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JESUS
& MUHAMMAD
(peace
be upon them)
GOD'S FAVORS
UPON THE PROPHET ABRAHAM
To understand the Creator's Master Plan for mankind,
is beyond our imagination. However, we can examine the blueprints of that
Master Plan for the period of our history that has already passed away.
Unfolding the events that have transpired centuries ago, we can discover
some interesting facts. It was God's Master Plan that kept apart Ishmael
and Isaac, the two sons of Abraham, and created two separate branches.
The "Great Nation" that God had promised to make through Ishmael (Gen.
21:13/18), who had settled in the wilderness of Paran (the deserts of Arabia)
(Gen. 21:21), has become the fastest growing Religion today. God revealed
to Isaiah His Plan for creating a Religion with a New Scripture, to destroy
the idolatry in Arabia.
One day in c.1919 B.C.E., a man who had been
known to his tribe for the last 99 years by the name of Abram, “father
of exaltation”, was asked by the Creator to change his name to Abraham,
“father of multitude”, (peace be upon him). None could have imagined what
the Supreme Designer had planned for an old man, who had only one son at
that age. The Almighty God alone knew that this wandering nomad would become
the patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. A triune of religions
that would encompass more than half the population of world, by the
turn of the twentieth century. We do not know how high these population
figures will rise, by the turn of the coming century. Will the three children
of Abraham (Jews, Christians and Muslims), be united under one Banner and
one Principle, before that date? A Principle that was established by the
patriarch himself, at the risk of his own life. A Principle that expects
the ‘Children of Abraham’ to submit to “One God and Him Alone”.
God makes separate promises
to Abraham for his two wives:
Abraham's wife Hagar receives
the following favor:
And also of the son of the bondsman, I will make
a nation also, because he {is} thy seed. Gen. 21:13
Ishmael (Ar. Ismail), was born to Hagar when
Abraham was 86 years old. (Gen. 16:16). Ishmael married a daughter of the
Jorhamite prince Mudad and she gave him an illustrious son named Kedar
(Ar. Qaidar). Kedar was the ancestor of Adnan (Ar. Qais),
who was the progenitor of the tribes of Northern Arabia and the forebear
of the prophet of Islam. God's promise for making “a nation also” from
the descendant of Ishmael was fulfilled, and the Nation of Islam was created.
Abraham's wife Sarah receives
the following favor:
And I will bless her, and give thee a son also
of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be {a mother} of nations;
kings of people shall be of her. Gen. 17:16
Isaac (Ar. Ishaq), was born to Sarah when
Abraham was 100 years old. (Gen. 21:5). God's promise was fulfilled, when
from the descendants of Isaac, came King Saul, King David and King Solomon.
The Nation of Judaism and the Nation of Christianity had their roots in
Isaac - the second son of Abraham.
God makes one significantly
important promise to Abraham:
This portentous favor bestowed upon Abraham and
his One Son, happens to be the key that unlocks the mystery of God's Master
Plan. This eternal Divine Blessing for all the nations of the earth was
through a seed of the son of Abraham, who
had accompanied his father and passed God's test of Supreme Sacrifice.
The event thus become a pivotal part of the human history for Jews, Christians
and Muslims. The details of this exceptional Blessing were recorded in
the Bible as under:
And said, By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord,
for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine
only {son}: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will
multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which {is}
upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because
thou hast obeyed My Voice.
Gen. 22:16/18
ISHMAEL
OR ISAAC? (Peace be upon them)
When God decided
to test the faith of Abraham, He said;
And he said, Take now thy son, thine only {son}
_________, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and
offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I
will tell thee of . Gen. 22:2
There happens to be an unresolved debate as to who
accompanied the prophet Abraham and submitted himself to the will of God
- the first born - Ishmael - the progenitor of the prophet Muhammad, or
the second born - Isaac - the progenitor of Jesus Christ? The Bible writers
had placed the name of Isaac in the blank space above. Muslims believe
Ishmael was the one that was taken by Abraham for the ‘Supreme Sacrifice’.
Every year, Muslims throughout the world celebrate Id al-Adha as a day
of festivity, recalling the courage and patience of Ishmael and the unwavering
devotion of Abraham. The Muslim scholars have judicious reasons to believe
that the event happened in the life of prophet Abraham when Isaac was not
yet born. These scholars are of the opinion that Jews and Christians have
systematically and deliberately deprived Ishmael of the honor and glory
that is due to him.
We will now examine what the Bible and the Qur'an
have to say on this controversial subject. After the sacrificial offering
the Bible records;
And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad,
neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God,
seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only {son} from me.
Gen. 22:12
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord,
for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine
only {son}, Gen. 22:16
The word "only" is very significant in the above
quoted three verses. In the Hebrew text the word used is "yachiyd"
(not "echad"), which identifies absolute singularity - the one and
only. The logical argument put forward by the Muslim scholars is: God must
have used the phrase “thine only {son}” during the period of fourteen years
when Isaac was not yet born and Ishmael was the Only Son of Abraham. The
Jews and Christians argue: being born to Hagar, a hand-maid of Abraham's
wife, Ishmael was recognized as the Descendant or the Seed of Abraham,
but not as his Son. Muslim scholars contend: if that would have been the
case, God would not have called Ishmael a son of Abraham in the following
verse:
And Hagar bare Abram
a son: and Abram called his son's
name, which Hagar bare,
Ishmael. Gen. 16:15
Christian scholars going to their second line
of defense say: Ishmael, the Son of a bondwoman,
was called Abraham's Son at the time of his birth - but that was only for
the time being. Ishmael lost the status of being the Son of Abraham the
day Isaac was born to Abraham's wife Sarah the freewoman.
To read more on the subject of the gap that has
been deliberately widened by apostle Paul, between the descendants of bondwomand
and freewoman,
by misquoting a crucial text of the Scripture, please click
AN EPISTLE BY PAUL.
In their rebuttal, the Muslim scholars say: the
Bible nowhere records losing the acquired status. In fact, the biblical
text quoted below, proves that in the sight of God the Creator, Ishmael
was the Son of Abraham even after the death of his father.
And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him (Abraham)
in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite,
which {is} before Mamre. Gen. 25:9
The idea of a son losing his status probably comes
from the cuneiform tablets exemplifying the law of the second and third
millennium. The law states that a childless father could adopt a son to
serve him in his old age. Should a son be born later to that man, the adopted
son's status as an heir would be altered. The answer to this Law
of Adoption is: Ishmael was not adopted, he was fathered by Abraham.
The mother of Ishmael was the wife of Abraham. Gen. 16:3
The obvious question is, what are the reasons
that in spite of these overwhelming evidences the name of Isaac appears
in the blank space above? The descendants of Ishmael and Isaac (Arabs and
Jews) have fought battles in the arenas of politics and religions since
the day of a serious domestic quarrel in the house of Abraham. This Domestic
Dispute led Sarah driving away Hagar and her son Ishmael.
Tribal pride and deep rooted hatred for the enemy
can make a person go to any lengths. In the history of mankind, false pride
and jealousy have been the roots of many evils and untold sufferings. The
Jewish scribes wrote the Book of Genesis. It is very probable that they
would not have liked the idea that this singular honor of being offered
for the Supreme Sacrifice go to the progenitor of their enemy - Ishmael
- rather than their own patriarch - Isaac. The unyielding pride of Jewish
priests made Jesus call them stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart. The
Encyclopedia Judaica, volume 9, under the heading “Ishmael”, records:
It is related that a renowned traditionalist
of Jewish origin from Qurayza tribe, and another Jewish scholar who converted
to Islam, told Caliph Omar Ibn `Abd al-Azizi (717-20) that the Jews were
well informed that Ismail (Ishmael) was the one who was bound (for sacrifice),
but they conceal this out of jealousy.
THE QURANIC
NARRATION
A question is often asked: Does the name of Ishmael
appear in the Quranic narration as the one that was offered for the Supreme
Sacrifice? The answer is: No. The name of Ishmael does not appear in the
text. However, the Quranic narration gives the sequence of events that
happened before and after the sacrificial offering. These chronological
events very precisely testify that Isaac was born after the event.
Abraham pleads for a Son:
"O my Lord! grant me a righteous (son)!" So We
gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear. Then when
(the son) reached (the age of) serious work with him he said: "O my son!
I see in a vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: now see what is thy view!"
(The son) said: "O my father! do as thou art commanded: thou will find
me if Allah so wills, one practicing Patience and Constancy!" So when they
had both submitted their wills (to Allah) and He had laid Him prostrate
on his forehead (for sacrifice).
Qur'an 37:100/103.
The good news for the birth of Isaac - a righteous
prophet - comes much later. Hence, "they had both submitted" in the above
verse refers to Abraham and his eldest Son Ishmael. The narration continues:
We called out to him "O Abraham! Thou hast already
fulfilled the vision!" Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For
this was obviously a trial. And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice:
and We left (this blessing) for him among generations (to come) in later
times: "Peace and salutation to Abraham!" Thus indeed do We reward those
who do right. Qur'an 37:104/110.
Muslims all over the world send “Peace and salutation”
to prophet Abraham after their ritual prayers, five times a day. Continuing
the history of Abraham, the Qur'an reveals:
For he was one of Our believing Servants. And
We gave him the good news of Isaac, a prophet, one of the Righteous. We
blessed him and Isaac: but of their progeny are (some) that do right and
(some) that obviously do wrong to their own souls.
Qur'an 37:111/113.
The above verses clearly indicate that the incident
of Supreme Sacrifice happened before the birth of Isaac and Ishmael was
the “only Son” of Abraham, as mentioned in the Book of Genesis 22:2/12/16.
PAUL POSTULATES
"LIBERTY FROM THE LAW" USING THE EVENT OF THE SUPREME SACRIFICE
We saw in the earlier chapter that it was the
tribal rivalry between the Jews and the Arabs that probably motivated the
writers of the Book of Genesis to conceal the facts. Now let us examine
what has motivated Christians to insist that Isaac was the one who accompanied
his father for the Supreme Sacrifice.
Apostle Paul, who degenerated the Jesus-advocated
monotheism by introducing an heretical concept that Jesus was God, but
had emptied himself taking the form of a Bond-servant (Philippians 2:5/8),
associated the event of the Supreme Sacrifice with the event of Christ's
Crucifixion.
This is what he wrote in his Epistle (letter)
to the Galatians:
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to
his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather
to one, “And to your seed,” that is Christ. What I am saying is this: the
Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later, does not invalidate
a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. For
if the inheritance is based on Law, it is no longer based on promise; but
God had granted it to Abraham by means of a promise. Why the Law then?
It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels
by the agency of a mediator, until the seed should come to whom the promise
had been made. Galatians 3:16-19
Notes:
1. Earlier we saw that when the question was:
Who was offered for the Supreme Sacrifice? Ishmael, the first born of Abraham,
was deprived of that honor because he was regarded as the “Seed” of Abraham
and not as his “Son”.
In the above instance, the Promise of inheritance
is made for
"your Seed" and hence we would expect that the
glory of this Promise would be given to - the descendant of Ishmael - who
was the "Seed" of Abraham. But, Paul gives the glory of this Promise
to Jesus Christ, who was - the descendant of Isaac - the "Son" of
Abraham, as contested earlier.
2. The belief that the Law was “added” by God,
as a temporary stop-gap measure, does not concur with the text of the Law.
There is no indication in the Old Testament the Law will be abolished,
abrogated or annulled at a future date. The rationale that Jews and Gentiles
both can get acquittal by placing their “faith in Christ Jesus”, and not
by the “works of the Law” (Gal. 2:16), is known as the “Pauline Justification”.
3. Jesus, as if foretold by God of the “Pauline
Justification”, refuted the theory in advance by saying: Do not think
that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish,
but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all
is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments,
and so teaches others, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whosoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom
of heaven.”
Matthew 5:17-19
GOD'S MASTER
PLAN SEPARATES THE TWO BRANCHES
Long before the birth of Ishmael, God had disclosed
to his mother that his son will live "to the east of all his brothers".
God had also foretold that her son's hand will be against everyone, and
everyone's hand will be against him. Gen. 16:12. The mocking of Isaac was
just a ploy to implement His Master Plan. The important question is why
did God separate the two branches of Abraham and not let them grow together?
Looking back at the history, we find that the
Christ-taught “True Monotheism” took a 180 degree turn, during the fourth
century and the “Distorted Monotheism” was firmly established by a Royal
Decree. It became necessary to teach all over again the noble principle
established by the patriarch Abraham, through a Messenger from among the
kinsmen of this separated branch, that had not been influenced by the historical
events and their consequences.
Professor Jacob M. Myers, a contributor to Interpreter’s
Dictionary of the Bible, writes in his book, Invitation to The Old
Testament, Doubleday & Co. Inc., New York (1966), pg. 26:
Archaeological discoveries help us to fill in
the details of the biblical narrative and to explain many other wise obscure
references and strange customs that were commonplace in Abraham's world
and time.... A Nuzi marriage contract provides that a childless wife may
take a woman of the country and marry her to her husband to obtain progeny.
But she may not drive out the offspring even if she later has children
of her own. The child born of the handmaid has the same status as the one
born to the wife. That is why, when Sarah wanted to drive out Hagar and
Ishmael, it was quite objectionable to Abraham - because of the legal custom
of the region from which he came, he was reluctant to do so. It required
a special divine dispensation to act contrary to that custom. “And God
said to Abraham, ‘Do not be disturbed over the lad and your handmaid. Listen
to Sarah and do everything she tells you....” Gen. 21:12-13
GOD REVEALED
HIS PLAN TO ISAIAH
When the prophecies made by the prophet Isaiah
are recorded in the New Testament by the Gospel writers, as being fulfilled
in Christ, the skeptics have questioned: Were the prophecies of the Old
Testament fulfilled by history, or was the history of Christ written to
fulfill the prophecies? That question does not arise in the case of various
prophecies that speak of the coming the prophet Muhammad in Arabia.
In the Bible there is only one character that
is named Kedar, the son of Ishmael. The Land where Kedarites had settled
is called Arabia. In Isaiah chapter 42, the first seven verses prophecy
the coming of Jesus. The prophecy for the coming of a new prophet in Arabia
with a new scripture, begins with verse number eight. The text reads:
I {am} the Lord: that {is} my name: and my glory
will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold,
the former things are come to pass, and the new things do I declare: before
they spring forth I tell you of them. `Sing unto the Lord a new song, and
his praise from the end of the earth'. Let the wilderness and the cities
thereof lift up their voices, the villages that Kedar doth inhabit: let
the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout from the top of the mountains.
Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare His praise in the inlands."
Isaiah 42:8-12.
God did reveal in the Land of Kedar, to the prophet
Muhammad - a descendant of Kedar - a "New Song", the Qur'an (Koran), in
the language of the Kedarites. The verses of the Qur'an are recited like
a poem. Nearly 1.2 billion Muslims, residing all over the world, recite
this "new song" and Glorify Allah, in their daily prayers, five times in
a day. The initial Revelation came to prophet Muhammad in a cave of a mountain
near the city of Mecca. During the annual Islamic Pilgrimage called "Hajj",
Muslims from all over the world assemble in Mecca and declare "Glory to
the Lord" from the top of Mount Arafat.
"The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he
shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall
prevail against his enemies." Verse 13.
In the Old Testament, the God often speaks "I" will
do this, or "I" have done this, whereas, "He has chosen human beings to
do these jobs on his behalf." (e.g. 2 Samuel 12:7-12). Prophet Muhammad
did go forth as a mighty prophet of Allah, did stir up jealousy among the
most influential and dominating tribe of the pagan Arabs in Arabia. Finally
with a war cry and roar, Muhammad did prevail upon the enemies of Lord
- the idolaters.
"I have long time holden my peace; I have been
still, and refrained myself, now will I cry like a travailing woman; I
will destroy and devour at once." Verse 14.
The prophets that came before Muhammad had all conveyed
the Message of the “Unity of God”, but the concept of sharing God's Glory
and associating others as His co-equals or partners, continued to surface
again and again, in one way or other. It was with the war cry these sinful
practices were destroyed and devoured, inside and outside of Arabia. The
spread of Islam was swift, widespread and immediate.
"And I will bring the blind by a way they knew
not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known; I will make darkness
light before them, and crooked things straight. These things I will do
unto them, and not forsake them." Verse 16.
It is an undisputed fact that before the advent of
Islam, the pagan Arabs were like the blind. Their religious and social
concepts were crooked. The revelation of this "new song" brought them out
of that darkness.
"It is He Who has sent amongst the unlettered,
a messenger from among themselves, to rehearse to them His signs, to purify
them, and to instruct them in the Book and Wisdom, although they had been,
before, in manifest error." Holy Qur'an 62:2
"They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly
ashamed, that trust in graven images; they say to the molten images, `Ye
are our gods.'" Isaiah 42 : 17.
History records that Prophet Muhammad did put the
pagan idolaters to great shame when he demolished their 365 idols that
were installed in Ka'bah (Mecca), the most respected place of pilgrimage
in the whole of Arabia in those days. Today the Ka'bah is the Grand Mosque
of Islam where Muslims from all over the world go for their “Hajj” (Pilgrimage).
Muslims face towards the Ka'bah while reciting their daily ritual prayers.
PROPHET MUHAMMAD,
A MERCY FOR ALL CREATURES
Anyone who has read the Message of the Qur'an
can tell you, it is a blessing for anyone and everyone that reads and understands
it. The people who have joined Islam would not have, were it not for the
Qur'an, revealed to prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
Verily in this (Qur'an) is a Message for people who
would truly worship Allah. We
sent thee not,
but as a Mercy for all creatures..
Qur'an 21:106-107.
Unfortunately, the original Message of Jesus Christ
has been overshadowed by the teachings of those who claimed a direct designation
from Jesus himself or, centuries later became the Vicars of Jesus. Al-Hamdulillah
(praise be to Allah), no one has attempted to override or preclude the
Message of the Qur'an. The Message of this Final Testament -the Qur'an-
is eternal.
One Christian scholar, after reading this article
wrote to me; "...the Muslim faith is a
continuation of Christianity - or perhaps a different interpretation of
the will of God revealed to the Prophet and suited to the people and conditions
of Western Arabia at the time." To this I would say: the true Disciples
of Jesus were Muslims. The Holy Qur'an confirms that these Disciples were
the Believers in Allah. To Allah ("The Only True God" of John 17:3), they
bowed and to Him did they bear witness that they were Muslims. (see Qur'an
3:52 and 5:111{5:114}). A Muslim is one who submits to the Will of Allah.
(Qur'an 12:101).
REASONS WHY
CHRISTIANITY IS PLUMMETING
One bright and sunny Sunday morning I stationed
myself under the shade of a tree, on a path leading from a car park to
a church. It was a recently renovated, very modern-looking Protestant Church
in Burnaby, B.C., Canada, with a sizable attendance. My object was to conduct
a survey and obtain answers from the churchgoers personally. I had a short
questionnaire in my hand with a few simple questions. The answers to these
questions would tell me what are the beliefs of the churchgoers today,
about their "Lord", Jesus. Here is what I found. To my questions: Was Jesus
the beloved Son of God? The Son of Virgin Mary? The Prophesied Messiah?
The God's Christ? The Saviour? An Intercessor between Man and God?, almost
every one quickly concurred and said He was. To my questions: Was Jesus,
God the Son? God the Incarnate? Son of Man? The Second Person of the Trinity?
The Prophet of God? The Holy Servant of God?, people took time to answer.
Many said: Yes, he was. Some said; No, he was not, some were not sure.
There were only a few who said: Yes, to each and every question.
Such confusion as to: Who Lord Jesus was? is
not only among the average Churchgoer, but also among Christian scholars.
One day I asked a question on a Bible-study Net where the Bible scholars
exchange views in the cyber space. My question was: The Eternal God is
Eternally Holy. Jesus was made Holy by God. Hence, how can one claim Jesus
was God, from the beginning? A scholar replied: Jesus was not made Holy.
He was Anointed by God, meaning he was consecrated by God. There is major
difference between making Holy and Anointing. The learned scholar added,
if Jesus was made Holy, then that would be a big blow to the Divinity of
Jesus. I replied: here is what Jesus himself has said, and quoted; "Say
ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world...."
John 10:36. I also explained; the word "sanctified" comes from the Latin
word 'sanctus' meaning, "holy". Hence , the word "sanctified" means,
"made holy". The argument went further and the Greek word used in the text
was to be examined. I pointed out that Strong's Concordance with
the Greek Dictionary confirms the Greek word used is 'hagiazo',
which comes from the word "hagioz", and the meaning is "to make
holy"; "sanctify". The scholar finally replied: Jesus was sanctified, but
the question is whether this sanctification was a "cleansing" or a "setting
apart"?
The point I am making is, there are several verses
in the Bible which directly and explicitly deny the "co-equality" and "co-eternity"
of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The defenses that are put forward by
the clergy and the scholars sound hollow to open-minded Christians, who
desire to question the validity of the Doctrine of Trinity. The Doctrine
as taught by the Church has no endorsement in the Bible. On the other hand,
the Doctrine of Unity has far more support in the Old Testament and the
New Testament.
Majority of these confused Christians begin with
the changing of churches, jumping from one denomination to another
and finally venture to look outside of their realm. They find the concept
of Muslims for their prophet Muhammad to be uniform. He was a messenger
of God, and a servant of God. He never claimed to be a "Saviour" or the
propitiation for mankind's inherited or committed sins. Man is not born
with an inherited sin committed by Adam or Eve. Every one is personally
answerable for one's deeds.
After reading the Qur'an they find Islam's concept
of Allah (lit. "the God") to be much simpler and lucid. There is no god
but Allah. He has no associate or partner. He is eternally Self-sufficient
and Supreme. The recently conducted professional surveys in the West indicate:
Christianity plummeting at an alarming rate and Islam the fastest growing
religion. It is suggested that by the turn of this century the number of
practicing Muslims will surpass that of the practicing Christians. The
Scriptures say; "My servants, the righteous, shall inherit the earth."
Qur'an 21:105 and Psalms 37:29.
After reading the biblical prophecies, these bewildered
Christians discover that Jesus Christ did speak of the coming of another
"male" salvific figure like "himself". Jesus admitted: he was a
Prophet like Moses (John 5:46). Apostle John acknowledged:
Jesus was a Paraclete {Comforter, Advocate} (1 John 2:1). Concerning the
coming of "another Paraclete", after the departure of Jesus and "into
the age", apostle John writes: he (Paraclete - the Spirit of Truth) shall
glorify Jesus, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak
on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will disclose to you what
is to come. (John 16:13/14)
Please note, the pronoun repeatedly used
by the apostle is "he" and not "it". The entity called "Spirit of
Truth" which takes the pronoun "he" was with the passing of the time confused
with the "Holy Spirit" which takes the pronoun "it". To read further, please
click the word "PROPHECY" below.
Please send your comments directly to the
author,
Akbarally Meherally, by e-mail at
trustone@bc.sympatico.ca
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