Questions from a Christian.
Printed From: IslamiCity.org
Category: Religion - Islam
Forum Name: Islam for non-Muslims
Forum Description: Non-Muslims can ask questions about Islam, discussion for the purpose of learning.
URL: https://www.islamicity.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16375
Printed Date: 22 November 2024 at 2:43pm
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Topic: Questions from a Christian.
Posted By: wonderful
Subject: Questions from a Christian.
Date Posted: 20 February 2010 at 8:15pm
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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:
Thank you again. |
Replies:
Posted By: seekshidayath
Date Posted: 21 February 2010 at 6:37pm
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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.
------------- Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: �All the descendants of Adam are sinners, and the best of sinners are those who repent." |
wonderful wrote:Posted By: seekshidayath
Date Posted: 21 February 2010 at 6:46pm
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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 - 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." |
Posted By: wonderful
Date Posted: 21 February 2010 at 8:11pm
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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. |
Posted By: Chrysalis
Date Posted: 22 February 2010 at 2:21am
Well first of all I'd like to say that I appreciate the effort you took to get the facts straight from the source.  Not many people do that. I hope your queries were answered through Seekshidayath's posts. (inshA)
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 . . .
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
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. . .
------------- "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." |
Posted By: Chrysalis
Date Posted: 22 February 2010 at 2:34am
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  ------------- "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." |
Posted By: seekshidayath
Date Posted: 22 February 2010 at 4:32am
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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." |
Posted By: wonderful
Date Posted: 22 February 2010 at 10:04am
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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 - http://www.amazon.com/Islam- 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�" |
Posted By: Hayfa
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 4:49am
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Asalaam Alaiakum, Well people will have their opinions.. some will even sell books.. Wonderful, I became a Muslim nearly 6 years ago -Alhamdillah. I was probably one of the most cynical people regarding religion. And before I did my Shahada.. long before, I went and visited Pakistan (I love to travel). I met some of the best people I have3 ever met. Have you read Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson? He knows lots of Muslims and could tell you about the character and integrity. And how not to take a few and judge a whole group of people. And I do not think that all the people I have met, or are Muslim or have become Muslim are "practicing Islam wrong" Would you not say that attitude is ARROGANT?? That I, a very well educated western woman cannot read and research for myself? Most of the people in the US who have become Muslim are educated western women. We are not st**id or ignorant or cannot use our heads. And most women are not going to join anything that would tell us to go out and kill people, cause most women do not commit acts of violence, they certainly are not out creating mayham and war (like SOME governments) all over the place. Are you thinking for yourself? Don't know who that person is. But most people have all types of agendas.. at least you acknowledge who gave you that reply. And did you know that back in the days of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.. those Africans captured were forced to convert before they were put on ships to die or be enslaved. So who is misguided in Christianity- the mostly decent people in the world, or those types who forced conversion and enslavement people? Which one?? There are bad apples on every tree. ------------- When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. Rumi |
Posted By: _ALI_
Date Posted: 28 February 2010 at 8:24am
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Salam wonderful
I'll try to respond to your friend. His post=bold "I am not a scholar on it but have done a lot of research� I can see that he is not a scholar :). Now there are a large number of Islamic critics who base their opinions on out-of-context verses and hadith. They have their own websites and their out-of-context quotes have been clarified many times in Muslims sites but still the websites are still there. So your friend probably did his research over there. Here is a funny article about misconceptions of Muslims. http://maniacmuslim.com/2005/06/02/misconceptions-of-muslims/ I have found that the extremists are the ones following the religion the way Muhammad intended and wrote the Quran... First off, prophet Muhammad did not write the Quran. And this is the type of stuff only Muslim-critic website teach. I've been living in a Muslim majority country and I've know many good practicing Muslims (I try to be one too). None of them are extremist in any way. And as for those black sheep which are extremists, well, there are extremists in every religion. Two Christian extremists, Hitler and Stalin have individually killed so many people that they would outnumber all Muslim extremists put together. 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� Another doctrine of a critic. Muslims who are for peace are not Muslims. Well it is pretty baseless. It is true that Quran speaks about fighting but those verses are only regarding self defense. That is what majority of Muslim scholars believe and what the sayings of the prophet tells us. But critics normally ignore all the evidence which tell us that Islam is for peace. According to Quran, we should only fight those who fight us because we are Muslims or kick us out of our homes 060.008 لا يَنْهَاكُمُ اللَّهُ عَنِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُقَاتِلُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ وَلَمْ يُخْرِجُوكُمْ مِنْ دِيَارِكُمْ أَنْ تَبَرُّوهُمْ وَتُقْسِطُوا إِلَيْهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الْمُقْسِطِينَ 060.008 Allah forbids you not, with regard to those who fight you not for (your) Faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them: for Allah loveth those who are just. Al-Qur'an, 060.008 (Al-Mumtahina [She that is to be Examined, Examining Her]) Text Copied from DivineIslam's Qur'an Viewer software v2.910 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 Ishmael was not illegitimate, that is a false allegation. According to Islam, prophets don't knowingly sin. God instructed Abraham to kill Ishmael but he did not Abraham was about to kill Ishmael but God brought a lamb and that lamb was sacrificed instead of Ishmael. 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)� On the contrary, the "scriptures" predict that prophet Muhammad will come after Jesus as a prophet. http://www.islam101.com/religions/christianity/mBible.htm 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� I don't know about catholics but Muslims are aware of Islam and we know the context of Quran. In fact, those who study Quran don't read translation and arabic only. They also read explanation given by scholars in the light of other Quranic verses and the sayings of the prophet. Anything peaceful in the Quran was long ago dispelled by its author(Muhammad) in favor of bloodshed and Jihad. A lot of your friend's opinions (well, all of them to be honest)are just absolutely wrong. This is one of them. 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." Well regarding Palestine, I would recommend reading Palestine:Peace not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter. It's a good book. As for learning about Islam and Muslims, don't go for Islamic critics. Instead ask a Muslim. "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� I agree that present day Islam is taken out of context, by Muslim critics, not the Muslims themselves. Their allegations have been answered again and again in muslim websites and forums. 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� Now this is a good example of an out-of-context verse (i.e old one being obsolete and new one being accepted). First off, prophet Muhammad didn't say this, Quran says this. Here is the verse and its explanation (by a Muslim scholar not critic) (2:106) We bring a better verse or at least the like of it for whatever we abrogate or cause it to be forgotten.109 "*109. This is in response to a doubt which the Jews tried to implant in the minds of the Muslims. If both the earlier Scriptures and the Qur'an were revelations from God, why was it - they asked - that the injunctions found in the earlier Scriptures had been replaced by new ones in the Qur'an? How could the same God issue divergent injunctions? Furthermore, they expressed their amazement at the Qur'anic indictment of the Jews and Christians for having allowed part of the revelation to be forgotten and lost, pointing out that it was impossible that Divine revelation should be erased from human memory. In all this, their motive was not to know the truth but to cast doubt on the Divine origin of the Qur'an. In refutation God states that He being the Absolute Sovereign has unlimited authority both to abrogate previous injunctions and to cause people to forget the injunctions He wants them to forget. However, God ensures that whatever He abrogates or causes to be erased from people's memories is replaced by something equally or even more beneficial." http://www.islamicstudies.info/tafheem.php?sura=2&verse=104&to=112 You'll understand it better if you read it in context. Once again, I'll advice you that instead of reading a book of a critic, why not read the Quran itself, its translation and explanation. And if you think any verse is against humanity as a whole, come and discuss that verse in this forum. Peace |
Posted By: Sign*Reader
Date Posted: 09 March 2010 at 1:58am
IN CASE YOU COME BACK HERE ARE MY TWO CENTS..........
There is whole industry of moronic sycophants to work for the Zionists in Egypt and anywhere US dollar is almighty... the dictator hosni Mubarak with a non muslim wife who is accessory to the crime of genocide in Gaza to please the Zionist camp! What is the credibility of Mark Gabriel's hogwash ...OK now cut the nonsense I thought you were reading Paul's bible! No book can open the eyes of people who are in clutches of Zionists! Your souls in their hands and their's in devil's that is what I see all around! ------------- Kismet Domino: Faith/Courage/Liberty/Abundance/Selfishness/Immorality/Apathy/Bondage or extinction. |
Posted By: FethullahGulen
Date Posted: 14 May 2010 at 7:48am
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There is a really great book that has all of the answers of your questions. I already posted it under the books section. Here is the link to that post http://www.islamicity.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=16778 |
Posted By: wonderful
Date Posted: 16 May 2010 at 6:35pm
| That's a big help. Thank you. I'll get to it when I have time. |
Posted By: honeto
Date Posted: 02 July 2010 at 9:52pm
wonderful, your friend's words don't sound much different than what you would hear on right wing talk shows or from 'Zionistic' pastors like Mr. Hagee, who don't waste an opportunity to defame Islam, because it is rival to them. So, I would not pay any attention to their hate and lies they craft out to follow their agenda. Rather, I would suggest to you, and ask you to read the Bible and read the Quran for yourself, and then come back with your finding. I guarantee you would have answers to all those questions you posed, and this friends true intentions will be unveiled to you. This first hand analysis by yourself will be your best answer. As for as peaceful and practicing Muslim, that will be no different than in any other belief. There are people who are violent and people who are peaceful and people who are victims, people would be people. Hitler was a Christian, so was Mussolini. In last three decades right in front of our eyes more than three million Muslims have been slaughtered, their lives, livelihood, their cities and countries raised to the ground by what could easily be translated as Christian armies, and we are fearful to even talk about it, call a spade a spade. So, truth has a price, but we must seek it, and live by it. Again I will say, read the Bible, and the Quran, and you would not have to rely what your friend tells you or what anyone else! Because, one thing in Islam we say is that you will answer for yourself, and will not be asked what someone else did or said. So each and everyone of us must search and find the answers and be ready when the time comes! Hasan ------------- The friends of God will certainly have nothing to fear, nor will they be grieved. Al Quran 10:62 |
Posted By: wonderful
Date Posted: 13 July 2010 at 5:38am
| Becoming more comfortable with your opinion. I agree that more people have been killed in the name of "Christianity" than for any other cause. It is hypocritical of us to not understand this. That is what fear and ignorance looks like. Thank you for your post. |
Posted By: Akhe Abdullah
Date Posted: 02 August 2010 at 1:45am
| As salamu alaikum.Hasan.JazakAllah Kheiran for your reply.May Allah Bless you and your family. |
Posted By: honeto
Date Posted: 03 August 2010 at 8:44pm
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Jazakallah brother, remember me and my family in your prayers. May Allah guide us and forgive us our mistakes, Ameen. Hasan ------------- The friends of God will certainly have nothing to fear, nor will they be grieved. Al Quran 10:62 |
Posted By: fool4JC
Date Posted: 26 August 2010 at 10:54am
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This answer is disappointing. (1) Of course, the word "infidel" does not appear in the Qu'ran: it is an ENGLISH word. However it is used for "Kafir" in some English translations of the Qu'ran. --see AL-QU�RAN A Contemporary Translation by Ahmed Ali. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1993. E.g., 3:56; 5:72; 8:73. (2) "Infidel" was not first used by Christians for non-christians: not only is it an English word, but its usage only goes back to the 15th century. (3) The word used in the West was the Latin "infidelis" which means the same as "Kafir"--one who disbelieves, one who rejects the truth, an unbeliever. |
Posted By: malucy
Date Posted: 29 August 2010 at 6:06pm
| Thank you for this reference, this is wonderful reading. |