Miracles, Myths, Mistakes and Matters — See Title Page and List of Contents
See: Project Rebuttal: What the West needs to know about Islam
Refuting the gross distortion and misrepresentation of the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad and Islam, made by the critics of Islam
Read: Background to the Project
List of all Issues | Summary 1 | Summary 2 | Summary 3
Please see this link on website of the Surrey History Centre in UK. The page is actually about Muslim soldier Mahrup Shah, who died in September 1915 and whose grave is in Brookwood cemetery, near Woking. Some material relating to him was purchased at an auction by Mr Kevin Smith of Woking, a keen military enthusiast. Along with that material, but obviously not belonging to this Muslim soldier (since he died in 1915), was found a copy of the 1917, first edition of Maulana Muhammad Ali's English translation of the Quran, belonging to an Englishman whose name is inscribed in it (B.W. Addison).
Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri
In a blog article ‘The Source of Muslim Extremism’ in The Huffington Post by Dr. Mike Ghouse, published July 11, 2016, he writes:
Contemporary Muslim scholar Hamza Yusuf writes, “This insidious disease has a source, and that source must be identified, so we can begin to inoculate our communities against it.”
Shaykh Hamza Yusuf co-founded liberal arts Zaytuna College: http://www.zaytuna.edu
His bio on faculty pages says:
“Hamza Yusuf is a president, cofounder, and senior faculty member of Zaytuna College. He is an advisor to Stanford University’s Program in Islamic Studies and the Center for Islamic Studies at Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union. He also serves as a member of the board of advisors of George Russell’s One Nation, a national philanthropic initiative that promotes pluralism and inclusion in America. In addition, he serves as vice-president for the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, which was founded and is currently presided over by Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, one of the top jurists and masters of Islamic sciences in the world.”
See: https://www.zaytuna.edu/academics/faculty/
It is in my knowledge that in early 1990s Hamza Yusuf, after “testing the waters” with Professor Dr. Hibbatul Mannan Omar AKA Dr. Khalid Omar (son of Abdul Mannan Omar), highly praised Maulana Muhammad Ali English translation and Commentary of Holy Quran. Around half a dozen years ago I mentioned this to a former Quadiani, who was student of Hamza Yusuf in San Francisco Bay Area, on internet. Sometime later Hamza Yusuf was put on spot where he expressed somewhat appreciation of Maulana Muhammad Ali scholarly works. Recording of this came to public knowledge in a YouTube video. Dr. Zahid Aziz gave Eid Khutba (sermon) and quoted words of appreciation by Hamza Yusuf, see pages 4 – 5 of this link.
Eid Khutba by Dr. Zahid Aziz came into knowledge of opponents of Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement. They built pressure on Hamza Yusuf. He wrote a long article to dispel the impression that he considers Maulana Muhammad Ali as a Muslim. See: "Sticks and Drones May Break Our Bones, but Fitna Really Hurts Us".
In rebuttal Dr. Zahid Aziz wrote an article: Hamza Yusuf’s retraction of his praise for Maulana Muhammad Ali
On October 31, 2015, APPNA (Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America) winter meeting dinner was held at Fairmont, San Francisco. Hamza Yusuf was key note speaker. I twice met him after the speech. I told him what is wrong with his above mentioned article. I gave him copies of the Eid Khutba by Dr. Zahid Aziz, his own article, and Dr. Zahid Aziz's rebuttal article. I also gave my cover letter. I gave him my private phone number and email address. I requested him to please read the material I gave him and asked him to email me his reply. He promised he will, and during conversation he kept looking at me with a piercing look, perhaps to memorize my face. It has been more than eight months; he did NOT get back to me. Following is portion of text of my cover letter:
Dear brother Hamza Yusuf,
Dear brother, I feel that you have factual errors in your article ‘Sticks and Drones May Break Our Bones, but Fitna Really Hurts Us’. Brother I have full conviction that guidance only comes from Allah SWT, but as a Muslim brother of yours, I feel it is my responsibility ti at the very least point out your factual errors. With this I do my duty.
Brother, please email me your rebuttal of article by Dr. Zahid Aziz. I will forward it to him for posting on his blog. I look forward to your reply. Brother you know better than me, we all will die and we all will be accountable for our oral words, written words, actions and inactions. Ref Holy Quran 33:67, 34:31-38, and 40:47-48.
Brother Hamza you must have read about Mohammad Alexander Russell Webb. He was the first American Muslim convert. He converted to Islam after correspondence with Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the MUJADDID of 14th Islamic century. After his tenure as US ambassador in Philippines, on his way back to USA he visited India. His plan was to meet Hazrat Ahmad in Qadian. Before he could get to Qadian from the port city where his ship anchored, he met many Muslim scholars who advised him against visiting Qadian. They convinced him that as his plan is to propagate Islam in USA and open Isamic Centers etc., so by his visit to Qadian and meeting with Hazrat Ahmad will discourage Muslims in India to financially contribute towards his objective in USA. Anyways, Mr. Webb did not visit Qadian and returned to USA. He did get some funds from Indian Muslims but as history is witness they did not last and he could not fulfill his mission. Later he had regrets of not visiting the reformer of the age in Qadian, and kept contacts with LAM [Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement] elders and even edited book ‘The Teachings of Islam’ which is Hazrat Ahmad’s book translation by Maulana Muhammad Ali. Brother my point is, we humans sometime due to temporal [reasons] and fear of losing popularity stray away from our belief that source of all kinds of strength is Allah SWT. Holy Prophet Muhammad SAWS despite all the odds against him preached and practiced Holy Quran teachings that don’t call Kafir to anyone who says Asaalam Alikum, let alone a Kalima Shahada reciter. By the way one such person who discouraged Mr. Webb from visiting Qadian, himself accepted Hazrat Ahmad as Mujaddid of era and was an elder of LAM.
I wonder how administrations at Stanford University and Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union will deal with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf when they come to know truth about him and find out he speaks from both sides of his mouth. On one hand he impresses people like Dr. Mike Ghouse and on other hand he endorses extremist ideologies of Pakistani Mullah-Mafia. How he will “inoculate our communities” when in principle he agrees with those ideologies?
Please read the following blog article that exposes Hamza Yusuf modus operandi: Reform In Islam To Come From Within, which says:
The economist has an interesting article on reform in Islam:
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/01/reforming-islam
I commented as below (buried in 4 pages of comments to this economist article):
"Look, for example, at the personally courageous stance of Hamza Yusuf, an American-born scholar with a wide following in the Islamic heart-land"
Ah where was the courage of Hamza Yusuf when he backtracked and apostasized the Lahori Ahmadis and removed his youtube of half hearted praise.
Courage is exhibited when a scholar upholds principles that can be deeply unpopular at the time. Hamza Yusuf did not pass this test.
Here is the Eid-ul-Fitr khutba (sermon), 6th July 2016, by your Blog Admin in London.
Zahid Aziz
Please read here the Eid-ul-Fitr message, July 2016, by Dr A.K. Saeed, Head of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement.
And an Eid Mubarak to all our Blog readers and contributors.
Here is the Ramadan Message by Hazrat Ameer Dr A.K. Saeed, Head of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement.
Welcome to the Ramadan Daily Quran Studies for 2016
(Note: Any new posts during Ramadan will be filed below this post.)
Prayers urged on LAM members for Ramadan by Maulana Muhammad Ali: English translation | Urdu original
Brief document on how the moon declines towards the end of the lunar month, with photos.
While we Muslims still insist on sighting the new moon by eye to determine if the new moon has appeared, a NASA spacecraft will reach near the planet Jupiter on 4th July. Please see this link.
Jupiter is at present 2000 times further from us than the moon, and man is able to send a spacecraft there with reamrkable accuracy! But we say we need to see the moon by eye.
Submitted by Rashid Jahangiri.
Tarif Khalidi is professor and Islamic scholar at American University of Beirut, Lebanon. Few days ago he gave a speech, in The Near East School of Theology in Beirut.
According to columnist Robert Fisk, of Independent newspaper, UK:
“The speaker was Dr Tarif Khalidi, one of Islam’s foremost scholars and translator of the latest English-language edition of the Koran, whose earlier works on Jesus in Muslim stories match his most recent anthology of Arab literature. The title of his address was an almost frightening world-beater: Does Islam need a Martin Luther?”
“Every 100 years in Islamic history, Khalidi observed, a renewer of faith – a mujaddid – would arise to breathe new life into the religion.”
The magnums scale at which Islam is distorted by Muslims and maligned by its opponents, to fix this problem is only the job and in power of Divine appointee i.e. Mujaddid. Although Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement is boldly taking this challenge, I think it is punching above its weight. This problem will only be solved by a Mujaddid. With Mamur-min-Allah (Divine appointee) Malaika (angels) come that work like unknown and unseen hands to make work of Divine appointee easier. I pray may Allah SWT send his Divine appointee sooner than later. Ameen.
According to an article published by BBC Urdu the total number of Ahmadiyya community in India is One hundred thousand.…
----Jul 27, 18:49