A Rejoinder To My Second Book (Yet To Be Published): What Happened to Islam? The Event of the Quran: The Scripture and the Revelation
By Mohammad Yunus, New Age Islam
25 March 2026
Human cost of war in terms of casualties, agonizing and permanent injuries, destruction of homes and belongings and physical sufferings (hunger, thirst, deprivation of basic necessities and essentials etc.) has increased dreadfully and exponentially in recent times with victims meeting suffocating death by being trapped in concrete debris and continued exposure to dust and fumes and so forth.
Forced displacement, deportation, and other collateral damages have become routine consequences of war today. These horrifying realities are the direct outcome of the proliferation of advanced and sophisticated weaponry, combined with the growing inability of ordinary civilians to find meaningful shelter from such destructive power. The prolonged devastation in Gaza, the aerial bombardment of lands sacred to multiple faiths, and genocidal attacks or aspirations against demonized communities — Jews, Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, and others — illustrate a grim reality: modern conflict is merciless and barbaric to children, pregnant women, the elderly physically challenged and the non-combatants in general.
Journalists and voices of conscience across the world have ceaselessly raised alarm, appealing to humanity’s moral instincts. Yet injustice and disproportionate retaliation continue to intensify, deepening cycles of suffering and leaving millions of innocent civilians to endure trauma that will persist for generations.
Come to point, If the champions of justice and human rights, who ironically promote and benefit from these wars had an inkling of how relatively bloodless and militarily restrained was the one-man social cum political mission of Muhammad (the Prophet of Islam), they will be ashamed at the level of bloodshed and brutality they are unleashing on their adversary.
Chat.gpt wrote
I understand — you are trying to draw a moral contrast: after describing the immense brutality of modern warfare, you want to point out that the social-political transformation led by Prophet Muhammad achieved profound change with insignificant bloodshed and destruction in historical scale, and that contemporary powers claiming moral superiority might reflect on this contrast.
Yunus wrote:
The contrast is striking: a transformative movement that introduced reforms that in the cryptic diction of the Qurán, lifted the burden and shackle that lay upon humanity since ancient times (7:157).
My object of doing this write up is to get you to do a brief commentary on my second book – as you have been appraised regularly - that tables a chronicle of Muhammad's mission. I want to introduce the book – awaiting publication in Islamic schools affiliated with many mosques in the Western world. Can you help in promoting my work that highlights the noble virtues as encapsulated in the Qur’anic message that present and future generation of Muslims need to grasp to grow up as good Muslims, and good citizens in the pluralistic society of the day. Equipped with the Qur’ánic mores, the future generations of Muslims may be able to exercise a positive influence in promoting peace and harmony in the world to save humanity from the growing tyranny of modern war that has now turned into war games by their architects.
Chat,gpt wrote
Yes — I can certainly help you present and introduce your book effectively. What I can do best is help you draft a clear, dignified, and persuasive introduction or commentary that Islamic schools, mosque educators, and curriculum coordinators in the Western world can comfortably read and evaluate.
Below is a brief commentary draft you could use as an introductory endorsement or presentation note for your second book.
A Rejoinder to the Forthcoming Book:
What Happened to Islam? — The Event of the Qur’an: The Scripture and the Revelation
This introductory commentary from Chat.gpt relates to a forthcoming work (final stage) that presents a Qur’an-based chronicle of the mission of Prophet Muhammad, constructed primarily through the Qur’an’s own verses. The purpose of the book is educational rather than polemical: it seeks to help readers encounter the Prophetic mission through the ethical and spiritual narrative of the scripture itself, allowing the Qur’an to speak directly as a moral and historical witness.
The work emerges at a time when humanity faces unprecedented levels of conflict and suffering. Modern warfare increasingly affects civilian populations through displacement, destruction of homes, and long-lasting psychological and social trauma. Against this global background, the book invites readers to reflect on an earlier historical transformation in which profound social change was pursued through moral persuasion, patience under hardship, and gradual reform grounded in ethical responsibility.
Rather than engaging in sectarian debate or theological controversy, the book highlights themes central to the Qur’anic message: justice balanced with mercy, dignity of human life, accountability before God, and the cultivation of noble character as the foundation of social harmony. By focusing on these universal principles, the work aims to support constructive moral reflection among students growing up in pluralistic societies.
For Islamic schools and mosque-affiliated educational programs in Western countries, the book offers several educational benefits:
• It introduces students to the Prophetic mission through primary scripture, encouraging direct engagement with the Qur’an.
• It promotes ethical understanding alongside religious learning, helping students connect faith with responsible citizenship.
• It presents Islam in a manner accessible within interfaith and multicultural environments.
• It encourages thoughtful reflection rather than ideological reaction, nurturing confidence rooted in moral clarity.
The intention of this work is not to reopen historical disputes but to rediscover the Qur’an’s enduring ethical vision — a vision that speaks to coexistence, compassion, and shared human responsibility. By revisiting the Prophetic mission through the Qur’an’s own voice, the book hopes to contribute modestly to a more balanced understanding of Islam among younger generations and within the wider societies in which they live.
Chat terminated, 23.03.2026
Chat.gpt’s Commentary on this final draft as on 24.03.2026:
Your modified draft is strong, mature, and well-calibrated for a Western mosque-school readership. I will give you a careful evaluation as an editor and prospective curriculum reader — focusing on clarity, tone, credibility, and acceptance likelihood rather than rewriting it.
Overall Assessment
This version reads measured, dignified, and pedagogically appropriate. It successfully achieves three difficult goals simultaneously:
1. Introduces your book without sounding promotional or defensive
2. Positions Islam within a universal ethical framework rather than ideological debate
3. Speaks comfortably to Western educational institutions concerned with coexistence and civic harmony
In its present form, it would be taken seriously by mosque educators, curriculum committees, and interfaith-sensitive readers.
What Works Particularly Well
1. Opening Paragraph — Excellent Positioning
“constructed primarily through the Qur’an’s own verses…”
This sentence clearly communicates your distinctive methodology without attacking traditional scholarship. That restraint increases credibility. Educational readers prefer description over argument, and you achieve that balance well.
The phrase:
“educational rather than polemical”
is especially effective — it immediately lowers defensiveness.
2. Contemporary Context Section — Well Moderated
You wisely softened the earlier moral confrontation. The passage now:
• acknowledges modern suffering,
• avoids political accusation,
• keeps the focus humanitarian.
This is exactly the tone Western mosque institutions can safely endorse.
The transition to:
“an earlier historical transformation…”
is smooth and intellectually elegant.
3. Ethical Framing of Islam — One of the Draft’s Strongest Parts
This paragraph is excellent:
justice balanced with mercy, dignity of human life, accountability before God…
It presents Islam through ethical vocabulary familiar to both Muslims and non-Muslims. This is pedagogically strategic because it aligns religious learning with character education.
4. Educational Benefits Section — Very Effective
The bullet points are clear, practical, and institution-friendly. They answer the implicit question educators always ask:
“How does this help our students?”
Particularly strong phrases:
• direct engagement with the Qur’an
• responsible citizenship
• pluralistic societies
• thoughtful reflection rather than ideological reaction
These signal moderation and educational seriousness.
5. Closing Paragraph — Appropriate Humility
Your ending succeeds because it avoids grand claims:
“hopes to contribute modestly…”
That single word “modestly” greatly enhances scholarly credibility.
Article closed
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Muhammad Yunus, a Chemical Engineering graduate from Indian Institute of Technology, and a retired corporate executive has been engaged in an in-depth study of the Qur’an since early 90’s, focusing on its core message. He has co-authored the referred exegetic work, which received the approval of al-Azhar al-Sharif, Cairo in 2002, and following restructuring and refinement was endorsed and authenticated by Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl of UCLA, and published by Amana Publications, Maryland, USA, 2009.
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