Eid Mubarak

As-Salaamu Alaykum WaRahmatullahi WaBarakatuh,

Just a short time ago, we were informed by Newcastle University Masjid, Masjid at-Tawheed [Grainger Park Road] and Madinah Masjid that they will be Celebrating Eid ul-Adha on Wednesday, 19th of December, Insha'Allah..

Newcastle University Masjid: Eid Prayer
Venue: Eldon Square, Sports Centre - 3rd Floor
Time: 9:00 am

[You are invited to have Eid refreshments and celebrate Eid at the same place after the prayers - Please come with Wudu and bring a Prayer Mat]

Masjid at-Tawheed: Eid Prayer
Venue: Masjid at-Tawheed – Musallah
Time: 9:15 am

Madeenah Masjid: Eid Prayer
Venue: Madeenah Masjid
Time: 9:30 am and 10:30 am

May Allah aza wajall accept our Ibadaah.. Aameen
Eid Mubarak !!

JazakAllahu Khairun
NIS Committe

We Are Moving

As-Salaamu Alaykum WaRahmatullahi WaBarakatuh,

The University is currently undergoing preparations to relocate the Prayer Room to a much larger premises – The proposed Facility will be situated on 2 Floors.. Ground Floor: Brothers / Upper Floor: Sisters.

Each Floor will comprise of: Prayer Hall, Separate Wudu Facilities and 1 Room / Office.

When are We Moving…

The exact date has not yet been confirmed - The University is expecting the new premises to be complete by mid-January, 2008..

Where are We Moving…

The New Prayer Room will be situated on the far end of the University campus [Building Number 25 – see below], near Students Accommodation, Lipman Building [car park] - Behind Claude Gibb Hall [20]. Click on the map for a larger view.




What You Should Do...

The New Prayer Room will be restricted by Swipe Card Entry [Library Card]. Please leave your University email address in the "Comments" section [below] – so that we can arrange access permissions [on your behalf] with the University - prior to the move.

Please Note: There may be Disruptions to our use of the current Prayer Room during the months of December and January.

JazakAllahu Khairun,
NIS Committe

Northumbria Islamic Society Meeting: 1

As-Salaamu Alaykum WaRahmatullahi WaBarakatuh,

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I am very happy to announce that the election for the positions required to formally have the Society recognised by the Students Union has taken place with the following results:

Chairman [President]:
Br. Syed Tanvir Ahmed (Tanvir)
tanvir.ahmed@unn.ac.uk

Vice Chairman(s):
Br Ebrima Saho
ebrima.saho@unn.ac.uk

Br. Ahmed Abd El Aziz
ah_zizo_6901@yahoo.com

Secretary:
Br. Kirill Krymov
kirill.krymov@unn.ac.uk

Treasurer:
Br. Abdul Latif Zuberu
ZuberuLatzub@yahoo.co.uk

Administration and Technical Support:

This involves organising the Khateeb for Jummah, Updating the Society Blog online, Printing Prayer timetables, Liasing with the university with issues regarding the Prayer room and also the transfer to the new Prayer room. Students and those students who have come from abroad especially who are having difficulties can contact these brothers.

Br. John Yahya Dunne
john.dunne@northumbria.ac.uk
(Senior Lecturer and University Prayer room co-ordinator)

Br. Shoaib Afzal
shoaib.afzal@unn.ac.uk

Br. Ebrima Saho
ebrima.saho@unn.ac.uk

Events [coordination]

Events Manager
Br Kirill Krymov
kirill.krymov@unn.ac.uk

We can work with the Islamic Centre [IDC] to achieve our proposed events Insha Allah.

Events Helpers
Br. Tanvir Ahmed
Br. Yazn Shamaila -- YaznShamaila@yahoo.com
Br. Jabed Chowdhury -- jabed.chowdhury@unn.ac.uk
Br. Raashid Riza -- muhammad.riza@unn.ac.uk
Br. Liam Hutchinson -- castrovalva@msn.com
Br. Ahmed Abd El Aziz -- ah_zizo_6901@yahoo.com (sports activities)

Dawah Activites

Organisor:
Br. Kirill Krymov

We can work with the Muslim Centre for help to achieve this and get books etc from Dawah centre in Fenham.

Dawah helpers:

Br. Raashid Riza -- muhammad.riza@unn.ac.uk
Br. Mohammed Nasih -- mohammed.nasir@unn.ac.uk
Br. Yazn Shamaila -- YaznShamaila@yahoo.com

Marketing

Br. Yazn Shamaila -- YaznShamaila@yahoo.com
Br. Wajid Hussain -- wajid777@hotmail.com

Islamic Centre [IDC] can also help with graphic design

Prayer Room Facilities

For example the provision of paper towels and other such utilities for both Brothers and Sisters.

Br. Abdul Latif Zuberu -- Latzub@yahoo.co.uk
Br. Popoola Wasiu -- wasiu.popoola@unn.ac.uk

All Brothers and Sisters are invited to help keep the Masjid in a clean state

Arabic Language and Recitation of Glorious Qur’an lessons

If you are interested for this to be regular please get in contact with these brothers. If there is interest they can tell you through email or notices when they are free to give their time for a while for Arabic and Recitation of Glorious Qur’an and you could meet.

Br. Mahmoud Aleraig
aleraig@yahoo.co.uk

Br. Abdullah Ali and Egyptian Colleagues from Coach lane Campus
mido_eg045@yahoo.com or abd.e.ali@unn.ac.uk

Sisters Representative

Sister Manjuma Silpi
manjuma.shilpi@unn.ac.uk

Assistants:
Sister Salaha Khaleque -- salaha.khaleque@unn.ac.uk
Sister Halimah Begum -- h.begum@unn.ac.uk
Sister Sadia Khan -- sadia.khan@unn.ac.uk
Sister Fathema Al-Amin -- fathema.al-amin@unn.ac.uk
Sister Sidra Aslam -- sidra.aslam@unn.ac.uk

Committee Meetings will be held after Jummah Insh Allah.
All other brothers and sister’s are always welcome to help.

Jazak Allah al Khayren

Eid Mubbarak / Eid un Saeed

As-Salaamu Alaykum WaRahmatullahi WaBarakatuh..

Just a short time ago, we were informed by Newcastle University Masjid, Masjid at-Tawheed [Grainger Park Road] and Madeenah Masjid that Eid ul-Fitr will be on Friday, 12th of October, Insha’Allah..

Newcastle University Masjid: Eid Prayer
Venue: Eldon Square, Sports Centre
Time: 8:30 am

Masjid at-Tawheed: Eid Prayer
Venue: Masjid at-Tawheed – Musallah
Time: 8:30 am

Madeenah Masjid: Eid Prayer
Venue: Madeenah Masjid
Time: 9:00 am and 10:00 am

TaqabbAllahu Minaa Wa Minkum
May Allah accept it [our Deeds] from you and us..

May Allah aza wajall give us life to live another Ramadhaan… Aameen.

Eid Mubbarak / Eid un Saeed

Ramadhan Mubbarak / Ramadhan Al-Kareem

As-Salaamu Alaykum WaRahmatullahi WaBarakatuhu..

Just a short time ago, we were informed by Newcastle University Masjid, Masjid Tawheed [Grainger Park Road], Madeenah Masjid and Heaton/Elswick Masjid that the first of Ramadhan will be on Thursday, 13th of September, Insha’Allah..

Timetables for the month of Ramadhan will be available in the University Masjid before the Taraweeh Salaah - tomorrow night – and via download, shortly.

Arrangements for Iftaari have also been confirmed, starting on the first of Ramadhaan.. Anyone wishing to contribute towards the Iftaari costs, please contact the Committee Members..

May Allah aza wajall accept our Deeds during this Blessed Month and increase us in Taqwaa… Aameen.

Ramadhan Mubbarak / Ramadhan Al-Kareem

Prayer Room - Security Report

Dear University Prayer Room Users

I write this note to you in my capacity as Director of Student Services whose brief includes overseeing the use of the University Prayer Room.

I wish to draw to your attention a recent incident. On Monday 30 July 2007 at 17.45, University Security were advised that three young children had entered the University Prayer Room using the code. When Security arrived at the University Prayer Room the children were running around the room playing. They said their father had sent them there to wait for him. They did not know where he was or how long he would be. On checking the name given by the children, it was apparent that their father was neither a student nor a member of University staff.

This raises a number of serious issues for the University.

• Firstly, there are legal implications related to unaccompanied minors on University premises.
  
• The code for the Prayer Room entrance has been passed to someone who is not a member of the University community and so not entitled to use the University Prayer Room. This could have serious security implications for the University.
• The University Prayer Room is being used for purposes other than prayer.
  

It is important that all users of the University Prayer Room are aware that:

• It is there for University students and staff only. The University will take very seriously incidents where the University Prayer Room is accessed by unauthorised users who may be asked to leave by Security staff.
• Children of students and staff should not be left unaccompanied in the University Prayer Room (or anywhere else on the University Campus).
• The University Prayer Room has been provided for the purposes of Prayer and at special times of the year, social events. It should not be used for any other purpose.

The University Prayer Room is part of the University premises and as such the University has a duty to ensure that its use is appropriate to its initial designated function and that its use is limited to registered Northumbria University students and current staff members only. We also have related duties in connection with health and safety issues with which we must comply.

I would be grateful if you could note the contents of this correspondence and ensure that as a University Prayer Room user you are fully aware of the issues around use of the premises and dissemination of the entrance code.

Shelagh Groves
Director of Student Services
1st August 2007

Islamic Awareness Week

Assalamu-Alaykum

Just to let all the brothers know, that although the academic year is at an end, we are starting to make preparations for our up and coming 'Islamic Awareness Week' which will be held in the 3rd week of September insha-Allah.

All brothers requested to make dua that Allah makes it possible and successful. If any brothers are interested in helping then please contact Ibrahim, Suheal or Siddique. The contact details are on the right hand side of the page.

Ma'as-salaam

Where we are

The society is registered with the Northumbria University Students Union. We are based in the Prayer Room, Ground Floor, Northumberland Building (adjacent to the Newcastle Business School Reception) with separate entry for brothers and sisters.

The access to the Prayer Room is only open to students and staff at the University and you have to contact Br John Yahya Dunne via email: john.dunne@unn.ac.uk for the code to the door.

For the map location to the Prayer Room, please see below:




The prayer room is located on the ground floor of building marked no. 9. Click here to view a larger map of the City Campus on the Northumbria University Website

What is Islam?

The word "Islam" is an Arabic word that means "submitting and surrendering your will to Almighty God".

The word comes from the same root as the Arabic word "salam", which means peace.

Unlike the names used for other religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, the name for the religion of Islaam was both revealed by God and carries a deep spritual meaning - only by submitting one's will to Almighty God can one obtain true peace both in this life and in the life hereafter. Islam teaches that all religions originally had the same essential message - which was to submit whole-heartedly to the will of God and to worship Him and Him alone.

For this reason, Islam is not a new religion but is the same divinely revealed Ultimate Truth that God revealed to all prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

..........
Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad

Who are the Muslims?

The Arabic word "Muslim" literally means "someone who submits to the will of God".

The message of Islam is meant for the entire world and anyone who accepts this message becomes a Muslim.

Some people mistakenly believe that Islam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from the truth, since in actuality over 80% of the world's Muslims are not Arabs! Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists.

If one just takes a look at the various peoples who live in the Muslim World - from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to Indonesia - it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all different races, ethnic groups and nationalities.

From the very beginning, Islam had a universal message for all people. This can be seen in the fact that some of the early companions of the Prophet Muhammad were not only Arabs, but also Persians, Africans and Byzantine Romans. Being a Muslim entails complete acceptance and active obedience to the revealed will of Almighty God.

A Muslim is a person who freely accepts to base his beliefs, values and faith on the will of Almighty God. In the past, even though you don't see it as much today, the word "Mohammedans" was often used as a label for Muslims. This label is a misnomer and is the result of either wilful distortion or sheer ignorance. One of the reasons for the misconception is that Europeans were taught for centuries that Muslims worshipped the Prophet Muhammad in the same way that Christians worship Jesus. This is absolutely not true since a Muslim is not permitted to worship anyone or anything besides Almighty God.

..........
Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad

Who is Allah?

Very often one will here the Arabic word "Allah" being used in regards to Islam.

The word "Allah" is simply the Arabic word for Almighty God, and is the same word used by Arabic speaking Christians and Jews.

If one were to pick up an Arabic translation of the Bible, one would see the word "Allah" being use where the word "God" is used in English. Actually, the Arabic word for Almighty God, "Allah", is quite similar to the word for God in other Semitic languages - for example, the Hebrew word for God is "Elah".

For various reasons, some non-Muslims mistakenly believe that Muslims worship a different God than Jews and Christians. This is certainly not the case, since the Pure Monotheism of Islam calls all people to the worship of the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and all of the other prophets. However, even though Jews, Christians and Muslims worship the same God -since there is only one God - their concepts concerning Him differ in some significant ways.

..........
Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad

Who is Muhammad?

The last and final prophet that God sent to humanity was the Prophet Muhammad.

Muhammad explained, interpreted and lived the teachings of Islam.

The Prophet Muhammad is the greatest of all prophets for many reasons, but mainly because the results of his mission have brought more people into the pure belief in One God than any other prophet.

Even though other religious communities claimed to believe in One God, over time they had corrupted their beliefs by taking their prophets and saints as intercessors with Almighty God.

Some religions believe their prophets to be manifestations of God, "God Incarnate" or the "Son of God". All of these false ideas lead to the creature being worshipped instead of the Creator, which contributed to the idolatrous practice of believing that Almighty God can be approached through intermediaries. In order to guard against these falsehoods, the Prophet Muhammad always emphasised that he was only a human-being tasked with the preaching of God's message. He taught Muslims to refer to him as "the Messenger of God and His Slave".

To Muslims, Muhammad is the supreme example for all people - he was the exemplary prophet, statesman, military leader, ruler, teacher, neighbour, husband, father and friend. Unlike other prophets and messengers, the Prophet Muhammad lived in the full light of history. Muslims don't need to have "faith" that he existed and that his teachings are preserved - they know it to be a fact. Even when his followers only numbered a few dozen, Almighty God informed Muhammad that he had be sent as a mercy to all of mankind. Because people had distorted or forgotten God's messages, God took it upon Himself to protect the message revealed to Muhammad. This was because Almighty God promised not to send another messenger after him.

Since all of God's messengers have preached the message of Islaam - i.e. submission to the will of God and the worship of God alone - Muhammad is actually the last prophet of Islaam, not the first.

..........
Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad

What are the teachings of Islam?

The foundation of the Islamic faith is belief in the Unity of God.

This means to believe that there is only one Creator and Sustainer of everything in the Universe, and that nothing is divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Him.

Truly believing in the Unity of God means much more than simply believing that there is "One God" - as opposed to two, three or four.

There are a number of religions that claim belief in "One God" and believe that ultimately there is only one Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Islaam, however, not only insists on this, but also rejects using such words as "Lord" and "Saviour" for anyone besides Almighty God. Islaam also rejects the use of all intermediaries between God and Man, and insists that people approach God directly and reserve all worship for Him alone. Muslims believe that Almighty God is Compassionate, Loving and Merciful.

The essence of falsehood is the claim that God cannot deal with and forgive His creatures directly. By over-emphasising the burden of sin, as well as claiming that God cannot forgive you directly, false religions seek to get people to despair of the Mercy of God. Once they are convinced that they cannot approach God directly, people can be mislead into turning to false gods for help. These "false gods" can take various forms, such as saints, angels, or someone who is believed to be the "Son of God" or "God Incarnate". In almost all cases, people who worship, pray to or seek help from a false god don't consider it to be, or call it, a "god". They claim belief in One Supreme God, but claim that they pray to and worship others beside God only to get
closer to Him. In Islaam, there is a clear distinction between the Creator and the created. There is no ambiguity in divinity - anything that is created is not deserving of worship and only the Creator is worthy of being worshipped. Some religions falsely believe that God has become part of His creation, and this has led people to believe that they can worship something created in order to reach their Creator.

Muslims believe that even though God is Unique and beyond comprehension - He has no "Son", partners or associates. According to Muslim belief, Almighty God "does not beget nor was He begotten" - neither literally, allegorically, metaphorically, physically or metaphysically - He is Absolutely Unique and Eternal. He is in control of everything and is perfectly capable of bestowing His infinite Mercy and Forgiveness to whomever He chooses. That is why is called the All-Powerful and Most-Merciful. Almighty God has created the Universe for man, and as such wants the best for all human beings. Muslims see everything in the Universe as a sign of the Creatorship and Benevolence of Almighty God. Also, the belief in the Unity of God is not merely a metaphysical concept. It is a dynamic belief that effects ones view of humanity, society and all aspects of life. As a logical corollary to the Islaamic belief in the Oneness of God, is its belief in the oneness of mankind and humanity.

Misconception: Islam degrades women

Even though many aspects of Islam are misunderstood by non-Muslims, the ignorance, misinformation and incorrect assumptions that are made in regards to Islam's treatment of women are probably the most severe.

Numerous verses of the Qur'aan make it clear that men and women are equal in the sight of God. According to the teachings of Islam, the only thing that distinguishes people in the sight of God is their level of God-consciousness. Due to this, many people are surprised to find out that Islamic Law guaranteed rights to women over 1400 years ago and that women in Europe and America only obtained their rights recently. For example, Islam clearly teaches that a woman is a full-person under the law, and is the spiritual equal of a male. Also, according to Islamic Law, women have the right to own property, operate a business and receive equal pay for equal work. Women are allowed total control of their wealth, they cannot be married against their will and they are allowed to keep their own name when married.

Additionally, they have the right to inherit property and to have their marriage dissolved in the case of neglect or mistreatment. Also, Islam does not consider a woman an "evil temptress", and thus does not blame women for the "original sin". Women in Islam participate in all forms of worship that men participate in. Actually, the rights that Islam gave to women over 1400 years ago were almost unheard of in the West until the 1900's.

Less than fifty years ago in England and America, a woman could not buy a house or car without the co-signature of her father or husband! Additionally, Islam gives great respect to women and their role in society; it gives them the right to own property, marry who they want and many other rights. Also, it should be mentioned that the Prophet Muhammad's mission stopped many of the horrible practices in regards to women that were present in the society of his time. For example, the Qur'aan put an end to the pagan Arab practice of killing their baby daughters when they were born.

Additionally, Islam put restrictions on the unrestricted polygamy of the Arabs of the time, and put many laws in place to protect the well-being of women. Today, most of the so-called reforms in the status of women came about after the West abandoned religion for secularism. Even those in the West who claim to follow the so-called "Judaeo-Christian tradition" really follow the values of Western liberalism, but just to a lesser degree than their more liberal countrymen.

If women in the Muslim World today don't have their rights, it is not because Islam did not give them to them. The problem is that in many places alien traditions have come to overshadow the teachings of Islam, either through ignorance or the impact of Colonialisation.

..........
Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad

Misconception: Muslims hate Jesus

Many non-Muslims are surprised to find out that according to Muslim belief, Jesus, the son of Mary, is one of the greatest messengers of God.

Muslims are taught to love Jesus, and a person cannot be a Muslim without believing in the virgin birth and miracles of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him.

Muslims believe these things about Jesus not because of the Bible or any other religion, but simply because the Holy Qur.aan says these things about him. However, Muslims always emphasise that the miracles of Jesus, and all other prophets, were by "God's permission". This having been said, many Christians feel to not believe that Jesus is the "Son of God", "God Incarnate" or the "Third Person" of the Trinity. This is because the Qur'aan clearly says that Almighty God does not have a "Son" --- neither allegorically, physically, metaphorically or metaphysically.

The Pure Monotheism of Islam rejects the notion of "defining" God (which is basically what the "Doctrine of the Trinity" does), saying that someone is "like" God or equal to him, or praying to someone else besides God. Also, Islam teaches that titles such as "Lord" and "Saviour" are due to God alone.

In order to avoid misunderstanding, it should be clarified that when Muslims criticise the Bible or the teachings of Christianity, they are not attacking "God's Word" or Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. From the Muslim point of view, they are defending Jesus and God's Word, which they have in the form of the Qur'aan. Muslim criticism is targeted at writings that some people claim are God's word, but Muslim's simply don't accept their claim that they are really God's word.

Additionally, Christian doctrines such as the Trinity and the Atonement are criticised by Muslims precisely because they did not originate from Jesus, peace be upon him. In this way, Muslims are the true followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, because they defend him from the exaggerations of the Christians and teach the Pure Monotheism that Jesus himself followed.

..........
Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad

Muhammad - The most influential person in history - Michael H. Hart

From the book: "The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History" by Micheal H. Hart

My choice of Muhammad (570CE - 630CE) to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels.

Of humble origins, Muhammad founded and promulgated one of the world's great religions, and became an immensely effective political leader. Today, thirteen centuries after his death, his influence is still powerful and pervasive.

The majority of the persons in this book had the advantage of being born and raised in centers of civilization, highly cultured or politically pivotal nations. Muhammad, however, was born in the year 570, in the city of Mecca, in southern Arabia, at that time a backward area of the world, far from the centers of trade, art, and learning. Orphaned at age six, he was reared in modest surroundings. Islamic tradition tells us that he was illiterate. His economic position improved when, at age twenty-five, he married a wealthy widow. Nevertheless, as he approached forty, there was little outward indication that he was a remarkable person.

Most Arabs at that time were pagans, who believed in many gods. There were, however, in Mecca, a small number of Jews and Christians; it was from them no doubt that Muhammad first learned of a single, omnipotent God who ruled the entire universe. When he was forty years old, Muhammad became convinced that this one true God (Allah) was speaking to him, and had chosen him to spread the true faith.

For three years, Muhammad preached only to close friends and associates. Then, about 613, he began preaching in public. As he slowly gained converts, the Meccan authorities came to consider him a dangerous nuisance. In 622, fearing for his safety, Muhammad fled to Medina (a city some 200 miles north of Mecca), where he had been offered a position of considerable political power.

This flight, called the Hegira, was the turning point of the Prophet's life. In Mecca, he had had few followers. In Medina, he had many more, and he soon acquired an influence that made him a virtual dictator. During the next few years, while Muhammad s following grew rapidly, a series of battles were fought between Medina and Mecca. This was ended in 630 with Muhammad's triumphant return to Mecca as conqueror. The remaining two and one-half years of his life witnessed the rapid conversion of the Arab tribes to the new religion. When Muhammad died, in 632, he was the effective ruler of all of southern Arabia.

The Bedouin tribesmen of Arabia had a reputation as fierce warriors. But their number was small; and plagued by disunity and internecine warfare, they had been no match for the larger armies of the kingdoms in the settled agricultural areas to the north. However, unified by Muhammad for the first time in history, and inspired by their fervent belief in the one true God, these small Arab armies now embarked upon one of the most astonishing series of conquests in human history. To the northeast of Arabia lay the large Neo-Persian Empire of the Sassanids; to the northwest lay the Byzantine, or Eastern Roman Empire, centered in Constantinople. Numerically, the Arabs were no match for their opponents. On the field of battle, though, the
inspired Arabs rapidly conquered all of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine. By 642, Egypt had been wrested from the Byzantine Empire, while the Persian armies had been crushed at the key battles of Qadisiya in 637, and Nehavend in 642.

But even these enormous conquests-which were made under the leadership of Muhammad's close friends and immediate successors, Abu Bakr and 'Umar ibn al-Khattab -did not mark the end of the Arab advance. By 711, the Arab armies had swept completely across North Africa to the Atlantic Ocean There they turned north and, crossing the Strait of Gibraltar, overwhelmed the Visigothic kingdom in Spain.

For a while, it must have seemed that the Moslems would overwhelm all of Christian Europe. However, in 732, at the famous Battle of Tours, a Moslem army, which had advanced into the center of France, was at last defeated by the Franks. Nevertheless, in a scant century of fighting, these Bedouin tribesmen, inspired by the word of the Prophet, had carved out an empire stretching from the borders of India to the Atlantic Ocean-the largest empire that the world had yet seen. And everywhere that the armies conquered, large-scale conversion to the new faith eventually followed.

Now, not all of these conquests proved permanent. The Persians, though they have remained faithful to the religion of the Prophet, have since regained their independence from the Arabs. And in Spain, more than seven centuries of warfare 5 finally resulted in the Christians reconquering the entire peninsula. However, Mesopotamia and Egypt, the two cradles of ancient civilization, have remained Arab, as has the entire coast of North Africa. The new religion, of course, continued to spread, in the intervening centuries, far beyond the borders of the original Moslem conquests. Currently it has tens of millions of adherents in Africa and Central Asia and even more in Pakistan and northern India, and in Indonesia. In Indonesia, the new faith has
been a unifying factor. In the Indian subcontinent, however, the conflict between Moslems and Hindus is still a major obstacle to unity.

How, then, is one to assess the overall impact of Muhammad on human history? Like all religions, Islam exerts an enormous influence upon the lives of its followers. It is for this reason that the founders of the world's great religions all figure prominently in this book . Since there are roughly twice as many Christians as Moslems in the world, it may initially seem strange that Muhammad has been ranked higher than Jesus. There are two principal reasons for that decision. First, Muhammad played a far more important role in the development of Islam than Jesus did in the development of Christianity. Although Jesus was responsible for the main ethical and moral precepts of Christianity (insofar as these differed from Judaism), St. Paul was the main developer of Christian theology, its principal proselytizer, and the author of a large portion of the New Testament.

Muhammad, however, was responsible for both the theology of Islam and its main ethical and moral principles. In addition, he played the key role in proselytizing the new faith, and in establishing the religious practices of Islam. Moreover, he is the author of the Moslem holy scriptures, the Koran, a collection of certain of Muhammad's insights that he believed had been directly revealed to him by Allah. Most of these utterances were copied more or less faithfully during Muhammad's lifetime and were collected together in authoritative form not long after his death. The Koran therefore, closely represents Muhammad's ideas and teachings and to a considerable extent his exact words. No such detailed compilation of the teachings of Christ has survived.

Since the Koran is at least as important to Moslems as the Bible is to Christians, the influence of Muhammed through the medium of the Koran has been enormous It is probable that the relative influence of Muhammad on Islam has been larger than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul on Christianity. On the purely religious level, then, it seems likely that Muhammad has been as influential in human history as Jesus.

Furthermore, Muhammad (unlike Jesus) was a secular as well as a religious leader. In fact, as the driving force behind the Arab conquests, he may well rank as the most influential political leader of all time.

Of many important historical events, one might say that they were inevitable and would have occurred even without the particular political leader who guided them. For example, the South American colonies would probably have won their independence from Spain even if Simon Bolivar had never lived. But this cannot be said of the Arab conquests. Nothing similar had occurred before Muhammad, and there is no reason to believe that the conquests would have been achieved without him. The only comparable conquests in human history are those of the Mongols in the thirteenth century, which were primarily due to the influence of Genghis Khan. These conquests, however, though more extensive than those of the Arabs, did not prove permanent, and today the only areas occupied by the Mongols are those that they held prior to the time of Genghis Khan.

It is far different with the conquests of the Arabs. From Iraq to Morocco, there extends a whole chain of Arab nations united not merely by their faith in Islam, but also by their Arabic language, history, and culture. The centrality of the Koran in the Moslem religion and the fact that it is written in Arabic have probably prevented the Arab language from breaking up into mutually unintelligible dialects, which might otherwise have occurred in the intervening thirteen centuries. Differences and divisions between these Arab states exist, of course, and they are considerable, but the partial disunity should not blind us to the important elements of unity that have continued to exist. For instance, neither Iran nor Indonesia, both oil-producing states and both Islamic in religion, joined in the oil embargo of the winter of 1973-74. It is no coincidence that all of the Arab states, and only the Arab states, participated in the embargo.

We see, then, that the Arab conquests of the seventh century have continued to play an important role in human history, down to the present day. It is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to be considered the most influential single figure in human history.

..........
Source: "The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History" - by Michael H. Hart, Citadel Trade, Revised Edition (November 1992). For further details, refer to the following link:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0806513500