Heaven & Earth and the beasts He scattered in both…" – Extra-Terrestrial Life?

Riwayat Attubani-Allah says: "And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the beasts that He has scattered throughout them both: and He has power to gather them together when He wills." [Sûrah al-Shûrâ: 29]

Human beings have long wondered: Are we alone in this vast universe? Do any other thinking beings exist on other worlds?

We have reason to wonder. Is our planet the only one to bear the fruit of life from among the countless planets of the universe? Is such an eventuality likely? In Allah's creation, does a tree with many branches bear only a single fruit?

A small insect that lives its whole life feeding from a single grape might not be aware that any other grapes exist. However, we are thinking beings, and we can contemplate something outside of our immediate experience. We know there are worlds around other stars, and even if it turns out that the conditions that allow for life are rare, we know for a fact that the Earth possesses these conditions. Allah's universe is truly vast, and around all those countless stars, would not the conditions found on Earth be repeated over and over again? Allah creates everything for a purpose. He who created us and gave us the ability to think is certainly capable of doing so elsewhere in the universe.

Scientists suspect that due to the vastness of space, there must be other intelligent life out there, other civilizations in the universe. They have, as a consequence, committed considerable resources to the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI). The SETI program employs powerful radio telescopes to detect the broadcasts of other intelligent beings who might exist but who would be forever separated from us by insurmountably vast distances and the limitation of the speed of light.

Some Muslims, though, have their reservations about these ideas. They ask: Where in the Qur'ân does it mention extra-terrestrial life? However, a better question would be: Does the Qur'ân say anything that relates to the topic one way or the other?

Consider the verse: "And We have honored the progeny of Adam and carried them on land and on sea, given them for sustenance things good and pure; and preferred them greatly over many of those whom We have created." [Sûrah al-Isrâ': 70]

We might ask - glancing at the sky when we do – where are those others whom Allah has preferred with special endowments? It would be wrong of us to jump ahead of ourselves and assert that the verse is speaking about extra-terrestrial beings living on other worlds. At the same time, we certainly have no reason to object to the possibility of extra-terrestrial life.

Now we must look at the verse: "And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the beasts that He has scattered throughout them both: and He has power to gather them together when He wills." [Sûrah al-Shûrâ: 29]

Allah's words: "throughout them both" (fîhimâ) cannot be interpreted except to mean that the living things mentioned in the verse exist both within the heavens and on Earth. The word we have translated as "beasts" is dâbbah, which can only refer to animate living organism that trod upon the land. The word can apply to animals or even to humans, but it always indicates living creatures that the ability to walk. It is not possible to interpret this word in any other way or claim that it refers in this verse to "angels".

Interpreting the "beasts" that exist in the heavens to refer to angels is shown to be an erroneous interpretation by another verse where Allah makes a clear distinction between the two: "Everything in the heavens and on Earth from among the beasts and the angels makes obeisance to Allah, and they are not haughty." [Sûrah al-Nahl: 49]

As for intelligent life, though there is no textual evidence that refers to it decisively, there is certainly enough evidence to allow for its possibility. In many verses, Allah uses the pronoun "who" (man) – which is used in Arabic to refer to rational beings – to refer to the denizens of the heavens and the Earth.

Allah says: "All who are in the heavens and on Earth make obeisance to Allah, willingly or unwillingly, as do their shadows in the morning and the evening." [Sûrah al-Ra`d: 15]

He says: " Unto Him belongs all who are in the heavens and on Earth. And those who dwell in His presence are not too proud to worship Him, nor do they weary." [Sûrah al-Anbiyâ': 19]

He also says: "All who are in the heavens and on Earth but come to the Beneficent as a servant. He takes account of them all, and has numbered them all precisely." [Sûrah Maryam: 93-94]

From the expressions of the Qur'ân, a Muslim should have no objection to the possibility of extra-terrestrial life and extra-terrestrial intelligence. There is no incompatibility between Islamic teachings and the idea of life existing on other worlds.

And Allah knows best.

Allah's Decree, Free Will, and Our Sins

Riwayat Attubani-Everything in existence is subject to Allah’s will and power. For Muslims, this goes without saying. It is an essential tenet of every Muslim's faith. Allah says: "Indeed, Allah has power over all things."

However, this is no excuse for human beings to evade responsibility for their own decisions. No one can argue that it was their fate to sin. We know this from firsthand experience. We know instinctively that we make our own decisions. We choose to do some things and refrain from doing other things. We carry out intentional actions. We intend, for instance, to travel or stay at home, to eat or to sleep. When we carry out these and other intentional actions, we recognize that we are doing so of our own volition.

It is on the basis of these intentions of ours that Allah judges us. We are not judged for the involuntary actions of our bodies, nor for what we are forced to do under compulsion or duress.

This is why we see that Allah says: “Whoever disbelieves in Allah after having believed – save one who is coerced (to make an utterance of unbelief) but whose heart is still fully resolved upon faith – but whoever finds ease in unbelief: on them is Allah’s wrath, and they will have an awful punishment.” [Sūrah al-Nahl: 106]

Whoever is coerced into something to the point that he or she has no choice but to comply, then he or she is legally exempt for that action in this world and sinless for it in the Hereafter. We are taken to account for what we do of our own free choice.

Many people put forth questions about free will and predestination with the sole aim of justifying their sinful tendencies. Whenever someone admonishes them for their sins, they say: “What I did was fated for me. It was Allah’s will. I had no choice.”

When we consider what the Qur’an says about our actions, we see that Allah connects our free will to His permitting us to carry out actions by our own choice. Allah says: "But you do not exercise you will, except that Allah wills it; for Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom." [Sûrah al-Insân: 30]

We are furthermore told in the Qur’an that no one could believe or disbelieve except with Allah’s permission. Allah has permitted us to make the choice. If Allah had willed to subdue our wills, He could have compelled us to do one thing or another. Instead, He has permitted us to make our own choices and formulate our own intentions. This means we cannot avoid taking responsibility for the decisions we make.

Allah, in His wisdom, has given us an indisputable proof of our free will. This proof is our own unavoidable recognition that we make our own decisions. We can tell the difference between the involuntary movements of our body, like our heartbeats, and the free choices that we make. Therefore, those who wantonly goes about sinning, exercising their free choice all the way, cannot then turn around and say that Allah compelled them to sin.

Setting an Example of Piety

Riwayat Attubani-One day, close to noontime, while the Prophet (peace be upon him) was sitting and conferring with his Companions, a group of desert dwellers approached. Their purpose was none other than to represent their people to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and declare their faith in Islam. The Prophet (peace be upon him) regarded them. It was obvious from their appearance that they were from a log way off and that their journey had been a hard one. They had no shoes on their feet. Their clothes were scant and threadbare, and amounted to nothing more than scraps of bound cloth. They had no possessions with them and were starving.

The Prophet's face became strained with sorrow and concern. He looked at them with compassion. Then he stood up, turned and went into his house. After a while, he returned and instructed Bilâl to call the people to prayer. Then the Prophet led the Muslims in the Noon Prayer.

Afterwards, he stood at the pulpit and recited verses of the Qur'ân which exhort to goodwill and charity. Then he said: "A man should donate some of his gold or silver, or a container of flour, or a container of dates…" until he finally appealed "…or even if but half a date." In this way, he encouraged all the Muslims to give what they could.

He then took his seat and waited for his Companions to help out their brothers who had come to them in such straitened circumstances. No one acted immediately. The minutes of inaction seemed long and heavy. The Prophet's displeasure with such a response could be seen on his face.

Then a man from the natives of Madinah came forward with a large purse full of silver so big he was barely able to carry it in both his hands. He said: "Messenger of Allah! This is for the sake of Allah."

By taking the initiative, he broke the heavy spell of silence and inactivity, for right then, Abû Bakr stood up and made a donation. Then `Umar came forward with charity. Then everyone came forward with what they could give of food, clothing, and money. The Prophet's face shone with joy as looked at the pile of food and clothing that had been placed before him.

However, his attention was drawn more strongly to that man who had been the first to give and in doing so broke the impasse of hesitation. The Prophet (peace be upon him) then said: "Whoever sets a good precedent in Islam will have the blessing for doing so as well as the blessing for everyone who acts upon it thereafter, without their blessings being diminished in the least. And whoever sets an evil precedent in Islam will have the sin for doing so as well as the sin of everyone who acts upon it thereafter, without their sis being diminished in the least." [Sahîh Muslim: (1017)]

From this event, we can draw valuable lessons regarding the importance, in Islamic work, of taking initiative and of setting practical and conspicuous examples.

We can see the effect the native of Madinah had on everyone else by his taking the initiative and bringing that bag of silver to the Prophet (peace be upon him). The people had been hesitating. However, after the people saw someone make a conspicuous donation, they all rushed to follow suit. It may be true that some of them may have given substantially more than he did, but it was his setting the precedent that got them to do so. This is the reason why the Prophet (peace be upon him) informed him that those who set a good precedent receive the blessings of all those who follow suit. He was, in effect, congratulating that man for taking the initiative.

We also learn from the story that we do not have to be famous celebrities or prominent people for our initiative to count. We do not even know the name of the man who brought the first bag of silver. All we know is that he was a native of Madinah. Nevertheless, he set a precedent that was immediately followed by the two most eminent citizens of the Muslim community – Abû Bakr and `Umar.

Therefore, we should never feel that we are too unimportant or insignificant to set a public example. That unnamed man did not get intimidated by the presence of those community leaders. He was not shy to be the first person to do something good. By being bold, he received the blessings of Abû Bakr, `Umar, and all the other important – and sometimes extremely wealthy – people who gave their donations after him.

In fact, taking the initiative is often what makes people successful. If we look at the lives of great leaders, people of influence, and reformers, we find that those lives are a series of positive initiatives. This is how they became so influential, and this is why they were able to have an enduring legacy.

Doing a good deed in public to set a good precedent is not the same as doing it for personal fame. It is something we do purely for Allah's sake. It is not showing off to do a good deed conspicuously with the sincere intention of teaching people what is right, or for setting a good example, or for publicizing a public welfare program to make it a success. It is, in fact, a good way of calling people to Allah.

Sometimes, the worst thing we can do is fail to do a good deed out of shyness or fear of being seen by others. Al-Fudayl b. `Iyâd said: "Abandoning good deeds because of the people is showing off."

France's Islamic heartland

Riwayat attubani-The wooded hills of deepest Burgundy are the unlikely setting for a place that could play a key role in the development of a European Islamic identity.

The sound of Arabic mingles with the birdsong

The unhelpfully-named European Institute for Human Sciences (IESH) is in fact a theological college, which for 13 years has been training up a new generation of indigenous imams for France and the rest of the continent.

In the heart of what the French call "La France profonde" (deepest France) - amid the herds of cream-coloured cattle and the breathtaking scenery of the Morvan natural park - veiled young women sit studiously at their texts.

The sound of Arabic mingles with the birdsong.

Here a generation has grown up with French as its mother tongue Zuhair Mahmoud

"Why are you surprised to find us here? Religious institutions have always sought remote locations to encourage contemplation and inner thought.

"Here we are dead in the centre of France," said Zuhair Mahmoud, 51, the IESH's founder and director.

New generation

Zuhair Mahmoud is a former Iraqi nuclear scientist, who was sent to France by Saddam Hussein 20 years ago as part of a co-operation deal with Paris.

But prompted by his misgivings about atomic weapons he underwent a religious conversion and stayed in exile.

Zuhair Mahmoud: We live in France and accept its laws

"In the 1980s it became clear that the Muslims of France and Europe were integrating definitively in their adopted countries.

"Here a generation has grown up with French as its mother tongue," he told me in his office in the institute's main building - a converted holiday centre.

"These people need imams to pass on the religious values of their parents.

"Leaders from elsewhere cannot do it because they do not understand the language or the customs and habits that prevail here. They have to come from inside."

The 170 students take a two-year Arabic course, and then can stay on for a four-year qualification in Islamic jurisprudence, Koranic studies, history and preaching.

Three-quarters are French, and the rest from elsewhere in Europe.

Western freedoms

"I was very surprised to learn this place existed because I always thought France was intolerant of Muslims," said Adil Rehman, a 33-year-old computer programmer from Stratford in east London, who is in his fourth year.

The silence of the national park encourages contemplation

"The first time I came here, I got completely lost. I was wandering round the countryside at two o'clock in the morning."

According to Adil Rehman, the college plays a vital role by creating a generation of Muslims capable of interpreting Islam to the West and vice-versa.

"The irony is that this type of institute can only really develop in the freedom provided by the West.

"But the reason is clear if you think about it. Here the political systems have no understanding of Islam, so they cannot direct it or make people think in a particular way.

"In the East, it is different. Governments there are well-versed in manipulation. They know what they want you to learn and what they don't want you to learn," he said.

Another British student, Kazi Luthfur Rahman, 19, from Poplar, came to the IEHS after giving up his ambition to study in the holy city of Medina.

It has been easy for men in our society to tell us what to do by saying it comes from religion Aziza from Strasbourg

"It is certainly a bit isolated after London, but you get used to it. My only problem is at mealtime. I cannot stand French food!" said Kazi Luthfur Rahman, who last year took third prize in the International Holy Koran Competition in Egypt.

Around 70 students are young women - they wear headscarves but share classes with the men.

Many said their aim was to return to their communities to teach Arabic and share their new knowledge of Islam.

"What we have learned is to distinguish between law and custom," said Aziza from Strasbourg in eastern France.

Liberal anxiety

"It has been easy for men in our society to tell us what to do by saying it comes from religion. But things like forced marriage are not in Islamic law. They are only customs and can be discarded," she said.

The IEHS is fully supported by the French Government, whose policy is to encourage a homegrown Islamic identity and wean the five-million-strong community away from its financial and doctrinal dependence on foreign states.

These people are a real threat to secularism Antoine Sfeir, Paris Middle East Studies Centre

Last week elections were held for a French Council for the Muslim Religion - which is set to become Islam's first ever official representation in France.

Zuhair Mahmoud was himself chosen for the Council's general assembly.

However not all Muslims are happy with the course Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has taken, nor with the growing influence of the IEHS and its parent body, the Union of Islamic Organisations in France (UOIF).

Progressives note that the UOIF is linked to the highly conservative movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, and fear that Sarkozy has taken the easy option by dealing with the traditionalist establishment instead of working with more liberal forces.

"For a long time the UOIF has been trying to infiltrate the cogs of state and assume control of the Muslim community by marginalising secular Muslims," said Antoine Sfeir, president of the Middle East Studies Centre in Paris.

"These people are a real threat to secularism," he said.

But Zuhair Mahmoud is quick to retort: "Have we done anything to counter France's humanistic values?

"We believe that to live in a country you must accept its laws. If we didn't accept them, then we would live elsewhere."

A Memo to American Muslims

Riwayat Attubani-In the name of Allah, the most Benevolent and the Most Merciful. May this memo find you in the shade of Islam enjoying the mercy, the protection and the grace of Allah.

I am writing this memo to you all with the explicit purpose of inviting you to lead the American Muslim community in soul searching, reflection and reassessment.

What happened on September 11th in New York and Washington DC will forever remain a horrible scar on the history of Islam and humanity. No matter how much we condemn it, and point to the Quran and the Sunnah to argue that Islam forbids the killing of innocent people, the fact remains that the perpetrators of this crime against humanity have indicated that their actions are sanctioned by Islamic values.

The fact that even now several Muslim scholars and thousands of Muslims defend the accused is indicative that not all Muslims believe that the attacks are unIslamic. This is truly sad.

Even if it were true that Israel and the US are enemies of the Muslim World, wonder what is preventing them from unleashing their nuclear arsenal against Muslims, a response that mercilessly murders thousands of innocent people, including hundreds of Muslims is absolutely indefensible. If anywhere in your hearts there is any sympathy or understanding with those who committed this act, I invite you to ask yourself this question, would Muhammad (pbuh) sanction such an act?

While encouraging Muslims to struggle against injustice (Al Quran 4:135), Allah also imposes strict rules of engagement. He says in unequivocal terms that to kill an innocent being is like killing entire humanity (Al Quran 5:32). He also encourages Muslims to forgive Jews and Christians if they have committed injustices against us (Al Quran 2:109, 3:159, 5:85).

Muslims, including American Muslims have been practicing hypocrisy on a grand scale. They protest against the discriminatory practices of Israel but are silent against the discriminatory practices in Muslim states. In the Gulf one can see how laws and even salaries are based on ethnic origin. This is racism, but we never hear of Muslims protesting against them at International fora.

The Israeli occupation of Palestine is perhaps central to Muslim grievance against the West. While acknowledging that, I must remind you that Israel treats its one million Arab citizens with greater respect and dignity than most Arab nations treat their citizens. Today Palestinian refugees can settle and become citizens of the United States but in spite of all the tall rhetoric of the Arab world and Quranic injunctions (24:22) no Muslim country except Jordan extends this support to them.

While we loudly and consistently condemn Israel for its ill treatment of Palestinians we are silent when Muslim regimes abuse the rights of Muslims and slaughter thousands of them. Remember Saddam and his use of chemical weapons against Muslims (Kurds)?. Remember Pakistani army’s excesses against Muslims (Bengalis)?. Remember the Mujahideen of Afghanistan and their mutual slaughter? Have we ever condemned them for their excesses? Have we demanded international intervention or retribution against them? Do you know how the Saudis treat their minority Shias? Have we protested the violation of their rights? But we all are eager to condemn Israel; not because we care for rights and lives of the Palestinians, we don’t. We condemn Israel because we hate “them".

Muslims love to live in the US but also love to hate it. Many openly claim that the US is a terrorist state but they continue to live in it. Their decision to live here is testimony that they would rather live here than anywhere else. As an Indian Muslim, I know for sure that nowhere on earth, including India, will I get the same sense of dignity and respect that I have received in the US. No Muslim country will treat me as well as the US has. If what happened on September 11th had happened in India, the biggest democracy, thousands of Muslims would have been slaughtered in riots on mere suspicion and there would be another slaughter after confirmation. But in the US, bigotry and xenophobia has been kept in check by media and leaders. In many places hundreds of Americans have gathered around Islamic centers in symbolic gestures of protection and embrace of American Muslims. In many cities Christian congregations have started wearing hijab to identify with fellow Muslim women. In patience and in tolerance ordinary Americans have demonstrated their extraordinary virtues.

It is time that we acknowledge that the freedoms we enjoy in the US are more desirable to us than superficial solidarity with the Muslim World. If you disagree than prove it by packing your bags and going to whichever Muslim country you identify with. If you do not leave and do not acknowledge that you would rather live here than anywhere else, know that you are being hypocritical.

It is time that we faced these hypocritical practices and struggled to transcend them. It is time that American Muslim leaders fought to purify their own lot.

For over a decade we have watched as Muslims in the name of Islam have committed violence against other Muslims and other peoples. We have always found a way to reconcile the vast distance between Islamic values and Muslim practices by pointing out to the injustices committed upon Muslims by others. The point however is this – our belief in Islam and commitment to Islamic values is not contingent on the moral conduct of the US or Israel. And as Muslims can we condone such inhuman and senseless waste of life in the name of Islam?

The biggest victims of hate filled politics as embodied in the actions of several Muslim militias all over the world are Muslims themselves. Hate is the extreme form of intolerance and when individuals and groups succumb to it they can do nothing constructive. Militias like the Taliban have allowed their hate for the West to override their obligation to pursue the welfare of their people and as a result of their actions not only have thousands of innocent people died in America, but thousands of people will die in the Muslim World.

Already, half a million Afghans have had to leave their homes and their country. The war has not yet begun. It will only get worst. Hamas and Islamic Jihad may kill a few Jews, women and children included, with their suicide bombs and temporarily satisfy their lust for Jewish blood, but thousands of Palestinians then pay the price for their actions.

The culture of hate and killing is tearing away at the moral fabric of the Muslim society. We are more focused on “the other” and have completely forgotten our duty to Allah. In pursuit of the inferior jihad we have sacrificed the superior jihad.

Islamic resurgence, the cherished ideals of which pursued the ultimate goal of a universally just and moral society has been hijacked by hate and call for murder and mayhem. If Bin Laden were an individual then we would have no problem. But unfortunately Bin Laden has become a phenomenon -- a cancer eating away at the morality of our youth, and undermining the spiritual health of our future.

Today the century old Islamic revival is in jeopardy because we have allowed insanity to prevail over our better judgment. Yes, the US has played a hand in the creation of Bin Laden and the Taliban, but it is we who have allowed them to grow and gain such a foothold. It is our duty to police our world. It is our responsibility to prevent people from abusing Islam. It is our job to ensure that Islam is not misrepresented. We should have made sure that what happened on Sept. 11th should never have happened.

It is time the leaders of the American Muslim community woke up and realized that there is more to life than competing with the American Jewish lobby for power over US foreign policy. Islam is not about defeating Jews or conquering Jerusalem. It is about mercy, about virtue, about sacrifice and about duty. Above all it is the pursuit of moral perfection. Nothing can be further away from moral perfection than the wanton slaughter of thousands of unsuspecting innocent people.

I hope that we will now rededicate our lives and our institutions to the search for harmony, peace and tolerance. Let us be prepared to suffer injustice rather than commit injustices. After all it is we who carry the divine burden of Islam and not others. We have to be morally better, more forgiving, more sacrificing than others, if we wish to convince the world about the truth of our message. We cannot even be equal to others in virtue, we must excel.

It is time for soul searching. How can the message of Muhammad (pbuh) who was sent as mercy to mankind become a source of horror and fear? How can Islam inspire thousands of youth to dedicate their lives to killing others? We are supposed to invite people to Islam not murder them.

The worst exhibition of Islam happened on our turf. We must take first responsibility to undo the evil it has manifest. This is our mandate, our burden and also our opportunity.