QUESTIONS ABOUT ISLAM

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Trident wrote: I'm not potraying or imagining about Muhammad. Nor am I trying to distort facts or history, or trying to tarnish Muhammad's name. All my understanding of Muhammad came from reading the Quran, Hadith & Sirat Rasul itself.

Well, it is obvious from what you have posted thus far that your source for these materials and the interpretation of them is anti-Islamic, and hence, your reading and understanding of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Islam is truly distorted.  Not only do Muslims consider the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to be a righteous man; he has been considered by many great people (non-Muslims at that) throughout history as one of the greatest and most noble men and leaders of all human history.  In fact, he has been honored with the title of being the noblest leader of all times by one such non-Muslim of great worldly influence.  So, if you think I am going to let one, such as yourself, using flagrant propaganda material to convenience me that he was less that what I know him to be, then you are truly mistaken.  Who are you to judge a man such as him?  You have shown yourself to be incapable of even using sources that are credible.  So, why should I or anyone else for that matter hinge our opinions, knowledge and/or faith upon your feeble attempt to defame our beloved prophet (pbuh)?

 

Trident wrote: Previously, I thought all religion is good. I also thought that only the people distort religion to suit their own agenda. I also used to defend Islam when others amongst my society accuses it of violence. I claimed that Muslims have misused their religion.

Is this your way of trying to get us to empathize with you?  As if you are saying �poor me, I was a fool for believing at one time that Islam was good�?  I�m sorry but I don�t buy what you are saying here.  May Allah forgive me if I am wrong but I don�t buy you story about being such a grand Islam supporter before 9/11.  I can honestly say I was not a grand Islam supporter before 9/11 because before 9/11 I knew virtually nothing about Islam.  But I also was not a hater of Islam either.  I was simply apathetic toward it in the same kind of way I�m apathetic towards the other side of the moon.  I don�t know the other side of the moon; I�ve never seen it; I know its there but that�s about it.  Personally, I think I was in the same pot that a huge majority of Americans were in at that time. 

Trident wrote: That's when 9/11 happened & changed my whole perception about Islam. It made me think, why only Muslims "hijack" their religion? That's when I decided to read the Islamic scriptures for myself. What I found was that, the Muslims didn't hijack islam at all, but were simply following in the footstep of their prophet. I felt shame for defending Islam against my fellow people. But I kept quite about it.

Do you really think �Muslims� are the only religious members who �hijack� their faith?  What about Christian history?�the Crusades�the Grand Inquisition�the Salem Witch Hunts�the KKK�abortion clinic bombers�and that is just for starters.

No, you didn�t decide to read the Islamic scriptures.  What you decided was like what so many others did after 9/11.  There were two camps�okay, three.  One camp (let�s call it camp A) simply went on with their life and their thoughts about Islam without doing any research.  Their opinion of Islam may have changed but if it did, it was based upon things such as TV news reports. 

One camp (let�s call it camp B) decided to do some research but, in doing so, they sought out sources to verify their anger and hate towards �Muslims� based upon their preconceived opinion that was likely inflamed by what President Bush said about them; i.e., they where terrorists, and hence, Islam was a violent faith which not only condones violence but commands it.  They forgot that at that time, President Bush was willing to say just about anything to get the heat off himself for sitting illegally in the presidential seat.  In fact, interestingly enough, since 9/11, there has been no more talk about his less than legitimate first term in office.  So, the folks in camp B were not really interested in knowing the truth but rather they were interested in finding material to justify their position regarding Islam.  It�s not hard to do that on-line but then again, it�s not hard to find propaganda regarding just about anything you can image on the internet.  You can even find propaganda about Mickey Mouse and the Magic Kingdom on the internet. 

The last camp (let�s call it camp C) consists of people that also wanted to know more about Islam after 9/11; however, their desire was based upon a genuine desire to know the truth.  These individuals went out and purchased �authentic� copies of the Qur�an.  A significant number of them upon reading it fell in prostration to God.  That is, they reverted to Islam.  Subhan Allah!  What is even more interesting, a significant number of those who reverted were devout Christians.  In fact, at least one I know of was getting ready to complete his Christian ministry education.  The truth of the matter is that post 9/11 has seen more American reverts than at any time in the past.  Islam has become the fastest growing faith in the US.  Given this fact, it is impossible to say and expect others to believe that if someone studies Islam, they are going to find it to be what you claim it is.

Trident wrote: The damning blow came when I read the Sirat Rasul & came to know about the torture & murder of Kinana (because Kinana couldn't reveal where he kept the treasures) & the subsequent taking of his wife Safiya by Muhammad. All these don't looks like the actions of a prophet, but a merciless tyrant.

Once again, if you go to anti-Islamic sources for your information, you are going to get a view of Islam that is exactly like yours.  I want to ask you one question.  Safiya was 17 (by the way, she as been married twice before the Prophet (pbuh)) when the Prophet (pbuh) kept her from being the salve of another Muslim man so that he could show her mercy and honor her position as a direct descendant of the Prophet Moses (pbuh) by manumitting her and marrying her.  She was not forced to be his wife.  She knew him from her childhood.  Her father was the leader of the Jewish tribe that lived in Medina at the time the Prophet (pbuh) emigrated there.  Her father, also being one of the greatest Rabbis of that time knew that the Prophet (pbuh) was the messenger of Allah.  In fact, Safiya herself wrote of this information.  She heard her father speaking of it after having met with the Prophet (pbuh).  It was Safiya�s father who plotted to kill the Prophet (pbuh) in Medina although he had made a treaty with him.  Safiya, also, embraced Islam.  She was not forced to do so, in fact, as is clearly stated in the Qur�an a Muslim man can marry with a woman from any of the women of the Book�Christians or Jews.  Why did she embrace Islam?  And why when the Prophet (pbuh) died�just four short years after their marriage (she was 21)�did she not return to her people?  There is historical evidence that she remained in contract with her family members as is commanded in the Qur�an.  She didn�t; instead she lived the next 39 years as a widow as was commanded in the Qur�an for all wives of the Prophet (pbuh) after his death.  That doesn�t sound like the life of a woman that was married to a �merciless tryant�.

Trident wrote: Now Miss Khadija, do you understand what's my purpose of doing this?

Trident, if you want me to believe it is anything other than for you to try and get Muslims to buy your flagrant misrepresentation of Islam, or to frighten away non-Muslims who might be considering Islam as their chosen faith so that they don�t, then, no, I don�t understand.  However, it is so apparent to me why you are here that I seriously doubt it could be anymore apparent short of you coming straight and confessing.  However, that would spoil your little farce wouldn�t it?

My question to YOU is �Do you understand what the purpose of my doing this is?�  You see, I�m one of those people who wanted to know the truth about Islam.  I just happened to have a very bad experience with a local Muslim which made me curious about what Islam had to say about his behavior.  And when I sought the opening (Al-Fatihah), it was truly an opening for me.  Allah with His Most Merciful Mercy opened the door to His Most Noble and Blessed kingdom for me to enter in.  When I stepped through that door, I knew I had come home at last.  Now, it is my purpose to serve Allah and to fight (with the pen of course) people like you.  People who calm to be follows of �peace� and �love� but who can only do so by spreading lies and corruption of the TURTH.  I will gladly live every day for the rest of my life, like Sayfia, living the life of Islam.  Just as she was neither forced nor enslaved; I too was neither forced nor enslaved.  The submitting was done of freewill from the beginning and it will be, Inshallah, until I, too, am laid into the ground to wait the call of my God�the God�the only God�Allah.  Allahu Akbar!  Subhan Allah!  Alhamdulillah!\

Trident wrote: My faith is irrevelant here. Islam considers all other religions as kufr and it's adherents as infidels. So just say my religion is kufr.

I don�t know what your faith is and you are correct when you say it is irrelevant because it truly is irrelevant even if not for the reason you give.  The reason is, as it states in the follow ayat from the Holy Qur�an (Bismillah Rahmaanir Raheem). 

2:62 Those who believe (in the Qur'an), and those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Christians and the Sabians,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

5:69 Those who believe (in the Qur'an), those who follow the Jewish (scriptures), and the Sabians and the Christains,- any who believe in Allah and the Last Day, and work righteousness,- on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.

Please note that it states ANY person (regardless of his/her so called religion).  Now, if I�m not mistaken�correct me if I�m wrong�Islam is the only faith that makes this claim.  You won�t find this in the Torah or the Gospel. So, how is it according to Islam you are a kufr?  Do you believe in the God and the Last Day?  Do you work righteousness?  If you in fact do, then how can you say that Islam refers to you as a kufr?  If you do and you say that Islam is calling you a kufr, then you are, flat out, a liar because Islam does not call ANY person who believes in the God and the Last Day and who works righteousness nothing less than he/she who will be rewarded by their Lord and on them shall be no fear nor will they grieve.  Subhan Allah!  Ameen!

Ashukru-lillahi Rabbil-Alameen Wala- Hawla  Wala Quwata Illa Billah

PAZ

Sister Khadija

Edited by Khadija1021

Trident, if you don't know that Allah literally means "the God" referring to the fact that there is only one God and not many gods, and The God of Muhammad (pbuh) is the same God as the God of Abraham (pbuh), Moses (pbuh), Jesus (pbuh) and all other Prophets (pbut), then you truly do not know Islam.  The answer to your question is simple and it is this, Islam literally means, "submission/surrender to the Will of God", so any person who submits/surrenders his/her will to God, believes in the Day of Judgement and does acts of righteous is considered to be a part of Islam regardless of whether or not they are called Muslims.  The only distinction between them would be which prophet he/she follows as their messenger.  In fact, if you read the Qur'an carefully, you will see that a person doesn't have to follow any prophet because it is possible that a person lives in some remote region of existence (i.e,m the planet) and they have never heard of any prophet but they have been guided by God to beleive in Him and they do deeds of righteousness.  It is only if you worship Allah through one of the Books of His faith that you would be following a prophet as your personal messenger.  If God willing, that will help you understand that ayat. 

Regardless of whether you think so or not, the Qur'an does not contradict itself.  So, a little hint is that if you come upon something YOU think is contradictive, then you need to pray to GOD and ask for enlightenment and then try to have an open mind and search for the truth.  I know that people fight over details when they should not but I personally believe that it is not good to fuss and fight over details that only God will be able to settle on the DAY.  It is God and only God that knows all and I, as his servant, simply submit my will to Him and pray that He is merciful to all of His servants. 

To put it plainly, there is only one religion and that is GOD's religion and nothing any human has to say about it will make it other than what it is.  We as humans either choose to submit to it or we don't.  I think the best that we humans can do is to beg for forgiveness for any shortcomings we might have and to beg for forgiveness if we are somehow being lead astray.  I'm not here to judge whether a Christian or a Jew has been led to beleive some things are not true because some evil people tried to corrupt their holy books.  It has been revealed to me by God that it is so, but I leave it to God judge human kind.

PAZ

Sister Khadija

 

One thing that bro Trident has specifically alluded to is his source of info as "ibn Ishaq" without realising that though he was a Muslim historian, yet ibn Ishaq didn't apply the stringent methodology of "Ilum ul Hadith" to verify every report that he is using it for narrating his history. Hence, fall short of giving accurate accounts of Islamic doctrine especially when it comes to deducing Isalmic laws from it. Hopefully this shall give a better perspective in which his history must be viewed especially once a contrasting evidence is found elsewhere. 

AhmadJoyia wrote: One thing that bro Trident has specifically alluded to is his source of info as "ibn Ishaq" without realising that though he was a Muslim historian, yet ibn Ishaq didn't apply the stringent methodology of "Ilum ul Hadith" to verify every report that he is using it for narrating his history. Hence, fall short of giving accurate accounts of Islamic doctrine especially when it comes to deducing Isalmic laws from it. Hopefully this shall give a better perspective in which his history must be viewed especially once a contrasting evidence is found elsewhere.

Assalam Aleikum.

Absolutely Br. These polemicists bring up these stories but they fail to include all of the facts about the sources. It is my belief that these ruses are in fact created for the sole purpose of obfuscating the issue  for those non-Muslims who are taking a serious look at the deen, and for new converts who's iman is new. Many missionaries act as "retention" personel for sheep looking to find the one true path to Allah subhana wa t'ala, and their method of controlling loose sheep is misinformation and propaganda. I do know many fine Christians and in no way do I codemn all Christians and others for this assault.

Edited by Andalus