CHAPTER 1
THE NABIS
AND THE MIGHTY ANCIENT EMPIRES
MUHAMMADI MADRASAH
Secondary 1 Term 1 Age 12-13
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Name of Pupil __________________
INTRODUCTION
Prophets are the driving force of history. This is the message in the Quran! But sadly this message is often lost in the ‘christmas style’ magic stories of Prophets that children are familiar with. In this book we go back to the Quranic style to bring to children the idea of Prophets as the driving forces of history.
Hence we take a thematic approach and ask children to do research in to stories so that meaning and relevance is added to the stories. Teachers are reminded that it is not details but the concepts that are important to learn. The second stage is to bring the concepts in to the daily lives of students.
All the best Abid Bata
LESSON PLANNER & CONTENT
|WEEK |Lesson Title |Main Concept |
|1 |Rise OF the ANCIENT EMPIRES |Empire rely on “Might is Right” |
| | |Mission of Prophets is universal |
|2 |How Emperors Control the People |How the kings controlled all |
| | |The Prophet came to FREE all |
|3. |FIGHTING SUPERSTITIONS |Superstitions go too far |
| | |How the Prophets fought superstitions |
|4. |High Living Low Thinking |Low Desires lead to problems |
| | |Meaning of true freedom |
|5. |Mesopotamia & Beyond |The value of Writing |
| | |The Rights for All in history |
|6. |The Pretence |How bad ideas are protected |
| | |Prophets struggled against ideas |
|7. |Journey of Ibrahim |The meaning of the spiritual journey |
| | |Safe Areas for Oppressed |
|8. |Rise & Fall of Empires |Empires do not change due to low desires |
| | |Value of Amr bil Maruf |
|9. |The Land of Egypt |Meaning of Patience |
| | |Lesson from Yusuf |
|10. |The Slaves of Bani Israel |Bad habits make slaves |
| | |All people can be slaves of low desires |
|11. |The Family of Imran |1.Scholars Betray all |
| | |2. Mercy Always come from Allah |
|12. |The Final Prophet |The message is for the world |
| | |We have our struggles today |
TIME LINE
1.4 THE NABIS COME TO THE EMPIRES
God sent NABIS (PROPHETS) to all the empires of the past. Their job was to guide the people. Altogether 124,000 Nabis came. They motto was:
“Might is not Right when Justice is out of Sight!”
1.4 THE EMPEROR’S GRIPPING CONTROL
How did a chief or an emperor make the people obey him? This is a good question if you too are dreaming of becoming a future emperor of the world! Well you must do three things:
Here are emperors of the past who had all these things on their side
1
What do you believe?
“MIGHT IS RIGHT WHEN YOU USE IT TO BULLY OTHERS”
OR
“MIGHT IS ONLY RIGHT WHEN YOU USE IT TO BRINGS JUSTICE FOR ALL”
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Now do these tasks!
B. i. Make a small poster that shows the changes that came from the time of the Cave till the Mighty Empires
ii. Mighty empires of the past are called ANCIENT EMPIRES. Find out the names of some of the Ancient Empires that existed around the world and include them in your poster.
iii. Get some pictures of buildings built by the Ancient Empires and stick them on your poster.
C. Explain why the mission of the Nabis was so difficult for the emperors to accept.
D. A person says: “Nabis came in the past! They are useless for us today!” What things can you tell the person to prove that mission of the Nabis is also useful today?
E. 2. Read up the following passage of the Qur'an about travel and archaeology - Chapter 27 Verse 69.
Write down the verse and explain in your own words what it means for us today!
2.2. TOTAL CONTROL THROUGH SUPERSITIONS
The people of the past feared to listen to the Nabis. In fact they were totally chicken when it came to listening to the Nabis!
One of the reasons they feared to listen was because they were very superstitious. They believe in silly things like these:
1. If you listen to anything that stops you from worshipping the emperor then you will get worms in your ears.
2. If you repeat what the Nabis say then your tongue will turn green.
3. If you see a Nabi then throw stones at him or spit at him or else your children will go blind.
2.3 TOTAL CONTORL THROUGH IDOL WORSHIP
The emperor chose holy men to help him get total control. Those holy men who did not help him were murdered. The holy men he favoured were good at making up all sorts of stories of magic and superstitions. They used their stories to make the people worship the emperors. The emperors and the holy men, therefore, had a close connection.
The holy men also made idols of the emperors and their ancestors. They made the people worship the idols so that the people would be totally loyal to the emperors even after the emperors died.
2.4 TO CHANGE THE MIGHTY EMPIRES
The Nabis came at the time when the big mighty empires ruled. In each one the people worshipped their emperors and the idols. When the last Nabi Muhammad came then the end of the mighty idolatry empires had come. Here is a list of Nabis and empires of their days.
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All the Nabis came in different lands and in different times. Here is a rough estimation of when the Nabis came
Nabi Nuh 25-10,000 years ago
Nabi Salih 10 - 6,000 years ago
Nabi Ibrahim 5- -4,000 years ago
Nabi Musa 4 – 3,000 years ago
Nabi Daud 3 – 2,000 years ago
Nabi Isa 2,000 years ago
Nabi Muhammad 1,400 years ago
TO THINK IS THE FIRST THING
Each Nabi’s mission was to stop the people from worshipping the emperors and his idols. Only after the people had become free of worshipping their emperors and the idols would they begin to think about who had created them and for what purpose.
To free the people the Nabi Ibrahim went to the temple and broke the idols himself while the Nabi Muhammad changed the people so much that they broke the idols by their own hands. To get the people to break their own idols is a very great achievement of the Nabi Muhammad.
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B. Answer these Questions
1. What three things gave total power to the emperors? 2. What did the idols represent? 3. In what big empires did the people worship their emperors? 4. What kind of superstitions did the people have that helped the emperors to get total control? 5. Which Nabi came at the time of the empire of Mesopotamia? 6. What did the Nabi Muhammad do with the idols? 7. What did the Nabis say about races and castes?
C. Draw a table to show the major Nabis and the big empires they came to?
D. In what way where the emperors of the past more powerful than the kings of today?
E. Do you think that today we would still be worshipping emperors if the Nabis had not come? Give one argument to prove your answer!
F. Pick one thing from the list of things the Nabis taught and write down if you think it is an important thing for today.
F. Find out more about the idolatry and how empires of the past used it to control the people. Then write a summary of your findings.
3.2 THE SUPERIOR SYSTEM
The whole system was wrong because nobody was really happy. The rich had money but the king could take away their wives and could take away their money at any time. The king was unhappy because he was afraid of losing power to his relative who were all fighting each other to get the power. And the poor were unhappy because they were too poor!
But nobody could change the systems except the Nabis. But to change anything the emperors first had to lose their powers. And so the emperors did not want to change the system even though they were unhappy themselves with it.
IT WAS INDEED A SAD WORLD!
3.3 THE NABI NOAH (NUH)
Whom do you think the Nabis went to first in order to challenge the system?
Nabi Nuh went to the rich first. He made them see that money was not everything. He said: “You have began to worship the king because of your desire for wealth and you have become slaves to lavish parties and expensive items.”
But the rich said to Nuh: “If you want us to accept you then get rid of the poor who are near to you.”
Nuh said: “I cannot follow your desires because my mission is to be fair to all. God would not forgive me if I followed your desires and became unfair to the poor!”
The rich said: “We would rather be with the emperor than with the poor. We do not mind if the emperor takes away our daughters for we will have more daughters. But if the emperor marries our daughters then we will have a chance to belong to the family of emperors. We will then become great!”
Nuh called the poor and said: “Do not long for wealth for it will create greed in your hearts.” But the poor people turned against him. They said: “We will worship our emperor because our holy men tell us that the more we worship the emperor the more chance we have of becoming rich in the next life!”
Finally Nuh was commanded by God to build an ark to save all the good people who thought about what Nuh was saying. These people did not long for wealth nor were they slaves of lavish parties and expensive items. They came aboard the ark of Nuh. The ark became the symbols of happiness. It was a symbol of God’s help for those who do not worship wealth and who are not slaves to a life of comfort, parties and pomposities. This ark was called the Ark of Salvation or the Ark of Safety.
What kind of people came aboard the Ark of Salvation?
They also liked to be proud and superior. Soon they fought for wealth and position. They rushed to places where they could party and watch each other. They liked shinning in parties and when they got home they backstabbed and criticized others. They burnt with jealousy on the inside but they pretended to be happy on the outside. They too began to worship their idols of greed. But they too got destroyed.
3.5 DO YOU KNOW THE MEANING OF LOW DESIRES
We all have desires but low desires are those desires which spoil our faith in God. Here are some examples:
People have low desires:
1. To be seen to be better than others
2. To do things that are wrong
3. To have endless comfort in life
4. To see others fall
5. To find fault in others
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B. Questions to Answer
1. What thing must you remember when you stand for prayer? 2. Which people felt superior because of their golden valleys? 3. What did the emperors do that made the rich fear them? 4. Under what condition did the rich offer to follow Nuh? 5. What did the ark become symbol of? 6. Which Nabis were mocked? 7. Who felt superior but had a backward following in Iran?
C. Why were the people who went to the king’s parties not happy on the inside? D. D. Create a poster of a man chains up with low desires. On it write how he or she could be freed.
E. Write down some low desires that you think affect people of today. Then write down your understanding of how prayers help us against low desires.
4.1 THE COMING OF WRITING
It was in the great Ancient empire of Mesopotamia where writing is thought to have first developed. The story is that the Nabis came with the idea that their message should be recorded on stone. Soon the idea of writing spread across the world.
The writing in Mesopotamia was different from the cave painting because it used symbols. The people learnt to write with sharp bones on clay blocks. The writing used straight lines and if somebody drew three lines than it meant water.
Many Muslim books say that it was a Nabi called Idris who gave us the idea of writing. He lived before Mesopotamia and he used symbols to write. History tells us that the idea of writing was developed to a high degree by the Ancient empires of
FACT FILE
1. In the past there were specially chosen castes of people who learnt to read and write. They were called SCRIBES.
2. The scribes were well respected and they earned a lot of money for writing things the rich wanted.
3. But in many Ancient Empires only the rich boys were allowed to become scribes. Women, the poor and slaves were not allowed.
4. But the Nabi Muhammad made his mosque in to a school for women, the poor and the slaves to learn to read and write.
4.3 SAEEFA E IBRAHIM
The guidance Ibrahim gave was recorded on clay blocks. This guidance was called Saeefa E Ibrahim. Some people say the guidance is also called Safena e Ibrahim which means the ‘Ark of Ibrahim’ because it is symbolic of saving people from being drowned in the sea of errors.
The Saeefa of Ibrahim said three things. Can you see what they were?
The Saeefa e Ibrahim also mentioned the names of other Nabis like Idris, Nuh and Adam. It told the people the story of the flood of Nuh.
The saeefa also said that people learning is for all people, rich or poor.
What do you think the scribes must have done to the clay stones on which Ibrahim wrote his Saeefa?
Why do you think the poor and the women could not know what Ibrahim was teaching?
In the Qur’an is it is written that Ibrahim said:
"The people who believe in TRUTH
and do not confuse their beliefs
with falsehood are the people
who are secure and no fear of superstitions
will affect them, for they are
rightly guided."
5.6 HAMURABI
Hamurabi was a ruler of Mesopotamia who came many years after Nabi Ibrahim. He wrote laws to give ‘right’ to the people. His ideas to make laws to give rights to the people could have been connected to Saeefa E Ibrahim. History is full of connections like. To study history we need to understand the connection from one event to another and from one era or another
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Questions to answer
1. What were the people who could read and write called? 2. Why did the Nabis want to bring reading and writing to all people and not just the rich? 3. Which Nabi made his mosque in to a school? 4. Who was Ibrahim’s first wife? 5. Where did Ibrahim go after Mesopotamia? 6. Which is a special place there? 7. How did the art of writing change the world?
C. How was the forgiveness of Adam and Hawwa challenging the ideas of idolatry?
D. Draw a clay block and in it write down what you think was written as part of Saeef e Ibrahim
E. Give one example of how history is connected from one event to another.
F. Research some facts about Mesopotamia and make a list of the facts.
6.1 CHANGING THE TRUTH
This is the lesson we learn from Adam and Hawwa. But the emperors of the past were so proud that no matter how many bad things they did, they never sought forgiveness. Rather like thieves and bully boys who always justify the evil things they do!
The emperors of the past used their scribes and holy men to change things so that their bad deeds looked like good deeds. In a way they were trying to twist the whole system and confuse the people.
FACT
In today’s world there are people who believe that their countries, their cultures and their leaders are always right no matter what. So they find an excuse for killing people, robbing them and taking away their lands.
This has happened because many educated people only get educated to make money and to become slaves of their countries. They do anything to make their country rich and strong.
But the Nabis taught us that education cannot be misused to create injustices. One injustice is that poor people are not given proper education.
ABEL AND CABEL
We learn similar lesson from the story of Abel and Cabel. Do you know who they were?
Abel was the good son of Adam who loved God with this heart. So when he prayed he did so with love. He was also very good looking and very clever. God had indeed blessed him. But Cabel was full of low desires. He burnt with jealousy and he refused to see that he was wrong to be jealous of Abel. Soon his jealousy turned in to hate. Such was his hate that he killed Abel. Even then he never sought forgiveness. Instead he tried to hide his bad deeds and pretended that everything was okay. He was the first to pretend that bad deeds have no effect on life.
Another story is of the son and wife of Nabi Nuh. They both were proud of their good looks. They too did not see how wrong they were to be proud and to look down on others. But soon their souls drowned in their pride and then their bodies too drowned in the floods that came.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IT MEANS TO SAY: THEIR SOULS DROWNED IN THEIR PRIDE?
6.2 NABI LUT
At the time of Nabi Ibrahim there was another Nabi called Lut who lived in a place called Sodom. This city was full of criminals who waited on the roads to hijack travelers and demand money from them. These terrorists thought they were macho gangster. They wanted to be the roughest and toughest people. It was said that even satan was ashamed of their evil deeds!
It is interesting about the children and teenagers of Sodom. They copied the habits of their elders. They learnt to do bad but then pretend that it was not bad. They bullied, lied, stole and swore. They roamed around with their gangs to look for fights. They took drugs and urinated on the streets. Then they laughed and pretended that what they did was okay. Do you think teenagers of today would ever behave like this!
It was the elders who were truly bad because they glorified their evils. So instead of feeling sorry for their victims they felt proud that they were able to do bad things to others. Even if they killed babies of other people they felt good. And if anybody argued with them then they would mock them and even attack them.
They had become completely twisted in their thinking and instead of men and women marrying each other it was the men who married men and women who married women. These people turned around everything. If anybody tried to make them see sense then they would get angry and start a fight. Then in their temples they would say: “Our idols have permitted us all these! No body can deny us what our idols have permitted us.”
Nabi Lut tried to talk to them! Imagine what they must have done to him! They just attacked him like hungry dogs attacking a piece of meat. They would attack him and then say: "You should be grateful that we are a merciful people that we do not kill you. This is our city and you are a foreigner. Stop your preaching or get out!"
Lut said: “But I wish you no harm. What I am saying is for your own good!"
The people would not hear any of it and finally God destroyed their city. Lut's traitor wife also died in the city. She had married Lut but she looked longingly at the people of wealth She looked at their outer happiness and wanted to be like them. Her mind and heart was always with them. Finally she was punished with the people she wished to be with. Her story tells us that we should not long to be with those who ignore the truth about the important things in life.
6.3 DOUBLE EVIL
Double evil means to do wrong and then to say that it is right!
Here are pictures to show some of the things that emperors have done wrong. But the emperors and their holy men tried to tell their people that it was good to do these bad things. They also tried to hide the bad things they did and pretended that nothing was wrong. So they did the Double Evil – first they did bad and then they pretended that it was good!
Picture 1
This is Chinese Torture. Even when the NABIS came and said that injustice, burning and torturing people is bad the emperors refused to listen. They said: “This is good! We are doing this for our country.”
Picture 2
This shows how people were divided in to castes and how the ‘low castes’ were forced by the holy men to obey and submit to the high castes. When the Nabis said to the holy men to be good the holy men said: “Good means to obey the king!” And then they taught the poor to be lowly slaves to the king if they wanted to be blessed.
Picture 3
This shows how slaves were used by emperors to fight wild animals. The emperors watched this for entertainment. When the Nabis said this was wrong they said: “It is only fun!”
Picture 4
Here is a mob about to burn their neighbours to death. This is not happening in the days of the Nabis but in the modern days. Even today people will do bad things in the name of their country or religion and then pretend that their bad things are good things.
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Copy and complete the missing words
You should never be too proud to admit your (1). Adam and Hawwa admitted their mistakes and so were (2). But if you do not admit your mistakes then it becomes part of a (3). The system then will go up and down like a (4) until it finally (5) everything. When people do wrong and then make excuses for it then they are doing (6) evil.
B. Listing Tasks
1. List down all the bad things Cabil did
2. List down the people who were in the family of the Nabis but who betrayed the mission
3. List down things that were acceptable in the system but that were evil thing (eg caste system)
C. Questions to answer
1. What one fact shows that the people of Lut had gone too far in their evil?
2. What did they say to Lut when he tried to guide them?
3. What did Lut say when they abused him?
D. Read the following and then do the activity at the end.
THE ROLLER COASTER OF HISTORY
The Holy Qur’an gives us deep understanding of how evil systems go down, up and down, like a Roller Coaster out of control.
Starting the Ride
First the evil doers spread the idea that bad things are good.
Going Down
Then God sends hardships on them as a warning.
Going Up
If the people don’t change their ways then God abandons them. So they begin to think they will always be able to do bad things.
Break Up
Then suddenly everything breaks up and the system is destroyed from the inside.
Give an example of one empire or society you have studied to show how it starts doing evil things and then if it does not change it ends up getting destroyed by it’s own evil.
LESSON 7
THE JOURNEYS OF IBRAHIM
7.1 FROM MESOPOTAMIA TO CANAAN
Ibrahim and Sarah went to Canaan from Mesopotamia. On their journey they passed many places and at each place they told the people not to follow their low desires and not to worship their emperors or idols. They also said that superstitions make people ‘low thinking.’ These ideas made people think and soon the name of Ibrahim spread far and wide.
But Ibrahim and Sarah did not have any children. So what do you think the superstitious people and the holy men must have said?
Many years later Ibrahim’s prayers were answered when Hajra became his second wife and gave birth to a son called Ismail. Soon afterwards even Sarah had a son called Isaac. Ibrahim said: “I have two wives and two sons. I did not lose my hope in God. Those who lose hope in God are an impatient people! ”
After Ismail was born the people of Canaan became hateful of Hajra. This is because Hajra was from Africa and the proud tribes of Canaan did not like that Ibrahim should have a son from an African woman. They rejected the boy! Ibrahim was shocked because he had trusted the people of Canaan not to be so superior minded. But God had a plan for history through Hajra and her son. God commanded that Ibrahim should take Hajra and the baby to a safe place.
Ibrahim then journeyed again, but this time with Harja and baby Ismail. They went through many lands and passed Mesopotamia. Finally they reached a place which was called Becca. Here Ibrahim left Hajra and the baby, and parted with then with a sad heart. But years later he returned! He did not forget Hajra and Ismail whom he loved just as he loved Sarah and Isaac. In Becca he built the Kaaba. This place was then given the name Mecca, or Makkah!
7.2 THE HISTORICAL JOURNEY
Did you notice that Ibrahim made the following journeys:
1. From Mesopotamia to Canaan
2. From Canaan back to Mesopotamia and then to Mecca.
3. From Mecca to Canaan
4. From Canaan to Mecca
5. From Mecca to Canaan.
The journeys of Ibrahim are very important in history because he journeyed through the mighty empires of the time. He passed through the warring nations of Mesopotamia and other empires of the time. But he did not get involved in any of the wars. He knew that his mission was more important than the conquest for lands and power. Wherever he went the ordinary people followed him and they liked what he was teaching. His name was very famous throughout the empires and his journeys is symbolized by Hajj. Can you think how this is the case?
7.3 THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
When Ibrahim did not have any children he did not lose hope in God. He knew that the reason that he did not have children was because of God’s plan. He knew that if he had children earlier in life then the emperors could have murdered them or something else could have happened.
The hope & trust of Ibrahim was never broken in God. Then the time came when his sons were born. This was the time for happiness. But Ibrahim did not get proud in his happiness. He had made his spiritual journey from hope to happiness without becoming miserable or proud. This is the HH journey of a good person (Hope to Happiness).
“When you want something desperately then put your
Hope & Trust in God’s plan.
This is the meaning of Patience.”
But the emperors of the past were a miserable bunch! If they did not have something then they complained and looked sad as though they had nothing. They went to their friends and their holy men crying: “O I am so unlucky. I am king and I do not a hundred sons!” They did many bad things to get what they wanted. They believed in getting things by hook or crook! They even got angry with the idols and with their holy men. They hated everything and never found peace until they got what they wanted.
7.4 PLACES OF SECURITY
Nabi Ibrahim had seen the evils in the world and he knew that people around the world will always face hardship because of the injustice of the emperors. Remember the emperor had also tried to burn him! So Ibrahim thought that Mecca was the right place to give all people a safe place to escape to. He said all people are welcome in Mecca no matter what empire they belong to or what tribe they belong to. So when he built the Kaaba he prayed to God thus:
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"O Lord make this place a place for security and provide the oppressed with sustenance from here."
This prayer of Ibrahim is in the Qur’an. It shows how Nabis of God were trying to bring safety and security for all the people of the world.
7.5 SAFE PLACES AROUND THE WORLD
It is possible that when Nabis came to other parts of the world they designated some places as safe places for the oppressed. So there must have been places in Africa, Europe, India, China, America and even Australia where safe places existed. It is possible that these places were later turned in to temples of idols. Even the Kaaba had idols placed in them after Ibrahim passed away until the final Nabi Muhammad had them removed.
Do you think the idea of having safe places in the world is a good idea for the modern world?
7.6 THE STRUCTURE OF THE KAABA
Have you ever asked why the Kaaba is a square building? Well one reason could be that each wall of the Kaaba represents one corner of the world! So the four sides of the Kaaba represent the four corners of the world!
So when people walk round the Kaaba they have to declare themselves as one people, not divided by caste, tribe, nations or race! All Nabis taught that without removing hate against people of other races or caste or status we will never be able to please Allah. This teaching of the Nabi was hated by the evil emperors and their holy men who wanted people to fight each other on their behalf.
7.7 FOOTSTEPS OF HAJRA
Ibrahim was a famous man in his time and his love for Hajra, an African woman, must have been the talk of town! So in the lands where Ibrahim traveled to the name of Hajra must have been a very challenging name. Ibrahim also honored Hajra by building the Kaaba where she lived. He also named the Hajj after her and told the people that if anybody is being racist towards them then they have to remember the strength and the faith of Hajra.
Ibrahim called Hajra a Queen of faith. This is how we have to remember her! Even her footsteps have been chosen for us to follow during Hajj. No woman in history has had the status of Hajra because millions of people every year go to Hajj till today and follow in her footsteps. By giving her such a status Ibrahim had recognized a woman as well as a mother. This is historic because in every culture in the world the women have been manipulated for they give sacrifices for their children.
When Hajra passed away it is thought that Ibrahim buried her near the Kaaba. This was a fitting tribute to Hajra. Ibrahim was very saddened by Hajra’s death. He loved her dearly and he cried all his life for her. He traveled back to Canaan and there he lived with Sarah and Ishak until the end. He was buried in Al Khalil which is today called Hebron. The place is today a site of a famous mosque where both Jews and Muslims come to pray. Meanwhile Ismael lived in Mecca and when he died he is said to be buried near his mother, Hajra.
7.8 INTERESTING FACT
It is interesting that while the Might of Mesopotamia and all it’s learning and art could not save it from destruction the mission of Nabi Ibrahim became stronger. Until today we make the Hajj that Ibrahim taught. Is it not amazing how the message of the Nabis will keep giving goodness to the world in all ages to come!
ϑ ϑ ϑ TASKS TO DO ϑ ϑ ϑ
Test your friends to see if they can verbally complete the missing words
1. Superstitions make people (1) thinking.
2. Those who lose hope in God are (2) people
3. HH factor is for (3)
4. The four walls of the Kaaba represent the four (4) of the world
Questions to answer
1. What could have happened if Ibrahim had his children before he became old?
2. What should you not do if you do not have the things you want?
3. What should you do when you do have the things you want?
4. Whom did Ibrahim love more – Hajra or Sarah?
5. Why did Ibrahim take Hajra away from Canaan?
6. What was Ibrahim’s prayer when he completed the Kaaba?
7. What is the difference between the mission of Nabis and the empire builders?
LIST
1. The number of things Ibrahim did that became a tribute to Hajra
2. List down the rites of Hajj and explain what they signify (eg the walking around the Kaaba means we are all one!)
Discussions
Discuss with class friends the following:
1. What kind of places should have safe places and what things should they have to give safety for the oppressed?
2. Should Mecca become a safe city for non-Muslims?
3. What other places could the Nabis have made safe but which have been lost to us (think of some Ancient sites!)
Draw
Design a poster and do a theme of the Kaaba and how it ‘s land is security for all.
Research
In to this website on ancient empires and see what you can find about the empire of Mesopotamia and how it ran in to ruins!
LESSON 8
RISE AND FALL OF EMPIRES
8.1 THE GREAT SCRUPTURES
We have learnt about the past empires from archeological studies. Many of these studies are based on the artifacts that have been found and kept in museums across the world.
What has been learnt is that the first Mesopotamian empire was called UR! Yes just UR! When it crumbled it was taken over by the Babylonians who too were greedy for power. They did not care much about justice. They too got preoccupied in building large buildings at any cost (by hook or crook!) and they took human slaves to do the work for them.
Like the empire of Ur the people of Babylon measure success in buildings and power and not in justice. The Babylonians too were pulled by their low desires for power and pleasure. It was as though one empire that worshipped stone buildings was replaced by another one. In history you will always find that if nobody stands up for justice then one greedy people will be replaced by other ones.
One of the kings of Babylon became so proud of all his buildings and power that he began to think of himself as god. He would say: "I do not care about God of the Nabis or about heaven because I will create my own heaven on the earth."
The king was overcome with such pride that he thought that he was the best. People who think they are the best are called HAUGHTY in the holy Qur’an. They walk and talk with pride and they see everybody lower than them. Their haughtiness makes them not see that God can easily destroy them.
The king had everything but still kept his slaves in a miserable state! The Nabis who came to Babylon told the king that pride had made him cruel hearted towards the slaves. But the Nabis were all murdered.
The king then built palaces and gardens that became legendary and some people call them the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. But when the gardens were finished and the king tried to enter into one of it's most beautiful gates his life ended and he dropped down dead.
The holy Qur’an says that bad things will always end in misery. In every nation of the world today the people who do bad to get power, position and pleasure always cause misery for the rest. They create a system based on gathering wealth for themselves. They keep the poor in a miserable state. Yet today the times are confusing because the people who do it today often pretend to follow the Nabis of God! They are doing Double Evil, aren’t they?
8.2 SOCIETY & THE QUR’AN
In the Qur’an it is said that people should do AMR BIL MARUF which means that they should encourage people to do good. It means that if you want to follow the Nabi’s mission that you should stand up for the right of others even if the people who are doing bad things are claiming to be Muslims.
The Qur’an says that those people who do not do Amr Bil Maruf have OMMITED A GREAT THING! The Qur’an says that such people are far away from God and will be destroyed just as the mighty empires of the past were destroyed. So never just look after yourself but also think of doing good for others!
8.3 COMPARE THE EMPIRES
The People of Ur were murdered by the Babylonians. But the system of evil continued also in Babylon. They too did evil and slaughtered their Nabis. Then they too prided themselves by looking at their buildings and their knowledge to kill and bully. They pretended that everything was okay. Their holy men and intellectuals blinded them from recognizing their faults. Their was nobody who told them to do good deeds. Their was a great omission in their way of life!
Here is a comparison between the empire builders and the work of the Nabis
|Mesopotamia |Babylon |Nabis |
|“We will never be destroyed because we |“But you made a mess of Mesopotamia! Now |Might is not right without justice. It is justice that |
|are Mightyl.” |we too want Might to build an empire!” |builds lasting empires. |
|“We like to follow our low desires to |“We too like these things. Our low desires|If you follow your low desires then you will become |
|show off, to have harram fun and to mock|make life fun!” |slaves of them. Then you will destroy your own |
|others.” | |happiness and even go against your own families. |
|“We believe that the rich have the right|“We are the same” |There should be people in every society who have the |
|to oppress the poor and the strong have | |courage to do AMR BIL MARUF so that even the rich and |
|the right to oppress the weak.” | |powerful are shown how to do justice. |
|“We love our idols and superstitions. |“No we love our idols more. They tell us |Idols are just a way to make you inferior than stones. |
|They are past of our culture.” |we are special. We will also sacrifice |You have to learn to respect yourselves and never bow |
| |more babies to our idols than you do. |to anything but your true creator – God! |
|“Only our empire is special and holy.” |“No it is our empire which is holy” |The only holy places are those chosen by God for all |
| | |people of the world. |
8.4 IT ALL STARTS IN THE FAMILY
The Nabis told us that injustice can exist anywhere, even in a family where some people are unfair and unkind to others. If nobody stands up to bring justice in the family then sooner or later that family will be unhappy, quarrelsome and soon be destroyed.
The Nabi Muhammad said that AMR BIL MARUF starts at home! What do you think this means?
Where does it all lead to if we do not have the courage to do Amr Bil Maruf among our family and friends?
8.5 THE NEW TYRANTS
Even though Babylon was a mighty & wealthy empire it too got destroyed. The new tyrants who took over Babylon were from a place called Assyria. They too were bully boys with large armies and plenty of slaves. The Assyrians took the lands of Babylon and oppressed the people. It was then that the people began to call to God to send them more Nabis. But it was too late! The Assyrians killed them and burnt what they could not take. The whole of Babylon was destroyed.
A Nabi called Zulkifle was sent to Assyria. He had two shinning qualities. PATIENCE & COURAGE! He was not afraid to tell the truth and he patiently bore the difficulties that were placed on him. But he too was murdered by the Assyrian king. Another Nabi called Yunus came but he got so fed-up that he packed his bags and left the people!
When Yunus abandoned the people of Assyria they began to be more oppressed. The people began to realize their mistakes and began to stand up against the injustices. They learnt their lessons the hard way! One lesson we learn from this story is that when we get a chance to do something good then we should not delay doing it. Otherwise our difficulties will increase.
One of the kings who ruled Assyria is thought to be called Nebuchadnezzar. He killed many Nabis and even shot arrows into the sky to kill God. But soon Nabuchadnezzar died and his country too was destroyed by other nations. As Assyria was destroyed a new empire called Egypt was rising on the continent of Africa.
8.6 HISTORICAL FACT
Whenever one empires destroyed another in the quest for power and might they destroyed the buildings and monuments of the previous empires. But the Nabi Muhammad said that people should not destroy the ruins of the empires because they help us to learn about the past. So the Nabi Muhammad did the archeologist and the museums a very big favour!
ϑ ϑ ϑ TASKS TO DO ϑ ϑ ϑ
TRY TO DO THESE QUESTIONS WITH YOUR FRIENDS
1. What do you call people who are too proud of themselves and who think they are always right? 2. What was the first Mesopotamian empire called and which empire replaced it? 3. How did the empire of the past measure their success? 4. What did the Nabi say that made the emperor of Babylon murder them? 5. What happens to bad empires when nobody stands for justice? 6. What were the great gardens called of Babylon? 7. What was omitted by the people of the past that made things go from bad to worst? 8. What did the Nabis teach about holy lands? 9. What did the Nabi say that is a contribution to historical studies? 10. Which empire replaced Babylon?
1. Now answer all the above questions in your note book
2. Draw a table to show the similarities between the three empires of Mesopotamia, Babylon and Assyria!
| | | |
|Mesopotamia |Babylon |Assyria |
| | | |
| | | |
3. Prove this statement: “Ancient Empires had both good and bad point!”
4. Write down an essay to show how Amr Bil Maruf is important for us today!
5. In a modern fair society there should be pressure groups, protest groups, institutes and organizations that call people to act with justice. How is this similar to the mission of the Nabis?
6. Research the storied of Zul Kifl and of Yunus and write a short summary of their stories.
CHAPTER 9
THE LAND OF EGYPT
9.1 NABI YUSUF
After the fall of Assyria the Empires of Egypt became great. In those days the Nabi who brought the teachings of justice was Nabi Yusuf. He was among the first of the leaders of Ancient Egypt and through him the country became rich and peaceful. He lived many years after Ibrahim and is thought to be the grandson of Ishaak. His father Yakub lived in a place called Canaan which is also called Palestine.
| | |
|IBRAHIM |MESOPOTAMIA |
| | |
|LUT | |
| | |
|ISMAEL |MEECA |
| | |
|ISHAAK |PALESTINE |
| | |
|ZUL KIFEL |BABYLON |
| |& |
|YUNUS |ASSYRIA |
| | |
|YAKUB |PALESTINE |
| | |
|YUSUF |EGYPT |
Yusuf had eleven other brothers who were jealous of him except his brother Benjamin. His jealous brothers tried to kill him by throwing him into a well.
This shows that jealousy can even be present in blood relation of Nabis.
When people have low desires for things like power, pleasure or prestige then they will get jealous of others. The Nabi Muhammad had said: “Jealousy destroys your soul like fire destroys wood!”
9.2 THE KING OF EGYPT
By God's mercy Nabi Yusuf was rescued by some travelers. They saw how clever, strong and good looking Yusuf was and sold him for a large price in the market in Egypt. These traders were only worried about money and so they did not realise that the wisdom of Yusuf was far more valuable than all the money in the world. People who love money too much get blind to the value of wisdom. Yusuf had now become a slave and suffered for years. Yusuf worked as a slave for rich people and their misguided wives. Finally Yusuf was thrown into a prison for something he had not done. Yusuf suffered many injustices like this but he was patient and did not lose hope in God. Remember Ibrahim too never lost hope in God.
Yusuf said: “Patience means not to lose hope in God and not to do bad to those who do bad to you.”
9.3 EGYPT NEEDS YUSUF
Egypt was a rich country but it began to have difficulties. In times of difficulties the bad empires would become more cruel to the weak. This is because bad empires only care first about wealth gathering and not the people.
Bad Empires Become More UnFair to the POOR when the PROFITS for the RICH are reduced.
But before Egypt started to face difficulties the king began to see the same dream every night which worried him. He asked everybody what it meant but nobody could give him the answer except Yusuf. Yusuf told him exactly what the dream was and what it meant. The king was so astonished that he had Yusuf released from prision and made him in charge of the food production of Egypt.
Yusuf became a wise leader. He worked hard for the country such that food became so plentiful that people of other countries came to Egypt to buy it. Yusuf became popular and got a position near to the king.
With Yusuf the land of Egypt became peaceful. This is God’s reward for a leader who is fair, merciful and hardworking.
Under Yusuf’s guidance Egypt became rich and had plenty of food. Such was the rule of Yusuf that poor people had free food, the old were looked after and the slaves freed. It was said that Egypt was the land of Milk and Honey.
What Yusuf had done was to show the world how to rule a country and how to make it fair, peaceful and go forward. Egypt became the envy of the world and people began to migrate to it in search for happiness. Yusuf always welcomed the people who came to Egypt and told them that happiness was in justice, mercy and hardwork and not in a madness to seek pleasure and comforts at the expense of others.
Yusuf became the leader of a powerful nation like Egypt and proved to the world that a rule founded on Justice , Mercy and Hard Work will bring endless happiness to it’s people.
9.4 YUSUF MEETS HIS FATHER
Soon Yusuf's father, Yakub, too came to Egypt. He had waited many years to see his Yusuf and had cried such that his eyes lost their sight. When Yusuf saw his father he became proud of what he had achieved and so he greeted his father while sitting on his horse. Yakub stretched out his arms to greet Yusuf. Immediately Yusuf fell into his arms and since then he always regretfully said:
"I was not fair to my father because I greeted him while sitting on my horse. I should have got on my knees to greet my loving father. He waited all his life for me. His love was like no other love. I do not think that anybody could love me as my father did."
What Yusuf said tells us that the important things to Yusuf was not wealth and power, but love! Yusuf then forgave his brothers and gave them all plenty of wealth to live happily for the rest of their lives. His brothers did realise their mistake and changed their jealousy in to love for Yusuf! Yusuf was a great example to those who want to earn love by forgiving others who do wrong to them.
9.5 THE CHANGING TIMES
Many of the people who lived in Egypt did not really care for what Yusuf said about justice, mercy and hardwork. They followed their low desires for wealth and comfort. They only liked Yusuf because he made Egypt rich.
So many years after Yusuf there were new empires that began to rule Egypt. These empires were only interested in might at any cost. They too measured their success in buildings, wealth and power. The people began to worship the powerful kings again and soon Egypt was taken over by the Rule of the Mighty Pharaohs.
The Pharaohs only wanted to know how they could became rich and powerful. They did not see justice, mercy and hardwork as the way to bring success and happiness. They thought that happiness and success was in large buildings and getting comforts. So they took slaves whom they did not show any mercy to. The slaves they took came from Numbia and Canaan.
ϑ ϑ ϑ TASKS TO DO ϑ ϑ ϑ
Do these questions!
1. Who were the father and grandfather of Yusuf? 2. What did the Nabi Muhammad say about jealousy? 3. What did Yusuf says about patience? 4. What do bad empires do when they face difficulties? 5. What things did Yusuf say brings happiness? 6. Why did the people of low desires like Yusuf? 6. Who took over Egypt after Yusuf? 7. What was it that made Yusuf regret what he had done?
B. What was success for Yusuf and what was success for the bad empires?
C. If Yusuf did not forgive his brothers then what would have happened to his love for his family?
D. Times always change from good to bad and then to good again. How would good people react when times are easy and when times are hard. Use these words to answer (haughty, patience, hardword, justice, mercy, kind, jealousy, low desires, amr bil maruf)
E. Good societies bring everlasting happiness to all. Bad empires only bring happiness for a few until they fight each other out of greed and jealousy. Explain this statement!
LESSON 10
THE SLAVES OF BANI ISRAEL
10.1 THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
One of the Nabis who came after Nabi Ibrahim was called Yakub. His other name was Israel. His twelve children and grandchildren spread far and wide throughout the lands of the empires. They were called Bani Israell which means Children for Israel.
Most of their children’s children were taken as slaves by powerful and cruel emperors. For generations afterwards they stayed as slaves. They lived like animals and the emperors made them worship his idols.
But God sent many Nabis to the Bani Israel to tell them that their forefather was a great Nabi who was not a slave and who did not worship idols. The slaves of Bani Israel said: “We were born to be slaves. Our fate is to be slaves. We have to worship the idols. Our fate is to worship the idols!”
The Bani Israel looked down in life. They did not seem to want to become free of slavery. If some of them tried to become free then the others overpower them. They even killed the Nabis who came to guide them. The Bani Israel were indeed a LOST people. In fact they called themselves the LOST CHILDREN OF ISRAEL.
They were lost not because they did not know where they lived but because they did not know what was right and what was wrong. They were lost because even when someone came to help them they refused to be helped. They were lost because they refused to stop worshipping idols of the empire. They were lost because they believed that they were right even when they were wrong.
10.2 THE PHARAOHS AND THE BANI ISRAEL
One of the emperors who took the Bani Israel as slaves was the emperor of Egypt called the Pharaoh. The Pharaoh was so evil that he roasted them on stakes or fed them to animals. The Pharaohs, like the kings in other Ancient Empires, demanded total obedience.
10.3 MUSA/MOSES COMES
God showed mercy to the slaves of Bani Israel and sent to them one of the greatest Nabis in history. He was Nabi Musa.
The Pharaoh of the time had began to kill the baby boys who were born to the Bani Israel. Somehow the Pharaoh knew that Musa was going to be born among the Bani Israel.
But God saved Musa by making Asiya, Pharaoh’s wife, protect him. When Musa grew up he challenged the Pharaoh and finally took away the Bani Israel to the land of Canaan. Remember the land of Cannan to was where Ibrahim had stayed with his wife Sarah!
The struggle to free the Bani Israel took over 40 years and it has many lessons for us to learn. For example it tells us how God punishes oppressors like Pharaoh whose body was carried by the sea and all his soldiers could not get him out of the sea until the body was thrown back at them. The Qur'an says that Pharaoh’s body was kept preserved forever so that every oppressor would remember that tyranny does not pay. Today the body of the Pharaoh’s is thought to be in the British Museum in London.
10.4 THE KINGDOM OF DAUD (DAVID)
While the Bani Israel lived in Cannan God sent other great Nabis to them. These Nabis tried to keep the Banu Israel from getting lost again. These Nabi told the Bani Israel that Nabi Musa was very unhappy and heartbroken with them. But the Bani Israel retained their old habits. They kept saying: “Our fate is bad and it is written for us to disobey the Nabis!”
One of the great Nabis who came to them was Daud. He came at a time when a powerful empire was rising in Europe. This empire was Greece. The Bani Israel did not like the Greeks because they were much stronger and more educated than the Bani Israel.
Instead of learning good things from the Greeks the Bani Israel became haughty and began to say: “Nabis only come for us and not for those who do not belong to the Bani Israel.” The Bani Israel did not listen to Nabi Daud. They wanted him to make war on the Greeks but Nabi Daud would only fight for justice.
10.5 THE INHERETANCE
Sulaiman was Daud’s son. The Qur'an says: "Sulaiman was the inheritor of Daud." This means that Sulaiman (Soloman) became the king after Daud and his rule was such that animals, birds and the jinns came to pay homage to him. Indeed Sulaiman became the greatest king that had ever lived.
But one day he received news that there was a great civilisation near to Africa where people worshipped the Sun. This civilisation was known as Sheba and it's queen was Bilkis. She was a wise and kind queen of her people even though she worshipped the Sun. Sulaiman wanted Bilkis to realize that worship was only for God and not for created things like the Sun.
Sulaiman had to prove that the Sun cannot help her to protect her throne. He therefore asked his army to bring to him the throne of Bilkis. A man of God stepped forward and within a twinkle of the eye had brought the throne.
This man had the knowledge of the books that God sent to his Nabis. Through his knowledge of the books he could perform miracles. This shows that knowledge is something that allows the impossible to become possible. When Bilkis saw miracles of knowledge she told her people that the God who is master of the all knowledge should be worshipped and not the Sun. Bilkis was able to give good advice to her people for she was a good queen. She was wiser than most emperors who refused to accept the truth. Nabi Suliman much respected her.
10.6 THE GREEKS
The Greeks were a powerful empire and they took over Egypt where the Pharoses used to rule. This Greeks brought many good ideas like sports, science, art and philosophy. The Greeks had learnt many of the ideas from Mesopotamia and Egypt. Greece was also the first world empire that stopped the worship of emperors. In fact the Greeks did not believe in having emperors at all. Instead they believed in Democracy which means that emperors cannot rule the people but instead the people should make the government. This was a fantastic idea that changes the world even today.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Do you think that what the Greeks believed was much influenced by what the Nabis had taught to all the empires?
One of the greatest leaders of Greece was Zul Karnain. Some say that he was also called Alexander the Great. The Qur'an shows respect to him even though he was not a Nabi. He went with his men from empire to empire and crossed many lands. He went to Persia, India and also China. His men were daring and very strong. His journey from empire to empire gave people the idea of also traveling to other empires. This was one of the great contributions of Zul Karnain.
The Qur'an says that he also built an iron wall across a huge valley to stop an evil civilisation called Hog and Magog from killing and looting. The wall stopped them from getting across.
It may be that this wall is not a real wall but a symbolic wall of good ideas. So while the king of China built a real wall called the Great Wall of China Zul Karnain built a wall of divine ideas that was against the killing of innocent people.
After Zul Karnain the empire of Greece was ruled by bad people who were greedy for pomp and ceremony. Many of it's kings were so extravagant that they filled swimming pools with milk and bathed naked with their slave women.
What happened to Greece was a great shame of history. Greece had many ideas that came from the Nabis but the Greek goal was to use knowledge to gather wealth, comfort and pleasure. Their goal was not to bring justice to all people. Their low desires for pride and power lead to their own destruction.
The Greeks were taken over by a new empire called the Roman Empire. The empire became famous for building roads which ran for thousands of straight miles. Like Greece it also had a government which was advised by a special group called the SENATE. But civil war broke out when the Romans killed Romans until the idea of democracy was destroyed and King Augustus took over.
The Romans ruled many lands including England. We can travel across England and see many ruins of the Roman empire. The Roman Empire, like the other empires, gave many good things to the world but they too had the goal of using knowledge to get power. For them too buildings and armies came first and justice came second.
ϑ ϑ ϑ TASKS TO DO ϑ ϑ ϑ
Questions to answer
1.How many children did Israel have? 2. What were the children called? 3. What did they have the habit of saying? 4. What things made them lost? 5. What did the Pharaoh do to them if they went against him? 6. Whom did the Pharaoh kill when Musa was born? 7. Who saved Musa? 8. Which Nabis came after Musa? 9. What was the inheritance of Sualiman? 10. Which European empire took over Egypt after the Pharaohs? 11. What things were good about them? 12. What things destroyed them? 13. Who took over their empire and also ruled England?
Do two of these tasks
1. Write down what happened to the Pharaoh and where his body is believed to be today?
2. What happened to Egypt after the Pharaoh’s refused to listen to Musa?
3. What ideas of the Greeks made them a good empire and what ideas made them a bad empire?
4. What kind of good things did the Romans give to the world?
5. What is the Great Shame of History?
WOMEN LEADERS – Do one of these tasks!
1. Bilkis is often called the Queen of Seba by many historians. Describe what she learnt from the miracles she saw.
2. Whom would you prefer to live under – The Pharaoh or the Queen of Seba? Why?
3. Do you think if Asiya, the Pharaoh’s wife, had ruled Egypt then the fate of Egypt would have been different/ Explain your answer.
THE BANI ISRAEL – Do all these tasks
What did the Bani Israel begin to say about themselves when they became a powerful empire under Daud?
What does this teach us about how we should think if we ever become rich and powerful?
Research in to the stories of how the Bani Israel used the name of Nabis to kill people like the Palestinian. You can read the rules of their wars in the Book of Joshua!
LESSON 11
THE FAMILY OF IMRAN
11.1 THE FAMILY OF NABI IMRAN
After Sulaiman the land of Canaan was taken by the Romans. The Bani Israel tried to fight them but they could not resist. So they hated the Romans with total hate! They would do anything to fight the Romans and some of the Bani Israel even killed innocent Romans and made suicide missions against them.
DO YOU THINK IT IS EVER JUSTIFIFED TO KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE AND COMMIT SUICIDES?
But no matter what the Bani Israel did the empire of the Romans grew in power. The Romans grew not only because of their wealth and military might but also because of their knowledge and zest for good living. The empire taught people to bathe, cook their food properly and even to go to school. These were some of the good things the Romans brought to the world.
But the rules of the Romans had many evil things in it. They too had slaves whom they treated badly. The Romans took over the lands of Canaan and made the Bani Israel in to slaves. For the people of Israel the story of slavery seems non ending, but yet it was partly their own fault for going against the teachings of Daud (David).
11.2 THE SCHOLARS OF THE BOOK
The Bani Israel were given the Zabur - a book of laws given to them by Daud. In this book were laws of keeping clean, praying and eating. The book told them not to mistreat the poor and not to oppress those who were not from the Bani Israel.
But some of the scholars who had knowledge of the book became haughty about their knowledge and began to deceive the people about what the book said. So just like the emperors became haughty because of their money the scholars became haughty because of their knowledge. Each of the haughty scholars wanted prestige and position. So each one claimed to have more deeper understanding of the book than anybody else.
Here are some of the things the scholars said which were all false:
1. God only sends Nabis to Bani Israel.
2. On the day of prayers nobody should do anything but pray.
3. To get to be near to God you have to do extreme things like grow the largest beards.
4. A woman will always mislead you away from God.
5. If you are born a Roman or a Palestinian than you are a Gentile or a philistine which makes you worst than a dog!
11.3 SQUEEZED BETWEEN TWO EVILS
The people of Bani Israel had two problems thus:
Problem 1
To deal with the haughty emperors of the Roman Empire who preached that Roman ways were the best. They oppressed the Bani Israel and hated their religion. They mass murdered the Bani Israel and took over their lands. They abused their women and broke down their places of worship.
Problem 2
To deal with the haughty scholars of Bani Israel who told all sorts of twisted things to the people. They made the people believe that to be slaves was their fate. They said: “We know the deep meanings of the books. It is written by God’s hand that we are to be oppressed.”
11.4 THE MERCY COMES FROM GOD
The holy scholars of the Bani Israel were against women and they taught that women were only good for making babies. They said that women only make babies for the men to have sons. They said that it was the law of Daud that women should not enter the “holy of holiest places.”
But a godly woman was chosen by God to live in the most holiest place in Jerusalem. She was the daughter of a good man called Imran. He prepared a room in the mosque for her to stay. When the scholars came running to throw her out they saw a little girl praying in the room. They felt a deep sense of peace in the room where she was. None of them could say anything because their lips got frozen. This miracle happened several times until the scholars gave up and allowed the girl to grow up in the mosque.
The little girl was Mariam (or Mary). She was chosen by God to be greater than any queen or princess that ever lived in the mighty emperors. Her knowledge of the Book surpassed all the scholars. Many times the scholars came to her to ask her questions about religion. Many people too came to her with their problems because her advice was good and her prayers were always answered.
But a time came when for three days she was not found in the mosque. After the third day she came back with a baby in her hand. The scholars came and pointed their fingers at her saying: “This is wrong! You have had a baby before getting married. This is deeply shameful!”
But then the baby spoke! He said: “I am Isa and my birth is a miracle. My miracle birth proves babies are not made by men but by God’s Will. I have come as a mercy to all.”
The scholars were shocked! They kept rubbing their ears because they could not believe that a baby could speak by a miracle. They let Mariam go and never again said that babies cannot be made without men. The baby grew up in the mosque under the loving care of his mother.
11.5 ISA AND THE PROBLEMS OF THE BANI ISRAEL
Isa brought many miracles and when the Bani Israel saw the miracles of Isa they flocked to him. A group of them came to him saying: “Help us fight the Romans who have made us in to slaves!” But Isa refused. He pointed to the scholars and said that his first mission was against the scholars who were fooling the people.
The scholars got angry and tried to trick Isa. They said: “If he is truly a Nabi then he should fight the Romans. If he does not fight the Romans then he can’t be a Nabi. In that case we should stone him as an imposter.”
The scholars were so evil that they twisted whatever Isa said. So when Isa said that the Bani Israel are not superior the scholars said: “So now he is telling us that Moses was wrong to call us superior than others!” When Isa said that all people are special then the scholars said: “Now he is speaking for the dogs of Rome!” When he said that religion is not a business then they said: “Now he is interfering in our good fortune for he is jealous of our wealth.” In this way everything Isa said was twisted by the leaders of Bani Israel.
Then ultimately the scholars went to the Roman leader and told him that Isa was gathering an army to destroy Rome. The Roman soldiers came to arrest him. But God rescued him! Isa was taken to heaven and he will return one day back to the earth.
10.6 KING CONSTANTINE
The people who were close to Isa took the message of Isa to Rome, Africa, India and to Arabia. The most famous of all was a man called Saint Paul. He came to Europe and told the emperors about Hazrat Isa. Then by a miracle of history, many years later, one of the Roman emperors became a follower of Isa. He was King Constantine.
He lived hundreds of years after Isa and had become the new Emperor of the Romans. Before he became an emperor the followers of Isa were murdered and thrown in to cages of lions. Many of the followers of Isa escaped and lived in caves all over the mountains. Then, by a miracle, King Constantine had a dream that made him a follower of Isa.
Two new names were given to the Roman Empire when King Constantine became a follower of Isa. They were the Eastern Roman Empire and Byzantine. The capital city of Byzantine was called Constantinople.
But King Constantine may have had an ulterior motive in becoming a follower of Isa. He may have wanted to use the followers of Isa for his army to fight off his enemies. Historians often argue whether he was true to Isa or whether he was just using the name of Isa for his own power. But the story of King Constantine just shows how the Nabis like Isa (Jesus) were able to change the big empires of the world and hence the whole world.
ϑ ϑ ϑ TASKS TO DO ϑ ϑ ϑ
A. TEST YOUR FRIENDS WITH THESE EASY QUESTIONS
1.Who was the father of Mariam? 2. Where did Mariam live? 3. What did the scholars say a woman could not do? 4. How did Mariam’s story prove that the scholars were wrong? 5. What were the words of Isa when he was just a baby? 6. If the soldiers were able to kill Isa then what would it mean? 7. In what way was Isa’s birth a miracle?
B. QUESTIONS TO DO IN THE BOOK
1. What two good things and what two bad things did the Romans have? 2. What was similar between the scholars and the emperors? 3. Whom did the Bani Israel scholars say were dirty dogs? 4. What did the Bani Israel scholars say about women? 5. What miracle happened when the scholars went to see Mariam? 6. Who was born to Mariam in just three days? 7. What was the first mission of Hazrat Isa? 8. What did the scholars say they would do if Hazrat Isa would not fight the Romans? 9. What did the scholars says to the emperor of Rome? 10. Which king of Rome was the first to accept the message of Hazrat Isa?
C. Group Tasks
Get in to a group and discuss the following. Then share your answers with other groups.
i. What words can you use to describe a person who is unable to accept the truth. (see 6.3)
ii. Why do you think the scholars did not accept the truth even though they saw the wisdom of Mariam and the miracles of Isa?
iii. Say some scholars were ready to accept the truth. Then what would the other scholars have said that would have stopped them from accepting the truth?
iv. What should the scholars of today learn from the story of Isa and the scholars?
D. Use passages in the story to show that the scholars were the following:
1. Trying to trap Isa
2. Two faced
3. Racist
4. Anti-woman
5. Full of exaggerations of religious rituals
6. Proven to be wrong by Mariam and Isa
E. Draw a big cross and write in it the following:
i. Miracles of Isa
ii. Why Isa first challenged the scholars
iii. What it would mean if he was killed on the cross
LESSON 12
THE FINAL NABI
12.1 THE MIRCAL OF THE NABI MUHAMMAD
Can you name some of the major empires where the Nabi had come?
All these were high and mighty empires where the Nabis came to teach the people not to worship the emperors or the idols. But the last Nabi came to a place where the land was a desert and there were no emperors. The place was poor where the camels ran wild and the bandits ruled. But this place was near to the places where many of the mighty emperors had ruled. This place was Arabia.
Arabia was a poor place with small oasis in places. Most people were poor and the tribes fought each other. Yet it was from this place the whole of the world changed.
This was because the final Nabi came here and changed the people such that the people broke their idols with their own hands, cleaned up their streets, educated themselves and became resolute to change their fate. They created an empire of faith which was not like any other empire that every existed in history. This was because instead of building palaces, stone mosques and monuments the Nabi build the people and the society! Soon the desert empire he created started to become the most educated and progressive empire the world have ever seen.
When the Nabi Muhammad came the mighty emperors of Persia, Byzantine and Abysinia send their emissaries to him in order to learn from him. Many historians tell us that what the Nabi Muhammad had achieved with his new ideas makes him the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived!
12.2 THE EMPIRE OF FAITH
The place where the Nabi was born was Mecca where thousands of years earlier the Nabi Ibrahim had built the Kaaba. But years later the people had placed idols in it.The Nabi Muhammad came and changed the people so much that the people themselves broke the idols they worshipped with their own hands.
Such was the change the Nabi Muhammad brought that tribes began to call each others as ‘brothers.’ The people who used to fight each other all the time now stood as one people. It did not matter whether they were black, white, rich, poor, men or women. The Nabi taught them that the best person from all was the one who was the most kind, wise and the most fair to all.
This message of the Nabi is very important. It meant that to build your nation the first thing to do is to teach people to build themselves. If the people are good then they will be able to create an society that too is good. It is also called the empire of faith.
12.3 WHAT THE NABI BROUGHT TO THE WORLD
Where there was filth the Nabi brought cleanliness
Where there was war the Nabi brought peace
Where there was hate the Nabi brought love
Where there was superstition & ignorance the Nabi brought knowledge
Where there was fear the Nabi brought bravery
Where there was darkness the Nabi brought light
Where there was wealth the Nabi brought charity
Where there was power the Nabi brought responsibility
Where there was pride the Nabi brought humility
Where there was confusion the Nabi brought clarity
Where there was division the Nabi brought unity
Where there was loneliness the Nabi brought togetherness
Where there was fault the Nabi brought forgiveness
Where there was blame the Nabi brought self criticism
Where there was anarchy the Nabi brought laws
Where there was sadness the Nabi brought happiness
Where there was alcohol the Nabi brought soberness
Where there was poverty the Nabi brought prosperity
Where there was a leader the Nabi brought accountability
Where there was injustice the Nabi brought justice
Where there was greed & lust the Nabi brought self-control
Where there was jealousy the Nabi brought good-will
Where there was slavery the Nabi brought freedom
Where there was low thinking the Nabi brought enlightenment
Where there was racism the Nabi brought equality
All these things are important for an Empire of Faith before it even starts to build large monuments to impress the world.
12.4 THE EMPIRE BUILDERS
If you go to museums of history you will see how past empires glorified themselves in gathering treasures and constructing palaces. You will see some pictures of past building like the coliseum where the Romans made the slaves fight against hungry lions while the laughed and joked. You will also see pictures of the pyramids and the sacrificial temples of India and Incas. All these are impressive buildings which marvel us. But we have to remember that the emperors who built these were only happy on the outside, while they destroyed their own people to build such buildings.
The Nabi Muhammad said that we should learn from these monuments one important lessons – greatness in wealth and power will not make empires invincible and happy. He said that the thing that brings true happiness is justice in all aspect of life.
So when emperors of Persia called the Khusroe and the emperor of Byzantine called the Heraculus sent their emissaries to the Nabi they saw him sitting on the ground and serving his people. The Nabi welcomed them and even served their slaves. He said that greatness was not in pomp and pride but in justice to all, including slaves.
When the emissaries saw this they were surprised. They said: “Our emperors are emperors of wealth and power but you are an emperor of the hearts.”
12.5 THE MUBAILA
In the past nobody could question or challenge an emperor but the Nabi Muhammad changed all this. So when the Christians came from Rome to challenge the Nabi Muhammad he did not do anything bad to them even though he had a strong army. Instead he listen to their arguments and he also had them safely escorted back to their homes in Syria. This shows that the empire of faith the Nabi built was even ready to listen to those who rebuked and insulted him. Yet he did not insult anybody. The story of the meeting between the monks of Syria and the Nabi Muhammad is one of the many beautiful stories of the Nabi Muhammnad which teaches us a lot about the kind of society he built.
12.6 THE NABIS AND THE MODERN WORLD
Besides changing the mighty idol worshipping empires of the world the Nabis brought many good ideas to us. Today our cultures and religions depend on the ideas the Nabis brought. Even the idea that everybody must keep clean and must be educated are ideas of the Nabis. The Modern world is therefore directly connected to the ideas the Nabis brought to the world.
TASKS TO DO
A. TEST YOUR FRIENDS IN CLASS TO SEE IF THEY KNOW THESE
1.What was the name of the final Nabi? 2 Which place did he come to? 3. Which places surrounded him? 4. What did the people do after he had changed them? 5. Who was the best person between all the people of the world? 6. What did the emissaries of Persia and Rome say to the Nabi when they saw him serve people with his own hands? 7. What did the Nabi Muhammad build instead of building monuments and palaces? 8. Name two things which are in the modern world which the Nabi taught. 9. What things came first in the empire of faith the Nabi was building before monuments and palaces?
B. Copy down in neat 10 things from section 11.3 and memorise them
C. Answer these questions in your book
1. What kind of empire did the Nabi build? 2. What is the event called when the Christian monks came to deny him and yet he protected them? 3. What does this event teach us about the type of society the Nabi was building? 4. Some people think that money bring happiness. Do you agree? Give reasons! 5. Why did the empires of the past build monuments and palaces by robbing the people? 6. Why is it a miracle of history that the Arabs became the most educated and cultured people of their time when they strove for justice? 7. If today a nation says that it wants to build an empire of faith then what things must it do first?
D. Here are some of the things the Nabi Muhammad told his people to do in order to build the Empire of Faith
1. Educated the people
2. Teach them skills of work so that don’t have to beg
3. Free the slaves
4. Create love and justice in the family for everybody
5. Keep the streets clean and beautiful
6. Respect small children and do not abuse them
7. Look after the weak and the down trodden
8. Do not let the people of pride ruin your lives
9. Stand up against bullies
10. Make people aware of their egos and their souls
If you were a leader of a community which of these things would you try to do for your people to create the Empire of Faith
E. The love and respect between men and women is very important in the Empire of Faith. Do you think the modern world is teaching men and women these things or not? Give your reasons
Self Study Exercise 1
EVOLUTION OR NOT
While archaeologist study cave paintings and ancient buildings the anthropologists study fossils.
Fossils are remains or prints of things that died millions of years ago. The anthropologists tell us that long before people existed on earth there were other kinds of creatures. These creatures looked liked apes. As time passed these creatures began to turn into people. This happened because their brains became bigger, just like a good madressah kid! But ….
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
The idea that people came from animals that looked liked apes is part of the Theory of Evolution.
But if this was true then it would mean:
1. To kill a human being would be like killing an animal.
2. People would not have spiritual tendencies like self sacrifice for justice.
3. We human beings could change back to animals or to other type of creatures
4. Everything in life would be to do with survival. There would be no need to feel unhappy if you survive by stealing or killing others. Human conscience would have no meaning when it came to survival.
5. We would have no special responsibility on this earth. We would be like all other creatures on the earth
WHAT DID THE NABIS TEACH?
The Nabis taught that God is both a Creator and also an Evolver. This means ….
We can accept evolution because the Nabis taught that God always works logically and systematically.
But because human beings have special qualities like conscience, abstract thinking and spiritual awareness we have to say that the human beings did not evolve but were created in differently than other creatures.
Task
1. Use the underlined words to write a summary of the above
2. Explain why evolution is acceptable to those who believe in Nabis
3. Explain why evolution is not acceptable when it comes to the creation of humans
Self Study Exercise 2
THE GLORY OF ROME
Read the following passage about Emperor Augustus and see if you can answer the questions at the bottom
E
mperor Augustus of Rome was born with the given name Gaius Octavius on September 23, 63 B.C. He took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian) in 44 B.C. after the murder of his great uncle, Julius Caesar. In his will Caesar had adopted Octavian and made him his heir.
Octavian was a brilliant politician. Through hard political calculation he was able to achieve ultimate power in Rome. At the time of Caesar's assassination, Octavian held no official position. Only after he marched on Rome and forced the senate to name him consul, was he established as a power to be reckoned with.
In 43 B.C. Marcus Antonius (Marc Antony—one of Julius Caesar's top lieutenants) formed the Triumvirate to rule Rome. After taking power, the Triumvirate slaughtered thousands of political enemies and firmly establishing their control of the Roman government.
In 40 B.C., Antony married Octavia, Octavian's sister, and later deserted her for Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. When Antony gave Roman provinces to his children by Cleopatra, Octavian declared war on Antony. In 31 B.C. the Roman Navy under Agrippa defeated the combined fleets of Antony and Cleopatra, and within a year both had committed suicide.
In 27 B.C., the Roman Senate granted Octavian the name Augustus, meaning "the exalted." They also gave him the legal power to rule Rome's religious, civil and military affairs, with the Senate as an advisory body, effectively making him Emperor.
Rome achieved great glory under Octavian/Augustus. He restored peace after 100 years of civil war; maintained an honest government and a sound currency system; extended the highway system connecting Rome with its far-flung empire; developed an efficient postal service; fostered free trade among the provinces; and built many bridges, aqueducts and buildings adorned with beautiful works of art created in the classical style.
The empire expanded under Augustus with his generals conquering Spain, Gaul (now France),Hungary, Croatia, Egypt and most of southwestern Europe up to the Danube River. After his death, the people the Roman Empire worshipped Augustus as a god
1. What evidence is there in the passage that Marc Anthony was following his low desires for power?
2. What evidence is there that the system made Octavian in to a god of Rome?
3. What evidence is there that Octavian was a man who was good for Rome and not a man who followed low desires for power?
4. What kind of things did Octavian achieve for Rome?
5. Do you think Octavian could have been a good man who followed the teachings of the Nabis? Give your evidence.
Self Study Exercise 3
A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Nabis came to all over the world including China, India, Australia, Africa, Europe and America. But the holy Qur'an only mentions 25 names of the Nabis. This is because names are not important. What is important is the lessons we learn from the Nabis.
The Nabis who came to places like India, China, Persia, Africa and other places on earth left behind great wisdom and other great legacies. Some famous men like Ashok (in India), Confucious (in China) and Alexander the Great (in Greece) are all thought to have learnt many of their ideas from the teachings of the Nabis who come to their nations.
NABIS IN INDIA
In places like India we find great wisdom in Hindu scriptures like the Vedus. Many of the things said in these scripts are exactly the things said in the other holy books like the Bible and the Qur’an. It may therefore be the case that Lord Krishna and Lord Ram may have been either Nabis or followers of Nabis. We cannot know for sure but it can be possible that just as idols were placed in the Kaaba until the Nabi Muhammad came in the same way idols were also placed in the Hindu religion even thought the great books of Hindu religion rejected the idols and the ritual superstitions that came afterwards.
NABIS IN PERSIA
Another great man who may have been a Nabi who the founder of the Zoroastrian religion. What he said is also similar to the holy books. But his followers may have began to worship the Sun after he died. The king of Persia called Darius the Great liked the idea of people worshipping the Sun and so he built many monument dedicated to the Sun. He gave many good things to his empires like roads and currency. But he built an empire of monuments and got his people to worship him and the Sun.
IDEAS OF WORSHIP
In Britain the Stone Henge civilization also worshipped the Sun. They may have got this idea from the belief that as the Sun gives light to the earth it must be God! Many other ideas like these made the people worship animals, the earth, mountain and even their own parents. The Nabis tried to stop these kinds of ideas but after the Nabis the people mixed up everything. So they believed in some things the Nabis said while also retaining some of their old ideas. This is why there will be some true ideas in even the most primitive religions and cultures of the world.
THE MODERN WORLD
In today’s world we see people of different religions learning from each other. We learn Yoga from the Buddhist and Hindu religions while we learn equality and laws from other religions. The Holy Qur’an which is the book brought by the Nabi Muhammad tells us that we should all learn from each other so that we do not worship anybody or anything except for the God who created all things. This was the message of all Nabis and of all true religions of the world.
Task: Write a small summary of the above and then explain why there are many similar things in all religions of the world.
THE ROLLER COASTER OF HISTORY
The Holy Qur’an gives us deep understanding of how evil systems go down, up and down, like a Roller Coaster out of control.
Starting the Ride
First the evil doers spread the idea that bad things are good.
Going Down
Then God sends hardships on them as a warning. But nothing changes
Going Up
So then God gives them comfort! Yes he gives them comfort so that they begin to think that bad is good.
Break Up
Then suddenly everything breaks up and the system is destroyed from the inside.
EXAMPLE
In Mesopotamia the emperors and their holy men told people to worship idols and to obey the king. This was the start of their evil system. At the beginning their system failed.
But when the people began to obey the emperors and their holy men then God allowed them to do evil deeds. Soon they got comfort from their evil deeds. Then suddenly everything was destroyed.
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I DESIRE TO LOOK COOL
AND SUPERIOR! I will call it A CELEBRATION OF MY WEALTH AND HEALTH!
Where is that buffalo …. More to the point, where is my cave?
Question
In what way were the emperors of the past more powerful than the kings and presidents of today?
Answer
In the past the people worshipped the emperors. This gave the emperors total control on the minds and hearts of the people.
In the past even if an emperor ordered the people to kill their own children then they would do it because they worshipped the emperor and obeyed him totally. They believed that the emperor and his idols had magical powers to punish anybody who did not obey him. So they did not think if what the emperor said was right or not. They just obeyed!
Now imagine you were a proud emperor of a powerful empire and you were told by a Prophet that your mighty does not make you right then how would you react? Be honest! So what do you think the emperors did to the Prophets?
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The emperor says torture is okay!
Desire for other people’s things
I can make the people believe that I am right even when I am totally wrong![pic] A Aren’t I cle
.4 THE MISSION OF PROPHETS
Here is a conversation that may have taken place between a Nabi and an emperor:
Emperor: ‘Might’ is right for it makes the people worship me.
Nabi: It is not fair on the people that they worship you.
Emperor: Don’t talk about fairness! Talk about Might!
Nabi: Without fairness your Might will make you proud
Emperor: If I have the Might then I have the right to be proud
Nabi: But pride will make you bully & oppress others
Emperor: The weak are meant to be bullied & oppressed
Nabi: If you bully & oppress then you will be punished by God
Emperor: But I am god otherwise I would not be so Mighty.
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Julius Caesar, Nero, Pharaoh, Marc Anthony, King Tut, the headmaster!
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Number 1 – CONTROL RELIGION
Number 2 – CONTROL THE ARMY
Number 3 – CONTROL MONEY AND TECHNOLOGY
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While China build the Great Wall to protect it borders from invaders the great Zul Karnain build a wall against evil!
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LESSON 3
HIGH LIVING BUT LOW THINKING
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“ Sodom is where I got my ideas from!”
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If they had managed to kill him then it would have meant they killed God’s Mercy to all the people of the world!
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Money makes the world go round! We worship money and will even betray our relatives and friends to get more and more!
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I too am
scared of proud emperors
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Each of these empires had it’s own style of idols. The idols in places like Africa and Americas were mostly to do with natural worship and superstitions. In places like India the idols were of mythical emperors and animals. In places like Rome and Greece the idols were made to represent perfect human characters.
This tablet shows early writing from Mesopotamia
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Nabi Nuh Village Empires of the Middle East, Asia and Europe
Nabi Ibrahim City empire of Mesopotamia and Mahajo Daro
Nabi Musa Nation Empire of Egypt, Persia, China and Incas
Nabi Daud World empire of Greece, Persia and China
Nabi Isa Empire of Rome and Persia and China
Nabi Muhammad Empire of Persia , China and Aztecs
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1.2 HOUSES AND AGRICULTURE
People began to change their ideas and way of living when they learnt to build huts. They could have got the idea from birds who built nests from mud and grass. See how we learn from animals!
Soon people also learnt to make stones bricks and weapons of bronze. This allowed large gangs to build large houses and kill people with their weapons. Then came the Mighty Empires.
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First build the people and not the palaces and the monuments
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“We only like Yusuf because he gives us wealth but we do not really care about Justice, Mercy or Hard Work!”
3.1 THE POMP OF EMPERORS
The emperors and their rich supporters loved comfort, parties and pomposity. They liked wearing the most expensive clothes, showing off and going to ceremonies – rather like your headmaster during graduation!
But unlike the headmaster the emperors and the rich had lavish ceremonies for everything – even for going to dinner! Some poor people would say: “These people have a ceremony for even going to the toilet!”
While the emperors and the rich class spent lavishly in ceremonies the poor people had hard lives. Like little animals they scrounged for food and clean water. They lived in squalors, and often ended up drinking urine and fighting each other. They also believed in the silly witchcraft and magic stories the holy men told them.
But not everybody who went to rich parties was happy. First the emperor was always complaining about what to wear at the state ceremonies. Then the rich were complaining about how the emperor and his sons take away their daughters and wives during the parties for their pleasure. Then the rich women spat at each others dresses and criticized each other. These people were:
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“We want them out for they are not part of our nation!”
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Their motto was:
“MIGHT IS RIGHT”
Do gangs of today believe in Might is Right? DO you think it is a good thing to belong to a gang? Do you think it was necessary to belong to gangs in the past but it is not necessary today?
YAKUB AND YUSUF –
FATHER & SON SEPERATED BY INJUSTRICE IN THE FAMILY!
Greece/Rome/Byzantine
Canaan Assyria
Egypt Mesopotamia Persia
Europe (Rome) Arabia China
India
Africa (Abysinia)
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YUSUF established a Kingdom of Justice among the Pomp and Glory of the Ancient Empires! He supported the old, poor and the weak. His helping hand was always there!
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The Family of Imran
Claudius was an evil emperor of Greece. But the rich followed him even though he took their wives and daughters. The rich were happy on the outside but unhappy from the inside.
LESSON 1
THE RISE OF THE MIGHTY EMPIRES
1.1 THE CAVE CIVILISATIONS (Some 50,000 Years Ago)
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EMPERORS AND HOLY MEN – had a good connection.
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I AM BETTER THAN OTHER SCHOLARS
2.1 TOTAL CONTROL THROUGH BECOMING GODS
People who study the ruins of past civilisations are called Archaeologists. This is a big title for a job, but it is a useful job!
QUESTION: The archaeologists tell us that the oldest civilisations were the Cave Civilisations of Africa. So how did they know this?
ANSWER: They know this because they found cave paintings in Africa which were tens of thousands of years old. The paintings showed pictures of buffalo and other wild animals which the people used to hunt.
The theory is that the people of the Cave Civilisations lived in small gangs! They protected each other but fought against other gangs. They would fight other gangs for caves, for animals and for women.
Canaan
The idea that the emperor or the idols should not be worshipped was a great idea. It challenged the holy men and the corrupt system they had set up. The Nabis took a lot of courage to oppose the emperors and the holy men, but it gave new thinking to the people. The new thinking eventually changed the world.
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Desire to feel superior is a low desire!
QUESTIONS
1. Do you think in today’s world the leaders can order us to do anything even if it was wrong to do it?
2. Has the world become a better place after God sent his Nabis to us or has it not changed anything? Give an argument to support your answer!
3. Would you rather live in today’s world or in the past? Why?
LOW DESIRES
Desire to see others fall
Desire to mock
Desire to feel Superior
Desire for excess comfort and pleasures
Desire for harram pleasures
“Only we rich kids could become scribes until ….”
LESSON 2
HOW THE EMPERORS
CONTROLLED THE PEOPLE
A. TEST YOUR FRIEND VERBALLY ON THESE QUESTIONS
1.What are people who study past ruins called? 2. Where are the oldest cave paintings found? 3. From where could the people have learnt to make huts? 4. What three ways did the king use to control the people? 5. What did the Nabis say about might and justice? 6. How many Nabi came to the earth?
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MESOPOTAMIA
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“Holy men say the caste system is from God and you must obey it”
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“We must entertain the emperor if we want to live!”
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A. Mentally see if you can do this by filling in the missing words
The Nabis came at the time when the people in the mighty empires worshipped (1). The people did not listen because they were very (2). Holy men were good (3) tellers. They people also believed that their nation was (4) than other nations. What the Nabis said gave new (5) to the people.
Mesopotamia, Chin, Mohenjo Daro,
Harappa, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Ethiopia, Incas, Rome, Persia
1. CAVES & TREES
2. HUTS OF MUD AND GRASS
3. WEAPONS OF BRONZE
“Happy on the outside, burning on the inside”
3.4 SLAVES OF DESIRES
Many years after Nuh’s people there were the civilisations of Aad and Thamud. The people of Aad felt secure in caves. The people of Thamud built large towers which made them proud of their city. God had also blessed the people of Aad and Thamud with beauty and strength. But they too became slaves of their low desires. They too had greed and they too looked longingly to wealth.
WHAT THE NABIS TAUGHT
1. You have low desires when you want to be proven to be right when you are wrong.
2. You have low desires when you like to see others fall.
3. You have low desires when you want to feel superior and better than others
A. Copy and fill in the missing words
People who are pulled by their low desires are (1) of it. The emperors of the past were slaves of (2) and (3). The rich were slaves of (4). Those people whose low desires make them feel superior are like the people of (5).
LESSON 4
MESOPOTAMIA AND BEYOND
The development of writing brought new advances and changed everything. Writing meant that people could pass knowledge from generation to generation. Writing was therefore very important. Now instead of respecting strength and wealth the people had a chance to respect the skills of reading and writing.
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+,-@\]^_`âÓ¿«—ƒr^rJ.Ó&jhg#'To the Nabis the idea of writing was a great one because the people could read their message. The Nabis therefore wanted everybody to learn to read and write. The final Nabi Muhammad also made his mosque in a school to teach poor people and slaves how to read. The idea that everybody should learn to read is a great idea that the emperors of the past did not like. In the next passage you will see why the rich and the emperors did not like the idea that everybody should learn to read and write.
4.2 NABI IBRAHIM
Nabi Ibrahim was born in Mesopotamia and lived with his guardian Azar. Azar believed that idols of Mesopotamia made the country rich and strong. He would attack anybody who did not worship the idols of his country. He thought that anybody who did not worship the idols were traitors to his country.
But Ibrahim was daring! When the people argued that the idols are saviors of their country Nabi Ibrahim came up with an idea. At night he sneaked in to the temple and broke all the idols. Just imagine! What punishment do you think they gave him?
Nabi Ibrahim was saved by God but the people thought that he was saved because of his magic. So they ran away from him. He kept calling them but they did not wait to listen. These people thought that the idols would punish them if they listen to Ibrahim.
5.4 THE KING WANTS IBRHAIM OUT!
Nabi Ibrahim’s mission in Mesopotamia ended after the people refused to listen to him. So he went to Canaan which is today a part of Palestine. (CANAAN = PALESTINE)
Historical Fact
Whenever people reject the truth then God withdraws his mercy from them. So what do you think happened to Mesopotamia after Ibrahim left?
5.5 THE SUPERSTITOUS PEOPLE
.In Palestine there is special place called Jerusalem ( or Al Quds). Here Ibrahim came and prayed to make the land peaceful and a sanctuary for all the oppressed people of the world. When Ibrahim and his wife Sarah reached Palestine they met people who worshipped the celestial bodies (stars) in the sky. Ibrahim did not curse them but he made them understand that what they were doing was wrong. But instead of following the truth they feared their superstitions. They feared that if they followed Ibrahim then they would be cursed by the stars.
Complete and fill in the missing words
It is thought that Nabi (1) brought the idea of writing. The first country in the world which is thought to use writing was (2). The teachings of Ibrahim were recorded and called (3). In this were written three things: (4, 5, 6). After Ibrahim a king called (7) was inspired by Ibrahim’s teaching to give (8) to the people.
LESSON 6
THE PRETENCE
Adam and Hawwa were created specially to come to earth but they made a mistake in heaven. For this they had to ask for forgiveness before coming to earth. This means that whenever anybody makes a mistake than he or she should not think that he or she does not have the need to seek forgiveness. Even if they are the most special people on the earth they still have to seek forgiveness immediately.
1.3 THE RISE OF EMPIRES (Some 10,000 Years Ago)
An empire can be a strong village which had a strong king and an army. When a big empire took over small ones it became more powerful. A big empire took slaves from smaller empires and forced them to build stone buildings and grow crops. They bullied the weaker people and treated them with cruelty. They too believed in Might is Right!
Here are some high and mighty empires where many of the emperors believed that Might was Right.
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