Inquiries About Islam Title Page Introduction Foreword Preface Inquiry One Freedom of Discussion in Islam Inquiry Two Definition of Islam Inquiry Three Why Is Islam Popular? Inquiry Four How Islam Views the Universal Creation Inquiry Five The Creator of the Universe Inquiry Six One Creator Inquiry Seven Where Islam and Christianity Agree and Differ on Jesus Inquiry Eight Divine Justice Inquiry Nine Freedom versus Predestination Inquiry Ten A Light on the History of the Prophethood Inquiry Eleven Why Do We Need Prophets? Inquiry Twelve The Prophet Mohammad Inquiry Thirteen More Evidence on His Prophethood: Predictions Dealing with the Future of the Qur'an Inquiry Fourteen More Evidence: Forecasting the Future of Islam Inquiry Fifteen Information About the Future of the Prophet and the Prophethood Inquiry Sixteen Prediction of a Christian Triumph Inquiry Seventeen More Evidence: Revealing Unknown Facts Inquiry Eighteen The Bible Testifies for Mohammad Inquiry Nineteen The Hereafter Inquiry Twenty The Commandments or Prohibitions in Islam Inquiry Twenty-One Difference Among Muslims Epilogue The Endeavor of the Author for Islamic Unity Inquiries About Islam by Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri INQUIRIES ABOUT ISLAM By Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri Only an unusually noble, spirited man as mentioned above, would achieve what normally takes a whole community to accomplish. The author wishes to express his sincere appreciation to Mr. Hussein Hakim, a professor of linguistics from Michigan City, Indiana, for his editorial work. Copyright © 1965 by Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri Second Edition, 1979, Third Edition, 1980, Revised Edition Copyright 1986 by Imam Mohamad Chirri All rights reserved Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri, the author, and Dr. Wilson H. Guertin who directed to him the questions which are recorded in this book. About the Author Mohamad Jawad Chirri is a native of Lebanon and a graduate of the distinguished religious institute of Najaf, in Iraq. He is a theologian and lecturer. The Islamic Community invited him to Detroit, Michigan, in 1949. Imam Chirri is the director and spiritual leader of the Islamic Center of America, 15571 Joy Road, Detroit, Michigan 48228. His work extends far enough to include West Africa and the Middle East. Two important Islamic schools of thought had been in disagreement and dispute for centuries. While on a lecture tour of West Africa and the Middle East, in 1959, Imam Chirri called upon the head of the Sunni school, Sheikh Al-Azhar in Cairo, to recognize the other school. In response to Imam Chirri's call, the majority leader issued a historical declaration which stated that the teachings of both schools are equally sound, and that Muslims have the right to choose either one. Foreword enturies ago when the nobles in the service of the Catholic Church drove the Muslims out of Europe, the message of Mohammad also was expurgated from the Western world. Had this power struggle never occurred, there would have been less need for Arab scholars and teachers like Imam Mohamad Jawad Chirri to bring God's Message to the Western world. These rare men leave family and friends because they see the centuries of unfulfilled need in America for theological clarification of the requirements God makes upon mankind. I am one of the many who have benefited from Imam Mohamad Chirri's teaching. I was his first "convert"; but never having been a believing Christian, it would be more exact to say that I came to believe in God for the first time through the path of Islam, patiently guided by my imam. If you are a Muslim, read this book out of the obligation to acquire knowledge. If you are a Jew or Christian, read it for the same devout motive. Comparative study of religions may be unsettling if your belief in God is based upon non-rational grounds but can only have the ultimately desired result of strengthening your belief. The pervasive belief in God as represented in our motives must be the goal which our religious educators work toward, with gains in sectarian support becoming quite secondary. If you are unable to say that you believe in God, you can still find value in the study of religion. In the following pages of dialogue, you will be pursuing some of the most important concerns of mankind that can be traced back to the beginning of recorded history. The thoughts and historical events are important in their own right, and perhaps you will, as I have, find the way to a belief in God through them. Colonial Britain has been more fortunate than we in America in having the history and teachings of Islam accessible. It is no accident that while no really great American has expressed his recognition of the value of Islam, three of the most famous British writers fully acknowledge the importance and value of Islam. They are: Arnold Toynbee, historian; Bertrand Russell, philosopher; and George Bernard Shaw, playwright. Out of respect for these figures, we will want to know more about that which they value so highly. Wilson H. Guertin, Ph.D. University of Florida Preface Dr. Wilson H. Guertin is a scientist and an outstanding psychologist. In addition, he has a great deal of respect towards religion and possesses a broad knowledge in theology. His interest in religion represents the interest of a scientist who thinks that religion, in general, contains some truth, in spite of being clouded by man's misunderstanding and misinterpretation. We can hardly expect a scientist, who deals with facts and tries to unveil the secrets of nature and life, to believe in a religious teaching irreconcilable with the bare reality of nature, or with what had become an established scientific knowledge. A scientist, faced with a religious teaching opposed to the bare facts of nature or to an established scientific knowledge, is likely to take one of the following positions: A. He may take a radical attitude by an outright rejection of religion in any form. B. He may try to reconcile the religious concept with the established knowledge by interpreting the former in a way that will not clash with the latter. C. He may study other religions in order to find one that is not opposed to logic and to the facts of nature. Dr. Guertin took the third position and tried to find the truth by conducting a religious research in many religious avenues . His research was intensive. He examined many kinds of religious teachings, and finally came to examine the teaching of Islam. "I am a Christian by birth," he told me, "but ever since my early adulthood and extensive academic training, I have had doubts. As a scientist, I am no longer able to accept any religious doctrine that is inconsistent with a scientific knowledge. Having an inquisitive spirit, I tried to satisfy my doubt by looking into some religious teachings other than that of my own denomination. I tried many religious avenues, but I was never able to satisfy my doubt. "Finally, I read some literature about Islam, and that made me interested in acquiring more information about it. Now as I come to you, I am hopeful that I will be able to have a better knowledge of your faith. I understand that you have a profound knowledge of Islam, and that