Dr. Benoist‎

[tawheed]

Dr. Benoist‎

( True story )

I am a doctor and I come from a fanatically Catholic family. Yet my vocational choice, medicine, provided me a career in positive, experimental, and natural sciences, which in turn caused me to develop a growing hatred against Christianity.

With respect to religion, I was at complete loggerheads with the other members of my family. Yes, there was a great Creator, and I believed in Him, i.e. Allahu ta’ala. Yet the absurdities concocted by Christians, especially by Catholics, various mysterious gods, sons, holy ghosts, the preposterous fibs fabricated for the purpose of proving that Issa a.s. is the son of God, a myriad of other superstitions, ceremonies and rites pushed me away from Christianity, instead of attracting me towards it.
Because I held the belief in one God, I would never accept trinity, nor would I by any means recognize Issa a.s. as the son of God. That means to say that, long before knowing of Islam, I had already accepted the initial half of the Kalimat-ul-Shahada, i.e. the part that says, "La ilaha il'l'Allah... (There is no God but Allah...)" When I began to study the Islamic religion and read the Ikhlas Sura of Qur'an al-karim, which purported, "Lo; Allahu ta'ala is One. He is not begotten, nor does He beget. There is no being bearing any likeness to Him," I said, "O my Allah. My belief is exactly the same." I felt immense relief. I realized that it was of paramount importance to study Islam more deeply.

And as I studied Islam I saw with admiration that this religion was completely agreeable with my ideas. Islam looked on religious men, and even on prophets 'alaihim-us-salawat', as ordinary people like us; it did not divinize them. Giving a priest authority to forgive people's sins was something which Islam would never accept. The Islamic religion did not contain any superstitions, any irrational rules, or any unintelligible subjects. The Islamic religion was a logical one, exactly as I wanted.

Contrary to the Catholics, it did not smudge human beings with the consequences of the so-called original sin. It enjoined physical and spiritual cleanliness on human beings. Cleanliness, which is an essential principle in medicine, was in Islam a commandment of Allahu ta'ala. Islam commanded to clean oneself before acts of worship, and that was a quality which I had never seen in any other religion.

In some Christian rites, such as Baptism and the Eucharist, people consume the bread and wine offered by the priest in the name of the flesh and blood of Issa a.s., which is intended, so to speak, as a simulated unity with Issa a.s., i.e. with God, [may Allahu ta'ala protect us from holding such beliefs!]. I saw the resemblance between these rites and those of the most primitive heathens, and hated them.

My mind, which had improved under the guidance of positive science, vehemently rejected these puerile rites which did not suit to a true religion. Islam, on the other hand, did not accommodate any of those things. There was only truth, love, and cleanliness in Islam.

Eventually, I made up my mind. I visited my Muslim friends and asked them what I should do to become a Muslim. They taught me the (statement called) Kalimat-ul-Shahada, how to say it and what it meant. As I have mentioned earlier, before becoming a Muslim, I had accepted its first half, i.e. the part that meant, "There is no God but Allah,..." It was not difficult, therefore, to accept the remaining part, which said: "... and Muhammad a.s. is His (born slave and) Messenger." I was now studying momentous books written about the Islamic religion.

When I read one of them, namely, 'Le Phénomène Coranique', a very lovely book prepared by Malak Bannabi, I saw with amazement and admiration what a tremendous book Qur'an al-karim was. The facts written in that book of Allah which was revealed fourteen centuries before now are in precise conformance with the results of today's scientific and technological research. Both from scientific and technological points of view and with respect to sociological activities, the Qur'an al-karim is a guide book not only today, but also forever.

On the twentieth day of February, 1953, I went to the Paris mosque and accepted Islam officially in the presence of Mufti Effendi and the witnesses, and I was given the name Ali Salman.

I love this new religion of mine. I am very happy and I emphasize the firmness of my belief in Islam by frequently saying the (statement called) Kalimat-ul-Shahada and pondering over its meaning.



islamhouse

[Ecurb]

All religions are "superstitions", except our own.

[tawheed]

You are weak..

You do not have arguments or evidence

[Ecurb]

Cleanliness, which is an essential principle in medicine, was in Islam a commandment of Allahu ta'ala. Islam commanded to clean oneself before acts of worship, and that was a quality which I had never seen in any other religion.

Islam's emphasis on "cleanliness" suggests that I am not cut out to be a Muslim, as visitors to my house might attest.

[YesNo]

I would be more interested in hearing what good features Islam and Christianity share in common than to try to discredit one over the other.

[Ecurb]

I would be more interested in hearing what good features Islam and Christianity share in common than to try to discredit one over the other.

I think they both believe in cleanliness. "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Personally, I never pray unless I have thoroughly washed my hands, face, and feet. Then again, I never pray when I HAVE washed my hands, face and feet, either.

[YesNo]

Being clean is good. I was reading a Feng Shui book recently that recommended radically cleaning house; meaning, get rid of as much stuff as you can, as a solution to many problems. I even cleaned my desk after getting that advice.

[Ecurb]

Being clean is good. .

"I have destroyed the distinction between good and evil, but not that between good and bad." -- Nietzsche

[Ecurb]

In some Christian rites, such as Baptism and the Eucharist, people consume the bread and wine offered by the priest in the name of the flesh and blood of Issa a.s., which is intended, so to speak, as a simulated unity with Issa a.s., i.e. with God, [may Allahu ta'ala protect us from holding such beliefs!]. I saw the resemblance between these rites and those of the most primitive heathens, and hated them.


A resemblance between different religious rituals!? Horrors! What, one wonders, does the good doctor have against "primitive heathens" that makes him hate their rituals so much?

Besides, isn't our friend the physician saying that he "hates" Christian rituals because they are "primitive superstitions"? Didn't I say the exact same thing when I posted, "All religions are superstitions, except our own."? So why did he call my post weak? Is he calling his own post "weak"?

[Pompey Bum]

Besides, isn't our friend the physician saying that he "hates" Christian rituals because they are "primitive superstitions"? Didn't I say the exact same thing when I posted, "All religions are superstitions, except our own."? So why did he call my post weak? Is he calling his own post "weak"?

Now, now, Ecurb. If you check, you will find that the Doc (or Tawheed anyway) called you weak, not your post. But hey, he probably meant lame. :)


I would be more interested in hearing what good features Islam and Christianity share in common than to try to discredit one over the other.


I think they both believe in cleanliness. "Cleanliness is next to Godliness." Personally, I never pray unless I have thoroughly washed my hands, face, and feet. Then again, I never pray when I HAVE washed my hands, face and feet, either.

Actually, for all the squeaky-clean Christians you may encounter, Jesus seems to have taught something otherwise; and it is Rabbinic Judaism that shares the most with Islam as far as self-cleaning practices go. Various forms of ritual washing are prescribed in the Torah and developed in the Mishnah and the Talmud. Orthodox Jews practice a kind of hand washing called netlilat yadayim (with special variants called other things); as well as tevilah, a full body immersion in a basin called a mikveh. Reform Jews have equivalent observances.

I remember being invited to a family Seder (a ritual Passover meal) by a Jewish friend when I was a boy. His dad took one look at my 12-year-old fingernails and very brusquely sent me to the john with a stiff brush to try my luck again. And I remember a few years later (when much had changed) that his cute and funny sister used to sing, "Take me to the mikveh and dip me in the water" whenever she'd get her period. So much for holiness. :)

Here's a comparison of ritual practices between Judaism and Islam: http://www.religiousrules.com/index.htm

Christianity does things differently, at least in theory. There's a familiar tradition that baptism represents a washing away of sin; but it is not found in the context of Second Temple Judaism in which "Christian" baptizing begins (nor does it make much sense theologically). Nowadays some Christians who are attached to the extremely worthy goal of Interfaith understanding are (IMHO) too quick to syncretize that early Baptism with telilah/mikveh practices. Not only is it a stretch historically, but (again, IMHO), there is something a little condescending about it--even subtly (if unintentionally) anti-Jewish. "Those materialistic Jews, you know, their mikveh is about washing the body; but we spiritual Christians, we changed it to Baptism, which is about washing the spirit." In fact, they are probably historically unrelated.

There is, however, a kind of implicit rejection (or at least an explicit deprioritizing) of ritual hand washing expressed by the figure of Jesus in Mark 7 (and the passage's parallel in Matthew 15). In those verses, Jesus is confronted by several mainstream Jewish figures ("Pharisees and certain scribes") who want to know why his disciples don't wash their hands before eating, as they should. Jesus responds by asking why they, the Pharisees and scribes, condone offerings to the Temple even when it means that those who give such offerings are not able to provide for the needs of their parents. Doesn't the 5th commandment trump traditional practices, Jesus wants to know.

Here's Mark 7 for any who are interested:

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Mark-Chapter-7/

And here is Matthew 15:

http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Matthew-Chapter-15/

Both of these Gospels then provide the same rather unhelpful interpretation of the controversy. But the point in my view is that Jesus' teaching followed the tradition in Prophecy that saw pious works such as ritual cleanings and Temple offerings as unimportant or even repugnant to God, who asks for acts of compassion, such as care for the elderly, not empty works of pietism. Unfortunately there are less savory interpretations of the verses, too, often critical of Jews and Judaism.

I guess that's my typically long-winded way of saying, no, contrary to what you may think, Christianity's not all that big on tidying up. Some Christians ascetics (St. Bernard, for example) even thought that being dirty was a kind of piety in itself. That sort of thing went out with bustles, of course. A lot of modern Christians are into hygiene, usually citing references in pseudo-Pauline books of the New Testament that talk about treating the body as a temple to God. But there is little or nothing else in the New Testament about it--and even taking that as a call for cleanliness is a stretch.

[Ecurb]

Thanks for the clarification, Pompey. Christianity may be the religion for me, after all.

I don't object to tawheed saying that I'm "weak" and don't "have arguments or evidence", which, after all, is nothing more than the truth. However, I'm concerned about Dr. Benoist. I've heard some strange rumors about him from some of my Muslim friends in Paris.

One friend told me that he was visiting the mosque at the same time as the esteemed physician several weeks ago. As they were performing their ritual ablutions, my friend noticed that the Dr. looked like he was in some sort of strange trance. He began to speak:

"Out, damned spot! Out I say! One, two, why then 'tis time to do't."

Needless to say, my friend was surprised, and called out to the Dr. But his cries were to no avail. Indeed, Dr. Benoist had launched into Lady MacBeth's entire sleep walking soliloquy.

"...What? Will these hands never be clean?....."

My friend looked on in horror.

"Wash your hands, put on your night gown; look not so pale..." continued the Dr.

My friend has been known to exaggerate, at times. But I doubt he would make this up. Benoist evidently has some sort of obsession with washing his hands. Fortunately, Benoist is no longer allowed in the mosque, because he was not wearing a hijab while performing his Lady MacBeth soliloquy. According to my friend, one of the other worshipers was so inflamed at the sight of Lady MacBeth's uncovered hair that he had impure thoughts in a house of worship, and the Imam banned Benoist. All's well that ends well, I suppose.

Do you know what constitutes the primitive heathens' attitude toward ritual cleansing, Pompey? I'd hate to jump into Christianity just because its notions about cleanliness conform to my own. Perhaps primitive heathens also have reasonable notions regarding cleanliness.

p.s. I'm halfway through "Cain", Nobel Prize winner Jose SAramoago's retelling of the Old Testament story from Cain's point of view. I'll report more when I finish.

[Pompey Bum]

Thanks for the clarification, Pompey. Christianity may be the religion for me, after all.

Cha-CHING!


I don't object to Do you know what constitutes the primitive heathens' attitude toward ritual cleansing, Pompey? I'd hate to jump into Christianity just because its notions about cleanliness conform to my own. Perhaps primitive heathens also have reasonable notions regarding cleanliness.

Well, it sounds like Dr. Ben Oist has a lot more experience with primitive heathens than I do. But I dated a few in North Cambridge back in the 70s, and (at the risk of losing my first convert) I must admit that one or two of them didn't exactly prioritize the ol' mikveh. But that was mostly a post-hippy thing, I think. And they were lovely girls, really. But if you want the best of both worlds, my advice would be Buddhism.


p.s. I'm halfway through "Cain", Nobel Prize winner Jose SAramoago's retelling of the Old Testament story from Cain's point of view. I'll report more when I finish.

Yes, let me know how you like it. I still have some Kindle gift card money left over from Christmas and I was considering that one.

[tawheed]

The nature of religious faith is quite mysterious. As part of

their religious faiths, people believe in a variety of deities. There

are people who have religious faith in the unseen supreme

inimitable power, and then there are others who believe in some

humans as Gods, or animals (e.g. monkeys), fire, idols made of

stone, and the list goes on.

A lot is associated with having a religious “faith”. Part of it

has to do with beliefs passed on through generations. People’s

identities therefore get tied to it. Many times, these beliefs and

associated feelings are not completely demonstrable by reason or

any rational arguments. There is nothing right or wrong with this,

but that’s just how the nature of religious faith has come to be.

Almost everyone thinks they are right in their faith and beliefs.

Being with people and groups with similar faith further strengthens

people’s faith, and they see it as right, even though logical

reasoning and argument sometimes can’t explain it all. That’s

simple human psychology.

Islam’s arguments based on intellectual reasoning

Muslims believe however, that the Islamic religion is different

in this context. One may argue that similar to other faiths there are

aspects of it which are not completely demonstrable by reason, but

on the other hand the Quranic text, which is God’s words

addressing humanity at large, uses intellectual reason, critical

thinking, and the process of reflection as a means not only to

reinforce the faith of the believers, but also to call non-believers to

ponder about the authenticity of Islam as the way of life for

humanity at large. Although no religious beliefs can be fully

based on logic and reasoning, Islam and Quran provide more than

enough examples and an opportunity to examine the truth and the

soundness of its message through the lens of empirical evidence

and knowledge.

No one (Muslim or otherwise) would argue that critical

thinking and reflection can be a major catalyst for changing ones

life. Critical thinking has been used by many to improve their

lives simply because a critical thinker asks probing questions about

a situation, collects as much information as possible, reflects on

the ideas collected and generated in context of the information

available, keeps an open and unbiased mind, and carefully

scrutinizes assumptions and seeks alternatives.

This is the reason, therefore, that new Muslim converts would

attribute the use of intelligent reasoning, reflection and critical

thinking when explaining their journey to Islam. Such people cut

through the hysteria created in the media to view Islam from a

critical lens and following the truth thus comes naturally to them

as part of this process. How else can one explain the increase in

conversions with the increase of anti-Islamic rhetoric? How else

can one explain that more non-Muslim preachers have been

converting to Islam than ever before? Although, as Muslims, we

believe that guidance comes only from Allah, the use of a person’s

God-gifted intellectual reasoning has a very powerful role to play

in Muslim converts making that destiny changing decision. And

once converted, they rarely go back to their old faiths, simply

because a faith whose foundations are built on logic and reason is

much less likely to be shaken down than one which simply builds

upon a set of rites and sacraments.

Reasons attributed by new Converts

Some of the reasons given why people convert to Islam are the

eloquence of the Quran’s language, its overwhelming scientific

evidence and proofs, arguments rooted in intellectual reasoning,

and the Divine wisdom behind various social issues. The

uniqueness and beauty of the Quran’s text has been marveled by

the best of Arab linguists and scholars, both Muslim and

otherwise, from the days it was revealed until today. The more

knowledgeable people are in the language, the more they

appreciate the wonders of the textual fluency of the Quran.

Revealed more than 1400 years ago, the Quran also has numerous

scientific facts that are being validated by science only in this era.

Furthermore, it is the only known religious text that challenges

mankind to think, reflect and ponder over the creation at large,

social issues, God’s existence, and more. The Quran, in many

instances, challenges people to reflect and think on their own,

rather than heeding the loose talk of those whose criticism is based

on baseless foundations. Finally, the Quran provides a solution

to numerous social issues, deviation from which has been known

to cause societal chaos at all levels.

The Quran is a confident assertion of a Supreme Being; the

only known religious book that has a confident assertion of a

Supreme Being on all issues ranging from the creation of the

universe to most particular components of the social milieu.

Moreover, its Divine Text - the language and prose of the Quran -

is very different from the language in the Prophet’s sayings, which

demonstrates that the Quran is not from the creative imagination or

inspired words of Prophet Muhammad, as many doubters have

alleged in the past, and continue to do even today.

We can see that most of these reasons can only be attributed to

the process of critical thinking and intellectual reflection.

However, cold reasoning is not enough. The heart has to be

engaged in the search: a search whose aim is to reach for the truth

at its core. No wonder, then, that when such sincere people hear

the Quran for the first time, and understand it, they say:

“We believe in it; surely, it is the Truth from our Lord.

Indeed, even before it, we were Muslims!” (Quran 28:53)

The Quran challenges humanity at large to think, reflect and

ponder over their affairs on numerous occasions. This is some of

what the Quran states:

• Thus do We explain the verses (and their signification)

in detail for the people who reflect. (Jonah, Quran 10:24)

• Do they not think deeply about their own selves

(being)? Allah has created not the heavens and the Earth and

all that is between them except with truth and for an appointed

term. And indeed many of mankind deny the Meeting with

their Lord. (The-Romans, Quran 30:8)

• He it is Who has appointed for you the night that you

may rest therein, and the day to make things visible. Verily, in

this are signs for a people who listen. (Jonah, Quran 10:67)

• Does man think that he will be left to no purpose?

(The Resurrection, Quran 75:36)

• Did you think that We had created you in play, and

that you would not be brought back to Us?” (The Believers,

Quran 23:115)

• Or do you think that most of them hear or

understand? They are only like cattle; nay, they are even

farther astray from the Path. (The Criterion, Quran 25:44)

• Do they not reflect? There is no madness in their

companion (Muhammad). He is but a plain Warner. (The

Heights, Quran 7:184)

• Had We sent down this Quran on a mountain, you

would surely have seen it humbling itself and rending asunder

for the fear of God. Such are the parables which We put

forward to mankind that they may reflect. (The Overcrowding,

Quran 59:21)

When studying the many cases of new Muslim converts, we

see that engaging in critical thinking and intellectual reasoning

have led people to change their non-Islamic faiths – the same

faiths that would earlier supposedly have moved mountains, but

were diluted by the voice of reason easily heard in the roots of

Islam. A mere process of thinking and reflection brings so much

into light that otherwise would remain veiled by the distractions

and forces of anti-Islam pundits. Those who are bent on seeing

only the negative fail to see the light of truth. Rather, they engage

in a never ending superficial analysis to unsuccessfully prove their

misguided philosophies.

There are many statistics in the media that highlight the

phenomenal rate at which people are converting to Islam.

Although, the authenticity of all these sources has not been

validated for the purpose of this article, some of them include the

following:

• According to “The Almanac Book of Facts”, the

population increased 137% within the past decade, Christianity

increased 46%, while Islam increased 235%.

• 100,000 people per year in America alone, are converting

to Islam. For every 1 male convert to Islam, 4 females convert to

Islam

• TV Report: 4,000 Germans Convert To ISLAM Each

Year

• About 25,000 people convert to Islam every year in the

UK alone

• ...many more examples exist.

What about Muslims?

If voices of reason embedded in the teachings of Islam are

causing non-Muslims to revert to Islam in droves, why is it that so

many Muslims born into the religion usually fail to fully follow,

and thus enjoy, the teachings of the religion? The fact is that it

may just be the lack of critical thinking and reflection on the part

of some Muslims that is forcing the Muslim world to have a

substandard way of life as a whole. Islam and its teachings hold

the promise of a fulfilling and peaceful life for all. Yet Muslims

continue to ignore the basics and get mired in social and moral

issues causing unnecessary pain and suffering on themselves and

their families. The fact is that only if they would think and reflect

on the teachings of their own religion, they could escape the many

problems and challenges that face them.

The Message

To non-Muslims who have only scratched the surface of Islam

and may be getting distracted by those who are the wrong torch

bearers of this religion and by the biased voices in the media, the

message is simple – try to view the teachings of Islam with a

critical lens. It may be that you will be able to see more reason

than you may initially have thought was not present. To Muslims,

the message is that sometimes we do not appreciate the teachings

of our own religion simply because we never think and grow

beyond the few religious practices in our operating lives. A

focused effort to learn, think and reflect more will help us get

closer to the religious teachings in ways that can drastically

improve our lives.

[YesNo]

What overwhelming scientic evidence and proofs are in the Qoran?

[Pompey Bum]

Thou shalt not copy thy neighbor's paper.

http://www.arabnews.com/islam-perspective/news/679731

[Clopin]

A truly hideous religion.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia#Freedom_of_speech *retch*

[tawheed]

What overwhelming scientic evidence and proofs are in the Qoran?

sorry for late yesno

My son was sick

Here are some of the miracles of the holy qoran

read it then will continue

https://archive.org/details/en_Brief_Illustrated_Guide

[YesNo]

sorry for late yesno

My son was sick

Here are some of the miracles of the holy qoran

read it then will continue

https://archive.org/details/en_Brief_Illustrated_Guide

I see the following

A referance to embrionic development that says we were made from clay.

Mountains referred to as pegs.

The planetary system coming out of smoke.

There is a barrier separating the Atlantic from the Mediteranean.

If you dive deeply the light becomes dimmer.

I dont see any of these as being miraculous conjectures or more than metaphors. Consider the writings of someone like Amit Goswami who triies to link Hinuism and other religions with quantum physics.