“And We also sent down iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind…” (Quran 57:25)

The word “anzalna,” translated as “sent down” and used for iron in the verse, could be thought of having a metaphorical meaning to explain that iron has been given to benefit people. But, when we take into consideration the literal meaning of the word, which is, “being physically sent down from the sky, as this word usage had not been employed in the Quran except literally, like the descending of the rain or revelation, we realize that this verse implies a very significant scientific miracle. Because, modern astronomical findings have disclosed that the iron found in our world has come from giant stars in outer space.[1]

Not only the iron on earth, but also the iron in the entire Solar System, comes from outer space, since the temperature in the Sun is inadequate for the formation of iron. The sun has a surface temperature of 6,000 degrees Celsius, and a core temperature of approximately 20 million degrees. Iron can only be produced in much larger stars than the Sun, where the temperature reaches a few hundred million degrees. When the amount of iron exceeds a certain level in a star, the star can no longer accommodate it, and it eventually explodes in what is called a “nova” or a “supernova.” These explosions make it possible for iron to be given off into space.[2]

One scientific source provides the following information on this subject:

“There is also evidence for older supernova events: Enhanced levels of iron-60 in deep-sea sediments have been interpreted as indications that a supernova explosion occurred within 90 light-years of the sun about 5 million years ago. Iron-60 is a radioactive isotope of iron, formed in supernova explosions, which decays with a half life of 1.5 million years. An enhanced presence of this isotope in a geologic layer indicates the recent nucleosynthesis of elements nearby in space and their subsequent transport to the earth (perhaps as part of dust grains).”[3]

All this shows that iron did not form on the Earth, but was carried from Supernovas, and was “sent down,” as stated in the verse. It is clear that this fact could not have been known in the 7^th century, when the Quran was revealed. Nevertheless, this fact is related in the Quran, the Word of God, Who encompasses all things in His infinite knowledge.

The fact that the verse specifically mentions iron is quite astounding, considering that these discoveries were made at the end of the 20th century. In his book Nature’s Destiny, the well-known microbiologist Michael Denton emphasizes the importance of iron:

“Of all the metals there is none more essential to life than iron. It is the accumulation of iron in the center of a star which triggers a supernova explosion and the subsequent scattering of the vital atoms of life throughout the cosmos. It was the drawing by gravity of iron atoms to the center of the primeval earth that generated the heat which caused the initial chemical differentiation of the earth, the outgassing of the early atmosphere, and ultimately the formation of the hydrosphere. It is molten iron in the center of the earth which, acting like a gigantic dynamo, generates the earth’s magnetic field, which in turn creates the Van Allen radiation belts that shield the earth’s surface from destructive high-energy-penetrating cosmic radiation and preserve the crucial ozone layer from cosmic ray destruction…

“Without the iron atom, there would be no carbon-based life in the cosmos; no supernovae, no heating of the primitive earth, no atmosphere or hydrosphere. There would be no protective magnetic field, no Van Allen radiation belts, no ozone layer, no metal to make hemoglobin [in human blood], no metal to tame the reactivity of oxygen, and no oxidative metabolism.

“The intriguing and intimate relationship between life and iron, between the red color of blood and the dying of some distant star, not only indicates the relevance of metals to biology but also the biocentricity of the cosmos…”[4]

This account clearly indicates the importance of the iron atom. The fact that particular attention is drawn to iron in the Quran also emphasizes the importance of the element.

Moreover, iron oxide particles were used in a cancer treatment in recent months and positive developments were observed. A team led by Dr. Andreas Jordan, at the world famous Charité Hospital in Germany, succeeded in destroying cancer cells with this new technique developed for the treatment of cancer—magnetic fluid hyperthermia (high temperature magnetic liquid). As a result of this technique, first performed on the 26-year-old Nikolaus H., no new cancer cells were observed in the patient in the following three months.

This method of treatment can be summarized as follows:

1. A liquid containing iron oxide particles is injected into the tumour by means of a special syringe. These particles spread throughout the tumour cells. This liquid consists of thousands of millions of particles, 1,000 times smaller than the red blood corpuscles, of iron oxide in 1 cm3 that can easily flow through all blood vessels.[5]

2. The patient is then placed in a machine with a powerful magnetic field.

3. This magnetic field, applied externally, begins to set the iron particles in the tumour in motion. During this time the temperature in the tumour containing the iron oxide particles rises by up to 45 degrees.

4. In a few minutes the cancer cells, unable to protect themselves from the heat, are either weakened or destroyed. The tumour may then be completely eradicated with subsequent chemotherapy.[6]

In this treatment it is only the cancer cells that are affected by the magnetic field, since only they contain the iron oxide particles. The spread of this technique is a major development in the treatment of this potentially lethal disease. Iron has also been found to be a cure for people suffering from anemia. In the treatment of such a widespread diseases, the use of the expression “iron in which there lies great force and which has many uses for mankind” (Quran, 57:25) in the Quran is particularly noteworthy. Indeed, in that verse, the Quran may be indicating the benefits of iron even for human health. (God knows best.)

This is how Jabir ibn Samura described the Last of the Prophets, the Chief of the Pious, the Prince of the Believers, the Chosen One of the Most Merciful – Muhammad, the Messenger of God.

He had a pleasant face that was round, white, and fair.  His hair fell to his ear lobes.  His beard was thick and black.  When he was pleased, his face would light up.  His laugh was no more than smiling.  His eyes were blackish, and his eyelashes were long.  His long eyebrows were curved.  When the eyes of Abdullah ibn Salam, the chief rabbi of Medina, fell on his face, he declared that such a noble face could not be the face of a liar!

He was of medium height, neither tall nor short.  He walked inclining forward.  He wore tanned leather sandals.  His pants would reach to the middle of his shin or sometimes just above his ankles.

On his back, towards the left shoulder was the ‘Seal of Prophethood’. It was the size of a pigeon’s egg with spots like moles on it.  His palms were described to be softer than the brocade of silk.

He was recognized by his fragrance when he approached from a distance.  Drops of his perspiration were described to be like pearls.  His companions collected his sweat to mix with their perfumes which made them even more fragrant!

Islamic doctrine holds if someone has been blessed with the vision of the Prophet in a dream as described, then indeed they have seen him.

He would keep silent for long periods of time and was the most dignified when silent.

When he spoke, he uttered nothing but the truth in a voice pleasing to the ears.  He did not speak rapidly as many people do today; rather he spoke in a clear speech so that those who sat with him could remember it.  His speech was described to be such that anyone who wished to count his words could have done so easily.  His companions described him to be neither vulgar nor indecent.  He neither cursed people, nor abused them.  He merely reprimanded by saying:

“What is the matter with such and such people” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

The most hateful conduct to him was lying.  Sometimes he used to repeat himself twice or even thrice to enable the listeners to understand him well.  He would give short sermons.  While delivering the sermons his eyes would become red, his voice would rise, and his emotions become visible as if he were warning of an imminent assault from an enemy.

He led a simple life without any extravagance or lavishness.  He put the worldly life behind his back and turned away from it.  He considered it to be a prison, not Paradise!  Had he wished, he could have had anything he desired, for the keys of its treasures were presented to him, but he refused to accept them.  He did not exchange his share of the life to come with the worldly life.  He knew that it is a corridor, not a permanent residence.  He understood fully well that it is a transit station, not a leisure park.  He took it for its real worth – a summer cloud that would soon disperse.

Yet God says He enriched him from poverty:

“Did He not find you poor and enrich you?” (Quran 93:8)

Aisha, his wife, said:

“A month would pass while the family of Muhammad would not light fire in their homes.  They subsisted on two things – dates and water.  Some residents of Medina who were his neighbors would send milk from their sheep, which he would drink and then give to his family.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)

She said the family of Muhammad never ate wheat bread to their satisfaction for three consecutive days from the time of his arrival at Medina until he passed away, about 10 years!

With all this, he would stand up in the middle of the night to offer his gratitude to his Lord in prayer.  He would pray for so long that his feet would swell!  When his wives would ask why he worshipped God so much, his only response would be:

“Shall I not be a thankful servant of God?” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim)

Omar, one of his companions, remembering the days he passed in hunger said that sometimes the Prophet did not even have rotten dates to satisfy his hunger!

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, another companion and eye-witness, says that once ,when Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, awoke from sleep, the marks of the mat made out of date palm leaves on which he used to sleep were etched on his body.  Abdullah complained:

“My father and mother be ransomed for you!  Why did you not let us prepare something (softer) for you from which you could protect yourself?”

He replied:

“I have nothing to do with this world.  I am in this world like a rider who stops under the shade of the tree for a short time and, after taking rest, he resumes his journey again, leaving the tree behind.” (Al-Tirmidhi)

Various conquerors in the annals of history are known for spilling rivers of blood and erecting pyramids of skulls.  Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, is known for his forgiveness.  He never took revenge from anyone who wronged him to the point that he never struck anybody with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant, unless he was fighting in battle. His forgiveness could be seen on the day he entered Mecca as a conqueror after eight years of exile.

He forgave those who persecuted him, and forced him and his family in exile for three years in rugged mountains, who had accused him of being a lunatic, a poet, or one possessed.  He pardoned Abu Sufyan, one of the most evil of people who plotted to persecute him day and night, along with his wife, Hind, who mutilated the dead body of the Prophet’s Muslim uncle and ate the raw liver after ordering Wahshi, a fierce slave known for his fighting skills,  to kill Him, which later led them to accept Islam. Who else could be on such an exalted standard of character but the noblest and most truthful Messenger of God?

Wahshi, who used to live in Mecca, won his freedom from Hind for the service of killing the uncle of the Prophet.  When Islam gained dominance in Mecca, Wahshi ran away from Mecca to Taif.  Eventually Taif also succumbed to the Muslims.  He was told Muhammad would forgive anyone who accepted Islam.  Even though the crime was so great, Wahshi gathered his courage and came to the Prophet of Mercy and announced his Islam, and Muhammad forgave him.

His forgiveness even extended to Habbar ibn Aswad.  When Zaynab, the Prophet’s daughter, was migrating from Mecca to Medina, the Meccans tried to stop her, Habbar was one of them.  He made the Prophet’s pregnant daughter fall from her camel.  As a result, she lost her baby.  Running away from the guilt of his crime, Habbar fled to Iran, but God turned his heart towards the Prophet.  So he came to the Prophet’s court, acknowledged his guilt, bore the testimony of faith, and was forgiven by the Prophet!

Muhammad performed physical miracles with God’s permission.  He split the moon into two halves by merely pointing his finger at it.  In a mystical journey known as Mi’raaj, he traveled in one night from Mecca to Jerusalem on a heavenly mount, al-Buraq, led all the Prophets in prayer, and then ascended beyond the seven heavens to meet his Lord.  He cured the sick and the blind; demons would leave the possessed by his command, water flowed from his fingers, and his food would glorify God.

Yet he was the most humble of men.  He sat on the ground, ate on the ground, and slept on the ground.  A companion narrated that if a stranger were to enter a gathering where he was present, he would not be able to differentiate the Prophet from his companions due to his humbleness.  Anas, his servant, swore that in his nine years of service, the noble Prophet never chastised him or blamed him for anything.  Those around him described Muhammad to be so humble that even a little girl could hold his hand and take him wherever she wished.  He used to come to the weak among the Muslims in order to visit the sick and attend their funeral processions.  He used to stay at the back of the caravan to aid the weak and pray for them.  He would not hesitate to walk with a widow or a poor person until he had accomplished for them what they needed.  He responded to the invitation of even slaves, eating nothing more than barley bread with them.

He was the best of men to his wives.  Aisha, his wife, described how humble he was:

“He used to remain busy serving and helping his household, and when the time for prayer came he would perform ablution and go for prayer.  He would patch his own sandals and sew his own garments.  He was an ordinary human being, searching his clothes for lice, milking his sheep, and doing his own chores.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)

Indeed he was the best of all people to his family.  His personality was such that people were not driven away from him!

Such was the noble Prophet of God who we must love more than our own selves and whom God has described as:

“Indeed in the Messenger of God you have a good example to follow…” (Quran 33:21)

The concept of work in Islam (called ‘amal) is far broader and has different characteristics and objectives than that understood in the Western economic tradition.  In Islam, work ethic is defined by the Quran itself, which mentions the word ‘amal in 360 verses.  A closely related concept of fi’l (also translated as work) is mentioned in an additional 109 verses.  All these verses stress the need for work and action by human beings.  It is based on this emphasis on work that Islam is considered as the ideology of practice and the practice of ideology, a religion of action, and “the par axis of the believers.”[1]  The Quran considers idleness – or squandering of time in pursuit of unproductive and non-beneficial work – as the manifestation of lack of faith and of unbelief.[2]  Man is called upon to utilize “time” in pursuit of work by declaring that God has made the day as means of seeking sustenance.  A person who through hard work seeks God’s “bounty” – which includes all appropriate means of earning one’s livelihood – is most highly praised.  All able-bodied persons are exhorted to work in order to earn their living.  No one who is physically and mentally able is allowed to become a liability on one’s family or the state through idleness.  The work which everyone is required to perform must be “good” or “beneficial” (al-’amal al-salih), but no work is considered as inconsequential in terms of its rewards or punishments in this world and in the next.  One will have to reap whatever rewards or retributions are done as a result of his work. (Quran 99:6-8).

Work, therefore, is regarded not only as a right but a duty and an obligation.  Islam extends to the individual the right to choose the type of work he desires, but along with this freedom comes the obligation to consider the needs of the society as well as the selection of the type of work permitted by the Shariah.

Since all class distinctions are negated by Islam, no line of work permissible by the Shariah is considered demeaning by Islam, which countenances only diversification on the basis of natural talents, skills and technology, or personal inclinations.  Based on its concepts of justice and contracts, Islam makes it an obligation for the worker to perform the tasks which he has contracted to the best of his ability, but since individuals are endowed with different abilities and talents, their productivities will differ.  Justice, however, demands that return to work of every individual must be commensurate with his productivity.

While Islam, in no uncertain terms, is against idleness and socially unproductive work, it maintains that those who are physically or mentally unable to work still retain a right to what the society produces.[3]  This conclusion is based on the property-rights principle of invariant claim to ownership which maintains that all human beings have a right in the resources which God has provided for mankind.  Since the source of physical and mental abilities of human beings, due to which some members of the society are able to possess more than others, is also God, the right of ownership of those less able to the original resources remains valid; just as God’s original right of ownership of resources is not negated when they, along with the creative labor of individuals, are transformed into products, property and wealth.

Earlier, it was mentioned that laboring and owning are central to the Islamic concept of property rights.  Islam encourages man to utilize, to the fullest possible sense, all the resources that God has created and entrusted to man for his use responsibly.  Non-utilization of these resources for his benefit and for that of the society is tantamount to ungratefulness to God’s provision of these resources as is irresponsibility and extravagance.  Wealth is considered an important means by which man can pave the way for the attainment of his ultimate objective.  Islam refers to wealth as “good”, an object of delight and pleasure, and a support for the community.[4]  Conversely, involuntary poverty is considered as undesirable.  This particular conception of wealth, however, is qualified in terms of earning, possession and disposition of wealth.

The earning of wealth is qualified through the emphasis on the fact that wealth is only a means for the achievement of man’s ultimate objective and not an end in itself.  It must be earned through “good”, “productive” and “beneficial” work.  This type of work is specified by the Shariah which defines the methods of earning wealth lawfully, not only are lawful methods of earning wealth specified, but also the types of economic activity which are prohibited are outlined.  The Shariah specifies non-permissible professions and trade and economic activity which may lead to unlawfully acquired wealth.  Even within each profession, the Shariah specifies proper and improper practices.  Unlawfully acquired or accumulated wealth for its own sake is condemned as “corruption” and retrogression to the basis of all human negative qualities, i.e., greed.

Islam considers wealth as the life-blood of the community which must be constantly in circulation; therefore, its possession excludes the right of hoarding (Quran 9:34-35).  The implication is that lawfully earned wealth must be invested within the community to improve its economic well-being.  Investing wealth is not only measured by the monetary gain associated with it, but also by the benefit which accrues to the society.  The needs of the society, therefore, must be a consideration for the owner of wealth.

Disposition of wealth is subjected to the rules of the Shariah as well.  The first and foremost among these rules is the recognition of the rights of others in this wealth, resulting from the principle of invariant claim to ownership.[5]  Also among these rules are the levies whose amounts are specified and those levies whose amounts are left to the determination by the wealth owner.  All these levies fall due when wealth exceeds a specific minimum amount called nisab.  After these obligations are met, the remainder of wealth belongs to the owner but must be used in accordance with the rules of the Shariah.  Among these are rules which forbid extravagance, opulence, waste or general abuse of wealth.[6]  It cannot be used to harm others or to acquire political powers to corrupt the polity.

While Islam considers lawfully acquired wealth as subject to the protection of the Shariah, it regards the wealth owner as a trustee who holds his wealth as a trust on behalf of God and the community.  Hence, his inability to use his wealth properly provides the basis for the forfeiture of his right to his wealth.  Extravagance, waste and general abuse of wealth is the basis upon which the community can consider him a “safih”, a person of weak understanding and one in possession of “weak intellect”; and a person who along with his own financial and moral loss is damaging the interest of the community.  There is a principle (hajr) according to which such a person’s wealth is made the ward of the community, or it’s legitimate representatives, which may limit his right to use only a part of his property to meet his basic needs (Quran 4:5).  That wealth, therefore, is considered “good” and a “support” for the community in attainment, possession, and disposition of which all rules of the Shariah are observed.

(1)  The story goes that an Arab named Khalid was tending his goats in the Kaffa region of southern Ethiopia, when he noticed his animals became livelier after eating a certain berry.

He boiled the berries to make the first coffee.  Certainly the first record of the drink is of beans exported from Ethiopia to Yemen where some Muslims drank it to stay awake all night to pray on special occasions.  By the late 15th century it had arrived in Makkah and Turkey from where it made its way to Venice in 1645.

It was brought to England in 1650 by a Turk named Pasqua Rosee who opened the first coffee house in Lombard Street in the City of London.  The Arabic “qahwa” became the Turkish “kahve” then the Italian “caffé” and then English “coffee”.

(2)  The ancient Greeks thought our eyes emitted rays, like a laser, which enabled us to see.  The first person to realise that light enters the eye, rather than leaving it, was the 10th-century Muslim mathematician, astronomer and physicist Ibn al-Haitham.

He invented the first pin-hole camera after noticing the way light came through a hole in window shutters.  The smaller the hole, the better the picture, he worked out, and set up the first Camera Obscura (from the Arab word “qamara” for a dark or private room).

He is also credited with being the first man to shift physics from a philosophical activity to an experimental one.

(3)  A form of chess was played in ancient India but the game was developed into the form we know it today in Persia.  From there it spread westward to Europe — where it was introduced by the Moors in Spain in the 10th century — and eastward as far as Japan.  The word “rook” comes from the Persian “rukh”, which means chariot.

(4)  A thousand years before the Wright brothers, a Muslim poet, astronomer, and engineer named Abbas ibn Firnas made several attempts to construct a flying machine.  In 852 he jumped from the minaret of the Grand Mosque in Cordoba using a loose cloak stiffened with wooden struts.

He hoped to glide like a bird.  He didn’t.  But the cloak slowed his fall, creating what is thought to be the first parachute, and leaving him with only minor injuries.

In 875, aged 70, having perfected a machine of silk and eagles’ feathers he tried again, jumping from a mountain.  He flew to a significant height and stayed aloft for ten minutes but crashed on landing — concluding, correctly, that it was because he had not given his device a tail so it would stall on landing.  Baghdad international airport and a crater on the Moon are named after him.

(5)  Washing and bathing are religious requirements for Muslims, which is perhaps why they perfected the recipe for soap which we still use today.  The ancient Egyptians had soap of a kind, as did the Romans who used it more as pomade.

But it was the Arabs who combined vegetable oils with sodium hydroxide and aromatics such as thyme oil.  One of the Crusaders’ most striking characteristics, to Arab nostrils, was that they did not wash.

Shampoo was introduced to England by a Muslim who opened Mahomed’s Indian Vapour Baths on Brighton seafront in 1759 and was appointed Shampooing Surgeon to Kings George IV and William IV.

(6)  Distillation, the means of separating liquids through differences in their boiling points, was invented around the year 800 by Islam’s foremost scientist, Jabir ibn Hayyan, who transformed alchemy into chemistry, inventing many of the basic processes and apparatus still in use today — liquefaction, crystallisation, distillation, purification, oxidisation, evaporation and filtration.

As well as discovering sulphuric and nitric acid, he invented the alembic still, giving the world intense rosewater and other perfumes and alcoholic spirits (although drinking them forbidden, in Islam).  Ibn Hayyan emphasised systematic experimentation and was the founder of modern chemistry.

(7)  The crank-shaft is a device which translates rotary into linear motion and is central to much of the machinery in the modern world, not least the internal combustion engine.  One of the most important mechanical inventions in the history of humankind, it was created by an ingenious Muslim engineer called al-Jazari to raise water for irrigation.

His Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices (1206) shows he also invented or refined the use of valves and pistons, devised some of the first mechanical clocks driven by water and weights, and was the father of robotics.  Among his 50 other inventions was the combination lock.

(8)  Quilting is a method of sewing or tying two layers of cloth with a layer of insulating material in between.  It is not clear whether it was invented in the Muslim world or whether it was imported there from India or China.

However, it certainly came to the West via the Crusaders.  They saw it used by Saracen warriors, who wore straw-filled quilted canvas shirts instead of armour.  As well as a form of protection, it proved an effective guard against the chafing of the Crusaders’ metal armour and was an effective form of insulation — so much so that it became a cottage industry back home in colder climates such as Britain and Holland.

(9)  The pointed arch so characteristic of Europe’s Gothic cathedrals was an invention borrowed from Islamic architecture.  It was much stronger than the rounded arch used by the Romans and Normans, thus allowing the building of bigger, higher, more complex and grander buildings.

Other borrowings from Muslim genius included ribbed vaulting, rose windows and dome-building techniques.  Europe’s castles were also adapted to copy the Islamic world’s — with arrow slits, battlements, a barbican and parapets.  Square towers and keeps gave way to more easily defended round ones.  The architect of Henry V’s castle was a Muslim.

We can scarcely imagine their fear.  It is the fear of a helpless person in the face of a strong and merciless abuser.  These bandits knew only the law of the jungle.  Like lions, they recognized no code of ethics besides their own hunger and lust.  Anyone they could subdue was fair game.

Though the community lived in the desert, before the arrival of the gang, they enjoyed peace and security and managed to prosper.  Now they were being stripped of their lives, their liberty, and their honor.  In desperation, they appealed to the authorities to come save them.

The head of state decided to take it upon himself to lead his forces into the area and punish the ones who were spreading terror and violating the lives and security of his people.  News of this mobilization spread quickly and soon the bandits knew that the authorities were coming after them in force.  They were compelled to flee the area and seek refuge in the surrounding mountains.  They hid among the highest peaks they could find, hoping to save themselves.  They knew that they could very well meet their fate in the very place they were fleeing to, but they hoped to at least be able to scope out the forces that were being sent against them.

The forces arrived under the command of the head of state to find that the bandits had abandoned the area and taken up positions on a nearby mountain to survey the situation from a safe vantage point.

As soon as the forces arrived, a thunderstorm struck, flooding the valleys near the mountain.  The head of state was soaked through.  After the storm passed, he went off to find a place to remove his clothes and allow them to air out.  He found a tree, took off his outer garments, and hung them on a branch to dry.  He sat beneath the tree to rest from the tiring journey.  Fatigue defeated him and he soon drifted off to sleep.

One of the bandits was watching this with interest, and said to himself: “This is an excellent opportunity to subdue the leader while he is sleeping.  Then no one will stand in our way.”

Exercising the utmost stealth, he climbed down from the mountain and snuck across to where the leader was sleeping.

As he approached the tree, he noticed the leader’s sword beside him.  He looked left and right to make sure that no one else was around.  Then, with his skill as a thief, he quickly snatched up the sword and then pointed it in the leaders face.

The bandit sneered and exclaimed: “Who will save you from me now?”

The leader woke up at these words to see the bandit standing, threateningly above his head, sword in hand.  He realized immediately that the glowering bandit had disarmed him and was threatening to kill him.  Imagine what you would do in such a situation.

The leader kept his composure, straightened himself up where he was sitting, and regarded his assailant calmly.  After listening patiently to the bandit’s threats, he answered his assailant’s question, and said: “God will save me.”

The bandit felt a shudder go through his body and down his arm.  He dropped the sword.  As swiftly as it fell, the leader snatched it up and came upon the bandit with it, repeating the same question that the bandit had asked him moments before: “Who will save you from me now?”

Imagine that you found yourself in this leader’s position.  What would you do with the bandit? Would your state of mind give you any chance to think before acting? Would anyone blame you if you struck the thief down in self defense?

However, this leader had a strong, magnanimous heart, a heart that knew neither rancor nor vengefulness.  He regarded vindictiveness to be a sign of weakness.  Imagine that the leader not only pardoned the bandit, but offered him the opportunity to join with his forces in their campaign.  Moreover, he promised him that if he took the offer, he would receive all of the entitlements and rewards that the other soldiers would get.

We would suspect the bandit to eagerly take up this offer, at least as an act of deception.  However, the bandit did the unthinkable.  He refused, and the ruffian did so with all the coarseness and impertinence that he could muster.

The leader said to him: “Then go.  You know the way.”

The bandit began to hasten away, but then stopped and said: “I will not fight against you, nor will I ever join with any group who fights you.”  This, in and of itself, was an acceptable enough outcome.

When the bandit returned to the rest of his gang, they could see that he was elated to have survived the encounter.  He said to them: “I have come to you from a leader like no other.”  He then related to them everything that had happened and how fortunate he was to still be alive.”

It remains for us to reveal the identity of this leader.  He was the same person who is often maligned and depicted in a most ignoble light.

Yes, he was none other than Muhammad, the Prophet of God.

Not only was the ousted leader behind bars, he was wheeled into the Cairo Police Academy on a hospital bed, dressed in white, his sons – co-defendants alongside him – leaning down to mutter questions from the judge.

Outside, a few hundred demonstrators gathered, some in support of the humbled leader, some to make sure the memories of those he is accused of conspiring to kill are not forgotten.

At times, the crowd, gathered before a large video screen displaying the proceedings, erupted into fights. Rocks and fists were thrown, belts pulled off as weapons, dozens injured and around 15 arrested.

But the real drama was inside the courtroom, constructed hastily over the past few days inside the academy that bore Mubarak’s name until the 18-day uprising forced him out of power.

The opening proceedings of the trial featured grandstanding, theatrical accusations and even moments of humor, but as prosecutor Moustafa Soliman read the charges, which carry the death penalty, it was clear the hearing was deadly serious.

The security forces that Mubarak’s regime made judge, jury and executioner over his decades of rule left hundreds of ordinary Egyptians dead and thousands wounded during protests that swept the country.

Now the country is prepared to mete out an equal punishment on Mubarak and his associates.

‘Bevy of complaints’

Judge Ahmed Rifaat, the head of the Cairo Appeals Court who is presiding over the trial, spent much of the first day enduring a bevy of complaints, arguments and legal motions from dozens of lawyers on both sides of the case.

Lawyers representing ex-Interior Minister Habib el-Adly and six of his former top officers, who are all accused of conspiring to kill protesters, argued that it was illegal to join their case with the Mubaraks’ in the first place.

Previously, the Adly case had been proceeding alone.

They argued that Rifaat and his two fellow judges should visit a host of crime scenes around Tahrir Square, including the Ramses Hilton Hotel, Interior Ministry, and American University in Cairo, to see for themselves the places security forces are alleged to have fired on peaceful protesters.

They also asked to subpoena more than 10 military officers, ranging from colonels to generals, perhaps indicating what will be one of the defence team’s primary strategies: to focus blame for the regime’s murderous aggression and failure to prevent violence on the armed forces, which took to Egypt’s streets on the night of January 28, the revolution’s bloodiest day, and have held most of the power in the country ever since.

As the defence lawyer’s arguments continued, emotions among those representing slain or injured protesters rose. On two occasions, plaintiffs’ lawyers seized the microphone and complained that their voices should be heard and that they were outnumbered by defence attorneys.

After it seemed that most of the defence attorneys had been heard, Rifaat adjourned for a half-hour break.

Courtroom chaos

When the case resumed, the Mubaraks took centre stage. Soliman, the government prosecutor, read the official charges against the ex-president and his sons, Gamal and Alaa.

Mubarak is accused of conspiring in the premeditated and attempted murder of unarmed protesters, abusing his power to amass wealth, and allowing illegal below-market gas sales to Israel.

His sons are charged with using their influence and that of their father to illegally obtain five villas, worth a collective $5 million, in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheiklh.

The illegal sale was allegedly made by Hussein Salem, a businessman closely tied to the regime who fled to Spain and is being tried in absentia in the same case.

The court had fallen silent during the reading of the charges, but soon afterward a parade of plaintiffs’ lawyers appeared at the bar, each stating the number of killed or injured protesters they represented: 32, 50, one. Each made claims for recompense for those who had died; one of the highest was for 50,000 pounds, or roughly $8,600.

It was often hard to tell whether Mubarak was listening. At times he rested his head on his hands, looking like a man on vacation; at others, he wrapped one arm across his forehead, seemingly in pain.

Once, state television cameras caught him picking his nose, an image that did not go unnoticed by activists and was relayed again and again online.

Outside the cage, the scene in front of the bar reached a fever pitch, as dozens of lawyers struggled to have their case heard.

One man who took the microphone claimed that Mubarak had actually died in 2004 and that the man in the cage was an impersonator, placed there as part of an “American, Zionist” plot. Mubarak did not appear to react.

Another lawyer claimed that Mubarak and his sons had never officially had a criminal case opened against them and demanded they be fingerprinted. He pulled out an ink pad, opened it, and placed it before him. Rifaat ignored the demand.

Others made more substantive arguments. They asked the court to subpoena a long list of regime officials and corporate representatives.

Some wanted former prime ministers and high-ranking MPs to appear, others wanted to hear from Vodaphone, Etisalat and Mobinil – internet and mobile phone providers whose services were cut off, some allege with the companies’ easy acquiescence, after the uprising began on January 25.

Finally, Rifaat ordered all the lawyers to sit. Peering over his glasses like a schoolteacher, he repeated his order until the courtroom quieted.

Tantawi to appear?

Farid el-Deeb, the Mubaraks’ lawyer, took the bar. Every time he had spoken throughout the day, the room had listened, and this last time was no exception. He mentioned issuing a subpoena to bring Mubarak’s personal physician, a German, to appear.

But then he made the day’s biggest announcement: demanding the appearance of Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, Mubarak’s defence minister and the current chairman of the military council that runs Egypt’s post-revolution affairs.

Tantawi, he argued, had ultimate authority over security affairs after soldiers took the streets on January 28. Rifaat took the demand in hand, adjourned, and then returned to make a short statement. Mubarak would remain in Cairo under the care of his medical team and the head of oncology at Cairo University.

The case against him and his sons will resume on August 15, while Adly and his aides will return Thursday. Mubarak was wheeled out.

The chaotic day gave little indication of where proceedings will go from here, but Deeb’s request did offer at least one tantalizing clue about the defence strategy. It appears Mubarak’s team and perhaps those lawyers representing Adly and his aides may argue that the military bears responsibility for the violence against protesters.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which has managed Egypt since the uprising, is now in a difficult position. Should Tantawi refuse to appear, it may anger protesters who demand a fair and transparent trial. But if he shows, he may face tough questions from defence lawyers, potentialy revealing misdeeds by SCAF and endangering it’s hold on Egypt.

Though the path the trial will take and who it may ensnare remain uncertain, one thing was clear on Wednesday: Mubarak was no longer in control.

Source: Al Jazeera

The accused all face charges related to their involvement in the killing of protesters during the revolution earlier this year, which toppled the government of the former president, Hosni Mubarak.

Thursday’s trial in Cairo, the capital, is a continuation of one that began in April. This is the fifth session.

“Today is the day when evidence is presented to the judge by the various sides,” Al Jazeera’s Sherine Tadros, reporting from the capital, said.

“It is very likely to be a very long day for people here.”

Adly, along with his aides, is accused of having ordered the shooting of demonstrators during protests that toppled Mubarak and led to more anti-government protests in the Arab world.

He is also being held responsible for the insecurity that prevailed after police disappeared from the streets of Cairo in the early days of the protests.

“These are all the senior key figures, the buck really stops with these people when it comes to the ordering of the killing of protesters, which is what the prosecution is trying to prove. And that’s why it is such an important trial,” Tadros said.

The former officials on trial include the head of central security, the head of state security, the head of investigations, and the heads of security for the Cairo, Sixth of October city and Giza governorates.

According to an official toll, 846 people were killed and several thousand wounded during 18 days of massive nationwide street protests that forced Mubarak to quit on February 11.

Adly was also the first member of Mubarak’s regime to be put on trial in another case where he faced charges of fraud and money laundering.

He has already been sentenced to 12 years in jail in that separate corruption case.

The removal of Adly from office was one of the chief demands of protesters when they launched the revolution against Mubarak’s regime on January 25.

Mubarak faces similar charges of corruption and complicity in the killing of protesters.

In the first day of his trial held on Wednesday, he plead not guilty to all the accusations against him.

“I categorically deny all the charges,” Mubarak said, speaking from a hospital stretcher where he lay inside a cage for defendants.

Wednesday was Mubarak’s first public appearance since the day before he stepped down as president. There have been reports of his ailing and deteriorating health.

He will remain in a hospital near Cairo until his trial resumes on August 15.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fkyPmScQXg

Egypt has just held another of its noisy elections. There are widespread allegations of fraud, violence and intimidation in favour of the ruling National Democratic Party. The Muslim Brotherhood, the banned group considered the largest opposition force in the country, has pulled out from the run-offs after independents it backed failed to win a single seat in the first round.

Is this a prelude to instability that could scare business? Probably not. Yet it is a reminder that Egypt lacks inclusive politics, at a time when there’s uncertainty over who will succeed the 82-year-old president, Hosni Mubarak – the biggest issue raising concerns about the country as an investment destination.

Elections in Egypt have always been something of a sideshow. Most Egyptians recognise that real power does not reside in parliament, and few people vote. The official turnout this time was around 35 per cent, though independent monitors say it was closer to 10 per cent. The outcome may be an assembly with almost no opposition – marking a deterioration in the political atmosphere.

To be sure, Egypt, with its big market and recent history of economic reform is still attracting investment: international groups,  including European giants Saint Gobain, Electrolux and Makro, have announced ventures worth hundreds of millions of dollars in recent months. Inflows from foreign investors into the Egyptian stock exchange were almost $900m in the last six months. Foreign direct investment was $6.3bn in the financial year that ended in June.

But some bankers also say that political uncertainty is at the forefront of investors’ minds. Inflows could have been bigger had it not been for the uncertainty. Some existing investors are deferring major decisions until after next year’s presidential election, bankers add.

Much of what happens in the coming months will depend on the reaction of the Brotherhood. But the well-disciplined group does not embrace violence and it has always held back from a full confrontation with the regime. Analysts say this is unlikely to change now, even if there will be much frustration within the movement.

Could there be demonstrations and anger on the street? If past precedent is a guide, protests by the Brotherhood are likely to be short-lived and carefully calibrated to express anger but not to unleash full repression by the state against the group.

But even if Egypt is not hurtling towards political instability, this election was a missed opportunity to set the country along the path of political reform and inclusive government.

“Reports of alleged abuses do raise political risk,” said Angus Blair, head of research at Beltone Financial in Cairo said in an interview with Reuters. “If reports are true that neither the Muslim Brotherhood nor the Wafd party won any seats it will be worrying – Egypt needs pluralistic parliament. The alternative is more dissent.”

In an election marred by boycotts and accusations of widespread fraud, Egypt’s ruling party strengthened its hold on power by winning all but a few seats in the parliament, according to unofficial results announced Tuesday.

The victory of the National Democratic Party was never in doubt, but its near-sweep of the legislature was a stunning defeat for the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition movement. The Islamist organization said it lost 62 of its 88 seats, with the remaining 26 to be decided in a runoff Sunday.

Human rights groups condemned Sunday’s poll as rife with irregularities, and most Egyptians didn’t bother to vote in what they considered a rigged contest. The outcome, which essentially leaves President Hosni Mubarak’s party unchallenged, will do little to ease apprehension before next year’s presidential poll.

“I remind President Mubarak of his vow 30 years ago to serve and protect the country, a promise he has yet to deliver on,” said Manal Aboul Hassan, a Brotherhood candidate from Cairo. “Egypt law and its constitution were killed in these elections.”

The outcome appeared to be part of a strategy by the ruling party to weaken opponents at a time of dissension within the NDP over selecting a presidential contender if the 82-year-old Mubarak decides not to seek a sixth term. Independent monitors reported that thugs intimidated voters and that election boxes were stuffed with NDP ballots.

Washington, which gives Cairo more than $1 billion in annual aid, characterized the poll as “worrying.” The United States is “disappointed with the conduct during and leading up to” the elections, said Mike Hammer, the White House National Security Council spokesman.

Official results were to be announced Tuesday but were delayed, with no reason given. Calculations by the Brotherhood and other parties suggested that the NDP would control all but a scattering of seats in the 518-member People’s Assembly, the lower house. The Brotherhood said it was considering rescinding its candidates from Sunday’s runoff.

“While we concede that a number of complaints of violent incidents and minor violations occurred during the electoral process on Sunday,” said Sameh Kashef, official spokesman for the High Elections Commission, “the commission is totally satisfied with the elections’ outcome, and we reject any claims that the reported incidents negatively affected the electoral process.”

The NDP wanted to “pave the political sphere for them to do whatever they want,” Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badee said. “The regime’s security forces used and protected hooligans throughout the electoral process.”

By Jeffrey Fleishman and Amro Hassan, Los Angeles Times

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