From: hra2@Lehigh.EDU (Hibatur Rahman Ahmad)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: FOR PEOPLE WHO THINK (Final part and letter to reader)
Date: 13 Sep 92 17:12:00 GMT


******************************************************************************
The following article is taken from a booklet title "The Light of Revelation
-A Glimpse of The Meanings of The Final Divine Revelation To Humankind- The
Quran" published by Islamic Outreach-ABIM 3402 Jalan Ampang Hilir 2, 55000
Kuala Lumpur MALAYSIA.  Tel: 6-03-457-4608  There is NO COPYRIGHT for this
booklet.  Any organisation or individual wishing to reproduce the booklet may
do so freely.  An acknowledgement would be appreciated.
******************************************************************************
FOR PEOPLE WHO THINK (Final part and A letter to Reader)

                        The Test of Truth

    God gives us every rational reason to believe in Him.  Yet even with the
most rational of all reasons, we are still doubtful of God's love for us and
His promise of salvation.  We seek other gods - gods of human imagination and
desire.  These can never give us REAL GUIDANCE nor help us in any way.

    Yet God will never forsake us.  He gives us the KEY to OPEN all hearts to
the TRUTH.

    We invite you to sincerely RECITE and MEDITATE over this KEY PRAYER below
in your quiet moments of contemplation.  Remember it when you need GUIDANCE
and HELP to reach the TRUTH.  Remember it in times of indecisions, worries,
fear, diffuculties, frustration and sadness.  Remember it all time and God
will guide you to inner peace.

                            THE OPENING

In the name of God, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate.
Praise be to God, the Sustainer of all the Worlds.
The Merciful, the Compassionate.
Lord of the Day of Judgement
Thee ALONE do we WORSHIP and Thee
Do we ASK FOR HELP.
Guide us on the Straight Path.
The path of those on whom Thou has bestowed Thy Grace
Not of those upon whom Thy Wrath,
Nor those who have gone astray.
Ameen. (O God!  Do grant us our request.)

    We invite you to REACH OUT to God sincerely on your own.  The TEST OF
TRUTH is to allow God Almighty ALONE to guide you to HIS path.  IF YOU SEEK
HIM, YOU WILL SURELY FIND HIM.  Peace be upon you.

                        A Letter to Reader

Dear Reader,

    There is no compulsion for man to accept TRUTH.  But it is certainly a
shame upon the human intellect when man is not even interested in finding out
as to what is the TRUTH!

    Islam teaches that God has given man the faculty of reason and therefore
expects man to reason things out objectively and systematically for himself.
To reflect and to question and to reflect.

    Nobody should press you to make a hasty decision to accept any of the
teachings of Islam, for Islam teaches that man should be given the freedom to
choose.  Even when man is faced with the TRUTH, there is no complusion upon
man to embrace it.

    But before you begin to form an opinion about Islam, ask yourself whether
your existing knowledge of Islam is thorough enough.  Ask yourself whether
that knowledge has been obtained through non-Muslim third party sources who
themselves have probably been exposed to only random glimpses of Islamic
writings and have yet to reason on Islam objectively and systematically
themselves.

    Is it fair that one should form an opinion about the taste of a particular
dish just by heresay from others who may themselves not necessarily have
teasted the dish yet?  Similarly you should find out for yourself about Islam
from reliable sources and not only taste it, but digest it well before you
form an opinion.  That would be an intellect approach to Islam.

    It is up to you to make the next move - to realize the truth, reality and
purpose of your existence.  In making your move, Islam continuously reassures
you that your rights to freedom of choice and freedom to use that God-given
faculty of thought and reason will be respected.  Every man has that will.  No
one else can take away that will and force you to surrender to the will of
God.  You will have to find out and make that decision yourself.

    May your intellectual journey towards the TRUTH be a pleasant one.  MAY
GOD GUIDE YOU TO HIS PATH.

    If you wish, please call at the ISLAMIC OUTREACH-ABIM, No. 3402, Jalan
Ampang Hilir 2, 55000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Tel: 6-03-4574608 for more
information.  You also can write to us for literature in Islam which will be
mailed to you FREE OF CHARGE and under no obligations on your part.

Peace be upon you.

                                    THE END

***KNOW that Islam is a universal religion as a way of life.  It governs every
aspect of human life, from individual's behaviour to living in community, from
social and economic principles to political system, from government justice to
international relation, and above all, from relation between human being to
human being up to relation between human being and his creator, the One and
Only One God.

***KNOW that the term traditionalist, conservative, extrimist, fundamentalist,
radicals or similar labels DO NOT originate from Islam.  In Islam it is either
to be a Believer or a Non-Believer, either to be a True Believer or a Hypocrite,
either to practise Islam as a whole or leave it all.

 ========================================================================
|                      | "Do men think that they will be left alone on   |
| Hibatur Rahman Ahmad |  saying ,"We believe", and that they will not   |
| Lehigh University    |  be tested?  We did test those before them, and |
| Bethlehem PA         |  Allah will certainly know those who are true   |
|                      |  from those who are false."                     |
| E-mail:              |                                                 |
|   hra2@lehigh.edu    |                   (Al-Quran : Al-Ankabut 2-3)   |
 ========================================================================