With the growing number of Muslims on this thread, I thought it would be a good time to redo an earlier thread with the same title, specially after reading through the Free Quran Hot Deal thread.
Unfortunately, the number of bigoted members has also increased, so I'd request you to please not contribute.
For the Muslim members, please answer the questions posed with relevant Quranic/Sunnah-Hadith injunctions and historical context together with present day interpretations.
For those who wish to learn more about the faith and clear misconceptions, please ask freely and fairly.
All appropriate responses will be merged with original post so that the answers to common questions can easily be looked over.
The first thread of the same title was hopefully a minor success in terms of better understanding for some members.
Thank you.
Edit 1:
Question 1
Ok, I'll go, in the event this is actually a forum for serious discussion...
What is the actual religious rule about treating women? Many Muslim countries have what I would consider a less than respectful attitude (from my American point of view) towards women, yet I have been told that is a country tradition and not part of the Muslim faith. However, the countries in question seem to defend their customs with religion. So which is it?
Reply 1
This is a very broad topic. I will attempt to answer a few objections raised by the western world.
HeadScarf/Burqah/Hijab
Islamic law regarding the dressing code for women is by the following injunction:
"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their zeenah (charms, or beauty and ornaments) except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their khimar (veils) over their bosoms and not display their zeenah except to their husbands, their fathers .... and that they should not strike their feet so as to draw attention to their hidden zeenah (ornaments). (24:31-32)"
"O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the believing women that they should draw over themselves their jilbab (outer garments) (when in public); this will be more conducive to their being recognized (as decent women) and not harassed. But God is indeed oft-forgiving, most merciful. (33:59)"
"And know that women advanced in years, who no longer feel any sexual desire incur no sin if they discard their thiyab (outer garments), provided they do not aim at a showy display of their zeenah (charms or beauty). But it is better for them to abstain (from this); and God is all-hearing, all-knowing. (24:60)"
These verses pertain to the modesty a Muslim woman should display. Men are also encouraged to maintain modesty:
"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and God is well acquainted with all that they do.24:31"
Please ask for other issues and I will attempt to explain. If you feel the above is insufficient, I will expand. The verses above are taken from the site: MBLUSA. You can refer to it also for further information.
Question 2
What are the laws of Islam?
Is there a list, sort of like the 10 commandments Christians have? I'm curious because it's come up when dealing with the Iraqi Constitution. Some here seem to believe that using the laws of Islam is a bad thing so I'd like to see why they might say that. I'm thinking they are just bigots but I'd like to know for sure.
Reply 2
Islam is a guideline for life. Islamic law cannot be defined in 1 sentence, paragraph or page. It covers every aspect of life. I will try to define the sources of Islamic Law.
The first source of Islamic Law is the Quran which is regarded by Muslims as the Divine word of God through Gabriel to Mohammad (S.A). The actions and sayings of Mohammad (S.A) make up the Sunnah and Hadith respectively, which constitutes the second source of Islamic Law. The third source is Ijma, which means Consensus of Opinion, of scholars who are learned in the the Quran and Sunnah/Hadith. The fourth source of Islamic Law is Qiyas, or analogy, which is basically a personal interpretation when clear guidelines are not present or not understood.
The laws are hierarchial in nature, the primary sources are the Quran and Sunnah/Hadith, Ijma must be made in accordance with the primary sources and Qiyas also cannot contradict Quran and Sunnah/Hadith or Ijma.
Unfortunately, the Ijma part has stagnated considerably over the past century or so as very few good scholars are recognized or present to give rulings based on the Quran and Sunnah for the present times.
The Quran says regarding this issue:
Question 3
WHy does your Koran tell you to kill me because I will not convert to Islam? Or do you just choose to ignore that part. o_0
Reply 3
The Quran tells me no such thing. I cannot just kill a non-Muslim if he/she refuses to convert. Please provide evidence for such a claim.
Question 4
What kind of punishment does one receive for engaging in homosexual acts?
Reply 4
If a person engages in homosexual acts in private, he/she does not recieve any punishment in this world according to Islamic Law. Islam is strictly against homosexuality and a person committing this act will be punished in the Hereafter. This is in line with the Torah/Biblical story of Prophet Lot (A.S) and the nation of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Historically the punishment has been less severe compared to its Abrahamic counterparts: Judaism and Christianity. The Qur'an states that if a person commits the sin they can repent and save their life, though there are hadiths that later prescribe the death penalty. Early Islamic cultures, especially ones where homosexuality was entrenched into their Pagan culture were renowned for their cultivation of a homosexual aesthetic. They reconciled their new religion using a hadith ascribed to Muhammad, ?He who loves and remains chaste and conceals his secret and dies, dies a martyr?.
A person found guilty of such an act by confession or through the eyewitness testimony of FOUR witnesses will recieve punishment. The main madhabs/fiqhs of Islam prescribe different punishment for a person found guilty of homosexuality. The majority ruling is that a homosexual should be punished as an adulteror, if he/she is married or as zina if he/she is unmarried. The punishments are stoning to death for the former and 100 whips/lashers for the latter.
Some information for this reply is taken from Wikipedia. You can find more elaborate explanation on homosexuality and Islam here.
One of the references to homosexuality in the Quran is below:
Question 5
Is it acceptable for a Muslim man to marry a non-Muslim? Is it acceptable for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim?
Reply 5
The Quran mentions marriage between Muslims and non-Muslims in at least these two places:
Hence, it is not permissible for a Muslim to marry a polytheist/idol worshipper. Furthermore, only a Muslim male is allowed to marry a non-Muslim, and that only when the non-Muslim woman is from the People of the Book, i.e., a Jew or a Christian.
Question 6
How are non-'people of the book 'supposed to be treated? Are they treated any differently than 'people of the book'?
Reply 6
Under an Islamic government, they are treated equally. Apart from a Muslim male not being permitted to marry a non-'People of the Book' woman, I am not aware of any further distinction. One exception is that all symbols of polytheism, idolatory is to be removed from the areas around Mecca and Medina, or rather the greater part of the Arabian peninsula.
Question 7:
Why is the concept of 'Kaffir' so important to Muslims? And why is it such a derogatory word - almost an abuse at times towards non muslims? What clause in the Quran allows this lack of tolerance for others
For those who don't know, Kaffir literally means non believer but is used as a vile invective.
Reply 7:
Kafir in Arabic actually means denier or concealer, which holds negative connotations. In Islam, the term is giver to polytheists, aetheists, rather, those who are not of the People of the Book.
However, Muslims are instructed to not use the label with ease or at will. Labelling someone as Kafir is basically saying he/she will go to Hell, and that determination can only be made by God.
In Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) the term amounts to the equivalent of Christian excommunication.
Read more here: Kafir.
Question 8:
Sorry but you need to provehow they are out of context rather then just screaming that they are. You are just another muslim that does not know what your Koran says and practice it because it is a "good way of life."
Reply 8:
Please see the complete ACCURATE translation of the verses below followed by the context of the revelations. I hope the non-Muslims would also note that I can also easily take out numerous verses from other religious books out of context to ridicule that religious teachings/basis, and more often than not, there is no explanation/context to clarify such verses. Anyways...
I hope all can understand the translation and I encourage you to read the the above verses. Please do so to get an understanding of the religious teachings, rather than go to inciteful websites which take off one verse and present it as evidence.
If you are unable to undersand the translation, I will further attempt to edit the answer to this question to give the exact historical context of the above revelations.
Question 9
Why is it OK to kill apostates? I'm not sure why killing someone for changing religions is acceptable.
Reply 9
The short answer for this question is Apostasy is punishable by death in Islam. As with all laws, there exists many sub-divisions of the punishment with relation to the extent of the crime.
The hadiths prescribing punishment for hadith are in Sahih Bukhari, and can be found here: Sahih Bukhari - Dealing with apostates
The hadiths below are used to justify the Islamic law of death penalty:
Please read all hadiths in the link before nitpicking on the hadiths above.
The imposition of the punishment can only be carried out if proven in the Islamic court, or by confession.
As to the varying degrees of punishment, if a Muslim male commits apostasy without coercian and publically, the punishment is death penalty. If a Muslim female commits the act, her punishment is life imprisonment. The laws further go on to describe the punishments for minors, adults, mentally handicapped, drunkards, etc, etc.
Some scholars disagree on the current interpretation based on the context in which the hadiths were mentioned. They regard Apostasy as not just conversion out of Islam but also the betrayal of the Islamic nation.
However, the majority ruling is that a Muslim male IS liable for capital punishment if he willfully and publically commits apostasy, as that is considered treason against the Islamic nation. Treason can be defined as betrayal of trust or disloyalty, and the trust of belief in Islam is amongst the top most covenants of the Islamic faith.
Read more here and here.
Question 10
I picked the first verse quotation which on your given website just says: Men are superior to women.
Reply 10
I hope it is evident to all non-biased individuals what a gross misrepresentation of the verse has been given on the aforementioned website.
Al-Tabari said the best explanation is that of Ibn `Abbas: "The daraja mentioned by Allah Most High here is the exemption, on the man's part, of some his wife's obligations towards him and his indulgence towards her, while he is fully obligated to fulfill all his obligations towards her, because the verse came right after {And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness}. Hence Ibn `Abbas said: 'I would not like to obtain all (astanzif) of my right from her because Allah Most High said {and men are a degree above them}.'"
Since men are by Islamic Law obligated and are responsible of protecting and providing (food, shelter, love) to their partners, a divorce would lead to the female member getting the short end of the bargain. The verse above is more or less specifically targetted to the issue of divorce.
In another place, the Quran says:
The bounties are interpreted to be strength.
Regardless, in many examples, men hold advantage over the opposite gender, according to all religions, and according to Islam. First and foremost is that Adam was created before Eve
Anyways, that put aside, according to Islam, men hold advantages in holding political positions, imamat (leading prayers), physical aspects, etc.
More information here: Link
Question 11:
Is it better to be right among your brethren or do right and be cast out?
Reply 11:
Thanks for asking and thanks to the person who PMed me with clarification.
This is a very interesting question and can be looked at from multiple viewpoints.
It is ESSENTIAL to do what is morally right, even though that course of action will cause you to be discarded by your local gang/family/society.
And since Islamic Law is the considered by Muslims to be the the A to Z of morals, following its teachings and rituals and laws is ESSENTIAL for Muslims, even if it means they become an outcast in the society/family they are in. Many Muslim converts undergo these hardships here in the States, and I commend their courage. I got the easier of the deal, I was born Muslim, and chose to continue following the religion after learning more of it and learning other religions.
Interestly, Quran itself has a quote regarding this issue (or something to that effect):
So the Quran itself enjoins the Muslims not to follow friends or people around you, but follow the teachings of God Himself.
From the other perspective, it can be argued to not commit acts of violence against innocent people, even if being encouraged by country/society/family/gang, as it is contrary to the teachings of Islam. Here, protectors/guardians can mean anything from family to the governmment.
Does the above help? If no, I will try to elaborate further.
Question 12:
Why do women not have a right to divorce their husband without his permission?
Reply 12:
Let me start off by saying divorce should be the last resort between a couple and should only be exercised after all attempts at reconciliation and arbitration has failed.
A Quranic verse pertaining to divorce are as below (there are quite a number):
Others can be found at the following site: Divorce in Islam
A woman may seek divorce from her husband. In this case, she needs to go to the court which will act as an arbitrator to resolve the dispute. The court can award the divorce, termed Khula if her husband refuses to give her the divorce. More information about Khula can be found here.. This last site does not mention the recourse to the courts, which would make the information incomplete on the website. Dr. Zakir Naik also gives a brief comment on the rights of Women on this page, including the Khula: Link
An instance was reported at the time of the Prophet when a woman came to him saying that although her husband was a good man and she had no complaint against his treatment, she disliked him greatly and could not live with him. The Prophet directed that she should return to the husband a garden which he had given to her as her dowry, as the condition of her divorce.
Question 13:
I'm very curious..Although I'm also from the muslim faith. I might need some clarity on these folks:
- Mary (marium)
- Messiah (Jesus)
- Moses?
- Ibrahim (Abraham)
- David and the other gospel guys.
Reply 13:
It will take many pages to fit the answer of your above question. Hence, I will limit my answer to Mariam (A.S) and Isa (A.S). If you so wish, ask for the others next time and I will provide the answers.
From the following source: Jesus and Virgin Mary in Islam.
Question 14:
What do you use as Gods personal name?
YHWH? Jehovah?
Allah is simply "God" in arabic?
I hear he has 10k names but they were all titles.
Reply 14:
Allah is the name God goes by according to the Quran. Since the Quran is believed to be the direct word of God, and He referred to Himself as Allah, that would be His name.
Allah has 99 attributes. The attributes can be found here. It would be impractical of me to list out the Asma-ul-Husna (The most beautiful names of Allah) in this post.
Question 15:
Coming from a Christian background I'm interested in the Muslim thoughts towards sin. What I mean is this; is man inherently good? or inherently evil? In accordance with this notion does the concept of grace exist in the muslim faith?
Reply 15:
In contrast to Christian teachings, Islam teaches us man is inherently good. This can be found in the 7th Chapter of the Quran, verses 23-29 translated below:
A Muslim believes that human beings enjoy an especially high ranking status in the hierarchy of all known creatures. Man and woman occupy this distinguished position because they alone are gifted with rational faculties and spiritual aspirations as well as powers of action. Man and woman are not a condemned race from birth to death, but dignified beings potentially capable of good and noble achievements.
A Muslim also believes that every person is born Muslim. Every person is endowed by Allah with the spiritual potential and intellectual inclination that can make him a good Muslim. Every person's birth takes place according to the will of Allah in realization of His plans and in submission to His commands. Every person is born FREE FROM SIN. When the person reaches the age of maturity and if he is sane, he becomes accountable for all his deeds and intentions. Man is free from sin until he commits sin. There is no inherited sin, and no original sin. Adam committed the first sin, but he prayed to Allah for pardon and Allah granted Adam pardon. (taken from here.)
I am unsure what you mean by grace? If you mean whether God is forgiving according to Islam, then yes. The very first verse of the Quran says, "In the name of Allah, the most Beneficient, the most Merciful." Hope this helps.
Question 16:
How do Muslims treat those who lived their whole life without knowledge of Islam? Can they gain entrance into "Heaven" (not sure what it is called for Muslims)? This is probably not a whole lot of people these days but not too long ago would have been more prominent.
Reply 16:
The Quran says:
Obviously a person who is not aware of the message at ALL will not be held accountable for not following Islam. The Quran mentions the Pagans as an example:
Additionally, the determination of whether a person goes to Jannah (Heaven) or Jahunnum (Hell) cannot be made by man; only by Allah (swt).
Unfortunately, the number of bigoted members has also increased, so I'd request you to please not contribute.
For the Muslim members, please answer the questions posed with relevant Quranic/Sunnah-Hadith injunctions and historical context together with present day interpretations.
For those who wish to learn more about the faith and clear misconceptions, please ask freely and fairly.
All appropriate responses will be merged with original post so that the answers to common questions can easily be looked over.
The first thread of the same title was hopefully a minor success in terms of better understanding for some members.
Thank you.
Edit 1:
Question 1
Ok, I'll go, in the event this is actually a forum for serious discussion...
What is the actual religious rule about treating women? Many Muslim countries have what I would consider a less than respectful attitude (from my American point of view) towards women, yet I have been told that is a country tradition and not part of the Muslim faith. However, the countries in question seem to defend their customs with religion. So which is it?
Reply 1
This is a very broad topic. I will attempt to answer a few objections raised by the western world.
HeadScarf/Burqah/Hijab
Islamic law regarding the dressing code for women is by the following injunction:
"And say to the believing women that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty; that they should not display their zeenah (charms, or beauty and ornaments) except what (must ordinarily) appear thereof; that they should draw their khimar (veils) over their bosoms and not display their zeenah except to their husbands, their fathers .... and that they should not strike their feet so as to draw attention to their hidden zeenah (ornaments). (24:31-32)"
"O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters and the believing women that they should draw over themselves their jilbab (outer garments) (when in public); this will be more conducive to their being recognized (as decent women) and not harassed. But God is indeed oft-forgiving, most merciful. (33:59)"
"And know that women advanced in years, who no longer feel any sexual desire incur no sin if they discard their thiyab (outer garments), provided they do not aim at a showy display of their zeenah (charms or beauty). But it is better for them to abstain (from this); and God is all-hearing, all-knowing. (24:60)"
These verses pertain to the modesty a Muslim woman should display. Men are also encouraged to maintain modesty:
"Say to the believing men that they should lower their gaze and guard their modesty: that will make for greater purity for them: and God is well acquainted with all that they do.24:31"
Please ask for other issues and I will attempt to explain. If you feel the above is insufficient, I will expand. The verses above are taken from the site: MBLUSA. You can refer to it also for further information.
Question 2
What are the laws of Islam?
Is there a list, sort of like the 10 commandments Christians have? I'm curious because it's come up when dealing with the Iraqi Constitution. Some here seem to believe that using the laws of Islam is a bad thing so I'd like to see why they might say that. I'm thinking they are just bigots but I'd like to know for sure.
Reply 2
Islam is a guideline for life. Islamic law cannot be defined in 1 sentence, paragraph or page. It covers every aspect of life. I will try to define the sources of Islamic Law.
The first source of Islamic Law is the Quran which is regarded by Muslims as the Divine word of God through Gabriel to Mohammad (S.A). The actions and sayings of Mohammad (S.A) make up the Sunnah and Hadith respectively, which constitutes the second source of Islamic Law. The third source is Ijma, which means Consensus of Opinion, of scholars who are learned in the the Quran and Sunnah/Hadith. The fourth source of Islamic Law is Qiyas, or analogy, which is basically a personal interpretation when clear guidelines are not present or not understood.
The laws are hierarchial in nature, the primary sources are the Quran and Sunnah/Hadith, Ijma must be made in accordance with the primary sources and Qiyas also cannot contradict Quran and Sunnah/Hadith or Ijma.
Unfortunately, the Ijma part has stagnated considerably over the past century or so as very few good scholars are recognized or present to give rulings based on the Quran and Sunnah for the present times.
The Quran says regarding this issue:
Question 3
WHy does your Koran tell you to kill me because I will not convert to Islam? Or do you just choose to ignore that part. o_0
Reply 3
The Quran tells me no such thing. I cannot just kill a non-Muslim if he/she refuses to convert. Please provide evidence for such a claim.
Question 4
What kind of punishment does one receive for engaging in homosexual acts?
Reply 4
If a person engages in homosexual acts in private, he/she does not recieve any punishment in this world according to Islamic Law. Islam is strictly against homosexuality and a person committing this act will be punished in the Hereafter. This is in line with the Torah/Biblical story of Prophet Lot (A.S) and the nation of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Historically the punishment has been less severe compared to its Abrahamic counterparts: Judaism and Christianity. The Qur'an states that if a person commits the sin they can repent and save their life, though there are hadiths that later prescribe the death penalty. Early Islamic cultures, especially ones where homosexuality was entrenched into their Pagan culture were renowned for their cultivation of a homosexual aesthetic. They reconciled their new religion using a hadith ascribed to Muhammad, ?He who loves and remains chaste and conceals his secret and dies, dies a martyr?.
A person found guilty of such an act by confession or through the eyewitness testimony of FOUR witnesses will recieve punishment. The main madhabs/fiqhs of Islam prescribe different punishment for a person found guilty of homosexuality. The majority ruling is that a homosexual should be punished as an adulteror, if he/she is married or as zina if he/she is unmarried. The punishments are stoning to death for the former and 100 whips/lashers for the latter.
Some information for this reply is taken from Wikipedia. You can find more elaborate explanation on homosexuality and Islam here.
One of the references to homosexuality in the Quran is below:
Question 5
Is it acceptable for a Muslim man to marry a non-Muslim? Is it acceptable for a Muslim woman to marry a non-Muslim?
Reply 5
The Quran mentions marriage between Muslims and non-Muslims in at least these two places:
Hence, it is not permissible for a Muslim to marry a polytheist/idol worshipper. Furthermore, only a Muslim male is allowed to marry a non-Muslim, and that only when the non-Muslim woman is from the People of the Book, i.e., a Jew or a Christian.
Question 6
How are non-'people of the book 'supposed to be treated? Are they treated any differently than 'people of the book'?
Reply 6
Under an Islamic government, they are treated equally. Apart from a Muslim male not being permitted to marry a non-'People of the Book' woman, I am not aware of any further distinction. One exception is that all symbols of polytheism, idolatory is to be removed from the areas around Mecca and Medina, or rather the greater part of the Arabian peninsula.
Question 7:
Why is the concept of 'Kaffir' so important to Muslims? And why is it such a derogatory word - almost an abuse at times towards non muslims? What clause in the Quran allows this lack of tolerance for others
For those who don't know, Kaffir literally means non believer but is used as a vile invective.
Reply 7:
Kafir in Arabic actually means denier or concealer, which holds negative connotations. In Islam, the term is giver to polytheists, aetheists, rather, those who are not of the People of the Book.
However, Muslims are instructed to not use the label with ease or at will. Labelling someone as Kafir is basically saying he/she will go to Hell, and that determination can only be made by God.
In Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence) the term amounts to the equivalent of Christian excommunication.
Read more here: Kafir.
Question 8:
Sorry but you need to provehow they are out of context rather then just screaming that they are. You are just another muslim that does not know what your Koran says and practice it because it is a "good way of life."
Reply 8:
Please see the complete ACCURATE translation of the verses below followed by the context of the revelations. I hope the non-Muslims would also note that I can also easily take out numerous verses from other religious books out of context to ridicule that religious teachings/basis, and more often than not, there is no explanation/context to clarify such verses. Anyways...
I hope all can understand the translation and I encourage you to read the the above verses. Please do so to get an understanding of the religious teachings, rather than go to inciteful websites which take off one verse and present it as evidence.
If you are unable to undersand the translation, I will further attempt to edit the answer to this question to give the exact historical context of the above revelations.
Question 9
Why is it OK to kill apostates? I'm not sure why killing someone for changing religions is acceptable.
Reply 9
The short answer for this question is Apostasy is punishable by death in Islam. As with all laws, there exists many sub-divisions of the punishment with relation to the extent of the crime.
The hadiths prescribing punishment for hadith are in Sahih Bukhari, and can be found here: Sahih Bukhari - Dealing with apostates
The hadiths below are used to justify the Islamic law of death penalty:
Please read all hadiths in the link before nitpicking on the hadiths above.
The imposition of the punishment can only be carried out if proven in the Islamic court, or by confession.
As to the varying degrees of punishment, if a Muslim male commits apostasy without coercian and publically, the punishment is death penalty. If a Muslim female commits the act, her punishment is life imprisonment. The laws further go on to describe the punishments for minors, adults, mentally handicapped, drunkards, etc, etc.
Some scholars disagree on the current interpretation based on the context in which the hadiths were mentioned. They regard Apostasy as not just conversion out of Islam but also the betrayal of the Islamic nation.
However, the majority ruling is that a Muslim male IS liable for capital punishment if he willfully and publically commits apostasy, as that is considered treason against the Islamic nation. Treason can be defined as betrayal of trust or disloyalty, and the trust of belief in Islam is amongst the top most covenants of the Islamic faith.
Read more here and here.
Question 10
I picked the first verse quotation which on your given website just says: Men are superior to women.
Reply 10
I hope it is evident to all non-biased individuals what a gross misrepresentation of the verse has been given on the aforementioned website.
Al-Tabari said the best explanation is that of Ibn `Abbas: "The daraja mentioned by Allah Most High here is the exemption, on the man's part, of some his wife's obligations towards him and his indulgence towards her, while he is fully obligated to fulfill all his obligations towards her, because the verse came right after {And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them in kindness}. Hence Ibn `Abbas said: 'I would not like to obtain all (astanzif) of my right from her because Allah Most High said {and men are a degree above them}.'"
Since men are by Islamic Law obligated and are responsible of protecting and providing (food, shelter, love) to their partners, a divorce would lead to the female member getting the short end of the bargain. The verse above is more or less specifically targetted to the issue of divorce.
In another place, the Quran says:
The bounties are interpreted to be strength.
Regardless, in many examples, men hold advantage over the opposite gender, according to all religions, and according to Islam. First and foremost is that Adam was created before Eve
Anyways, that put aside, according to Islam, men hold advantages in holding political positions, imamat (leading prayers), physical aspects, etc. More information here: Link
Question 11:
Is it better to be right among your brethren or do right and be cast out?
Reply 11:
Thanks for asking and thanks to the person who PMed me with clarification.
This is a very interesting question and can be looked at from multiple viewpoints.
It is ESSENTIAL to do what is morally right, even though that course of action will cause you to be discarded by your local gang/family/society.
And since Islamic Law is the considered by Muslims to be the the A to Z of morals, following its teachings and rituals and laws is ESSENTIAL for Muslims, even if it means they become an outcast in the society/family they are in. Many Muslim converts undergo these hardships here in the States, and I commend their courage. I got the easier of the deal, I was born Muslim, and chose to continue following the religion after learning more of it and learning other religions.
Interestly, Quran itself has a quote regarding this issue (or something to that effect):
So the Quran itself enjoins the Muslims not to follow friends or people around you, but follow the teachings of God Himself.
From the other perspective, it can be argued to not commit acts of violence against innocent people, even if being encouraged by country/society/family/gang, as it is contrary to the teachings of Islam. Here, protectors/guardians can mean anything from family to the governmment.
Does the above help? If no, I will try to elaborate further.
Question 12:
Why do women not have a right to divorce their husband without his permission?
Reply 12:
Let me start off by saying divorce should be the last resort between a couple and should only be exercised after all attempts at reconciliation and arbitration has failed.
A Quranic verse pertaining to divorce are as below (there are quite a number):
Others can be found at the following site: Divorce in Islam
A woman may seek divorce from her husband. In this case, she needs to go to the court which will act as an arbitrator to resolve the dispute. The court can award the divorce, termed Khula if her husband refuses to give her the divorce. More information about Khula can be found here.. This last site does not mention the recourse to the courts, which would make the information incomplete on the website. Dr. Zakir Naik also gives a brief comment on the rights of Women on this page, including the Khula: Link
An instance was reported at the time of the Prophet when a woman came to him saying that although her husband was a good man and she had no complaint against his treatment, she disliked him greatly and could not live with him. The Prophet directed that she should return to the husband a garden which he had given to her as her dowry, as the condition of her divorce.
Question 13:
I'm very curious..Although I'm also from the muslim faith. I might need some clarity on these folks:
- Mary (marium)
- Messiah (Jesus)
- Moses?
- Ibrahim (Abraham)
- David and the other gospel guys.
Reply 13:
It will take many pages to fit the answer of your above question. Hence, I will limit my answer to Mariam (A.S) and Isa (A.S). If you so wish, ask for the others next time and I will provide the answers.
From the following source: Jesus and Virgin Mary in Islam.
Question 14:
What do you use as Gods personal name?
YHWH? Jehovah?
Allah is simply "God" in arabic?
I hear he has 10k names but they were all titles.
Reply 14:
Allah is the name God goes by according to the Quran. Since the Quran is believed to be the direct word of God, and He referred to Himself as Allah, that would be His name.
Allah has 99 attributes. The attributes can be found here. It would be impractical of me to list out the Asma-ul-Husna (The most beautiful names of Allah) in this post.
Question 15:
Coming from a Christian background I'm interested in the Muslim thoughts towards sin. What I mean is this; is man inherently good? or inherently evil? In accordance with this notion does the concept of grace exist in the muslim faith?
Reply 15:
In contrast to Christian teachings, Islam teaches us man is inherently good. This can be found in the 7th Chapter of the Quran, verses 23-29 translated below:
A Muslim believes that human beings enjoy an especially high ranking status in the hierarchy of all known creatures. Man and woman occupy this distinguished position because they alone are gifted with rational faculties and spiritual aspirations as well as powers of action. Man and woman are not a condemned race from birth to death, but dignified beings potentially capable of good and noble achievements.
A Muslim also believes that every person is born Muslim. Every person is endowed by Allah with the spiritual potential and intellectual inclination that can make him a good Muslim. Every person's birth takes place according to the will of Allah in realization of His plans and in submission to His commands. Every person is born FREE FROM SIN. When the person reaches the age of maturity and if he is sane, he becomes accountable for all his deeds and intentions. Man is free from sin until he commits sin. There is no inherited sin, and no original sin. Adam committed the first sin, but he prayed to Allah for pardon and Allah granted Adam pardon. (taken from here.)
I am unsure what you mean by grace? If you mean whether God is forgiving according to Islam, then yes. The very first verse of the Quran says, "In the name of Allah, the most Beneficient, the most Merciful." Hope this helps.
Question 16:
How do Muslims treat those who lived their whole life without knowledge of Islam? Can they gain entrance into "Heaven" (not sure what it is called for Muslims)? This is probably not a whole lot of people these days but not too long ago would have been more prominent.
Reply 16:
The Quran says:
Obviously a person who is not aware of the message at ALL will not be held accountable for not following Islam. The Quran mentions the Pagans as an example:
Additionally, the determination of whether a person goes to Jannah (Heaven) or Jahunnum (Hell) cannot be made by man; only by Allah (swt).
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