Irfan Alli
Divine Guidance to Improving
Character and Achieving Happiness
Copyright © 2012 by Irfan Alli
All rights reserved.
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
CONTACT: Irfan Alli can be reached at [email protected]
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0672-5
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.
In ENLIGHTENMENT FROM THE QURAN
you will learn:
•The purpose of life.
•That you should question your faith.
•What happens after death.
•That Jesus had no father.
•What advice a parent can give to their children.
•The story of Mary, mother of Jesus.
•The differences between the wives of Noah, Lot, and Pharaoh.
•Why there is a barrier between sweet and salt water.
•Who has domination of the heavens and the earth.
•Why mankind was created into nations and tribes.
•Who should be worshipped.
•About the Day of Judgement.
•That Jesus is a prophet of Islam.
•About the signs of God.
•What is righteousness.
•That Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad invited to the same God.
•What is sin.
•Jesus was not crucified and will come again..
•That God is one.
•What Moses said to his people.
Find out about these and other issues by reading this book.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
IRFAN ALLI: Irfan Alli is the author of two books "The ABCs of Parenting - A Practical Guide for Muslim Parents" and "Muslim Child - Understanding Islam through Stories and Poems" which is co-authored with his wife Rukhsana Khan. He is also the author of several ebooks – amongst them “What are Angels?”, “What Happens After we Die?” and “101 Selected Sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)”.
Over the last 25 years he has served as a director and educator in Islamic organizations as well as a lay Muslim Chaplain in Canadian hospitals and prisons.
Irfan is often asked to speak to Muslims and non-Muslims to help them better understand Islam. His presentations to students, parents, youths, community groups, pastors, educators, and at interfaith forums have been well received.
His volunteer and professional work has taken him all across Canada, to the U.S., Brazil, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, Guyana, Pakistan, India, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. What he has learned from his travels is reflected in his writing. Irfan lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife, four children, and a growing number of grand children.
INTRODUCTION
As a parent with a busy lifestyle, I have had to look for innovative ways to build character in myself and my four children and protect my family’s sense of decency. As a result, I began by sharing selected verses from the Quran with my family to enlighten them.
Muslims believe the same angel Gabriel who came to prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus also came to prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all). Muslims also believe that God, through the angel Gabriel, revealed the Quran to Muhammad (peace be upon him). This was done over a period of twenty-three years. Muslims consider the Quran to be God's last revelation to mankind and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is God’s last prophet and messenger to mankind. Since one in every five persons on earth is a Muslim, the Quran enlightens and guides over a billion people around the world.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived during the sixth and seventh centuries. He was born in Arabia in the year 570 C.E. Muslims believe he invited people to the same God that Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them) invited to.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) received his call to prophethood at the age of 40 and died at the age of 63. The Quran, which we will be sampling throughout this book, was revealed to him in small amounts over these twenty-three years. In this short time span Muhammad (peace be upon him) was able to convert the entire society of the Arabian Peninsula from idol-worship and paganism to the worship of one God; from moral decay to moral excellence; from tribal wars to solidarity and purpose; from the exploitation of women and killing of female babies to establishing rights for women and respecting them. He did all this by using the Quran.
The Encyclopedia Britannica calls Muhammad (peace be upon him) “the most successful of all religious personalities of the world.” Others had this to say:
“My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world’s most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels.” (From: The 100 - A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History by Michael H. Hart.)
“People like Pasteur and Salk are leaders in the first sense. People like Ghandi and Confucius, on one hand, and Alexander, Caesar and Hitler on the other, are leaders in the second and perhaps the third sense. Jesus and Buddha belong in the third category alone. Perhaps the greatest leader of all times was Mohammed, who combined all three functions. To a lesser degree Moses did the same.” (Professor Jules Masserman)
“Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, Warrior, Conqueror of ideas, Restorer of rational beliefs, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty-terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?” (From: Historie de la Turquie by Alphonse de LaMartine).
Verses in the Quran number in the thousands, and cover a variety of topics. As a family the Quran guides us through the day to day challenges of life, and we often use it for settling differences. Daily, Quranic verses help to enlighten our souls.
Reflecting on the benefits they have brought me and my family, I felt obligated to share selected verses with people who have never heard of the Quran before, and are searching for a better way to get closer to God and improve their life.
If each of us strives to live better lives and attain inner peace, we can make our families and our piece of the world a better place.
I hope you benefit from verses from the Quran as much as we continue to do.
Irfan Alli
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The word Islam has its origin in the Arabic word salaam, which means “peace”. On following the teachings of Islam, one submits to the will of God with the hope of attaining peace at all levels. A person who chooses to seek this peace and follow the path of Islam is called a Muslim.
ENLIGHTENMENT FROM THE QURAN
God’s Last Revelation to Mankind
In the name