We strongly condemn burning of Holy Quran near Ground Zero New York. May Allah curse the ones who committed this shameful act.
Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustafa- (S.A.W.W) said: "The superiority of the Quran over the rest of words, is like the superiority of Allah over His creations." - Reference: Mustadrak al-Wasa'il, Volume 4, Page 237.
Behold, ye received it On your tongues, And said out of your mouths Things of which ye had No knowledge; and ye thought It to be a light matter, While it was most serious In the sight of God. And why did ye not, When ye heard it, say?— "It is not right of us To speak of this: Glory to God! this is A most serious slander! (Holy Quran, 24:15-16)
There is a short story is based on a fable by the Persian poet Jalal al-Din Rumi (d 1273). The "Blind Men and the Elephant" is a many-layered fable about human ignorance. Each one of the Sight-Challenged men mistakes the part for the whole, just as today's adherents of various religious sects, political ideologies, and economic theories, claim a firm hold on Truth while disparaging or ignoring others. In a parallel way, most people are blind to the Earth, perceiving it only in terms of utility -- as stacks of natural resources, raw materials, background scenery, and other commodities -- rather than as a Living Whole in whose moist air-layer they tumble about as dependent corpuscles.
The Elephant & the blind Men
Once an elephant came to a small town. People had read and heard of elephants but no one in the town had ever seen one. Thus, a huge crowd gathered around the elephant, and it was an occasion for great fun, especially for the children. Five blind men also lived in that town, and consequently, they also heard about the elephant. They had never seen an elephant before, and were eager to find out about elephant.
Then, someone suggested that they could go and feel the elephant with their hands. They could then get an idea of what an elephant looked like. The five blind men went to the center of the town where all the people made room for them to touch the elephant.
Later on, they sat down and began to discuss their experiences. One blind man, who had touched the trunk of the elephant, said that the elephant must be like a thick tree branch. Another who touched the tail said the elephant probably looked like a snake or rope. The third man, who touched the leg, said the shape of the elephant must be like a pillar. The fourth man, who touched the ear, said that the elephant must be like a huge fan; while the fifth, who touched the side, said it must be like a wall.
They sat for hours and argued, each one was sure that his view was correct. Obviously, they were all correct from their own point of view, but no one was quite willing to listen to the others. Finally, they decided to go to the wise man of the village and ask him who was correct. The wise man said, “Each one of you is correct; and each one of you is wrong. Because each one of you had only touched a part of the elephant’s body. Thus you only have a partial view of the animal. If you put your partial views together, you will get an idea of what an elephant looks like.”
The moral of the story is that each one of us sees things exclusively within one’s point of view. We should also try to understand other people’s points of view. This will enable us to get a proper perspective on different situations and events. And following this one should try to change himself and one’s own views and perceptions rather than expecting the world to change as long as there is no coercion to do anything that is forbidden. Such situations arise daily in our lives. We try to judge based on incomplete knowledge, one sided facts and half truth. Instead of agreeing to incorrect and sometimes malicious opinions about others, one should reach out to others to ascertain the truth to avoid embarrassment. It is advantageous to never miss a good chance to shut up by not talking about things about which we do not have complete knowledge.
Holy Prophet Muhammad al Mustafa- (S.A.W.W) said: "The superiority of the Quran over the rest of words, is like the superiority of Allah over His creations." - Reference: Mustadrak al-Wasa'il, Volume 4, Page 237.
Behold, ye received it On your tongues, And said out of your mouths Things of which ye had No knowledge; and ye thought It to be a light matter, While it was most serious In the sight of God. And why did ye not, When ye heard it, say?— "It is not right of us To speak of this: Glory to God! this is A most serious slander! (Holy Quran, 24:15-16)
There is a short story is based on a fable by the Persian poet Jalal al-Din Rumi (d 1273). The "Blind Men and the Elephant" is a many-layered fable about human ignorance. Each one of the Sight-Challenged men mistakes the part for the whole, just as today's adherents of various religious sects, political ideologies, and economic theories, claim a firm hold on Truth while disparaging or ignoring others. In a parallel way, most people are blind to the Earth, perceiving it only in terms of utility -- as stacks of natural resources, raw materials, background scenery, and other commodities -- rather than as a Living Whole in whose moist air-layer they tumble about as dependent corpuscles.
The Elephant & the blind Men
Once an elephant came to a small town. People had read and heard of elephants but no one in the town had ever seen one. Thus, a huge crowd gathered around the elephant, and it was an occasion for great fun, especially for the children. Five blind men also lived in that town, and consequently, they also heard about the elephant. They had never seen an elephant before, and were eager to find out about elephant.
Then, someone suggested that they could go and feel the elephant with their hands. They could then get an idea of what an elephant looked like. The five blind men went to the center of the town where all the people made room for them to touch the elephant.
Later on, they sat down and began to discuss their experiences. One blind man, who had touched the trunk of the elephant, said that the elephant must be like a thick tree branch. Another who touched the tail said the elephant probably looked like a snake or rope. The third man, who touched the leg, said the shape of the elephant must be like a pillar. The fourth man, who touched the ear, said that the elephant must be like a huge fan; while the fifth, who touched the side, said it must be like a wall.
They sat for hours and argued, each one was sure that his view was correct. Obviously, they were all correct from their own point of view, but no one was quite willing to listen to the others. Finally, they decided to go to the wise man of the village and ask him who was correct. The wise man said, “Each one of you is correct; and each one of you is wrong. Because each one of you had only touched a part of the elephant’s body. Thus you only have a partial view of the animal. If you put your partial views together, you will get an idea of what an elephant looks like.”
The moral of the story is that each one of us sees things exclusively within one’s point of view. We should also try to understand other people’s points of view. This will enable us to get a proper perspective on different situations and events. And following this one should try to change himself and one’s own views and perceptions rather than expecting the world to change as long as there is no coercion to do anything that is forbidden. Such situations arise daily in our lives. We try to judge based on incomplete knowledge, one sided facts and half truth. Instead of agreeing to incorrect and sometimes malicious opinions about others, one should reach out to others to ascertain the truth to avoid embarrassment. It is advantageous to never miss a good chance to shut up by not talking about things about which we do not have complete knowledge.