Islam and its Prophet through Tolstoy’s eyes

Islam and its Prophet through Tolstoy’s eyes

Islamweb.net

25 December 2011

Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian novelist and philosopher, who, among many others, searched beyond the fallacious claims of missionaries about Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon him). Tolstoy studied the life of this great man deeply, and came to appreciate the magnitude of the transformation Arabia underwent during his Prophetic mission.

In the days of Jaahiliyyah (pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance), the Arabian Peninsula was steeped in paganism, superstition, ignorance and the worship of many different idols, with a handful of the population following Haneefiyyah, the true religion of Ibraaheem (Abraham), may Allah exalt his mention, and scattered groups of adherents to Judaism and Christianity. One man, with the aid of Allah The Almighty, then his followers and Companions, spread the call of Islam throughout Arabia, and in a matter of 1400 years the call had spread to the farthest corners of the earth.

Tolstoy, after educating himself about the life of the Prophet (pbuh), and the rich legacy and wealth of knowledge he left behind, wrote Selected Sayings of the Prophet, wherein he compiled anecdotes and quotes of the Prophet (pbuh). In his book, he said, “Anyone who wants to verify the tolerance in Islam should only read the Quran carefully. Its verses are indicative of the high spirit of Islam, such as (which mean):

“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among your-selves; and remember with gratitude Allah’s favour on you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, you became brethren; and you were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make His Signs clear to you, that you may be guided [Quran, 3: 103)].”

He also said, “I am one of those who are very much impressed by Prophet Muhammad who was chosen by the One God to have His last message revealed through his soul, heart and mind. He chose him to be the last prophet; hence, no other prophets would come after him. His acknowledgement of the prophets who had been sent by God before him to produce the global social building for which Muhammad had been sent to complete, is indubitable evidence that he came with Islam to conclude the social building for the entire humanity everywhere.”

He further stated, “There has been no prophet who gained the respect of his enemies save Prophet Muhammad. This is why a lot of them embraced Islam later on. It seems surprising that those who declared themselves enemies of him certainly knew that he was trustworthy and was calling them to the truth; they even respected him in the depth of their hearts, but they concealed this respect for they did not want to be accused of leaving their faiths.”

In addition, Tolstoy expressed his admiration of the Prophet (pbuh) as a reformer, “Undoubtedly, Prophet Muhammad is one of the greatest reformers who rendered extensive service to the human community. As an indication of his greatness, it suffices to mention that he guided an entire nation to the light of truth and made it incline to serenity and peace and opted to live a life of asceticism. He forbade acts of bloodshed or human sacrifice. He opened up for his nation the way to progress and civilization. That was a great feat which nobody – no matter how powerful he may be – is able to achieve. Such a man, indeed, is highly respectable and estimable.”

Some of the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) that Tolstoy mentioned in his book include:

·           “Those who show mercy have Allah’s mercy shown to them. Have mercy on those here on earth, and the One in heaven will have mercy on you”

·           “A kind word is charity”

·           “Practice humility until no one oppresses or belittles another”

·           “A believer is not one who eats his fill while his next door neighbour goes hungry”

·           “Whoever fails to care for our youth, respect our aged, enjoin right, and denounce wrong is not counted among us”.

Many of the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) also emphasized the meaning of what it is to be one Ummah (Islamic nation), with a bond that went beyond blood or marriage relations and transcended race and culture.

The noble character and profound teachings of the Prophet (pbuh) left a lasting impact on Tolstoy; yet his opinions on Islam and its Prophet (pbuh) and his undisguised admiration for them, have been far less widely discussed and circulated.

By Adam I. Seedat

An Important Video, Please go through it

*'AZAAN'  A  MIRACLE*

 

'Azaan' a Miracle ?... Yes ! by Sis. Yasmin 

 

Amazing as it sounds, but fortunately, for the Muslims 

of the world, it is an established fact...{!}

Please look at a map of the world and read 

the facts below:

 You will find Indonesia on the eastern side of the earth. The major cities of Indonesia are Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Saibil. 

As soon as dawn breaks on the eastern side 

of Saibil, at approximately 5:30 a.m local time, Fajar Azaan begins. 

Thousands of Muazzins in Indonesia begin reciting the Azaan. The process advances towards West Indonesia . One and a half hours after the 'Azaan' has been completed in Saibil, it echoes in Jakarta ... Sumatra then follows suit and before this auspicious process of calling Azaan ends in Indonesia, 

it has already begun in Malaysia ... {!} 

Burma is next in line, and within an hour of its beginning in Jakarta, it reaches Dacca, 

the capital city of Bangladesh . 

 After Bangladesh , it has already prevailed in western India , from Calcutta to Srinagar . 

It then advances towards Bombay and the environment of entire India resounds with this proclamation. 

 Srinagar and Sialkot (a northern city in Pakistan ) have the same timing for Azaan. The time difference between Sialkot , Quetta , and Karachi is forty minutes, and within this time, Fajar Aazaan is heard throughout Pakistan ... {!}

Before it ends there, it has already begun in Afghanistan and Muscat ...{!} 

The time difference between Muscat and Baghdad is one hour. Azaan resounds during this one hour in the environments of Hijaaz-e-Muqaddas !

(Holy cities of Makkah and Madinah), Yemen , United Arab Emirates , Kuwait and Iraq 

The time difference between Baghdad and Alexandria in Egypt is again one hour. 

 Azaan continues to resound in Syria, Egypt, Somalia and Sudan during this hour. 

The time difference between eastern and western Turkey is one and a half hours, and during this Alexandria and Tripoli

 (capital of Libya ) are located at one hour's difference. 

 The process of calling 'Azaan' thus continues throughout the whole of Africa ...{!}

 Therefore, the proclamation of the "Tawheed" and "Risaalat" that had begun in Indonesia reaches the Eastern Shore of the Atlantic Ocean after nine and half hours {!} 

Prior to the 'Azaan' reaching the shores of the Atlantic, the process of "Zohar Azaan" has already started in east Indonesia , and before it reaches Dacca , "Asr Azaan" has started. 

 This has hardly reached Jakarta one and half hours later, the time of "Maghrib" Salat becomes due, and no sooner has "Maghrib" time reached Sumatra , the time for calling "Isha Azaan" has commenced in Saibil...{!}

 When the Muazzins of Indonesia are calling out "Fajar Azaan", the African Muazzins are calling the 'Azaan' for Isha Salat. 

If we were to ponder over this phenomenon thoughtfully, we would conclude 

the amazing fact that there is not even a single moment when hundreds of thousands of Muazzins around the world are not reciting the 'Azaan' on the surface of this earth. 

Even as you read this material right now, 

you can be sure there is 'Azaan' somewhere !!!  

 {Subhaan Allah !} 

Islam & Martial Arts: China’s Hui Muslim Tradition

By Eissa Dar

Bahath, 2 December 2016

Western media has always been saturated with images of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, but what we don't hear about as often is the relation between Islam and martial arts. The early trade that led to a great relationship between Arab Muslims and the Chinese acted as a pivotal role in the spread of Islam in the Far East as well as cementing the Muslim-Chinese identity. Dating back to the 1200s, the roles early Chinese Muslims played in military leadership positions forms the beginning of this most unique connection.

Islam in China is well documented with the Hui people acting as the largest Muslim minority within the country. From approximately 19 years after the death of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ a relationship between China and Arabia was already in place. It was the third Khalifah (Caliph) ‘Uthman who initiated the first conscious efforts to spread Islam in the region, with subsequent trade missions also contributing to the spread of Islam.

The Hui Muslims came from this lineage, a unification of Arabia and China to form this unique position of authentic Chinese culture, infused with the Islamic tradition, the likes of which can still be seen to this day in various parts of the country, though mostly concentrated in the north-western parts of China. The practise of martial arts still takes place in various Masajid (mosques) around the country, with Islamic sciences being taught at the same time.

Not only did martial arts combine with practical aspects of defence for long seafaring trade missions, but it also was a spiritual tool of many Muslim masters. The need for self-control and restraint reflect in both martial arts and traditional Islamic teachings.

The concept of Islamic self-control was used by martial art masters in the physical realm as well. With practitioners putting emphasis on both spiritual and physical aspects of training. The need for calm and collected decision making is a tradition upheld by Muslims, as seen in the tradition of The Prophet (pbuh) , "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger." The essence of Ijtihad (diligence) in maintaining self-discipline is integral in both paths.

Various art forms such as Silat and Wushu have been perfected by Muslims of the last few hundred years, with many original martial arts being either created or adapted by Muslims as well, such as Zhaquan and Piguquan. These original developments were tools that were created often by army officials or to safeguard Muslims in China, being passed down in secret through generations.

In the history of this marriage between martial arts and Islam, there are many names to consider. We can see examples of masters such as Wang Zi Ping (1881 - 1973) and Chang Tung Sheng (1908 - 1986) who trained in their discipline while retaining their faith and using it as a means to come closer to Allah and the teachings of their religion.

Master Wang Zi Ping, acknowledged as a master of Wushu was also a learned man in relation to the Religion. He was known to lift heavy stones while reciting the Qur’an. A notable story tells of his opposition to German forces who attempted to obtain the doors of Qinzhou masjid that was inscribed with the history of the Muslims in China. Master Wang was not one to let a priceless part of Muslim identity be taken away, and so challenged the soldiers to a weight lifting competition and subsequently won.

Also, a master of various other disciplines, Wang Zi Ping was an inspiration to people, Muslim and non-Muslim alike. His mastery of a variety of martial arts allowed him to gain victory over various foreign opponents, leading to a great following of students, thus also spreading the reach of Islam amongst Chinese people. 

In reality, martial arts and the Islamic tradition share a unique bond and history that within them both contain means to achieve a greater purpose. Acting as reflections of each other, the history of Islam in China led to the expansion of the Religion to the far eastern corners of the world, and the practical nature of martial arts helped defend this tradition in a way that kept the uniqueness of Chinese culture, with the absoluteness of the religion of Islam.

Amjid Ali is Wing Chun instructor and also a practising Muslim. In the video below he relates his journey of learning, from travelling to Hong Kong and training with legendary martial artist Ip Man and close friends of the late Bruce Lee. He provides an interesting insight into the similarities between Islamic and martial art teachings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qZRdqygJ4g

For more information on martial arts and the Islamic tradition check out these articles below:

1) http://www.muslimheritage.com/article/legacy-muslim-kung-fu-masters

2) http://www.islamicfocus.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1607&Itemid=24

http://www.bahath.co/islam-martial-arts