Islam, the Qur’an and Mohammad

The Qu’ran Part IX 

From Part VIII

Does the Qur’an Provide a Decent Way of Life?

Could we find a decent way of life, a life that pleases God and helps us to deal fairly with our fellow men in the Qur’an?  In his book, Knowing God, J.I. Packer wrote on pages 14 and 16:

Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives... Godliness means responding to God's revelation in trust and obedience, faith and worship, prayer and praise, submission and service. Life must be seen and lived in the light of God's Word. This, and nothing, else is true religion. Man cannot live beyond the attributes of the god he believes in. If his god is cruel he will be cruel. If his god is kind, he will be kind. If his god is holy, he will be holy. The apostle Peter wrote to the Christians:

But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy (I Peter 1:15, 16).

The apostle Paul says:

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor (Ephesians 5:1, 2).

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps. "Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth" (I Peter 2:21, 22 NKJ).

God is the supreme example of true Christians. Now, who is this Allah in the Qur’an, that the Muslim should imitate? In the Qur’an:

Allah is the best plotter:
And when those who disbelieve plot against thee [O Mohammed] to wound thee fatally, or to kill thee or to drive thee forth; they plot, but Allah [also] plotteth; and Allah is the best of plotters (Surat Al-Anfal 8:30 MPT).

Allah is a deceiver:
The Hypocrites - they seek to deceive Allah but it is Allah who deceives them. When they stand up to prayer, they stand without earnestness, to be seen of men, but little do they hold Allah in remembrance (Surat Al-Nisa 4:142).

Allah is a murderer:
Ye [Muslims] slew them not, but Allah slew them. And thou [Mohammed] threwest not when thou didst throw, but Allah threw, that He might test the believers by a fair test from Him. Lo! Allah is Hearer, Knower (Surat Al-Anfal 8:17 MPT).

Allah is a torturer:
Fight them and Allah will torture (literal translation) them by your hands, and disgrace them, help you [to victory] over them, heal the breasts of believers (Surat Al-Tawbah 9;14).

Allah is unjust and unfair:
And when we would destroy a township we send commandment to its folk who live at ease, and afterward they commit abomination therein, and so the Word [of doom] hath effect for it, and We annihilate it with complete annihilation (Surat Al-Isra 17:16 MPT).

Allah commands those who live at ease to disobey and commit abomination, and when they obey and commit abomination according to his command he annihilates them. That is unjust and unfair.

Now, if a Muslim follows the pattern of Allah who is presented in the Qur’an, he would plot, deceive, murder, torture non-Muslims, be unjust and unfair without any sense of guilt. This is the way of life the Qur’an presents to the Muslims, and this is why when any Muslim believes that Jesus Christ is his Savior and Lord, Muslims persecute, torture and eventually kill him or her in the name of Allah.

Does the Qur’an Provide Assurance of Eternal Life with God in Heavenly Bliss?

The only way by which a Muslim might enter paradise is to die a martyr's death fighting non-Muslims for the cause of Allah. The Prophet Mohammed himself was terrified from expecting to be tortured after death.

Sahih Al-Bukhari recorded the following event:

A Jewess entered Aisha's room and mentioned the torture of the dead in the grave and said to her "may Allah save you from the torture of the grave."  Aisha [Mohammed's wife] asked him about the torture of the grave, "yes, there is torture in the grave," he answered. Aisha said: "I never saw the Messenger of Allah praying after that, but asking for refuge from torture of the grave" (Sahih Al-Bukhari , Vol. l, 2, page 584).

Sahih AI-Bukhari stated also:

Abu-Huraira said "The Messenger of Allah, was always calling Allah, and saying 'I take refuge in you from the torture of the grave, and hell fire, and from the sedition of life and death and from the sedition of the false messiah'"(Sahih Al-Bukhari, Vol.  1, 2 page 585).

The Qur’an decrees that every Muslim will enter Hell:

Man says: "What! When I am dead, shall I then be raised up alive?" But does not man call to mind that We created him before out of nothing? So, by thy Lord, without doubt, We shall gather them together, and [also] Satan's [with them], then shall We bring them forth on their knees round about Hell; then shall We certainly drag out from every sect all those who were worst in obstinate rebellion against [Allah] Most Gracious. And certainly We know best those who are most worthy of being burned therein. Not one of you but will enter it (literal translation); this is, with thy Lord, a decree which must be accomplished (Surat Maryam 19:66-71).

It is said in the Qur’an, that hell has seven gates (Surat Al-Hijr 15:43, 44). Every Muslim shall enter hell.

Ibn Katheir the great expositor of the Qur’an interprets the words " Everyone of you will enter it" by the following stories.

The first story:

Abd-Elrazak cited Ibn Ayeena, who cited Ibn Abi Khalid, who cited Qyse Ibn Abi Hazim, who said that Abdullah Ibn Rowaha was putting his head on his wife's lap, he wept, his wife wept, he asked her: Why do you weep? "I saw you weeping so I wept" she answered. He said I remembered what Allah said "Not one of you but will enter it." I do not know if I will escape from it or not.

The second story:

Ibn Qurair cited Abu-Kareeb, who cited Ibn Yaman, who cited Malik Ibn Magul, who cited Abu-Ishacc, who said: Abu Mysarah used to say every night before he goes to bed, I wish that my mother had not given birth of me, then weep. Someone asked him "Why do you weep Abu Mysarah?" "The Qur’an told us that we shall enter Hell, but we were not told that we will get out of it."

The third story:

Abdu-Allah Ibn Al-Mubarak cited Al-Hasan Al-Basari: A man said to his brother do you know that you will enter Hell fire? "yes" his brother answered. "Do you know if you will get out of it?" he asked. "No" his brother answered. "Why do you laugh then?" From that time on he was never seen laughing till he died (Ibn Katheir on Surat Maryam Vol. 3, page 129).

This is in stark contrast with what Christ said in the Bible:

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life (John 5:24 NKJ).

There is no hope for the Muslim to escape Hell fire

The real Christian is completely assured that he or she will never enter hell fire:

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1).

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life (I John 5:13).

TESTING THE TRUTHFULNESS OF THE QUR’AN

5. FRUITS OF TRUE RELIGION

The Fifth Test is the Test of Fruits

Jesus Christ instituted this test when he instructed us to test prophets by their fruits:

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them (Matthew 7:15-20 NKJ).

What are the fruits of the Qur’an, in Muhammad's own home, in the society he created, and in the cultural, intellectual, and scientific environment of Islam'?

Muhammad's Household

Good examples of plotting and deception are found in Muhammad's own household. Dr. Aisha Abd-Alrahman, known as "Bint Al-Shati," in her book, Wives of the Prophet, portrays a vivid picture of life in Muhammad's home. Aisha, the youngest and the most beautiful of his wives was accused of committing adultery with Safwan Ibn Almouatal Alsalmi. When rumors spread concerning that accusation, Muhammad became disturbed and treated Aisha harshly. The crisis between them continued until Muhammad received a revelation that Aisha was innocent.

Another event took place in Muhammad's home when he married Asma, daughter of Al-Namam, who was a very attractive woman. Aisha conspired with Hafsa and one of Muhammad's other wives to abort their marriage. They went to Asma and advised her to say to Muhammad when he came in to her "I seek refuge in Allah from you," if she wanted to please him. The naive bride believed them. When Muhammad came into her room, she said "I seek refuge in Allah from you." Hearing that, Muhammad sent her back to her parents. The conspiracy of his wives was successful (Wives of the Prophet, page 77, 78).

Once, all of his wives conspired against him, so he threatened to divorce all of them (Surat Al-Tahrim 66:5). More concerning the troubles and conspiracies in Muhammad's home are recorded in the book, Wives of the Prophet. This is the fruit of the Qur’an in Muhammad's household.

The Society Muhammad Created

If one examines the impact of Islam on the society Muhammad created by the dictates of his Qur’an, one discovers a society full of corruption, bloodshed, lack of individual freedom, and brutality.

1. Corruption and bloodshed

Caliph Omar Ibn-Alkhataab acquitted Al-Mugherah Ibn Shuba who committed adultery with a woman named Omm Jameel. He hinted to Zyad Ibn Samila, one of four witnesses, to testify in support of Al-Mugherah. Zyad testified against three other eye witnesses Abi-Bakra, Nafi Ibn Alharith, and Shibl Ibn Maabad who testified that they saw Al-Mugherah in the act. Caliph Omar accepted the witness of Zyad and acquitted Al-Mugherah and ordered him to beat the three eye witnesses who testified against him (Al Ostorah Waltorath, The Legend and Heritage, page 266).

Caliph Alwathic, the last Caliph of Abaseieen was homosexual. His partner was "Muhag," an attractive young man. It is said: If Muhag gets angry with Alwathic and refuses to have sex with him, the Caliph would suspend all the government activities until Muhag resumes his relationship with him (The Hidden Truth, pages 124 - 126).

A good example of the bloodshed under Islam is found in the succession of Caliphs who came after Muhammad. Caliph Omar was assassinated and Caliph Ali Ibn Abu Talib was assassinated. Caliph Uthman Ibn Affan, who ordered the writing of the new Qur’an, was also assassinated. The Muslims refused to bury him in the Muslim cemetery and after his death two Muslims jumped on his dead body and broke one of his ribs (The Hidden Truth, pages 25, 26).

Caliph Alwaleed Ibn Yazeed used to shoot the Qur’an with arrows until holes covered it. Then he wrote a poem in which he spoke to the Qur’an saying:

In the day of judgment, when Allah asked you: Who made all these holes in you? say: Alwaleed did that (The Hidden Truth, pages 86, 87).

Many of the Muslim governors during the Caliphate period robbed the countries they governed and became very rich. When they died they left an enormous amount of wealth.

That was the society Muhammad created with his Qur’an. Muslims killed Muslims. The Islamic history of the first century after Muhammad is stained with blood and characterized with brutality. What about the modern Islamic societies?

2. Lack of individual freedom

Muslims who leave their own countries to seek a better way of life enjoy total freedom in the Christian nations of Europe, Australia, and North America, and take advantage of that freedom to promote Islam by means of television, radio, books, tracts, and financial aid to those who embrace Islam. They are also building mosques with oil dollars coming from Libya, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Yet, they do not permit the preaching of the gospel in their countries. In some Islamic states there is not even one church building. It is a crime to smuggle a Bible into these countries. If a Muslim accepts Jesus Christ as his savior and Lord, he is considered apostate and should be executed. A Muslim can not express his opinions freely if they are critical of Islam.

On August 9th, 1996, Al-Ahram, the semi-official daily newspaper in Egypt, reported:

The High Court of personal affairs announced its verdict in the case of Dr. Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid professor at Cairo University, and demanded that he divorce his wife, Ibtihal Yunus, because, as the court stated, Dr. Abu Zaid was an apostate and that was clear from what he wrote in his books mocking Muhammad and the Qur’an, and saying that the Sharia (Qur’an's laws) is the reason for the demise of the Muslim countries.

Mrs. Abu Zaid did not wish to divorce her husband. Abu Zaid and his wife fled from Egypt.

The New York Times on August 6, 1996, quoted a human rights advocate who said "The ruling is a slap in the face of civil society."

The situation in Afghanistan, under the Taliban Islamic movement, is another example. Newsweek Magazine (October 14, 1996) printed a report by Rod Nordland and Tony Clifton under the title The Islamic Nightmare. Here is a part of what they wrote:

The Mullahs who took over that week in Kabul, the conquered capital of Afghanistan, made Iran's ayatollahs look like Western playboys. The fundamentalist Taliban movement issued decree after decree through its six-member ruling council, the Shura  Television stations and movie theaters were shut down, and music was banned from the radio. Kabul's one million people were ordered to pray five times a day - including two visits to the local mosque, where attendance would be taken. Criminals were threatened with beatings, mutilation and death. Men were given 45 days to grow proper Muslim beards - which are left untrimmed - and were told to shed their Western clothes in favor of traditional Afghan dress.
Women were chastised even more severely  They were sent home from their schools and jobs and were instructed to veil themselves from head to toe, preferably in the suffocating burqa, in which even the opening for the eyes is screened with mesh. Violators of the female dress code were beaten on the streets by Taliban fighters. In a sermon last Friday, the Muslim Sabbath, Syed Ghiasuddin, the acting education minister in the new theocracy, explained that a woman is like "a rose - you water it and keep it at home for yourself to look at and smell. It is not supposed to be taken out of the house to be smelled." The establishment of a severely fundamentalist regime in Kabul set off alarm bells all over the region. Amnesty International accused the Taliban of conducting "a reign of terror."

3. Blind hatred

The Washington Post Magazine in its issue of August 25, 1996, wrote the story of David Belfield, a Baptist young man from a small town on Long Island, who came to Washington to study at Howard University. Under the influence of an Iranian Muslim, David embraced Islam, changed his name to Daoud Salahuddin and became increasingly devout. His Iranian handler had little trouble persuading him to kill a man he had never met. Daoud saw the act as an Islamic duty. The late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini ordered the assassination of Ali Akbar Tabatabi who lived in Bethesda, Maryland, and was the chief spokesman in the United States for the counter-revolutionary forces against the Khomeini government. Daoud Salahuddin assassinated Tabatabai, fled to Canada and then to Tehran. The Iranian government had agreed to send him to China to study medicine but never did. Here is what the Post Magazine wrote on page 22:

The community Salahuddin had chosen to enter was international in scope but driven by sectarian and political feuds, despite heady talk of Arab and Muslim world unity. In the early "70s, Shiite Iran and Sunni Iraq were supporting Kurdish rebellions in each other's countries; radical Palestinians and royalist tribes, all Sunni Muslims, were fighting for control of Jordan; the Muslims of Pakistan were splitting into two separate nations, and the Arab countries - under competing Muslim monarchist, socialist and nationalist rulers -were plotting constantly against one another.

This is a true picture of what Islam has done for Islamic countries. And this is how they turn some of those who are converted to Islam into assassins in the name of Allah.

4. Brutality

In 1995 the Sudanese Islamic government tried to assassinate President Hosny Mubarak of Egypt in Ethiopia.

There has also been a great deal of turmoil in recent times in Egypt, Algeria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Israel, Uganda, and Iran. The source of trouble is the militant Muslims who obey the Qur’an to the letter. The Washington Times said in an article printed on August 25, 1996:

The Sudanese government proceeded to escalate the war. They even redefined the war. It was no longer a civil war between the state and a group of dissenting citizens but a Jihad by Muslims against "Infidels." Every non-Muslim and non-Arab became an enemy of the state.... It is in this context that the massive aerial and ground bombardments of innocent civilians have been and are being conducted... to them war is heaven. Their warriors are taught that if they kill an "infidel" they get a place in heaven. If they are killed by an "infidel" they are wedded to one of Allah's pretty virgins in heaven. A rosy portrait indeed. The slave market is as thriving as never before. Thousands of women and children captured in slave raids remain in captivity.

Add to that the many Sudanese Christians who were tortured and crucified and the boys and girls who were captured and forced to be Muslims and trained to fight Christians. In addition, many Coptic Christians were killed in Egypt, and many girls were kidnapped and raped, and forced to marry Muslims. This is the society that the Qur’an created.

Dr. Christian Goforth wrote the following story which portrays how Christians are suffering and are martyred under Islamic regimes.

The Story of Zia Nodrat

In Kabul, Afghanistan, during 1964, a fourteen year old boy, Zia Nodrat enrolled in the NOOR Institute for the Blind. He already knew the whole Qur’an by heart  In Western terms that would be like an English speaker memorizing the complete New Testament in Greek, since Arabic was not Zia's mother tongue. He completed the six primary grades of the Institute in three years.
While attending his classes in Braille in the Institute for the Blind, Zia also mastered English  He did this by listening and repeating what he heard on a transistor radio. With the help of a small ear plug, he heard programs coming into Afghanistan from other countries. He eventually started asking questions about what he had heard, such as, "What do you mean by the substitutionary atonement?" He had heard such theological concepts during Christian radio broadcasts like the Voice of the Gospel coming from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Africa.
Finally, he shared with a few persons that he had received Jesus the Messiah as his personal Savior. They asked him if he realized that he could be killed for this, since the Islamic Law of Apostasy for anyone leaving Islam is death He answered, "I have counted the cost and am willing to die for the Messiah, since He has already died on the cross for me."
Zia then became the spiritual leader of the few Afghan Christians. In the Institute for the Blind in Kabul, the students elected him as the president of their association. But the next year after it was known that he had become a Christian, he lost the election for this position  One of his Christian teachers told him how sorry she was that he lost. He replied, quoting the prophet John the Baptist who said of Jesus, "He must become greater, I must become less" (John 3:30)  His goal in life was not to seek prominence for himself, but to be a humble servant of his Lord. Zia's father said that before he had entered the Institute for the Blind, he had been like a cold and unlit piece of charcoal. After his experience there, he had become like a red hot, brightly burning coal.
Once he borrowed an English Braille copy of the Gospel of John He opened it and read with his fingers. He then returned it and said that his question had been answered. When asked what his question was, he replied that in John 13:34 Jesus said, "A new commandment I give you that you love one another." He wondered why the Lord Jesus called it "new," since the commandment "love your neighbor as yourself' had already been given to Moses, as recorded in the Old Testament Book of Leviticus 19:18. But now he understood. He explained that until the incarnation of the Messiah the world had never before seen love personified. He went on to state that the Bible reveals that God is love, and that Jesus as God in human flesh is love incarnate. This was what made the command new. Jesus said, "A new commandment I give you that you love one another as I have loved you." In his perfect life Jesus has now given us a new model to follow.
Zia was the first blind student to attend regular sighted schools in Afghanistan. There he had a small recorder with which he taped everything his teachers said, so that he could go over it and learn it thoroughly. He thus became the number one student out of hundreds at his grade level. Those who failed in their classes were given a second chance to take examinations after the three month vacation. He studied the next year during this break and passed the tests. In this way he completed high school, finishing two grades each year.
Zia wanted to study Islamic Law so that he could defend Christians who might be persecuted for their faith. He therefore entered the University of Kabul, from which he graduated with his law degree. He also studied Calvin's Institutes on the side since he wanted to grasp the concepts of this Reformation leader.
The Christoffel Blind Mission in Germany gave the Institute for the Blind in Afghanistan an extensive library of Braille books in German. Since Zia wanted to read these, along with his other classes, he went to the Goethe Institute in Kabul and learned German  As the top student there too, he won a scholarship to go to Germany to study advanced German. When the Germans found out that he was blind, they withdrew the fellowship since they did not have the arrangements or accommodations for a blind person He asked them what he would have to do. They replied that he would have to travel alone and take care of himself. When he agreed to do that, they finally accepted him. While studying there with top students from Goethe Institutes around the world, he was number one in this advanced course as well.
Zia also translated the New Testament from Iranian Persian into his own Afghan Dari dialect. This was published by the Pakistan Bible Society in Lahore. Its third edition was published by the Cambridge University Press in England in 1989. He also traveled to Saudi Arabia where he won a memory contest on the Qur’an. The Muslim judges were so amazed and chagrined that a non-Arabic speaker had taken first place, that they also awarded another prize for the best Arab in the competition.
Because earlier blind students like Zia had become Christians, the Muslim government in Afghanistan sent a written order closing the two Institutes for the Blind in March 1973, one of which was in Kabul and the other seven hundred miles to the west in Herat. All the expatriate teachers of the blind along with their families were ordered to leave Afghanistan within one week. As these dedicated teachers left, God gave them a promise from Isaiah 42:16, "I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do: I will not forsake them. "
The Muslim Government then destroyed the Christian Church building in Kabul, after previously having given permission to build it. President Eisenhower had requested permission for construction of this building from King Zahir Shah on his visit to Afghanistan in 1959, since a mosque had been built in Washington, DC, for the Muslim diplomats there, and Christian diplomats and other Christians needed a place to worship on a reciprocal basis in Kabul. Christians from nations all around the world contributed toward its construction. At its dedication, the cornerstone carved in beautiful Afghan alabaster marble read: "To the glory of God 'Who loves us and has freed us from our sins by the blood of Jesus' this building is dedicated as a 'house of prayer for all nations' in the reign of H. M. Zahir Shah, May 17, 1970 A.D., 'Jesus Christ Himself being the Chief Cornerstone.'"
When troops arrived and started knocking down the wall between the street and the Church property preparatory to destroying it, a German Christian businessman went to the mayor of Kabul, who had given the order, and said, "If your Government touches that House of God, God will overthrow your Government." This proved to be a prophecy. The mayor then sent a letter to the congregation ordering them to give the Church for destruction, since that would mean that the government would not have to pay compensation. They replied that they could not give it to anyone since it did not belong to them. It had been dedicated to God. They also added that if the Government took it and destroyed it, they would be answerable to God.
Police, workmen and bulldozers were sent to destroy the Church. The congregation, instead of opposing, offered them tea and cookies. Christians all around the world prayed and many of them wrote letters to Afghan embassies in various nations Billy Graham and other world Christian leaders signed a statement of concern and sent it to the King.
On July 17, 1973 the destruction of the Church building was completed. That very night the Afghan government responsible for the destruction was overthrown in a coup Afghans who are quick to see omens in events say that Jesus the Messiah came down from heaven and overthrew the government because the government had overthrown His Church. It had been a monarchy for 227 years. That night it became a Republic under President Daoud. In 1978 this government was toppled by a Communist coup, followed by the Russian invasion just after Christmas in 1979. Millions of Afghans had to flee their country as refugees. One of them was heard to say, "Ever since our government destroyed that Christian Church, God has been judging our country."
Under the Communists, the Institute for the Blind in Kabul was reopened and Zia was put in charge. He did a fine job of reorganizing it. Then pressure was brought on him to join the Communist party. He refused. One official told him that if he did not join, he might be killed He replied that he was not afraid to be killed because he was sure he was going to heaven. He asked the Communist if he knew where he would go when he died.
Finally Zia was arrested on false charges and put in the Puli Charkhi political prison outside of Kabul, where thousands were executed. There was no heat in the jail to protect the prisoners from the cold winter weather. He had to sleep on the freezing mud floor in his overcoat. A prisoner next to him was trembling with cold since he did not even have a jacket. Zia knew John the Baptist had said, "The man who has two coats should share with him who has none" (Luke 3:11). He took off his only coat and gave it to the neighbor From then on, the Lord miraculously kept him warm every night. He slept as if he had a comforter over him.
In prison the Communists gave Zia shock treatments to try to brainwash him. The electric burns left scars on his hea.d But he did not give in. When he was offered the opportunity to study Russian in prison, he mastered this language also. The Communists finally freed him in December 1985.
Following his release from prison Zia read Genesis 12:1-3 in his Braille Bible, "The Lord said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I... will bless you... and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.'" Zia felt God was calling him to leave Afghanistan to go as a missionary to Pakistan He therefore got in touch with a friend, a blind beggar. He then dressed himself in rags On their way out of the country, he let his friend do all the talking, thereby concealing his identity or detection from the soldiers. They thus were able to get through the Soviet check points along the main highway from Kabul. It took them twelve days to travel the 150 miles to the Khyber Pass and then on into Pakistan.
After Zia arrived in Pakistan, he was offered an opportunity to travel to the United States to study Hebrew since he was also working on a translation of the Old Testament into his Dari language. He declined, saying he had so much to do among the Afghan refugees that he could not leave He started an Institute for the Blind for them. He learned the main language of Pakistan, Urdu, preaching in this language in Christian churches. He furthermore completed a book of New Testament stories in Dari for children.
On March 23, 1988, Zia was kidnapped by a fanatical Muslim group, Hisbe Islami, ("The Party of Islam") and was accused of being a CIA agent because he knew English, a KGB or Khad spy because he knew Russian, and an apostate from Islam because he was a Christian. He was beaten for hours with rods  A sighted person can brace and flinch when the blow comes. But a blind person cannot see the club coming and thus gets the full force, even like the torture the Lord Jesus Christ experienced when he was blindfolded and then struck (Luke 22:64). His wife and three daughters had been able to get out of Afghanistan and were with him in Pakistan at the time he was kidnapped.
Soon after his wife gave birth to a beautiful boy who looks much like his father. No one knows whether Zia ever heard that he had a son.
The latest word, though not absolutely definite, is that Hisbe Islami murdered Zia. Before he was kidnapped, he had told a friend that if this party ever captured him they would kill him. This same party caught two Pakistani Christians taking relief items to needy Afghans and tortured them. Before releasing them, one of the captors stated, "We are not going to kill you the way we killed Zia Nodrat." In addition, an Afghan news reporter on the Northwest Frontier of Pakistan claims to have evidence that Hisbe Islami murdered Zia in a cruel way.
The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights in article 13 states, "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom to manifest one's religion or belief." The story of Zia is a story of infringement of human rights. Zia has been denied his freedom and has probably been martyred for his faith Before his capture, he asked a Christian friend that if anything happened to him, his friend would take care of his family. The friend answered in the affirmative, not realizing that a short time later Zia would be kidnapped. He was able to arrange for Zia's wife and two of his children to be brought to North America.
God does not force a belief system upon people. He has given them liberty to choose. Therefore what right does an earthly regime or group have to impose a certain belief system? (Printed by permission)

Contribution of Islam to Mankind

What about Muslims' achievements and inventions? Philosophers in Islam such as Ibn Al-Haytham and Ibn Sina, who practiced primitive medicine, and one who formulated algebra are recognized, but where is the modern contribution of Islam today? What kind of life would the Muslim countries be living if they had not discovered oil in their lands and used foreign technology?

All the comforts Muslims enjoy today are the products of Christian minds. There is a sharp contrast between the social and economic conditions of the many countries in Europe and North America where societies were founded on the basis of Christianity and the teachings of the Bible, and the social and economic conditions in many Islamic countries.

Source: http://www.thespiritofislam.com/books/imk/index.html

Continues on Part X

IHS