Our Prophet Muhammad (saas) expended enormous energy on preaching the
Islamic moral values taught him by Allah until the very end of his
life. By Allah's leave, this message initiated through such sincere
endeavors on the part of our Prophet (saas) spread across a very wide
region in a short space of time by means of his honesty, determination
and moral virtues. This message, which continued after the death of
our Prophet (saas) was a means whereby millions of people came to have
faith; in this way, peoplelearned true love, peace and justice, based
on themoral precepts of the Qur'an.
The Prophet Muhammad (saas), whom Allah tells us in the Qur'an He sent
as a "Mercy to the Worlds," abided by Islamic moral values with the
utmost joy and enthusiasm right up to the end of his life, a life
which constituted a role model for others. This message,
single-handedly initiated by our Prophet (saas), soon spread, by
Allah's leave, over a wide area. And it continued after him, again
through the efforts of sincere believers. According to the latest
research, this joyous rise of Islam, regarded as the most rapidly
spreading faith in the world, will cause Islam Allah'ın izni ile to
rule over the whole world with the coming of the Prophet Isa (pbuh)
and the Mahdi in the end times.
Ever since the first days of its revelation, Islam spread at enormous
speed by means of the determination and sincerity displayed by our
Prophet (saas). The determination and justice of the Muslims of that
time who adopted our Prophet (saas) as a role model was highly
influential in many Arab tribes' turning to Islam. The moral values of
the Qur'an brought about positive changes in the lives of the people
of theregion and replaced the chaos, injustice and blood feuds of the
age of ignorance with peace and security. An order based on the true
love, respect, compassion and justice of Qur'anic moral precepts was
establishedfor the first time uzun süre sonra among the people of the
region.
Following the death of our Prophet (saas) on 8 June 632 (Gregorian),
Islam continued to rise at a great speed, spreading within a few
decades to Mesopotamiain the north, Africa in the west and as far as
India in the east. Local people, who until shortlybefore had lived
unaware of religious moral values became rulers of a world empire
thanks to the reason, awareness and elevated culture bestowed on them
by Islamic moral values. This Islamic State,the like of whose rapid
rise had rarely been equaled, established a far more powerful
administration than other regimes by spreading over a wider extent
than the ancient Roman Empire. At the heart of this matchless
development of Islam lies the fact it was made possible by the
superior virtues, intelligence, foresight, determinationand sincere
endeavors of our Prophet (saas), by the will of Allah.
Our Prophet (saas) began communicating his message immediatelyafter
the Hegira. His method was to employ companions to call on the rulers
of neighboring countries to adopt Islamic moral precepts. Our Prophet
(saas) who acted on our Lord's command on this subject in the finest
possible manner, used wisdom and gentle advice to invite others
toadopt Islamic moral precepts by way of theseemissaries:
Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and fair admonition, and
argue with them in the kindest way. Your Lord knows best who is
misguided from His way.And He knows best who are guided. (Surat
An-Nahl, 125)
The Companions Begin Communicating the Message
The companions chosen by our Prophet (saas) also took with them a
letter to the rulers of theareas they were sent to. The companions,
who had an excellent knowledge of the languages of the areas to which
they were dispatched, acted in the light of our Prophet's (saas)
advice and soon won people's love and respect with the moral virtues
they exhibited and their rational, wide and sincere communication. One
of our Prophet's (saas) pieces of advice on this subject that all
Muslims must scrupulously abide by is: "Make matters easy, not
difficult. Impartglad tidings and do not inspire hatred. Act as one,
do not fall out among yourselves. Treat people with kindness and do
not resort to violence." (Muslim, 3263)
How Rulers Were Called on to Adopt Islamic Moral Precepts, and the
Spread of Islam
How the Ruler of Abyssinia Negus was Called on to Adopt Islam
On the 7thyear of the Hegira our Prophet (saas) first sent the
companion Amr ibn Umayya with a letter to Negus Al-Asham, king of
Abyssinia. The letter read: "From Muhammad,Prophet of Allah, to Negus,
king of Abyssinia!...
O king! I desire you to become a Muslim.
In your name I give thanks to Allah, Lord of the Titles of the One and
Only, the King, the Most Pure, the Perfect Peace.
And I bear witness that Isa, son of Maryam, is theservant and the Word
of Allah. Allah breathed that Word (which is the address "Kun" that
gave the body to Isa) and thatsoul into the most pure and chaste
Maryam, whowas completely withdrawn from the life of this world. And
in this way Maryam became pregnant with Isa. This Allah created Isa.
In the same way that Allah created Adam by His mighty hand (and as a miracle).
O King!
I invite you to faith in Allah, He Who has no equal, and to worship
Him, and to abide by me and to believe in those Allah has sent to me.
Because I am the emissary of the message of Allah.
I call on you and your people to (have faith in) Allah, the Great and Glorious.
I have now communicated to you (the essence of Islam) and given you
counsel. Now you accept that counsel!
Once the letter had beenread to him Negus, king of Abyssinia, declared
that he had no qualms about becoming a Muslim, and gave a letterto the
emissary, Amr. B. Umeyye. That letter spoke of fulfilling the wishes
of the Prophet Muhammad (saas). He also announced that he was sending
him precious gifts and openly stated that he could even visit him in
person if he so desired. This country, which first became aware of
Islam thanks to the emigrants who first came to Abyssinia during the
Hegira, became a means whereby the peoples of the area we today know
as Eritrea and Somalia were influenced by and converted to Islam.
How the Greek Emperor Heraclius was Invited to Islam
According to historical sources, our Prophet (saas) sent the companion
Dihya al Kalbi to call on the GreekEmperor Heraclius to convert to
Islam in the seventh year of the Hegira.
Our Prophet (saas) also sent a letter to Heraklius,quoting verse 64 of
Surah Al 'Imran: "Greetings to those who follow the true path."
"'' In the name of Allah, All-Merciful, Most Merciful!
"In the name of Allah, All-Merciful, Most Merciful, from Muhammad,
Emissary of Allah, to Heraclius, Lord of the Greeks: Greetings to he
who follows the true path! May I add thatI invite you to Islam as one.
Turn to Islam that you may find happiness. Turn to Islam that Allah
may redouble your worth. But if you reject this, then that sin will
equally be ascribed to you. And you, come directly to a word that is
the same for you, O Peoples of the Book, andus; that is that we
worship Allah alone, ascribe no equals to Him,and that none among us
takes any other than Allah as his Lord. If they are unwilling, tell
them, 'Bear witness that we are Muslims (of those who have submitted
to Allah)'."
How Badhan, Governor of Yemen, Came to the Faith
In a letter that our Prophet (saas) personally had written toBadhan,
the governorof Yemen at that time, he announced that Persia would be
torn down and Chosroes killed by his son. Shortly thereafter, Badhan
received a letter from Shireveyh, son of Chosroes, saying he had
killed his father.
The killing of Chosroes took place on the night of the day and at the
same hour of that night as our Prophet (saas) had toldBadhan. At
this,Badhanconverted and announced to our Prophet (saas) that he had
become a Muslim.
How the Ruler of al-Yamama was Invited to Islam
Haudha b. 'Ali, the ruler of al-Yamama, was a Christian. According to
historical sources, our Prophet (saas) charged Salit bin Amr' with
calling this ruler to Islam.
In his letter our Prophet (saas) wrote: "Bismillahirrahmanrrahim! From
Muhammad, Prophet of Allah, to Haudha b. 'Ali! Greetings to those on
the true path!
You must know that my faith will soon shine as far as the furthest
horizons of the world!
O Haudha!
You, too, become a Muslim so that you may attain salvation!
And that I may leave the government of the country under your rule to you!"
In this way, our Prophet (saas) informed all the most eminent men of
state of the time about Islam through the emissaries and letters
hesent, and thus first caused these countries, most of which would
later become part of the Muslim world, to hear the voice of Islam.
Following the death of our Prophet (saas) the blessed caliphs Abu
Bakr,Omar, Uthman and Ali followed in his path, continuing to
represent a just order based on Qur'anic moral precepts over a wider
area. With the conquests achieved at that time, the Islamic Empire
began expanding passed the boundaries of the Arabian Peninsula,
growing as far as Tripoli in the west, Horasan in the east and the
Caucasus in the north. The peoples in the conquered territories soon
adopted Islamic moral values. The foundations of the new states to be
founded were also laid during this period.
Following the age of the Four Caliphs, the Umayyads (661-750) and the
Abbasids (750-1258) led the way in the dissemination of Islamic moral
precepts. During the Abbasid age new states far from the center were
founded. In the east were the Ghaznavids, the Seljuks, the Sultanate
of Delhi, the Timurs, the Golden Horde and Uzbek dynasties and the
Baburs. In the west, the Umayyads of Andalusia, the Murabits, the
Eyyubites, the Mamelukes and the Ottoman Empire served the spread of
Islamic moral values with the states they founded and the work they
performed.
The Spread of Islam in Different Regions
AFGHANISTAN
Islam is the official religion in Afghanistan, thought to have a
population of 30 million,and 99% of the population are Muslim.
Islam came to Afghanistan with the sending by the blessed Uthman or
Muaviya of the governor of Basra, 'Abdur-Rahman ibn Samura to that
country. Islam spread rapidly once the people became acquainted with
Islamic moral precepts.
The country was run by various tribes for a long while to come. In the
second half of the 9th century a large part of Afghanistan fell into
the hands of the Samanids, and later still the Ghaznavid State was
established. Today, Islamis the official religion in Afghanistan,
thought to have a population of 30 million, and 99% of the population
are Muslim. In addition to Muslims, there are small numbers of Hindus,
Sikhs and Jews. Afghanistan, whichunified in the face of theoccupation
in the 1980s, possesses some of the world's most significant mineral
deposits.
ALGERIA
Algeria became part of the territories of the Islamic Empire when it
was captured by Islam armies shortly after the death of our Prophet
(saas). Islam is the official religion in Algeria and around 99% of
its 32 million population are Muslim.
In a declaration published in November 1954, the people of Algeria
announced their wish to free themselves from occupation by
establishing an independent state in thearea based on Islamic moral
values. Despite long years of oppressionand cruelty, the Algerian
people's devotion to Islam had always remained strong and vibrant, the
wealth of studies by scholars livingin the countries being one of the
main causes of this. Scholars such as Emir Abdulqadr, Sheikh
Abdulhamid bin Badis, Sheikh Abdullatif, the famous thinker Malik
IbnNabi and Sheikh Ahmad Sahnun were in the forefront of the
Algerianpeople's learning about Qur'anic moral precepts.
INDONESIA
With a population of 230million, of whom 87% are Muslim despite coming
from widely diverse ethnic backgrounds, Indonesia is the most populous
Muslim country in the world.
Even if Islam reached Indonesia before, the first traces according to
the historical records go back to the 1290s. A History of Islamic
Societies, by the California University professor of History Ira M.
Lapidus, describes how Marco Polo encountered Muslim communities in
the Pasairegion in the north of the island of Samudera.
The Ottoman Empire is known to have had various contacts with the
communities in Indonesia in 1526. Freed by the Ottomans from
Portuguese attacks and Dutch occupation, the people of the region felt
a particular affinity for the Ottomans. That affinity revealed itself
in a number of events; for example, sermons in the name of the caliph
declaring their devotion began to be read in mosques. During the reign
of the Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II, relations intensified still
further. The people of the region sent 10,000 Spanish florins to
support the Ottoman Empire during the Crimean war between 1854 and
1856. In addition, the populace secretly established an Ottoman Fleet
Society in 1909, aimed at supporting the Ottoman fleet, sending money,
and also announced both during the Balkan wars and the First World
War, despite British occupation, that they backed the Ottoman Empire.
The people also extended a helping hand to the Turks duringthe War of
Independence, and maintained the Hamidiye Schools set up during the
reign of Abdülhamid right down to the present day. The fact that
Turkish teams were permitted to enter certain areas in the wake of the
tsunami disaster in the last days of 2004 is yet another indication of
that closeness.
MOROCCO
Islamic moral values first entered Moroccan territory in the year 686
with the Islamic armies under the command of Uqba Ibnu Nafi'. Today,
some 98.7% of the population of Morocco, whose official religion
isIslam and with a total population of around 34million, are Muslims.
Moroccan lands are referred to as "al-Maghrib al-Aqsa" (FarWest) in
Islamic historical sources. The Maghrib is the name given to all those
lands that comprise northwestAfrican countries. Tariq İbn Zaid, one of
Musa Ibn Nusayr's commanders, entered modern-day Spain by crossing the
Straits of Gibraltar and thus laid the foundations of the Andalusian
Islamic state.
EGYPT
Islam came to Egypt in the time of the blessed Omar, between the
years639 and 642, by way of Amr Ibn Al-Aas. It spread rapidly among
the people in Egypt, where governors chosen by thecaliphs served until
868. Egypt, which was ruled by a great many dynasties, remained under
the rule of the Ayyubid State founded by Saladin Ayyubi, who had
defeated the Crusader armies, from 1171 to 1250. Following the
Mamelukes and the Abbasids, Egypt came under Ottoman rule in 1517,
achieving independence in 1922. Ninety-two percent of Egypt's
population of 75 million are Muslim, with Christian Copts, a second
significant element of the population, representing 7%.
YEMEN
As stated earlier, the spread of Islam in Yementook place during the
lifetime of our Prophet (saas). When our Prophet (saas) first
established the Islamic Empire, Yemen was under Persian control and
was administered by a governor named Badhan appointed by that country.
Badhan converted to Islam at theinvitation of our Prophet's (saas)
emissaries and continued as governor of Yemen. These lands, which were
ruled by various countries, came under Ottoman control in 1517. Islam
is the official religion in Yemen, which has a population of 16
million,99% of whom are Muslim.
MALAYSIA
Before Islam reached it, Brahmins and Buddhists has established
various states in this region. According to various sources, Islam is
known to have come to Malaysiaafter the year 1400. The marriage of
Prince Prameswara of Malacca to the daughter of the king of Pasai and
subsequent conversion to Islam was influential in the rapid spread of
the faith, and Prameswara changed hisname to Sultan Megat Iskandar
Shah. Islam began spreading very fast in those regions under his
administrationfollowing his conversionto the faith. Islam was adopted
as the official religion during the time of Sultan Muzaffar Shah, who
acceded to the Malaccan throne in 1446.At that same time, Malacca also
became the centre of Islam in southeast Asia. As its commercial and
economic importance grew, Muslim traders began visiting more often.
The Malaysian Confederation was founded. There is enormous devotion to
Islam in Malaysia, with its powerful economy, especially among the
young. The country has apopulation of 25 million,with 70% of young
people performing their religious obligations. The turn towards Islam
isparticularly powerful among university students.
Ubidiah Mosque, Malaysia
SUDAN
Following their first exposure to Islamic moral precepts in 639,
Muslims settling in Egypt shortly afterwards began traveling to Sudan
for its markets. That was how the Sudanese first became acquainted
with Islam. The rapid spread of Islam in Sudan led to many people who
had originally adopted Christianity now converting to Islam.
Ninety-nine percent of Sudan's current population of 28 million are
Muslims.
JORDAN
The present-day land of Jordan joined the IslamicState in the time of
the Rashid caliphs at the invitation of the blessed Omar. In the
12thcentury, Jordan came under the temporary control of the Crusaders,
a result of the Crusader conquests. Wrested fromthe Crusaders in 1187,
it then passed into the hands of the Ayyubids, Fatimids and
Mamelukes.It became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1517 after being
taken by Sultan Selim the Stern.
Jordan has a population of 6.5 million, 95% of whom are Muslims.
TUNISIA
Islam came to Tunisia in 648 with Abdallah ibn Abi Sarh. Subsequent
conquests in the wake ofthat first arrival led to allof Tunisia
becoming partof the Islamic State. Following the region's accession to
the territories of the Islamic State, the local inhabitants soon
became Muslims, the entire population having done so in the 7th
century. Tunisia remained a province of the Ottoman Empire until1881,
achieving independence in 1956.
Islam is the official religion in Tunisia, with a population of 12
million, 99.3% of whom are Muslims.
At the heart of this matchless development of Islam lies the fact it
was made possible by the superior virtues, intelligence, foresight,
determination and sincere endeavors of ourProphet (saas)
According to World Christian Encyclopedia figures, the 962 million
world Muslim populationin 1990 has reached 1.2 billion today, out of a
total world population of 6.2 billion. That figureis expected to climb
to 1.8 billion by 2025, and to 2.3 billion by 2060.
According to Canadian Society of Muslims estimates, Muslims will
comprise 30% of the world population by 2025.
According to the U.S. Center for World Mission Islam grew more rapidly
than Christianity in 1997.This figure, standing at 2.9% each year, is
increasing. At this rate, Islam will overtake Christianity to become
the world's largest religion by 2023.
ISLAM'S BRIGHT FUTURE
Today, Islam has a population in excess of 1billion and is the most
rapidly growing faith in the world. The peoples of more than one
quarter of the states of the world are Muslim.
During the last 20 years, the number of Muslims in the world has been
increasing steadily. Statistics for the year 1973 indicate that the
world population of Muslims was 500 million; now, it has reached 1.5
billion. Today, every fourth person is a Muslim. It is probable that
the Muslim population will continueto increase and that Islam will
become the world's largest religion.
The reason for this steady rise is not only the increasing population
in Muslim countries, but also the growing numbers of people who are
turning to Islam.
All of these developments have beenrevealed in the Qur'an:"When God's
help and victory have arrived, andyou have seen people entering God's
religion in droves, then glorify your Lord's praise and ask His
forgiveness"(Surat an-Nas 2-3)
The message of moral virtues initiated kararlığıve samimi çabasıyla by
our Prophet (saas), to whom the Holy Qur'an, the final scripture of
our Lord, was revealed, and whose moral values, piety and closeness to
Allah makes him a role model for all, continues to illuminate the
entire world. By Allah's leave, that illumination will increase still
further, andthe radiance of Islamic moral values will eradicate the
wars, chaos and oppression being experienced in so many parts of the
world.As revealed in the Qur'anand the hadiths of our Prophet (saas),
this century will be the holy age when Islamic moral precepts come to
rule the Earth, and the world comes to enjoy peace and well-being.
Another glorious rise in Islamic moral values, as described in this
article that began in the time ofthe Prophet (saas) and soon spread
over three continents, will, by Allah's leave, take place in the end
times, in the time known as the Golden Age, when the Prophet Isa
(pbuh) and the Mahdi will appear. These tidings are imparted as
follows in the Qur'an:
They desire to extinguish Allah's Light with their mouths but Allah
will perfect His Light, though the disbelievers hate it. It is He Who
sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth to exaltit
over every other religion, though the idolaters hate it. (Surat
As-Saff, 8-9)
Our Lord will definitely abide by this promise. What believers need to
do is to prepare themselves for this holy age by living according to
the precepts of Islamicmoral values and imparting these glad tidings
to one another.
'' Our Lord ! grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter and save us from the torment of the Fire '' [Ameen]
-
{in Arab} :->
Rabbanaa aatinaa fid-dunyaa hasanatan wafil aakhirati hasanatan waqinaa 'athaaban-naar/-
(Surah Al-Baqarah ,verse 201)
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