Ask about Islam round 3!

[josie_L]

The souls of the Martyrs of Cordoba (martyred between 850 and 859) would tell you otherwise! They were by no means an isolated incident, either, just the most famous. Andalucia was a great place to be if you knew your place, but these martyrs were executed for violations of Islamic law…so much for “no compulsion in religion”!

Like fun it was! Tell that to the Armenians and Assyrians in 1915. Oh wait. You can’t. Anyone who brings them up (like famous Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk) is prosecuted for “insulting Turkishness”, a VERY strange idea in a so-called “secular” state that is supposed to allow freedom of religion and speech.

They didn’t allow it then, and they don’t allow it now. Stop lying.

Oh, here we go…now once again we are reminded of how we owe our very lives and existence to the benevolence of Muslims. What a cruel joke. The Lebanese writer Dr. George Labaki writes of the Ottoman treatment of his people, the Maronites:

“The history of the Maronites in Lebanon during this period can be summarized in this way: administrative anarchy due to the exactions and intrigues created by the Turkish governors, persecutions, extortions, vexations and slaughter.” (“The Maronites in the United States”, Norte Dame University of Louaize Press, Lebanon, 1993)

He then goes on to describe how the Ottomans armed the Druze in order to enable them to massacre the Maronites in 1860:

“A total of 21,900 Christians were killed in less than two months: 1,800 at Sidon and Jezzine, 1,200 in nearby areas, 1,000 at Hasbaya, 800 at Rachaya, 700 at Zahleh, 2,600 at Deir el-Kamar, 11,000 at Damascus, 3,000 in Beirut and its suburbs. Moreover, 70,000 Christians had to flee their homes and hundreds of churches, monasteries, convents, and schools were reduced to rubble.” (Ibid, p. 13)

Real nice guys, those Ottoman rulers!

Yes, but not freely. We should all remember the Martyrs of Atlas!

I

In other societies, this would be considered normal and not some sort of special accomplishment.

The bolded portion is a lie! I have heard that exact argument from Muslims about why SA should not allow Churches! It is a very common argument, unfortunately. It does not even work as an argument, either, since Vatican leaders have allowed Muslims to pray within the Vatican itself! (source)

Could this ever happen in the holy mosques in Mecca or Medina? I think the answer is pretty clearly “no, never”.

Muslims have already claimed enough of the world for themselves, thank you very much…entire countries named “Turkey”, “Iraq”, “Egypt”, “Syria”, “Morocco”, “Libya”, “Sudan”, and many others…all built on the corpses of the mainly Christian civilizations that came before them.

You always impress me by how you freakin know. God Bless Dzheremi !

 

[chrisse]

This makes discussing Islam with them difficult. Especially as they don’t clarify their position from their own sects view. Together with their ignoring the reality of mainstream Islam.

Thanks for the hint.

 

[sedonaman]

Muslims have already claimed enough of the world for themselves, thank you very much…entire countries named “Turkey”, “Iraq”, “Egypt”, “Syria”, “Morocco”, “Libya”, “Sudan”, and many others…all built on the corpses of the mainly Christian civilizations that came before them.

Yes, in fact too much of the world.

I used to be neutral on the Arab-Israeli conflict until one day I looked at a map of the world and noticed that Islamic countries form a wide swath of land from North Africa’s Atlantic coast all the way through Southeast Asia. And there’s lots of oil under it. But for some strange reason Muslims can’t do without an itsy-bitsy strip of land [called Israel] right in the middle, with no oil on it.

If Muslims truly wanted peace, they would have used a small portion of their land and their vast oil wealth to resettle the so-called Palestinians, instead of buying solid gold palaces, solid silver Rolls Royces, and expensive travel to the West for the men to gamble and drink in exclusive casinos and for their women to shop in Gucci stores. But no. Jordan even threw them out of their country. I’m not talking about asking them to take in people of a different culture, but their own kind – culture, language, and religion.

And why won’t they let them in? It is because Islam is all about war, conquest, and death, even if it is their own people who have to suffer. And that doesn’t even consider that there isn’t any room on the planet for non-Muslims.

That’s why “Wherever you have Islam, you will have war.”

 

[Muslim_Woman]

In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Salaam/peace

Islam Denounces Terrorism

by Harun Yahya

Thomas Arnold, a British missionary employed in the service of the Indian government, describes that Islam favours freedom in these words:

But of any organised attempt to force the acceptance of Islam on the non-Muslim population, or of any systematic persecution intended to stamp out the Christian religion, we hear nothing.

Had the caliphs chosen to adopt either course of action, they might have swept away Christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam out of Spain, or Louis XIV made Protestantism penal in France, or the Jews were kept out of England for 350 years.

The Eastern Churches in Asia were entirely cut off from communion with the rest of Christendom, throughout which no one would have been found to lift a finger on their behalf, as heretical communions.

So that the very survival of these Churches to the present day is a strong proof of the generally tolerant attitude of the Muhammadan governments towards them.

islamdenouncesterrorism.com/terrorism2.htm#1

 

[Muslim_Woman]

In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Salaam/peace

The Role of Public Worship in Islam

Thomas - Australia; Please explain the nature, role, and significance of rites of public worship in Islam.

Shahul Hameed :…Islam requires a person to submit himself or herself wholeheartedly and fully to Allah, as Allah commands in the Qur’an what means:

Say: “Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are [all] for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds.” (Al-An`am 6:162)

The five-times-daily ritual prayer in Islam called salah is a form of worship that is preferably done in congregation in the masjid (place of worship, also known as mosque). Optionally, prayers can be done alone or in the privacy of one’s home.

The weekly congregational prayer called Jumu`ah is done in the masjid on Fridays. You may call it a public act of worship.

Obligatory fasting in the month of Ramadan is a very important form of worship in Islam. But this is not really a visible or external act. Only the person who fasts and God know whether it is done properly. Similarly, paying zakah is another form of worship in Islam.

…The pilgrimage, known as Hajj is yet another form of worship. This is enjoined particularly on those who have the means to do so. This is compulsory for such people only once in a life time.

Thus, worship in Islam, whether ritual or non-ritual, public or private, trains the individual to lead a life in perfect obedience and submission to his Creator, thereby wiping out all evil from his life and enabling him to lead a life fully dedicated to the service of God.

readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-AAbout_Islam/AskAboutIslamE/AskAboutIslamE&cid=1123996016518

 

[Verisimilitude]

…and enabling him to lead a life fully dedicated to the service of God.

What does that mean exactly? Allahs Cause or Cause of Allah? That is often spoken in the Quran. Can you give an example of someone or something?

 

[dzheremi]

In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Salaam/peace

Islam Denounces Terrorism

by Harun Yahya

Thomas Arnold, a British missionary employed in the service of the Indian government, describes that Islam favours freedom in these words:

But of any organised attempt to force the acceptance of Islam on the non-Muslim population, or of any systematic persecution intended to stamp out the Christian religion, we hear nothing.

Had the caliphs chosen to adopt either course of action, they might have swept away Christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam out of Spain, or Louis XIV made Protestantism penal in France, or the Jews were kept out of England for 350 years.

The Eastern Churches in Asia were entirely cut off from communion with the rest of Christendom, throughout which no one would have been found to lift a finger on their behalf, as heretical communions.

So that the very survival of these Churches to the present day is a strong proof of the generally tolerant attitude of the Muhammadan governments towards them.

islamdenouncesterrorism.com/terrorism2.htm#1

Why do you always quote some European colonialist’s ideas of Islam? If you are going to talk about the Eastern Churches, why don’t you quote from what THEY have to say? They are not as kind in their depiction of Islamic behavior towards their own, that’s for sure!

And I too, Muslim Woman, can play this “white, Christian, European authority figure” contest with you, but to the opposite end:

“In the midst of this nation live the Saracens… Their tyranny knows no rest; also, in all parts of Lebanon, there is only desolation, provoking tears. Under the pretense of raising a certain tribute that they call gelia [this is apparently an Italian’s attempt to render “jizya” -dzh]
, they (the agents of the authority) despoil the poor mountain people of all that they have; afterwards, they beat them with rods, inflicting all sorts of torments to extort from them that which they do not have. Against these vexations, there is only one recourse possible, apostasy. Many might have fallen for it if it had not been for the charity of their pious Patriarch Peter (Peter Ibn Hassan) who came to their aid. Dismayed at the peril of the souls of his sheep, he gave over all the revenues of his churches to satisfy the greed of the tyrants. The door of the (patriarchal) monastery was walled up; sometimes he was obliged to hide, as Pope Urban and Sylvester, in the caves hollowed out of the earth.”

Here was an Italian, relaying what he had heard from the Maronites about the way that they were treated by the Muslim authorities in their own country! And it does not sound very pleasant, does it? My guess is you would not be so quick to dismiss it if it were happening to Muslims at the hands of some non-Muslim power.

Do not be duped, as the authors and explorers that you quote were, into thinking that Islam is all smiles and sunshine for the non-Muslims of the lands that were overrun by Muslim invaders. It is not now, and it certainly was not historically.

 

[chrisse]

In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Salaam/peace

Islam Denounces Terrorism

by Harun Yahya

Thomas Arnold, a British missionary employed in the service of the Indian government, describes that Islam favours freedom in these words:

But of any organised attempt to force the acceptance of Islam on the non-Muslim population, or of any systematic persecution intended to stamp out the Christian religion, we hear nothing.

Had the caliphs chosen to adopt either course of action, they might have swept away Christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam out of Spain, or Louis XIV made Protestantism penal in France, or the Jews were kept out of England for 350 years.

The Eastern Churches in Asia were entirely cut off from communion with the rest of Christendom, throughout which no one would have been found to lift a finger on their behalf, as heretical communions.

So that the very survival of these Churches to the present day is a strong proof of the generally tolerant attitude of the Muhammadan governments towards them.

islamdenouncesterrorism.com/terrorism2.htm#1

This Sir Thomas Arnold, the British historian and educator, who was an early supporter of the Anglican Broad Church, ie liberal. The book where he doesn’t discuss the political Islam, just the “religion” but does discuss the pressures to convert.

He also speaks in that book, apparently, of Africa. I wonder if he mentioned the Islamic slave trade that decimated West and East Africa for 1400 years, and is still going?

 

[sedonaman]

Thus, worship in Islam, whether ritual or non-ritual, public or private, trains the individual to lead a life in perfect obedience and submission to his Creator, …

More bean dip. You are still wasting your time. There is nothing “perfect” about Islam, unless it is perfect BS.

"There is in the Qur’an an exhortation to men to love Allah. Perhaps the best verse in the Qur’an which contains this injunction is this one:

“Say, If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins”. Surah 3:31

"Significantly, however, one does not find in this verse (nor in any other in the Qur’an) the command to love Allah with ‘all your heart, soul, and mind’. The reason is fairly clear from the verse itself. The hearer is exhorted to love Allah so that he may thereby obtain Allah’s love and forgiveness. The basic object, therefore, of this love is the acquittal and approval of Allah for the believer. Accordingly, the motivation for such love must be the welfare and comfort of the believer. It is not suggested in the Qur’an that such love must be exercised in a disinterested and selfless manner with the glory of Allah foremost in the believer’s mind. On the contrary,*** the object of such love is really the believer himself.*** He seeks by this love fundamentally to turn aside Allah’s wrath and to gain his approval in its place. Now this is not the fruit of genuine love. Such love, as we have seen, must be the exercise of the purest affections of the heart towards Allah – it cannot be accompanied by an ancillary motive such as the principal objective of obtaining Allah’s forgiveness.

“For this reason it is therefore quite significant that the Qur’an does not exhort the believer to love Allah with all his heart. Such love from the heart is essentially selfless in nature. That which seeks its own security does not proceed from the heart. It is not the expression of the deepest affections of the very kernel of a man’s being. Love in the latter sense seeks principally the glory of its object – but that which strives for the approval of Allah and considers primarily its own prospects of forgiveness is fundamentally self-motivated. It cannot be described as genuine love and certainly he who loves Allah chiefly to obtain his forgiveness is not fulfilling the royal commandment – indeed what Jesus called the ‘great and first commandment’ to love God with all his heart, soul and mind. As we saw earlier, the fear of Allah’s wrath disqualifies the potential for genuine love in the heart.” answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/love.html [Emphasis added. Also note that Jesus is claimed by Muslims to be a great prophet of Islam.]

For this reason, Islamic type of “worship” cannot lead one to “perfection”, aforementioned exception aside.

 

[sedonaman]

He also speaks in that book, apparently, of Africa. I wonder if he mentioned the Islamic slave trade that decimated West and East Africa for 1400 years, and is still going?

Would he mention that farmers owned horses and used them to plow fields? Of course not, because it is not news. A slave to us is a human being who is owned by another who gets free work out of him. Since there is no concept of “human being” in Islam, non-Muslims may be enslaved [to use our term]. Since this arrangement doesn’t fit the definition, there is no slavery in Islamic lands because it is not slavery as we know it. Perhaps it is just another form of management of resources, as a horse would be “managed” to plow a field.

 

[Muslim_Woman]

In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Salaam/peace

How to Pay Delayed Zakah?

Monzer Kahf :…zakah is one of the pillars of Islam. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), said, “Islam is built upon five pillars: testifying that there is no true god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performing Prayer, paying zakah, making the pilgrimage to the Sacred House (Hajj), and fasting the month of Ramadan.”

Zakah is the right of the poor on the wealth of the rich and it must be paid on time, since delaying it is prohibited according to Islamic Shari`ah. In fact, delaying its payment incurs a severe punishment from Almighty Allah, unless the person repents to Him and seeks His forgiveness.

Related Questions

• Death Before Paying Zakah
• Paying Zakah on Delayed Settlement
• Zakah and Charity: Signs of Gratitude
• Zakah Must Be Paid on Time

Allah Almighty knows best.

 

[sedonaman]

Zakah is the right of the poor on the wealth of the rich…

Correction: Zakah is the right of the poor Muslims on the wealth of the rich [whoever]…

 

[Muslim_Woman]

In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Salaam/peace

Correction: Zakah is the right of the poor Muslims on the wealth of the rich [whoever]…

Scholars have different opinions about it.

Giving Zakah to Non-Muslims

…Abu Hanifah holds that it is allowed to give it to the Dhimmis. It is reported that `Amr Ibn Maymu and others used to give the monks of the Zakah money. But Imam Malik, Ahmad, Al-Layth and Abu Thawr say it is not allowed to give them from it. The author of Al-Bayan quotes Ibn Sirin and Az-Zuhari as saying it is permissible to give Zakah to non-Muslims."

…Dr. Monzer Kahf, a prominent Muslim economist and counselor, argues:

“Verse 60 of surat 9 (At-Tawbah) does not confine the category of poor and needy to Muslims. Hence, it is evident that Zakah MAY BE GIVEN TO MUSLIM AS WELL AS NON-MUSLIM POOR AND NEEDY. As for the payment of Zakah to non-Muslim poor and needy, I have to add that I had in mind Christians and Jews and whoever we treat similarly such as Hindus and Zoroastrians (as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to treat them like the People of the Book) who live with Muslims peacefully. The permissibility is limited to this category.

In his book Fiqh Az-Zakah, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states that the hadith of Mu`adh Ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) when sent to Yemen does not stand in the face of the general implication of the verses.

This opinion is supported by the practice of `Umar Ibn Al-Khattab. The hadith ‘It is to be taken from the rich among them and given to the poor among them’, has been interpreted to refer to the geographical area, i.e. from among the people of Yemen, though the phrase is also interpreted to refer only to Muslims.

In other words, it is not a ‘text’ in this argument and Sheikh Al-Qaradawi prefers the permissibility of giving Zakah to non-Muslims."

Also, the late Sheikh Sayyed Sabiq (may Allah bless his soul) gave preference to the opinion of giving Zakatul-Fitr to non-Muslims. He states in his book, Fiqh As-Sunnah:

“Az-Zuhri, Abu Hanifah, Muhammad, and Ibn Shubrumah maintain that it’s permissible to give Zakatul-Fitr to a Dhimmi, basing their argument on the following verse: ‘Allah allows you to show kindness and deal justly with those who did not war against you on account of religion and did not drive you out from your homes. Lo! Allah loves those who are just.’ (Al-Mumtahinah: 8)”

You can also read:

Zakah and Charity: Signs of Gratitude

Allah Almighty knows best.

islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503544900

 

[chrisse]

Here’s the FULL reply from Muslim Woman’s link to IslamOnLine forum -

**As regards your question, Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, states:

"The majority of scholars are of the view that non-Muslims should not be given of the money of Zakah except those whose hearts are inclined to Islam, though there is a difference over whether such stipulation is still relevant or not and the permissibility of giving them of the Zakah money is hunted with controversy.

The prohibition of giving them of the Zakah money is based on the hadith of Mu`adh Ibn Jabal when he was sent by the Prophet to Yemen: “It (Zakah) is to be taken from the rich among them and given to the poor among them,” i.e. the rich among Muslims and the poor among them. (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Ibn Al-Mundhir says: “All people of knowledge we know are unanimous on the fact that a Dhimmi cannot be given of the Zakah on properties.”

As for Zakatul-Fitr , Abu Hanifah holds that it is allowed to give it to the Dhimmis. It is reported that `Amr Ibn Maymu and others used to give the monks of the Zakah money. But Imam Malik, Ahmad, Al-Layth and Abu Thawr say it is not allowed to give them from it. The author of Al-Bayan quotes Ibn Sirin and Az-Zuhari as saying it is permissible to give Zakah to non-Muslims."

Supporting the view of prohibition, Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi, former President of the Islamic Society of North America, states:

"Zakah is a special charity and it should be given only to the poor and needy among Muslims. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: “It (Zakah) should be taken from the rich from amongst them and should be given to the poor among them.”

So, if a person gives charity to non-Muslim organizations, he is not allowed to deduct that from the amount he has to pay for the obligatory Zakah. He still has to pay full Zakah from his wealth annually according to the nisab."

However, Dr. Monzer Kahf, a prominent Muslim economist and counselor, argues:

“Verse 60 of surat 9 (At-Tawbah) does not confine the category of poor and needy to Muslims. Hence, it is evident that Zakah MAY BE GIVEN TO MUSLIM AS WELL AS NON-MUSLIM POOR AND NEEDY. As for the payment of Zakah to non-Muslim poor and needy, I have to add that I had in mind Christians and Jews and whoever we treat similarly such as Hindus and Zoroastrians (as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to treat them like the People of the Book) who live with Muslims peacefully. The permissibility is limited to this category.

In his book Fiqh Az-Zakah, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, states that the hadith of Muadh Ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) when sent to Yemen does not stand in the face of the general implication of the verses. This opinion is supported by the practice of Umar Ibn Al-Khattab. The hadith ‘It is to be taken from the rich among them and given to the poor among them’, has been interpreted to refer to the geographical area, i.e. from among the people of Yemen, though the phrase is also interpreted to refer only to Muslims. In other words, it is not a ‘text’ in this argument and Sheikh Al-Qaradawi prefers the permissibility of giving Zakah to non-Muslims."

Also, the late Sheikh Sayyed Sabiq (may Allah bless his soul) gave preference to the opinion of giving Zakatul-Fitr to non-Muslims. He states in his book, Fiqh As-Sunnah:

“Az-Zuhri, Abu Hanifah, Muhammad, and Ibn Shubrumah maintain that it’s permissible to give Zakatul-Fitr to a Dhimmi, basing their argument on the following verse: ‘Allah allows you to show kindness and deal justly with those who did not war against you on account of religion and did not drive you out from your homes. Lo! Allah loves those who are just.’ (Al-Mumtahinah: 8)”

Thus, it appears that the issue is controversial among scholars. The view of the majority is based on the general meaning of the hadith prohibiting giving Zakah to non-Muslims, while the view of other scholars revolves around the generality of the Qur’anic verse on Zakah as well as the interpretation of the hadith as referring only to some specific people.

Dr. Monzer Kahf, suggests:

"Yet, having many people who qualify as poor and needy, we may resort to the following four criteria to help select between them:

1- The degree of need, a starving person must be given priority.

2- The person’s relation to the payer of Zakah: a relative is preferred over non-relative (the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘It is Zakah and a link [to the heart of a relative].’ A neighbor is also given priority.

3- The degree of religiosity of the receiver: this is within the spirit of the advice of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): ‘And let your food not be eaten except by a pious person.’

4- Availability of other sources for a specific poor/needy.**

Muslims don’t understand that it’s the qualifications that are always present in Islam that show that mohammed did not receive his “revelations” from YHWH.

 

[sedonaman]

Scholars have different opinions about it.

How can this be? If the Qur’an is the “perfect word of Allah for all times” and it is therefore “not subject to human interpretation,” then the Islamic scholars should not be interpreting it which results in their having different opinions about it. In fact, they should not have different opinions on anything because whatever it is, it is in the Qur’an, even embryology; and therefore, they all should have the same opinion, which means there should be no opinion at all; “it is what it is,” to use your own words.

 

[Muslim_Woman]

In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Salaam/peace

… they all should have the same opinion,

Fortunately Muslims don’t have different opinion about the most important matter–God is one without partner. As this is the most important issue for the salvation , we are really lucky

About other issues like if Zakat can be given to non-Muslims —it’s not the most important matter for hereafter . So , let’s the scholars have debate over it & let us keep worshipping one true God without taking other diety with Him.

 

[Muslim_Woman]

In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Salaam/peace

Jaap - Belgium:

Why No Water While Fasting?

Ans is given by our revert bro Idris Tawfiq ( ex Catholic)

I remember the first time I fasted during Ramadan. Actually, I wasn’t Muslim at the time, but I fasted with my pupils in school because they had asked me if they could pray in my classroom during Ramadan.

It was the least thing I thought I could do to show my solidarity and support for them. …
What did it feel like to fast for the first time? Well, in fact, you hit the nail on the head by asking about water, because I found that it was not the lack of food that was a problem, but the desire for something to drink.

…We read in the Quran: Ramadan is the (month) in which was sent down the Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, and also clear signs for guidance and judgment (between right and wrong). So every one of you who is present (at his home) during that month should spend it in fasting. (Al-Baqarah 2:185)

By the way, despite what anyone may claim, Islam is eminently sensible and practical. It is also very reasonable, so you will see that fasting is for those who are at their homes. In other words, those who are travelling are not required to fast.

So what, then, is the fast about? Why do Muslims fast at all? Again, we have recourse to the Quran:O Ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may learn self-restraint. (Al-Baqarah 2:183)

In fasting, they give up not only food and drink. In fact, the fast is total. Between the hours of daylight, Muslim men and women refrain from food, drink and sexual relations with their wives or husbands.

They also refrain from such things as smoking, bad language and even bad thoughts. What use would it be to fast all day if a person was thinking ill about others? The only thing he would gain by doing this, according to our Prophet, is that at the end of the day he would be hungry and thirsty.

So, yes, water is included in the fast. For some it is easy. For others (like myself) this is the most difficult part of the fast. The lack of water means that towards the end of the day, about one or two hours before it is time to break the fast, I tend to get a headache or feel drowsy. However, knowing that we do this for Allah and by doing so we please Him, is enough for any Muslim to carry on the fast willingly.

When we consider the terrible sufferings which have just been undergone by our brothers and sisters in Gaza, who have not only lost their homes and their own limbs, but also their children and family members, it is nothing to go without water for a few hours.

…When the day’s fast is over, all Muslims will join with their family and friends, to break the fast and to give thanks for the gift of food and water, which we so often take from the hand of Allah without even a thought.

Useful Links: The Valuable Fruit of Fasting

The Effects of Fasting

Distinguishing Culture from Religion in Ramadan
Healthy Body and Soul in Ramadan

Keeping the Spirit of Ramadan
The Meaning and Rules of Fasting

Anna’s Ramadan Diary
Musa’s Ramadan Diary
Before I Became a Muslim
readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233567733421&pagename=IslamOnline-English-AAbout_Islam%2FAskAboutIslamE%2FAskAboutIslamE

 

[chrisse]

Fortunately Muslims don’t have different opinion about the most important matter–God is one without partner. As this is the most important issue for the salvation , we are really lucky

About other issues like if Zakat can be given to non-Muslims —it’s not the most important matter for hereafter . So , let’s the scholars have debate over it & let us keep worshipping one true God without taking other diety with Him.

But then muslims would be in disagreement with allah’s revelations to mohammed. Seeing as the miraculous qur’an is at it is in the tablet with allah.

Why does allah refer to himself as WE?

Now, I’ve heard the explanations, such as literary style. Um, no. Not good enough. These are ALLAH’s words. Allah therefore says WE.

So allah is guilty of shirk.

 

[neploho]

But then muslims would be in disagreement with allah’s revelations to mohammed. Seeing as the miraculous qur’an is at it is in the tablet with allah.

Why does allah refer to himself as WE?

Now, I’ve heard the explanations, such as literary style. Um, no. Not good enough. These are ALLAH’s words. Allah therefore says WE.

So allah is guilty of shirk.

Вы

Is the Russian pronoun for what would be the English “you all”. It is also used for more formal uses of singular “you”.
My knowledge of Arabic is slight but I would assume something simmilar is going on.

The same term is used by your God in Genesis in English translations btw.

 

[dzheremi]

Hmmm. The best example for Allah’s use of “we” I have heard is that it is a reverential form, to be used when discussing such high topics as words of God, a monarch, etc. I do not know enough Arabic to know if this stands up, linguistically-speaking, with regard to the Qur’an, but I would have no trouble accepting that explanation if it is in fact a form used in classical Arabic literature or speech. It is good enough for the “Queen’s English”, after all…! (“We are not amused” )

Where things get weird for me is thinking about the chain of transmission: from the angel Gabriel to one of Muhammad’s scribes (keeping in mind that Muhammad is supposedly illiterate)…it would make sense for the SCRIBE to use a reverential plural in refering to God and God’s speech, but then it becomes something other than a straight dictation of the word of God, and you introduce the possibility of corruption into something that is supposedly not corruptable. If, in the old days, your boss were to call you in to his office so that you dictate a letter, you will write down exactly what he says, not change the pronouns so as to show your reverence for the person who is dictating the letter to you!

So I would want to know more about how this plural (if it is a distinct form in classical Arabic, or even modern Arabic…?) is used before I could say anything more about Allah’s use of “We”. As it stands, I do not think this is a valid reason to discard the Muslim viewpoint. Let a native Arabic-speaker explain it first.