been no confidence of its diving origin.

As for Islam, it is the extraodinary system which has been safe and secure from the interference of human being and alteration . This is because Allah pledged to safe guard the Holy Qura'n, which is the source of Islam, and recealed this to His Messenger and His nation, saying: "Its we who revealed the Holy Qura'n, and it is we who will safeguard it", that is to say Allah is the one who sent down this Holy Qura'n to prophet Mohammad and will protect it against deformation or alteration because it is the last Holy Book containing the last religion.

But some inquire about the attitude of Islam towards the universe, lift, man, animal, etc. I say that Islam is distinguished with its comprehensiveness, vastness, and elasticity. It never ignored anything without discussion it and giving it its due importance. But many people are not aware. Allah says: "and everything we detailed". The attitude of Islam to the issues is fair and realistic, and we will prove this through evidences and testimonies. My dear reader: Have some patience and please concentrate. You will see what please you and makes you astonished in this religion. So let us start together; try to be calm and do not feel bored; take a long break and support your back and relax. Now let us start together.

The attitude of Islam towards Man

Among beliefs, philosophies, and thoughts contradicting with one another, people have witnessed two ideological trends, one is contray to the other:

One trend makes God of the man himself. Neither created nor provided for by God; no reckonog or Doomsday is awaiting him. So he can do whatever he like.

The other trend considers the man as a mere animal; developed, productive, or social animal. what is omportant is that he is animal.

As for Islam, it does not raise man to the position of divinity, nor does it send him down to the level of animals.

Islam considers human being as a distinct cattegory, favored by Allah with his brain, will, and spirit.

Allah says: "We created man in the best form"

Allah says: "We honored the descendents of Adam, supported them in the land and sea, provided them with the pleasant things, and preferred them to many of our creatures"

Man is Distinguiched with spiritual Essence

Allah has honored human being as related by our Holy Qura'n, in that man is a ray of the light of Allah and a breeze of his spirit. And so man deserves the angles to bow to hime in respect and esteem.

Allah in this context says: "I am creating human being out of earth . If I shaped and inspirited him, bow down to him"

Here Allah is addressing the angles and ordering them to bow down to the man. Bowing down here suggests honoring not worshipping.

Islam declared the honor of man and is so considered to be the heir of Allah on Earth. This is a rank to which the angles were eager but it was given to man.

Allah says in Al-Baqara Chapter(Sura), verse 30-33: "Allah said to the Angles I am making heir of the man in the Earth. The angels replied how you leave in the Earth those who will corrupt and spoil the Earth while we glorify and sing your praise. Allah said I know what you will never know"

Subjection of the Universe to serve man

Allah honored man by making the universe at the disposal of man, thus utilizing sky, earth, sun and moon, stars, day and night, water and land, seas and rivers, plant, animal and solids for the benefit of human being. All are utilized for the advantage, happiness, and dignity for human being.

Allah (to whom ascribed all majesty and glory) says:"Allah subjected for your benefit the sea for the ships to sail under his order so that you will seek his grace and be grateful to him. He also put at your disposal all that is existing in the sky and earth. These are wonders for these who contemplate"

1- Any studier of Islam would find-through the Holy Qur'an and Sunna of prophet Mohammad clearly that Allah paid the extremest attention to the human aspect and gave it an immense share out of his legislations, instructions, and directions. If you will find that the worshipping rituals do not take more than one fourth or one third of this religion as a whole, while the remainder is devoted to the personal status of people, treatment, procedures, transactions, peralties, and so on. and if you contemplate the basic pillars of Islam, you will find one of them, i.e. Zakat (charity) essentially human in that it receives from the rich and gives to the poor, thus it is puritication and chastening for the first while it is enriching and liberation for the second.

2- There is no religious book containing so glorification of people of intellect as the Holy Qur'an. There are sixteen verses in the Holy Qur'an talking are people of understanding. The Holy Qur'an urges the Muslims not to accept anything without proof, Allah says in this context: "say present your proof if you were true"

Here Allah establishes the practical mentality and fights the superstitious mentality, which believes any allegation. Islam fights the blind imitation.

Our blessed prophet says: "None of you should be toady saying I am like others if they are benevolent I will be benevolent and if they are wicked I will be wicked."

Islam wants human being to use his brain and to think jointly with others or alone when he is solotary. Allah wants people to contemplate the prophecy of Mohammad, and not to accept things as they are. It is impossible for such a man of the greatest characters and morals to be insane.

So Islam consideos contemplation as kind of worshipping. Allh says in the Holy Qur'an: "Do not you contemplate"

Allah also says: "Say behold what is there in the Heavens and Earth". It is a call for looking and thinking. It is a compaign against imitation and passivity for demonstrating proofs.

3- The attitude of Islam towards knowledge: Knowledge is a high value on which Islam based the spiritual and material life of man, the worldly and the everlasting. Allah has made knowledge the bath towards belief and the incentive for work. Because of Knowledge Allah preferred Adam to the angles talking into account that Allah taught Adam all the names so he was qualified to inherit.

Islam is the source of knowledge. The first verse sent down to the prophet is "Read in the name of your Lord who created"  Thus reading is the gate of science. Qur'an considers knowledge as a basis of priarity and preference between people. "Say are those who know and those who do not know equal" It means" Do you think that the learning and the ignorant are equal?

 Allah considers the learning people as witnesses of monotheism together with the angls. Allah says: "They wiyness that there is no God but He(Allah) and the angls and people of learning"

People of learning are the very people who fear Allah. Allah says: "Scholars are the people who fear Allah"

The Muslim scholars agree thet quest of knowledge is a diving precept on any male or female Muslim.

4- Attitude of Islam toward work: Work is the fruit of knowledge. Arab proverb goes like that:

"Knowledge without work is like a tree without fruit or cloud without rain"

It is also the fruit of the true belief as we can not imagine belief without work, unlike christianity which consider work contrary to devotion and so it invented the monastic order and isolation from daily life. In our Qur'an Allah says: " Say work; Allah will consider your work"

and also says: "So that He will examing which of you has done the best work" This suggests that Allah does not want any kind or work or only satisfactory work but he wants the best work. The contest is not between the bad and good work but between the good and the best work.

Work here includes this world and religion.

Allah says: "I created the jinn and mankind only to worship" This means: I created them to worship me, and worshipping as defined by the Muslim scholars means any action admired by Allah. Economic work of all kinds and branches is one of the best approaches to Allah if it is carried out with pure intention accurately within the limits of Allah, especially the productive work such as agricuture, industry, and mining. Arabs inherited the netion of scorning the manual and handicraft work. Some of them prefer to go to the chieftain of the tribe or to the prince asking him for help rather than to find work that supports his living. So the prophet indicated to them that any work to earn living-even if it is of little income and hard efforts- is muchbetter and more honorable than begging others.

The Prophet says: "If any of you takes his rope and brings a bundle of firewood on his back to sell and supports himself is much better than asking people for help whether they give or reject"

And he says: "A man has never eaten food better than the the food he gets from the toil of his hand, and prophet David used to eat from the efforts of his hand"

Ammong the most wonderful directions of prophet Mohammad indication the value of work is included in the following Hadith:

"If the Hour of Resurrection has come while one of you has a palmshoot, let him plant it"

Why should he plant it while the hour of resurrection has come? Neither he nor anybody will benefit from it. It is an evidence that work is required for its own sake and that every Muslim should keep on working, and producing until the last drop of life. The Muslims do not realized them they would have been in the front part of all the international societies in respect of production and wealth and would have never depended on other nations.

5- The attitude of Islam towards freedom: Among the human values glorified by Islam is freedom which keeps humankind away from any pressure, oppression, and humilation and makes of him - as Allah wants him to be - a master in the universe, and a servant to Allah alone.

Freedom includes religious freedom, intellectual, political, civil, and all true freedoms.

By the religious freedom we mean the freedom of belief and of rituals practise. Islam does not want anyone to be froced to give up his religion or embrace a certain religion.

Allah says: "Are you to force people to be believers"

Allah also says: "No force in religion; the right is distinguished from the wrong".

Those who come under the custody pf the Muslims shall enjoy the privileges of the Muslims and their obligations except what is provided under the religious distinction. He is not to fulfil all the duties of the Muslims and will not be deprived of all that is forbidden to Muslims.

6- The attitude of Islam towards beauty: The wanderer in the meadows of the Holy Qur'an shall apparently find that Allah wants to transplant in the mind and heart of every believer the feeling of the beauty which is evidenced in the parts of cosmos above, under, and around him as shown in the heavens and earth, in the plants, animals, and man.

In the beauty of heavens, he can read the Holy words in the Qur'an: "Haven't they beheld the heavens over them how we built up and decorated"

"We made towers in the skies and embellished them for the spectators"

About the beauty of human being Allah says: "He shaped you in a good form"

The believer can notice the innovation creation of Allah in everything of this wonderful universe. He can see the beauty of Allah through the beauty of his creatures. He can see the art of Allah who made everything accurately and precisely.

The believer likes beauty because beauty in one of the holy attributes of Allah.

The Prophet says: "Allah is beautiful and so He likes beauty"

The Holy Qur'an is the greatest miracle of Islam and the wonder of the great Messenger of Allah. It is considered a miracle in its beauty in addition to being a miracle of intellect.

The Arabs were surprised at its eloquence and rhetoric, its style, tone, and music. And so they were unable to make one verse of it. Therefore some of them called it magic.

7- The attitude of Islam towards art: Islam does not fight art as some think. The subline art is encouraged by Islam. In Pre-Islamis paganism there are many arts such as poetry, prose, novel, and heroic poety. These are not forbidden by Islam but they are encouraged after orientating them to virtue and fighting the vices.

There was a special poet for the prophet Mohammad, namely, Hassan Bin Thabit. The prophet also heard the famous poem of Ka'ab Bin Zuhair "Banut Su'ad". Hence, the prophet, who is the master and the top of the Mulims, was listenung to the sublime art.

Some people say art has changed from its state at the time of the prophet. But I say that art such as acting and dramas if it is disciplined withen the limits of Islam, it is not forbidden. And so is like the glass, if it is filled with wine it is forbidden but if it is filled with water it is unforbidden. But nowadays art is dominated by vice and call for evil, immorality, and striptese. This is of course fobidden and so it should be replaced with eminent art to heighten the characters of people, and not to degrade them.

8- The attitude of Islam towards animal: The western people allege that their civilization is concrened with animals. If we take it for granted, what shall we say about a civilization that has benn concerned with animal for more than 1400, i.e. 14 centuries ago.

Humanity until the modern agom does not think that animal should be treated kindly or mercifully, some contemporary notions still amuse themselves by killing the animal in their feasts. In this point our civilization emerges in its principles and reality with an attitude of mercy and human sense that was never adopted by any other nation before or after it. This is personified by prevention of cruelty to animal and being kind to it. A mercy which attracts the attention and entails wonder and surprise.

The first thing declared by the principles of our civilization in this context is that the kingdom of animal is like that of man. It has its characteristics, nature, and sense.

Allah says: "Any animal on Earth or bird belongs to nations like you". It has the right of kindness and mercy like the right of human being.

Allah says: "The merciful people are treated mercifully by Allah"

Mercy shown towards animal may send human being to paradise.

Aman was walking along a road and was very thirsty. He found a well and he went down and drunk water, and went out. Suddenly he saw a dog lolling his tongue with thirst. He said to himself: This dog is as thirsty as I was. So he went down the well, brought a handful of water, and watered the dog with his hand. He praised Allah and Allah fogave his sins.

Crulty to animal sends the human being to Hell, A woman was sent to Hell because she tied a cat and did not allow it to eat from the ground.

Islamic Sharia'a prohibit man to ride on the back of the animal while it is standing.

Prophet Mohammad says: "Do not make chairs of the backs of your animals", The Shari'a forbids man to keep the animal hungry thin, or weak. The Prophet once dropped by a very thin camel with its abdomen stuck to its back. So he said: "Have piety and fear Allah for these dumb animals. Ride and eat them while they are healthy" Shari'a also forbids man to keep the animal working more than it can endure. Once the Prophet entered an orchard belenging to a man from his supporters and so a camel. When the camel saw the Prophet if felt compassion and its eyes were filled with tears, so the Prophet approached the camel and wiped its tears. Then he said: To whom does this camel belong? The owner said To me O! Massenger of Allah. Then the massenger said: Don'y you be afraid of Allahtowards this animal which Allah gave to you ? It complained to me that you keep it hungry and exhausted. It also forbids man to misuse it.

The Prophet says: "If a man kills a bird in vain, the birds shall complain to Allah saying: My Lord, This man killed me uselessly and not usefully".

The Islamic Shari'a also forbids amn to use the animal as a target for shooting.

"Allah curses the person who uses the spirit as target"

It does not allow people to agitate animals against each other or make marks on their faces with fire to distinguish them from other animals

The Prophet dropped by a donkey being marked in its face. So he said: "May Allah damn the person who makrked this donkey" But if you want to kill an eatable animals, you should be knid to it by sharpening the knife and giving it water. It should be left in a comfortable state after slaughterning and before skinning it.

The Prpphet says: "Allah has provided good deeds in everything. So if you kill, you have to kill well. If you want to slaughter, you have to slaughter well. Sharpen your knife and comfort your slaughter animals" Even knocking down the animal before sharpening the knife is considered cruelty that is forbidden. A man knocked down his sheep while he was sharpening his knife. So the prophet said: "Do you want to kill it many times. Did you sharpen your knife before knocking it down?" Listen to this story which indicates how wonderful is our kind treatment to wards animals, and how strong its evidence upon the spirit of our civilization. Abdullah Bin Mas'ood said :We were on travel with the prophet when we saw a bird with its two kids. we took the two kids, so the bird came flapping its wings. When the prophet came he said: "Who distressed this bird by talking its kid? give it back to the bird." The Prophet also saw a spot of ants burnt by us,a nd asked: who burnt this? we told him it was we. So he said: "Nobody should torture with fire except the Lord of fire"

In the light of these teachings, the legists decide that it is the duty of the owner of the animal to disburse on his animal. If he refuses, he shall be forced to sell it, release it in a place where he can find his subsistence and safety, or slaughter it if it is eatable. They went farther than this. Some said: If a blind cat came to somebody's house, he should provide for it. They disallowed people to lead the animals more than it can endure, and provided legal penalties for such actions. They also specified the wieght of the load that the donkey and the mule can carry. If the animal made a harm. it will not be punished but it is its owner that will be punished. These are the principles of prevention of cruelty to animals in our civilizations and legislations.

9- The attitude of Islam towards woman: Before going through this topic, we should have a look on other legislations and their attitude towards woman.

According to Hamorabi law, the woman is considered on the same footing with the owned cattle. In Mano Law in India, the woman is considered to be junior al  her life and has no right to live after the death of her husband, so she must die on the same day and be burnt with him alive with the same fire. In Judasim, the woman is more bitter than death; she is a curse. In the genesis(3/16), "To your husband you recourse; he is your master" In the Babylon Talmud, the woman is more than dirty. In christianity, she is the instrument or tool of the devil; she is the scorpion which bites anybody and the snake that sends out the deadly poison. They attribute these words to Jesus Christ while he is innocent of such allegations.

The real status of the unjust attitude of christians towards the woman is abvious until 1805, the British law allows the amn to sell his wife at 6 pence only. It happened that an English sold his wofe in 1931 at GBP 500. In the court his attorney in his defence pleaded that the law one hundred years ago, allowed the husband to sell his wife. But the court decided to put him in jail for 10 months because that law was cancelled in 1805.

Even the French Revolution which declared the liberation of woman from slavery and humilation was unfair to woman; it considered the child, the idiot, and the woman as juniors. This continued until 1938.

In the Pre-Islam Era, the girls used to be killed for fear of vice. Allah related these happening in the Holy Qur'an: "If the buried alive girl is questioned for what fault she was killed"

When Islam came to liberate human being, she was also human being and thus she was liberated from slavery and injustice. She has been given back her diginty and honor, Islam has confirmed her humanity and considered her to be an honorable human being with the same human rights of the man because they are two branches of one tree. They are both equal in the origination , in the human features. in the responsibilities, and in the fate. Allah says in this context: "O! people fear Allah who created you of one same spirit, created a couple, and made many men and women many men and women"

In this text, the man is a brother to the woman and the woman is a sister to the man.

The Prophet says: "Women are sisters of men"

In the equality of woman to the the man with regard to duties, devotion, stc. The Holy Qur'an says: "The male and female Muslims, the male and female believers, the submissive Muslims"

In the basic religious and social duties, the Holy Qur'an clarify the relationship between the two sexes by saying: "Male and female believers are guardains to each other"

In equalizing between woman and man with regard to reward and paradise, Allah says: "Their lord responded to them saying I shall never waste your deed, whether male or female"

The Prophet alloted one day for teaching the women. And they used to take part in the war but in a job suitable for them such as nursing. If there is any difference between the man and the woman it concerns the nature of each. The man has a rough nature while the woman has feminine and tender nature. Therefore, there are some differences in the functions and work speciafied by Islam for each.

An Evidence from their own Mouths

Some lament the luck of woman in the East. The say that woman in Europe got all her liberty and is equal to the man and more. She is honored there. She shred with the man the building of the factory and the economy, and the progress of the society. But here in the East her status is painful.

Dear brethren: The social researches about the Arab woman compared to the western woman were made under supervision of the United Nations in Sweden.

Among the countries which gave the woman full freedom is Sweden. The upbringing pholosophy has benn fully liberated such as preparing the boy to be man and the girl to woman. Upbringing philosophy is Sweden does not distinguish between prparing the male to the rough and cruel life and the girl to be be feminine. Feminity is not specially death with because it is feminity. It is not associated with weakness or gentleness. Each of the girl and boy are prpared psychologically to life on a neutral human basis. They even stripped sex off the negative and positive. They no longer use in the Swedish dictionary the word "temptation" as it was traditionally used in other langueges; that meaning which considers adulery to be a crime confined to men against women. After all the word virginity has been completely wxterminated. The woman's freedom in Sweden included pregnancy ; the woman there does not want to suffer pregnancy and delivery. She needs a realy child, and so she wants to get rid of delivery. She will never disturb her self or feel at a loss. So she brings another girl for wages who undergoes this task on behalf of the wife who does not like to undergo this experience. But she wants to have a raedy made child. Therefore kinship in Sweden is now in a mess. Sweden which seems to belong to plato Republic where the government is the mother of child, does not care about the birth certificate of the child, or whether he is ligitimate or not. It exemts the mother who gave birth to hum from any care obligation. Otherwise, it pays a monthly amount for wach child since his birthday until being 16 years.

Sweden in which the citizen felt secure and prosperous to the extent that it gave the right of strike from work to any citizen, even the swedish prisoner seems to be a hotel guest serving the guests with food and drink. And so he is paid for his work in the prison workshop. He can receive visitors once a week for 6 hours. He is entitled to 48 hours leave a month to be passed with his wife or family, and then he goes back to prison.

From sweden which gave the woman everything regarding the limitless freedom, the united Nation selected the Swedish Hudge Bergeda O. Hamer to study the problems of the Eastern Arab woman physically, and her rights guaranted in the laws and constitutions of the Arab countries. So she studies the status of woman in Abi Tasht of Egypt Sa'eed an Seed; Timraz' going as far as Lybian woman in Misrata and the Iraqi woman in Sulaimania.

The Sweden judge who experienced freedom in a limitless way in Sweden and who srudied the status of Aran woman closely thought that the Arab woman has more freedom than the Swedish woman. She said that the village woman in Egypt and the nomade woman in lybia - despite her isotion from the society - execise a status which belongs to sanetity rather than slavery. She actually dominates the man starting with the affairs of the day and ending with the worries of the night. She added the Eastern woman has her own dreaming world. In other words, the western woman, particularly, the Scandinavian woman got dizzy seven times before she managed to obtain her freedom and he equal to man. She got her freedom only after she was stripped off her feminine features, rights, and freedom in order to be close to the man. It is the freedom of the inhabitant of paradise who arrange to descend to Earth or the freedom of the peacock which endeavored to be a crow. In brief it is the freedom of the woman to be a man.

The Swedish Judge also says: The freedom of woman coineides with the freedom of the man without interfrence. Each of them has his own field of freedom and his own field of freedom and his own way. But the freedom of the western woman devalue and compete with the freedom of the man. The law permitted the sextual freedom of the woman to the maximam and to such extent that the man is considered to be the victim ans she, the hunter. The result is really astonishing.

In a serious report from the Swedish Ministry of social affairs, the government announces that 25% of the swedish population is infected with neverous diseases and 30% of the medical expenditure in Sweden are disbursed on treatment of neurological and psychological diseases.

As such the result is an astonishing figure of sucide events. Between 1951 and 1968 the rate of sucide among woman from 25 to 29 years of age increased from 6.2 per thousand to 12.1 meanwhile sucide of men does not record any in increase.

The Swidish Judge comments on this by saying: It is impossible to ignor the relation between this strangly increasing rate and the limitless freedom of the woman.

The Attitude of Islam towards sex

In the civilized and underdeveloped secieties, people rush for sex and the subsequent vices and immoralities. So, what is the absolute solution for this phenomenon? Some religions considers sex as something dirty which is to be avoided by the sublim people and that the ideal life of the religious is the monastic life. On the other hand we find the modern western civilization which gave full freedom to the sextual instincts. The thought by doing so, they could solve the complexities of suppression and enjoyment and allow people to live with enjoyment without fear or shame. Neverthless their problem have been complicated rather than be solved. Lust for sex increased; the beatiful girl has become the range of struggle to the extent of being desperate. The girl who is not the dirtiest places. And so sextual disease have developed threatening people of the most enormous. Consequences such AIDS which makes the body lose its immumity and exposes it to the most horrible comsequences.

It is not surprising that one of the Americans said that the danger of the sextual instinct is more serious than the danger of the atomic energy in the long run.

The famaus historican, Arnold T. threatens that the commen develepment of sextual instincts may lead to the deterionation of civilizations.

Islam too much warns people of this especially of the economic disorder and moral dacay. The Prophet says:

"Once adultery and bribe is exercised in a village, it will be punished by Allah."

Once adultery is exercised by a nation, people will be inflicted with plague and ailments not experienced by their ancestors. The attitude of Islam towards sex is very wise and moderate. It does not reject sex or consider it dirty, but it directs it to the useful way for the individual and sociaty, by way of marriage, which binds man to a woman by a secred bond. This will lead to the formation of the good family which is the core of the good society. In this case it is the right of the couple to enjoy with one another. Islam considers this as a devotion and good deed.

The Prophet says: "They are your shetter and you are their shetter."

The Prophet indicated that if a man used his lust lawfully he will have a reward from Allah and if he used it unlawfully he will be sinner.

Islam als endeavers to block the prohited path by purifying the society from seduction and immorality such as vicious mixing of men with woman, the exciting pictures, immoral stories, and soft songs.

Anyone who publicly goes beyond the limits of Allah shall be punished.

First of all the Muslim should be brought up on the basis of purity and immunification and fear of Allah which makes him reject forbidden matters even me thoud\sand gates were opened. He will say:

I fear Allah, Lord of the cosmos, so that he will be amony the seven who will dwell under the shade of Allah on the day ehere there is no chade but his.

To the Researchers for Truth & who is thirsty for happiness we say this is Islam in spite pf the fact that when I referred to same contemporary issues I did not include everything but I promise the reader that I shall develop this sheet. I am still in the attempting phase, but as it is said the flood starts with a drop then it roars.

As I am leaving the kind reader with the hope that I will meat him again, I invite him to express his point of view of the dialogue & opinion page. He can express his suggesting or inquiries if he likes. It is not necessary for me to reply all inquiries but we give the chance to any reader of the dialogue & opinion chapter to reply and benefit others and so we enrich the discussion for a ripe fruit.