‘Invitation to Islam’ Newsletter

Islaam : Is it a religion of TERROR?

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 31, 2014October 22, 2026

[From the ‘Invitation to Islam’ Newsletter, Issue 5, October 1998]

A bomb goes off in a marketplace in Jerusalem. A suicide bomber launches himself into a bus full of women and children in Tel Aviv. Foreign tourists get massacred at a holiday resort in Luxor, Egypt. Villages upon villages get annihilated in Algeria. The list of events worldwide which have come to symbolise the ‘Islamic terror’ are endless. From the times in the 70’s and 80’s when Pan Am and TWA aeroplanes would be highjacked, to the mid 80’s in war torn Lebanon where Americans and Europeans would be held as hostages for years; all such incidents have come to be identified with the religion of Islam. Such incidents from past and present have undoubtedly affected Muslims worldwide and more so in the West. Any Muslim, who wants to practice his/her religion and expresses the pious desire to live under the banner of Islam, is labelled a fundamentalist or extremist. Any Muslim man who walks down a busy street in London or Paris (and Paris moreso) with a beard and a scarf on his head, is looked upon as being a terrorist who’s probably got an AK47 stashed somewhere on his person. Muslim women who are veiled can’t go anywhere in the Western world without being taunted as being oppressed or being mad (for covering up). However, are such beliefs and opinions about Islam really justified?

The Reality of Hijaab, The Muslim Woman’s Dress

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 29, 2014October 22, 2026

[Article taken from ‘Invitation to Islam’ newsletter, September 1997]

Amidst the hustle and bustle of a teeming metropolis, a solitary figure traverses. She moves steadily in her black garment which shields her against the tyranny of this life. Whilst others around her rush frantically, she move with tranquillity and ease. The peace which she achieves beneath this veil of hers, is immense. It is a liberation beyond measure. Is this a princess of royal blood? No. Is she a head of state? No. So who is this woman of serenity? This is a woman of Hijaab. A woman amongst many women. A Muslim Woman.

The site of a woman covering from top to bottom, is not so rare anymore in the major cities of the West. For many Westerners it represents the oppression which Islam imposes upon women. For Muslims however, it is the realisation that Islam will eventually reach every corner of this planet. This is not surprising, considering that Islam is the fastest growing religion on Earth. What is surprising, for Westerners, is that 7 out of 10 (70%) people who become Muslim are Women! It is these same women who then go on to willingly observe the Hijab without coercion or force. The women of Hijaab in the cities of London, Paris, New York etc, are not all immigrants who have just stepped off the boat, as many people think. Rather, many of them tend to be women of high intellect and education. Women who have experienced the bitterness of western oppression. Women of diverse nationalities and races, who are brought together as one, under the banner of Islam.

A History of Hajj

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 23, 2014October 22, 2026

A History of Hajj (Pilgrimage)
Invitation to Islam Newsletter, Issue 1, May 1997

Hajj literally means ‘to set out for a place‘. Islamically however it refers to the annual pilgrimage that Muslims make to Makkah with the intention of performing certain religious rites in accordance with the method prescribed by the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa Sallam).

Hajj and its rites were first ordained by Allaah in the time of the Prophet lbraaheem [Abraham] (alayhis-salaam) and he was the one who was entrusted by Allaah to build the Ka’ba – the House of Allaah – along with his son Ismaa’eel [Ishmael] at Makkah. Allaah described the Ka’ba and its building as follows:

“And remember when We showed Ibraaheem the site of the [Sacred] House [saying]: Associate not anything [in worship] with Me and purify My House for those who circumambulate it [i.e. perform tawaaf] and those who stand up for prayer and those who bow down and make prostration [in prayer etc.].” [Surah Al-Hajj 22:26]

After building the Ka’ba, Ibraaheem (alayhis-salaam) would come to Makkah to perform Hajj every year, and after his death, this practice was continued by his son. However, gradually with the passage of time, both the form and the goal of the Hajj rites were changed. As idolatry spread throughout Arabia , the Ka’ba lost its purity and idols were placed inside it. Its walls became covered with poems and paintings, including one of Jesus and his mother Maryam and eventually over 360 idols came to be placed around the Ka’ba.

What can be done on behalf of the deceased (dead) – ‘Invitation to Islam’ Newsletter

by AbdurRahman.orgJanuary 16, 2014October 22, 2026

From the ‘Invitation to Islam’ Newsletter, Issue 5, October 1998

The scholars differed as to whether it is permissible to give reward to the dead and whether that reaches them.

There are two views:
1 – That any righteous deed may be given to the dead and that (the reward) reaches them – such as reading Qur’aan, fasting, praying and other acts of worship.

2 – That no righteous deed reaches the dead except those for which there is evidence that it reaches them. This is the more correct view. The evidence for that is the verse in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And that man can have nothing but what he does” [al-Najm 53:39]

And the Prophet sallallaahu alaihi wa sallam said: “When a man dies all his good deeds come to an end except three: ongoing charity (sadaqah jaariyah), beneficial knowledge and a righteous son who will pray for him.” Narrated by Muslim, 1631, from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him).

What they say about Islam, the Qur’an and Muhammad

by AbdurRahman.orgMay 29, 2011October 22, 2026

What they say about Islam, the Qur’an and Muhammad
Source: Invitation to Islam Newsletter

“Islam is the fastest-growing religion in America, a guide and pillar of stability for many of our people…” HILLARY CLINTON, Los Angeles Times, May 31, 1996, p.3

Already more than a billion-people strong, Islam is the world’s fastest-growing religion. ABCNEWS, Abcnews.com

“Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the country.” NEWSDAY, March 7, 1989, p.4

“Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the United States…” NEW YORK TIMES, Feb 21, 1989, p.1

“Moslems are the world’s fastest-growing group…” USA TODAY, The population referance bureau, Feb. 17, 1989, p.4A

“Muhammed is the most successful of all Prophets and religious personalities. ” Encyclopedia Britannica

“There are more Muslims in North America then Jews Now.” Dan Rathers, ABCNEWS

“Islam is the fastest growing religion in North America.” TIMES MAGAZINE

“Islam continues to grow in America, and no one can doubt that!” CNN, December 15, 1995

“The religion of Islam is growing faster than any other religion in the world.” MIKE WALLACE, 60 MINUTES

“Five to 6 million strong, Muslims in America already outnumber Presbyterians, Episcopalians, and Mormons, and they are more numerous than Quakers, Unitarians, Seventh-day Adventists, Mennonites, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Christian Scientists, combined. Many demographers say Islam has overtaken Judaism as the country’s second-most commonly practiced religion; others say it is in the passing lane.” JOHAN BLANK, USNEWS (7/20/98)

A Mercy to all Mankind – Invitation to Islam Newsletter

by AbdurRahman.orgMay 29, 2011October 22, 2026

A Mercy to all Mankind
Source: Invitation to Islam Newsletter
Published: May 1997 Invitation to Islam Newsletter

With leadership and conquest comes fame but fame did not affect this man whose only aim was to establish the religion of Allah on earth. His position as a Messenger of Allah was not exaggerated. His insistence on being a mere mortal like others was firm. And his desire to single out Allah alone for worship was stressed wholeheartedly.

“And We have not sent you except as a mercy to mankind” (Al-Anbiyah, The Prophets 21:107)

The year is 570 CE, five years after the death of the Roman Emperor Justinian. An army of men, horses and elephants ruthlessly march towards the city of Makkah, intending to wipe it out of existence. This is the army of the Abysinnian warlord Abraha, who after conquering Yemen is now advancing towards the sacred city of Makkah. One of the notables of Makkah, Abdul-Muttalib, has ordered all the women and children to go up into the mountains and take refuge there whilst the men go and fight. However, the men of Makkah are of no match to the deadly Abysinnian lancers who soon crush their resistance on the borders of the city.

“Animal Tragic” – Islam And The Treatment Of Animals

by AbdurRahman.orgMay 29, 2011October 22, 2026

One of the criticisms leveled at Islam by demented animal rights activists, is that it encourages the wide scale slaughter of animals. Every year after the annual Hajj (pilgrimage) Muslims worldwide sacrifice an animal for the pleasure of Allaah. Not only is this a religious duty benefiting the doer, but it also helps many starving people around the world, to whom the meat is sent to. This however, is blurred from the minds of the insane.

“Animal Tragic” – Islam And The Treatment Of Animals
Source: Invitation To Islam Newsletter, vol.1 issue.6, July 1999

Chained up bears in Russian circuses. A terrified fox running from the blood hounds. The Spanish bull being tormented in the arena with darts and knives. Elephant graveyards littered across India and Africa, courtesy of ivory hunters. Thousands of rare animals vanishing due to the deforestation of Central and Southern America. All these are examples of the tragic state of the creatures which live alongside us on this planet.

Do you know this Book? – ‘Invitation to Islam’ Newsletter

by AbdurRahman.orgMay 28, 2011October 22, 2026

Do you know this Book?
[From the ‘Invitation to Islam’ Newsletter, Issue 2, July 1997]

Of all the acclaimed masterpieces that the world has seen, nothing can be compared to the book known as the Qur’an. Millions have become Muslims upon simply hearing a verse from this amazing book, yet still the majority knows nothing of it. The Qur’an is the Final Revelation from the Creator to humanity. It was revealed in the year 610 CE to the Prophet Muhammed (Peace be upon him), and completed over a period of 23 years. These 23 years of revelation resulted in a book which comprised of 114 chapters and 6,666 verses. All of this was to become the primary source of law for the whole of mankind to live and die by.

The impact of this book is such that Allah says :

“Had We[1] revealed this Qur’an upon a mountain, surely you would have seen it humble itself and crumble out of the fear of Allah. Such are the parables We put forward to mankind so that they may reflect” (Surah Al-Hashr 59:21)

However, it seems as if the hearts of the people have become harder then the mountains which tower above us. When the Qur’an is recited or even mentioned, people turn away with disgust. In the West, this is primarily due to the negative exposure from the media. It has resulted in many non-Muslims not even wanting to hear the name of this amazing book. Muslims too, have become hardhearted because of the cultural influences of the West. Many young Muslims perceive the Qur’an to be nothing more then an old wrapped up book, which comes off the highest shelf once a year during Ramadan!

If people were to truly reflect upon this book, they would realise that nothing in this world is quite the same. So why should this claim be accepted over others? Why should the Qur’an be given precedence over the likes of the Bible, the Gita[2] or the Granth Sahib[3] ? The following reasons will inshallah give an indication as to why this book deserves the attention of all humanity.