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wonderful

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Topic: Questions from a Christian.
Posted: 20 February 2010 at 8:15pm

Thank you in advance for your replies.

Quick background: As a Christian I am concerned that Islam is being portrayed falsely. In my personal research I am getting the idea that some of the things being told are not accurate. In the interest of truth I am asking for the help of the Muslim community to clear this up for me.

Questions:

Is there any other Islamic authority other than the Qur'an?
Does the Qur'an teach that so-called "infidels" should be killed? Does any other Islamic authority?
Does the Qur'an teach that there is a "jihad", which some translate as "holy war", that is CURRENTLY being fought against non-Muslims? Does any other Islamic authority?
Do Muslims believe in progressive revelation? (revelation that replaces prior revelation)
Has there been or is there currently revelation or leaders teaching new or different teachings than that of the Qur'an? Are there any current Islamic beliefs that supersede the Qur'an? (e.g., the Hadith)
Would Muslims fight/kill terrorists who claim to be Muslim or fighting in the name of Islam/Allah? Would American Muslims fight and kill Islamic extremists on behalf of America? Is there any reason given in the Qur'an why not?
Does the Qur'an refer to Jews or Christians as pigs or any other derogatory term? Is a Muslim forbidden to be friends with a Christian or Jew or other non-Muslim?
Are there different sects in Islam? (like fundamentalists, etc.)
Do Muslims consider the teachings of Mohamed or other prophets as scripture (i.e., equal to the Qur'an)?
Is there a group that is considered the authority of Islam? (like the Vatican for the Catholic church for example)
Are "fundamentalist" Muslims who are terrorizing in the the name of Allah considered to be wrong by the majority of Islam? If so, what is the basis for this belief? Individual feelings? The Qur'an? Current prophets?

I am anxious for your replies.

Thank you again.

Edited by wonderful - 21 February 2010 at 8:03pm

seekshidayath View Drop Down

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Posted: 21 February 2010 at 6:37pm

In the name of Allah swt , the Most Gracious and the Most Merciful.

Welcome to the discussions board at Islamicity. Your questions are wonderful . Infact, i did answer them last night for about an hour, and when clicked over post reply, it said, security code did not match. I lost all that i typed. Had been praying that i shud be the first to answer you. Alhamdullilah {All praises be to Allah swt that no one answered till now. I pray Allah swt that this time, i post to you much better than before.

wonderful wrote:

Thank you in advance for your replies.

Quick background: As a Christian I am concerned that Islam is being portrayed falsely. In my personal research I am getting the idea that some of the things being told are not accurate. In the interest of truth I am asking for the help of the Muslim community to clear this up for me.

Questions:

Is there any other Islamic authority other than the Qur'an?

Our first authority is Qur'an and next is Sunnah. Sunnah is the sayings of Prophet {hadith}, as well as his actions. By following sunnah, we are practicising the command of Allah swt made in the Qur'an.

Does the Qur'an teach that so-called "infidels" should be killed? Does any other Islamic authority?

Infidels is not the word used in Qur'an. It was actually first used historically by christians to call non-christians. Qur'an uses the word 'Kafir', which means - one who disbelieves, or one who rejects the truth.

Qur'an and Sunnah no where teaches us to kill kafir. Those who spread these kind of lies against us, quote few ayaat {verses} which are totally out of context and twisted in its meaning.

Does the Qur'an teach that there is a "jihad", which some translate as "holy war", that is CURRENTLY being fought against non-Muslims? Does any other Islamic authority?

Jihad means to struggle or strive. The greatest Jihad stated by Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, is the Jihad against self {i.e against one's desires and temptations. And yes, kindly note that even this term - 'holy war', is unislamic. This kind of physical Jihad is waged only in a defensive mode against oppression and transgression by the enemies of Allah, Islam and Muslims. Allah commands that Muslims lead peaceful lives and not transgress against anyone. If they are persecuted and oppressed, the Qur'an recommends that they migrate to a more peaceful and tolerant land

In her book "Muhammed," author Karen Armstrong writes: "Fighting and warfare might sometimes be necessary, but it was only a minor part of the whole jihad or struggle. A well-known tradition (hadith) has Muhammad say on returning from a battle, ' We return from the little jihad to the greater jihad,' the more difficult and crucial effort to conquer the forces of evil in oneself and and in one's own society in all the details of daily life. {This quote is an extract }

Do Muslims believe in progressive revelation? (revelation that replaces prior revelation

We use the term 'Naskh', or call it at abrogation.

al-Naskh, i.e. abrogation or repeal, has two meanings in Arabic: (1) transformation and shifting from one place to another, and (2) cancellation and repeal.

In technical terms, al-Naskh means to cancel and abrogate some fixed Shari'a rulings and to replace them with new rulings and orders.
al-Naskh can be in the Holy Qur'an and the Noble Sunnah. Allah Says (interpretation of meaning): {Whatever a Verse (revelation) do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring a better one or similar to it. �}[2: 106]. He also Says: {And when We change a Verse [of the Qur'�n, i.e. cancel (abrogate) its order] in place of another, and All�h knows the best of what He sends down, they (the disbelievers) say: "You (O Muhammad SAW) are but a Muftari! (forger, liar)." Nay, but most of them know not. Say (O Muhammad SAW) Ruh-ul-Qudus [Jibrael (Gabriel)] has brought it (the Qur'an) down from your Lord with truth, that it may make firm and strengthen (the Faith of) those who believe and as a guidance and glad tidings to those who have submitted (to All�h as Muslims).} [16: 101-102].

Now, the Qur'an is complete. No one abrogates any ayah. This abrogation was for 2-3 verses of the Qur'an that too during revelation. You must have read the above underlined verses.

Has there been or is there currently revelation or leaders teaching new or different teachings than that of the Qur'an?

No, there are now no new revelations nor can any leader {we have no leaders but scholars {any highly learnt person} } None of the scholars or any muslim on the earth has the right to go beyond the teachings of Qur'an and Sunnah. Any rulings are to be taken out of these. Alhamdullilah {All Praises and thanks be to Allah swt} that Qur'an is the same as revealed. Not a word is being changed or tampered. Infact Allah swt has taken its responsibility.

Are there any current Islamic beliefs that supersede the Qur'an? (e.g., the Hadith)

No, no kind of Islamic belief does supercede the Qur'an. When a hadith used in different contexts does contradict with Qur'an, we take up the Qur'an. As said, by following hadith we are infact following Qur'an

Would Muslims fight/kill terrorists who claim to be Muslim or fighting in the name of Islam/Allah? Would American Muslims fight and kill Islamic extremists on behalf of America? Is there any reason given in the Qur'an why not?

I wish any of our oter membrs answer you this question. I wish you get the best answer. Am not confident with mine

Does the Qur'an refer to Jews or Christians as pigs or any other derogatory term? Is a Muslim forbidden to be friends with a Christian or Jew or other non-Muslim?

. No, not at all. Infact Qur'an addresses Jews and christians as - "People of Book". You must be knowing that Torah {Old testatment revealed over Prophet Moses}, and Injeel { Its not present day bible, It was revealed over Prophet Isa {whom you call Jesus}. And the final book was revealed over Prophet Muhammad {pbuh}. So Christians and Jews who holded were the followers of those revealed books were called - People of Book.

You must be referrring to that punishment, Allah swt punished to few Jews who transgressed. They faced the wrath of Allah and were turned into pigs.

Are there different sects in Islam? (like fundamentalists, etc.)

All major religions in Islam have sects. By the way, can you kindly watch this video. He is from India. If you don't understand his accent, do let me know, insha Allah, shall write to you about sects in Islam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVfTENzcKaU

Do Muslims consider the teachings of Mohamed or other prophets as scripture (i.e., equal to the Qur'an)?

No, we don't consider teachings of other prophets. As said, all people on earth are to follow Qur'an. By following sunnah {teachings and way of life of Prophet}, we infact are obeying Allah swt's command from the Qur'an

Is there a group that is considered the authority of Islam? (like the Vatican for the Catholic church for example)

No, we don't have any Vatican

Are "fundamentalist" Muslims who are terrorizing in the the name of Allah considered to be wring by the majority of Islam? If so, what is the basis for this belief? Individual feelings? The Qur'an? Current prophets?

Fundamentalist ! Shall insha Allah {If Allah wills} shall write to you about who a fundamentalist is. One who terrorises others, be it to any religion on earth, is always condemned by Muslims. Our basis is Qur'an and Sunnah. We don't have current Prophets. Infact Muhammad {pbuh} was the last and final messenger and Prophet of Allah swt.

I am anxious for your replies.

Thank you again.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: �All the descendants of Adam are sinners, and the best of sinners are those who repent."

seekshidayath View Drop Down

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Posted: 21 February 2010 at 6:46pm

Missed this question of yours

Is a Muslim forbidden to be friends with a Christian or Jew or other non-Muslim?

No, not at all. Its again a misconception spread against us. Can you kindly read this link

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503543362

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: �All the descendants of Adam are sinners, and the best of sinners are those who repent."

wonderful

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Posted: 21 February 2010 at 8:11pm

Thank you for your gracious replies. I am grateful. You have confirmed what I have suspected. It seems that there are certain groups who are spreading lies, hate, and fear in the name of Islam. Unfortunately, non-Muslims, mainly Christians I'm afraid, are further spreading falsehoods out of fear and misunderstanding I suppose.

I am confident that there is nothing to fear from the Islamic religion. However, radicals who call themselves Muslims are to be feared. Sadly, often we cannot tell the difference.

It is an interesting conundrum.

Muslims and Christians alike need to make an effort to clarify the difference between Muslims/Islam and radicals who call themselves Muslims and terrorize in the name of Islam.

Thank you again.

Chrysalis

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Posted: 22 February 2010 at 2:21am

Quick background: As a Christian I am concerned that Islam is being portrayed falsely. In my personal research I am getting the idea that some of the things being told are not accurate. In the interest of truth I am asking for the help of the Muslim community to clear this up for me.

Well first of all I'd like to say that I appreciate the effort you took to get the facts straight from the source. Smile

Not many people do that. I hope your queries were answered through Seekshidayath's posts. (inshA)

Does the Qur'an teach that so-called "infidels" should be killed? Does any other Islamic authority?

Just wanted to add,

As a general rule the Qur'an forbids the killing of anyone - whether they be muslims or not, there is a verse in the Qur'an that goes something like this: 'If you kill one person, it is like you have killed all of mankind'. Islam even forbids the killing of animals needlessly (i.e. without necessaity or reason) for sports or entertainment.

However, like every system there are exceptions to this rule: for e.g you may have to kill a criminal, or someone that threatens your life, or during warfare - when you cannot avoid but kill the enemy. So unless we are involved in active warfare with non-muslims, where killing is but inevitable - no we are not allowed to kill them otherwise. (btw this goes for muslims & nonmuslims alike)

I assume you refer to "Scholars" or "Mullahs" as Islamic Authority? correct me if I am wrong. These people only have "Authority" based on the reasoning they provide, just because someone claims to be a Scholar does not make them infallible under Islam - and we only are supposed to follow them if they provide a reasoning based on Qur'an & Sunnah. Otherwise they are to be shunned & rejected.

Also, in Islam - there is no "monopolised" authority like the Vatican or Rabbis etc . . .

Does the Qur'an teach that there is a "jihad", which some translate as "holy war", that is CURRENTLY being fought against non-Muslims? Does any other Islamic authority?
Won't repeat about Jihad, Seeks already addressed that well in detail.

However what do you mean by "does the quran teach that there is a "jihad"...that is CURRENTLY being fought against non-Muslims" ? The Qur'an is basically a set of instructions & guidance, I do not understand what you mean when you say if it teaches the current war. You mean like a Prophecy? For any War to be Islamically acceptable it would have to meet the requirements that Seeks outlined: i.e. Active Threat to a muslim nation, for defense purposes etc etc.

Also, perhaps it would be helpful if you mention what you think of/refer to as other Islamic Authority.

Do Muslims believe in progressive revelation? (revelation that replaces prior revelation

I think right now it would be better not to confuse yourself with Abrogations/Naskh etc. In a nutshell, Like Seeks summed up:

"No, there are now no new revelations nor can any leader {we have no leaders but scholars {any highly learnt person} } None of the scholars or any muslim on the earth has the right to go beyond the teachings of Qur'an and Sunnah. Any rulings are to be taken out of these. "

So basically - we believe the Qur'an to be the final revelation, and no other revelations beyond that hold any meaning to us Muslims.

Having said that - referring to your usage of "progressive" . . . yes we Muslims do believe in moving with the times and bieng "progressive". Which is why there is a certain extent of flexibility left in Islam regarding many matters of Duniyah i.e. Worldy Matters. Hence Muslim Scholars are encouraged to use Wisdom, Logic along with Qur'an & Hadith to derive conclusions about issues that pop up with the changing times - which have not been addressed by Prophet Muhammad or Allah, rather left to our own reasoning & intellect. However, in every matter we are to use Qu'ran/Sunnah as a yardstick.

Would Muslims fight/kill terrorists who claim to be Muslim or fighting in the name of Islam/Allah?

In Islam - it is the duty of every Muslim to stop mischief from occuring in thier society. There is a Hadith that goes something like this: Help your brother, whether he be the Opressor or the Opressed. The Companions of the Prophet asked him, O Messenger of Allah, we understand how we should help the Opressed, but how/why to help the Opressor? To which Prophet Muhammad replied, by stopping him from opressing others.

The crux of another Hadith on the topic: If you see something evil taking place, stop it with your hand, if you cannot do that, stop it with your tongue (by speaking out against it), if you cannot do that, then atleast reject it in your heart - and that is the least level of Imaan (Faith).

So yes, if there are elements in the muslim society that are harming others, even if it be under the pretext of Islam - they are to be stopped and punished if need be.

Would American Muslims fight and kill Islamic extremists on behalf of America? Is there any reason given in the Qur'an why not?

Now that is a bit complicated. Since we cannot say for sure what are/were the intentions of the American Govt in thier so-called "War against Terror". Warfare is a serious matter, and for a Muslim to indulge in such acts would require serious contemplation such as: How sincere is the cause? What are the intentions? Is it the last option? Is there proof? The advantages would also have to outwiegh the costs, most Islamic decisions have to be based on "maximum possible benefit for the maximum number of people".

According to the Qur'an, Muslims cannot believe a rumour or "take action" on an "alleged" basis. There needs to be concrete proof to any allegation. For e.g, it would be unislamic for muslims to attack a nation on simply an "allegation" or "accusation" that another country has WMD's - without concrete proof, or confirmation.

Are there different sects in Islam? (like fundamentalists, etc.)
Like Seeks said, almost all major or (minor) religions/systems have sects of some sort. It is but inevitable.

According to Islam however, the Muslims have been warned against squabbling & splitting into sects. They have been commanded in the Qur'an to "Hold on tight to the Rope of Allah, and be not divided amongst yourselves" . i.e. we are to follow Qur'an & Sunnah and not affiliate ourselves with deviant groups or "sects".

Do Muslims consider the teachings of Mohamed or other prophets as scripture (i.e., equal to the Qur'an)?

In addition to Seeks - although we don't follow the modern day versions of other scriptures that the Prophets brought - we do believe in them and the Prophets before Muhammad (saw).

However, there are many acts of worship, aspects in Islam that are traditions of Prophets who came before Prophet Muhammad, as a sign of honor or respect. For e.g during our annual pilgrimage, Hajj, we follow Prophet Abraham & his Wife's traditions. We fast in Muharram according to Prophet Moses' tradition. etc. So a lot of things we do have been done by previous Prophets. . . because Allah & Prophet Muhammad taught us to.

Hope that helps inshAllah. Do let us know if Seeks & I have left something out. Hopefully other members shall come along with thier input. . .

Edited by Chrysalis - 22 February 2010 at 2:25am

"O Lord, forgive me, my parents and Muslims in the Hereafter. O Lord, show mercy on them as they showed mercy to me when I was young."

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Posted: 22 February 2010 at 2:34am

seekshidayath wrote:

. Infact, i did answer them last night for about an hour, and when clicked over post reply, it said, security code did not match. I lost all that i typed. Had been praying that i shud be the first to answer you. Alhamdullilah {All praises be to Allah swt that no one answered till now. I pray Allah swt that this time, i post to you much better than before.

It has happened to me couple of times before too Seeks. So now I keep "copying" all I have written so I don't lose it. Otherwise it gets so annoying. Hopefully inshAllah you get double the sawab for making double the effort Wink

"O Lord, forgive me, my parents and Muslims in the Hereafter. O Lord, show mercy on them as they showed mercy to me when I was young."

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Posted: 22 February 2010 at 4:32am

As Salamu Alaikum

Had been missing you for these reasons, sis. At many threads needed you to respond. SubhanAllah, you did write to him very well.

And about copy-paste, hmm, it happened to me earlier, but i did not learn lessons from it

As saod, double efforts double sawaab. May Allah swt accept all our efforts. Ameen

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: �All the descendants of Adam are sinners, and the best of sinners are those who repent."

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Posted: 22 February 2010 at 10:04am

After our discussion I emailed the link to this forum to some close friends.

One response follows. It is not meant to be inflammatory so please do not take it that way. This was a private response to me. In the interest of transparency I would ask that you please address my friend's response.

"I am not a scholar on it but have done a lot of research�I have found that the extremists are the ones following the religion the way Muhammad intended and wrote the Quran...Those whom are peaceful and loving Muslims do not necessarily follow the religion the way it is written�I am including a link to a book below written by a former Islamic PHD�He could recite the whole Quran by the time he was 12�Biblically speaking the line of Ishmael (Abrahams illegitimate son through Hagar) is the line through which Muslims claim God fulfilled the promise, while we believe in Isaac�God instructed Abraham to kill Ishmael but he did not�It is on this axis that the line leading to Muhammad(Through Ishmael) and Jesus(Through Isaac) were formed�The scriptures say it is these two lines that will meet on the plains of Megiddo for battle (Armageddon)�

So I believe opposite to what you say�I do believe "Islam" is the threat and that most Muslims are not, because just as most Catholics could barely tell you why Jesus came or for that matter the difference between the new and old testament, most Muslims don't know who Muhammad truly was or in what context the Quran was written�Anything peaceful in the Quran was long ago dispelled by its author(Muhammad) in favor of bloodshed and Jihad.

That being said, Our commandment is to love them and not to preach hatred�I don't necessarily believe in tolerance as it pertains to acceptance of false doctrine but I do believe in love and boundaries for our children�The US is putting more and more false doctine about Islam into our public schools and it weaves a false web, which is exactly what the devil wants:)

http://www.amazon.com/Islam-Jews-Unfinished-Mark-Gabriel/dp/0884199568

I don't believe you got many right answers on that forum�I believe this book and his other will properly address the questions you had."

subsequent reply:

"This guy was an Iman and a PhD in Islamic History�Present day Islam is taken out of context with the order the Quran was written�Putting it into it's sequential order reveals a whole lot more about the man Muhhamad and for that matter the Quran as it relates to interpretation�Muhammad said if anything new was revealed to him that conficted with prior revelation that the new revelation would be law and the old was not to be followed any longer� For that reason a true Muslim must follow it in order�Those who don't are using it out of context�Remember, He is the founder of the whole religion and the author of the twist between Ishmael and Isaac (well satan is probably the author but he was the pawn)�The book opened my eyes�"