Once
again people are trying to fool the Muslims - We received the
following email and felt it necessary deal with this subject
- without 'fooling around' any longer.
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our site for answers: http://islamtomorrow.com/search/
Now as regards the incorrect story
circulating amongst the Muslims on the Internet saying
that April Fool's Day is the celebration of the kufar over the
conquest of Muslim Spain. I felt that it was necessary to clarify
a few points in the interest of truth, inshallah.
Bismillah Al Hamdulilah was Salat wa Salam ala Rasoolulah. Allahu
Alim.
In the Name of Allah, I praise Allah and ask for His Peace upon
Muhammad, ameen. Allah Alone is The All-Knower.
To continue:
Once again, Muslims are circulating a fabrication on the Internet
trying to claim things which can easily be proven incorrect
by Christians and non-Muslims who rejoice in watching us play
the part of Everyday Fools.
The most recent story says that Christians could not conquer
the Muslims there and sent spies to discover why. According
to the story, they found that the Muslims there were on the
'Taqwah' (God Fearing and Pious) of Islam. Then the story says
the Christians sent in alcohol and cigarettes which the Muslims
used and lost their 'Taqwah' and then the Christians defeated
the Muslims on April first and began celebrating 'April Fool's
Day' ever since.
This story is not correct in many aspects.
1.) First, let us consider the historic fact that Muslim Spain
ended on the 12th of January in the Christian year of 1492 A.D.
Yet 'April Fool's Day was not heard of until over fifty years
later.
Once upon a time, back in 16th-century France, before computers,
people celebrated New Year's Day on March 25, the advent of
spring. It was a festive time. They partied steadily until April
1. In 1564, when the calendar reformed and became Gregorian,
under the influence of Pope Gregory, King Charles IX proclaimed,
perhaps pompously, that New Year's Day should be celebrated
on January 1st instead of in the spring. Diehard conservatives
resisted the change (or perhaps didn't hear about it due to
the absence of e-mail) and continued to celebrate New Year's
from March 25 to April 1. During this period of spring festivity,
the more flexible French mocked the rigid revelers by sending
them foolish gifts and invitations to nonexistent parties. The
victim of an April Fools' Day prank was called a "Poisson d
'Avril," or an "April Fish," because at that time of year,
the sun was leaving the zodiacal sign of Pisces.
April Fools' Day hit its stride (avoiding the banana peel)
in England in the 18th century, and was brought to colonial
America by the English, Scottish, and French.
2.) Second, we should know that cigarettes were not even invented
until AFTER
the time of the fall of Muslim Spain (January 1492). According
to the State College in Framingham, the Human Biology course
by Dr. Roger Morrrissette, Ph.D., smoking of any kind did not
exist in Spain until after it was brought back from the New
World AFTER King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella had come to rule
Spain.
This is from their website:
Introduction to Human Biology Framingham State College
Roger N. Morrrissette, Ph.D.
I. The History of Smoking.
1492: Columbus notes the natives of the New World smoke leaves.
1550: Spaniards begin cultivating tobacco in the West Indies
to export to Europe.
1880: Tobacco use is widespread but people only use small amounts.
3.) Muslim Spain began to deteriorate at the time of Ibn Seenah
and others who were beginning to use their logic in place of
Divine Revelation of Allah. Some were very interested in the
Greek and Roman philosophies and concepts and began to try to
'rethink' Islam much the same as some 'modernists' are doing
today. It was right after this that Muslim Spain began to divide
up into small kingdoms and fight against each other for control
and gold. They employed mercenaries from amongst the Christians
and killed and destroyed each other for a number of years. When
the Christians came against them the first time, they appealed
to the ruler of Maghrib (Morocco) across the Mediterranean Sea
who sent troops to quell the attacks. He stipulated that the
Muslims must stop fighting each other and go back to the Islamic
system of rule under one leader. They did not do it. When they
began fighting each other again, the Christians came in very
strong against them and this time the ruler of Morocco refused
to help them. They lost battle after battle against the Roman
Christians and finally the last stronghold of Islam fell to
the Christian King, Ferdinand, in January of 1492. [for details
order the video "Muslim Spain"]
So regarding the email claiming that April Fools Day is a celebration
of the take over of Muslim Spain, it is clear the whole thing
is a made up lie. This is totally unacceptable and should be
brought to the attention of the one who sent you this lie in
the first place. A good Muslim would never accept to repeat
lies and fabrications especially in presenting facts about the
history of Islam.
If you have received such a letter it is your duty in front
of Allah to write back to those who also received it and ask
them to contact all of those on their lists and email the truth
about this issue. And we should all fear a Day when we will
stand in front of Allah and be asked about these matters.
If we don't do something about correcting the education of our
beloved brothers and sisters in Islam, then everyday on the
internet is MUSLIM FOOLS DAY.
Again, it is only Allah who has All Knowledge. May He forgive
me my mistakes and guide us all to the right way, ameen.
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Try it, inshallah. Jazakalah khair, AsSalam alaykum,
Yusuf Estes
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