Ask about Islam round 3!

[Muslim_Woman]

In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

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… 1) it is forbidden; 2) it is not forbidden; 3) only music with instruments other than drum is forbidden.

I read some fatwa & listen to some discussion about it . The main point I understood is if music keeps u away from the path of God , if any song provokes u to think & do immoral acts , if you are busy listening to music most of time then there is a risk that u will find it hard to offer prayer timely etc etc ; in those cases , music is forbidden.

But if u listen to good songs those remind u of God , teaching of God , encourage u to do good acts , then it’s not forbidden & we may listen to it. It’s better to avoid instruments
( Daff is allowed ) . I listened to a song ‘veil’ of Dawud without any music & that was nice

Personally I like to listen to Yusuf Islam , Dawud Ali , Sami , Zain & some others.

(Eating pork, on the other hand, could happen just to keep from starving

if there is no choice , one does not have any intention to disobey God but s/he is helpless , in that case one is allowed to take things that is forbidden. But when there is choice / alternative is available , one must not go for forbidden items.

who is right?

God knows Best.

 

[Muslim_Woman]

In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

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Question: Why is there so much reference to Hell and punishment in the Quran? How can our actions be sincere if we are in essence doing them to seek a reward (Jannah) in the end, rather than doing them for the love of God?

Ahmad Saad:…When Almighty Allah created Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), He placed him in Paradise and told him, as the Quran mentions:

Surely it is (ordained) for you that you shall not be hungry therein nor bare of clothing; And that you shall not be thirsty therein nor shall you feel the heat of the sun. (Ta-Ha 20:118-119)

Adam was commanded to obey Allah and eat from any where in Paradise but never to approach the forbidden tree. Seduced by Satan, Adam and Eve both ate from the forbidden tree and therefore, they were sent down to earth to toil and live a test.

This life-long test was ordained on Adam and his offspring who will have to go through the test throughout their life and then end up in one of two destinies; either Paradise or Hellfire.

To qualify for the test, human beings have been endowed with the gift of free choice to be responsible for their choices.

… Allah refers to those who believed in Prophet Noah and says:And there believed not with him but a few. (Hud 11:40)

In reference to those who accepted Moses, the Quran says:But none believed in Moses except some children of his people. (Yunus 10:83)

…if there is a child who does not like studying or doing his homework and is unable to realize that studying is very beneficial for him, then the best way of dealing with him would be telling him that there will be a punishment if he fails to do his homework, and a reward if he finishes it.

Later on, when this same student grows up a bit and cherishes love for his study and realizes its benefits, the whole idea of reward and punishment will not be his motivation. Rather, he will be motivated by love, and this is what is really needed from him.

Similarly, when people do not realize the importance of worshipping Allah and obeying Him, the address of punishment and reward will be much more suitable for them until they realize that they love Almighty Allah. And this love should be the main motive for obeying Him.

Until they develop this kind of motive, I believe they will still be in need of a word here and there reminding them and pressing the buttons of fear and hope in their hearts and minds. Let’s all pray Allah to grant us His love and to enshroud us in His mercy and pleasure.

readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1233567571088&pagename=IslamOnline-English-AAbout_Islam%2FAskAboutIslamE%2FAskAboutIslamE

 

[qui_est_ce]

islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503545450

I will never click on a link to a Muslin site again. I got so much malware that slipped by my virus protection program. When I ran my virus scan, the malware caused my virus program to give me a false positive that the malware was removed, when in fact it was multiplying. $300.00 later…

Tell that guy in the cave to quit playing around with his laptop.

 

[chrisse]

In the first place, we would like to note that Islam has stipulated noble principles and teachings that will guide man in every aspect of life. Nothing is left untouched by this great religion revealed to cater for the welfare of mankind. This fact is further stressed in the following statements of the Prophet’s Companions, may Allah be pleased with them: “The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used to teach us everything even the etiquette of answering the call of nature.” A Muslim is commanded to abide by the dictates of morality and general sense of purity at all times.

Unlike other religions and ideologies, Islam is not separated from life; rather, its teachings stand side by side with man in every walk of life. Islam teaches us how to make intimate relations with our wives, how to eat, how to drink, how to sleep and how to get up. These are known in Islam as the general Adaab (manners).

Among the things that give a person immunity against any psychological disorders that might face man during sleeping is showing full compliance with the Prophet’s recommendation concerning the etiquette of getting ready for bed, such as reading well-known supplications, sleeping on the right side, and avoiding sleeping on the belly, for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade sleeping on the belly.

As far as the question of sleeping on belly is concerned, we would like to cite for you the following fatwa issued by Prof. Ali As-Sawwa, professor of Shariah at the University of Jordan:

A Muslim should not sleep on his belly especially as this may strengthen his sexual urge. In addition, it is an unhealthy manner of sleeping. Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that one day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed by a man sleeping on his belly. He tapped the man with his foot saying: “Such manner of sleeping is loathed by Allah” (Ibn Hibban).

The above quote is from the link Muslim Woman provided.

Mohammet and his allah are treating people like they are mindless twits. Even animals display cultural behaviour that they learn by being taught by their mothers and the group. You will see different cultural behaviour between, for example, chimpanzees, in different locations together with similar cultural behaviour common to chimpanzees. Human beings do not need anal instructions in order to live in a civil and spiritual sense.

YHWH sent down is His Word, in his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and His Word contains all that is needed for human beings to live both a spiritual, civil, and well-mannered life.

The civilisations surrounding mohammet’s pagan arabia were far greater than anything mohammet could produce - done so without allah’s anal commands for a muslim’s life
24/7. When the saracen imperialists surged onto the scene in the 7th Century, they did so as parasites on these civilistions, not as instigators and contributors to the improvement in the evolution of human knowledge and civilisation.

But what these rules and regulations for every aspect of a muslim’s life do very successfully is to keep the muslim absolutely indoctrinated and unable to think clearly for themselves. Islam is a cult.

 

[Hypatia]

Mohammet and his allah are treating people like they are mindless twits…

YHWH sent down is His Word, in his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and His Word contains all that is needed for human beings to live both a spiritual, civil, and well-mannered life.

…But what these rules and regulations for every aspect of a muslim’s life do very successfully is to keep the muslim absolutely indoctrinated and unable to think clearly for themselves. Islam is a cult.

It doesn’t take much more than a relatively quick perusal of the Bible to find God, as portrayed therein, laying down a large number of rules on what to most people would appear to be fairly obscure topics: Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, etc. Moreover, you find Jesus (pbuh), as portrayed in the Gospel of Matthew for instance, affirming the importance of the Law and claiming that nothing about him abolishes or the suspends the law. Is that the God you have in mind when explaining how the God of the Bible is supposedly different?

But I am even more interested, since you seem so offended by the fact that Islam understands that all of life is lived from, toward and for God, what part of your life is independent of God? What as aspect of your life is yours and is free of God? What exactly in life do you think is yours, to the point where you do not think it has to be offered back to God? What aspect of existence is God not the God of?

 

[chrisse]

It doesn’t take much more than a relatively quick perusal of the Bible to find God, as portrayed therein, laying down a large number of rules on what to most people would appear to be fairly obscure topics: Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, etc. Moreover, you find Jesus (pbuh), as portrayed in the Gospel of Matthew for instance, affirming the importance of the Law and claiming that nothing about him abolishes or the suspends the law. Is that the God you have in mind when explaining how the God of the Bible is supposedly different?

But I am even more interested, since you seem so offended by the fact that Islam understands that all of life is lived from, toward and for God, what part of your life is independent of God? What as aspect of your life is yours and is free of God? What exactly in life do you think is yours, to the point where you do not think it has to be offered back to God? What aspect of existence is God not the God of?

However, it does appear to be too much for the average muslim to understand Christianity; but they may be because to do so would show up the inferiority of Islam and the lack of YHWH’s part in Islam.

No, it’s not that you’re interested, it’s that you don’t understand. YHWH created all. Islam comes along and now says allah created all and made lots of big doozies in allah’s design that he now has to fix by giving muslims anal instructions to fix his creation. However, there is no free will in Islam, so without free will, I guess allah then has to step in and tell muslims what they must do on this earth and must do with what he has created in muslims.

Following each and every example of the life, sayings and traditions of mohammet, down to his toiletry habits, is to treat humanity as deficient. These rules and regulations are now required if what you have is the Word from YHWH. YHWH’s Word, properly followed, naturally leads a person towards more spiritual and civilised behaviour. Then again, Christians have free will and the choice to return to YHWH; muslims have no free will, and are pre-destined to do whatever they do. This makes all those rules and regulations even more ridiculous, of course, because if you are pre-destined to live according to allah and his mohammet, you will, if you are pre-destined to reject allah and his mohammet, you will.

 

[Hypatia]

No, it’s not that you’re interested, it’s that you don’t understand. YHWH created all. Islam comes along and now says allah created all and made lots of big doozies in allah’s design that he now has to fix by giving muslims anal instructions to fix his creation. However, there is no free will in Islam, so without free will, I guess allah then has to step in and tell muslims what they must do on this earth and must do with what he has created in muslims.

Following each and every example of the life, sayings and traditions of mohammet, down to his toiletry habits, is to treat humanity as deficient. These rules and regulations are now required if what you have is the Word from YHWH. YHWH’s Word, properly followed, naturally leads a person towards more spiritual and civilised behaviour. Then again, Christians have free will and the choice to return to YHWH; muslims have no free will, and are pre-destined to do whatever they do. This makes all those rules and regulations even more ridiculous, of course, because if you are pre-destined to live according to allah and his mohammet, you will, if you are pre-destined to reject allah and his mohammet, you will.

You basically dodged the question. The things you are complaining about in Islam (the concern of Islam for every aspect of a persons life, exemplified by sayings of the Prophet (pbuh), etc. on things that seem obscure or private or trivial, are exactly the same type of things you find in the Bible, esp. in the early books of laws, and exemplify the same concern. And I have to say, it is not as if the Catholic Church doesn’t lay down all sorts of rules for direction from what I see.

All of life belongs to God.

Moreover, your complaint about predestination suggests that the bottom line here is that you really think that there is something about your life that is yours and independent of God…that something of yours is a possession over which God has no claim. Not only is this ultimately a denial of God, who is Absolute and All, the One in whom there is no limit, but your complaint about providence/predestination strikes at the heart of your own Church and leaves very little of Christianity (and even less of Catholicism) intact once you are done cleaning house. The two best “Western” accounts of God’s providence, predestination/election, grace, etc. are Augustine and Thomas. What is left of Western Christianity if you throw them out?

Finally the idea that predestination is a denial of freedom would not only destroy your own tradition if true, but also overlooks that the nature of human freedom has been a central concern for a long time in Islam…the Ash’ari and the Mu’tazili fought over it quite vigorously. And Mulla Sadra was doing existentialism 200 yrs before Sartre was even born. Your claims about freedom are bogus. Embracing the fact that ‘from Allah (swt) we come and to Allah (swt) we return’ is the beginning of freedom.

 

[chrisse]

You basically dodged the question. The things you are complaining about in Islam (the concern of Islam for every aspect of a persons life, exemplified by sayings of the Prophet (pbuh), etc. on things that seem obscure or private or trivial, are exactly the same type of things you find in the Bible, esp. in the early books of laws, and exemplify the same concern. And I have to say, it is not as if the Catholic Church doesn’t lay down all sorts of rules for direction from what I see.

No, not a dodge at all. You have shown no understanding of Christianity, the Old and New Covenants.

All of life belongs to God.

YHWH is our creator, not our enslaver as is your allah.

Moreover, your complaint about predestination suggests that the bottom line here is that you really think that there is something about your life that is yours and independent of God…that something of yours is a possession over which God has no claim. Not only is this ultimately a denial of God, who is Absolute and All, the One in whom there is no limit, but your complaint about providence/predestination strikes at the heart of your own Church and leaves very little of Christianity (and even less of Catholicism) intact once you are done cleaning house. The two best “Western” accounts of God’s providence, predestination/election, grace, etc. are Augustine and Thomas. What is left of Western Christianity if you throw them out?

Finally the idea that predestination is a denial of freedom would not only destroy your own tradition if true, but also overlooks that the nature of human freedom has been a central concern for a long time in Islam…the Ash’ari and the Mu’tazili fought over it quite vigorously. And Mulla Sadra was doing existentialism 200 yrs before Sartre was even born. Your claims about freedom are bogus. Embracing the fact that ‘from Allah (swt) we come and to Allah (swt) we return’ is the beginning of freedom.

Foreknowledge, not predestination. Free will is a given if there is a judgement - how can you be judged if you had no free will to choose your path.

In fact, predestination means that nothing that you do matters. You might as well go with the flow - there are no right or wrong decisions you can make, they’ve already been made for you. Predestination in islam makes islam irrelevant.

 

[Charlotte2008]

No, not a dodge at all. You have shown no understanding of Christianity, the Old and New Covenants.

YHWH is our creator, not our enslaver as is your allah.

Foreknowledge, not predestination. Free will is a given if there is a judgement - how can you be judged if you had no free will to choose your path.

In fact, predestination means that nothing that you do matters. You might as well go with the flow - there are no right or wrong decisions you can make, they’ve already been made for you. Predestination in islam makes islam irrelevant.

**I just want to add to this. In Christianity when you die your soul goes to heaven immediately, you are judged on your life and how you lived it then either you go to heaven or hell. In Islam your body waits around in your grave, is reformed and you go to paradise or hell. I could never believe that for a second. It makes no sense - in heaven you do not need your earthly body. How when you are given so many rules by allah are you ever going to actually live your life? Have you studied the Bible as you are told to in the quran? Well, you should - even the quran says it is the word of God. Please watch the video in my footer of why I would not follow mohammed because it sums up my reasons really well. Why would God (who condemned sins in the Bible) suddenly decide to make them all ok (which they are with allah) that is why I do not believe islam is a true religion. There is nothing wrong with muslims just islam.

God is a God of love and Jesus Christ loves you - he wants you to know him too. When they love you why do you always have to say pbuh? It is not necessary - he is not violent and does not need to be feared.

**

 

[Charlotte2008]

On another topic: Shakespeare once wrote that “hell hath no greater fury than a woman scorned.” On the contrary, obviously Shakespeare was never introduced to the type of hell which Islam inflicts upon its women. From the honor killings of the Riaz Family(iris.org.il/blog/archives/2250-UK-Muslim-Honor-Killing-Wife-Daughters-Burned-Alive.html), to the public execution of Zarmeena (rawa.org/murder-w.htm); from the stoning of Amina (moderntribalist.blogspot.com/2005/04/muslim-woman-stoned-to-death-for.html), to the brutal beheading of Shameema Akhter (news24.com/News24/World/News/0,2-10-1462_1564895,00.html), any description of hell penned by Shakespeare is reduced to but a mere footnote when the hell of Islam takes center stage. But will hell’s curtain ever finaaly fall on the subjugation of women in Islam?

And what of the Muslim children? These kids are being taught to hate other cultures (youtube.com/watch?v=nhbHVEGnYD8) before they are even taught to read. In many Islamic nations, such as Pakistan, very young Muslim children are being indoctrinated as weapon toting militants (youtube.com/watch?v=GwaVtp8dr0k) through complex Islamic brainwashing. What kind of world do we live in when a child is horribly tortured (youtube.com/watch?v=7VRWjZRYYEg) in the name of this backward religion? When will this insidious insane criminal known as Islam be finally lead to the execution chamber?

How can any muslim still claim it is a religion of “peace, harmony and love”?

 

[Hypatia]

YHWH is our creator, not our enslaver as is your allah.

Foreknowledge, not predestination. Free will is a given if there is a judgement - how can you be judged if you had no free will to choose your path.

In fact, predestination means that nothing that you do matters. You might as well go with the flow - there are no right or wrong decisions you can make, they’ve already been made for you. Predestination in islam makes islam irrelevant.

Apparently we need to start by clearing up your misconceptions about Christianity before we can clear up your misconceptions about Islam. Predestination is not a denial of human freedom, as I already mentioned in the previous post. This can be seen in no less than your very own Thomas Aquinas (thanks for making me go through my boxes of books in storage ).

Summa Theologica, Part I, Question 23: On Predestination (Q.22 was on Providence, btw).

First Article: Whether Men are Predestined by God?
I answer that, It is fitting that God should predestine men.

Third Article: Whether God Reprobates Any Man?
I answer that, God does reprobate some…As men are ordained to eternal life through the providence of God, it likewise is part of that providence to permit some to fall away…God love all men and all creatures, in as much as He wishes them all some good; but He does not wish every good to them all. So far, therefore as he does not wish this particular good (i.e., eternal life), He is said to hate or reprobate them.

Fifth Article: Whether the Foreknowledge of Merit is the Cause of Predestination?
It is manifest that what is of grace is the effect of predestination; and the effect cannot be considered as the reason of predestination, since it is contained in the notion of predestination…Thus it is impossible that the whole of the effect of predestination in general should have any cause coming from us. Whatever is in man disposing him to salvation is all included under the effect of predestination; even the preparation for grace.

Now of course the issue is that God’s predestination and human freedom are not mutually exclusive since God is the One and human beings are individuals that only exist within the embrace of the One. Thomas, btw, also agrees with this idea from Islam. Thomas says, “Now, there is no distinction between what flows from free will and what is of predestination; as there is no distinction between what flows from a secondary cause and from a first cause. For the providence of God produces effects through the operation of secondary causes…Wherefore, what flows from freedom is also of predestination.” Now maybe Thomas is a Muslim (at heart, all true monotheists are), but if he is, he is hiding right in the heart of the Catholic Church and has been held up as exemplar of Catholic philosophy and theology.

So, Muslims also believe in divine predestination (to deny it, is to deny God), but we do not think this means there is no freedom. Quite the opposite. Instead, we as individuals are the images of the One. And it is only in and through the One, and in return to the One, that we have our freedom.

 

[Hypatia]

…How when you are given so many rules by allah are you ever going to actually live your life?..God is a God of love and Jesus Christ loves you - he wants you to know him too. When they love you why do you always have to say pbuh? It is not necessary - he is not violent and does not need to be feared.

“The fear of God is the beginning of all Wisdom.” (Proverbs 1,7). [which of course does not mean that God is violent]

We all live our lives according to a host of rules, most of which we are not even conscious of (drive on one side of the road, say, ‘excuse me’ when you bump into someone…but also, fast at certain times, pray at certain times, sex is and is not permissible under certain conditions, etc., etc.). The only issue here, and it is one that is common to Islam, Judaism and Christianity, is that we must be aware that the totality of our life is God’s. Islam embraces everything because God is the One outside of which there is nothing.

So when I pointed out the wide variety of laws in the early books of the Bible to chrisse, the issue was not that Christians should be obeying them…fine, Christians think those laws are the past, for a number of reasons…but that those laws point to the same thing: God embraces ALL of our life. Christians may not follow those particular rules any more, but their whole life must still be lived toward God. That involves nurturing of certain habits and the development of the virtues, etc., etc. The rules are not burdens; in most cases they are unthought and habit. The rules are descriptions of human practices: practices which inculcate an orientation toward God. Life demands a ‘qiblah’, if you will, an orientation. We learn certain habits so that the whole of our lives are more easily given to God. “The law was made for humanity, not humanity for the law”, as Jesus (pbuh) said.

 

[Muslim_Woman]

In the name of Allah , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Salaam/peace

Bilal - Pakistan

My Christian friend has asked me a question that I cannot answer: If Islam is all about peace and no restriction on other religions and Islam allows other religions to do what they want to do, why is it prohibited in Saudi Arabia and why can’t Christians do their prayers or build churches?

Ahmad Saad: Islam makes it clear that Muslims are not allowed under any circumstances to burn holy places or books of non-Muslims or to abuse them.

…Once I was in Italy where I met five monks. One of them challenged me, saying, “We have permitted you Muslims to build a mosque in Rome; then do you permit us to build a church in Makkah or Madinah?”

Eloquently, I replied, “Here, you should consider the following three points:

1. Islam is a religion, state, and politics, and its constitution is the Glorious Qur’an; does the same apply to the Gospel?
2. Makkah is the sanctuary of Islam, and both Makkah and Madinah were the places of the descent of the revelation, the residence of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and fields of Islamic history. Then, have you Christians permitted building the mosque in the sanctuary of the Vatican?
3. Muslims build mosques according to the instructions of the Glorious Qur’an. Do you find any instruction in the Gospel ordering building churches?”

However, his answers were in the negative. Consequently, it has been proved beyond doubt that the analogy between Makkah and Rome is invalid. Also, the claim that mosques are built in the Christian lands while Muslims do not permit Christians to do so is null and void, for churches are freely built in many of the Muslim lands.

Please also read what Khalid Baig writes in “On Religious Tolerance”:

While Muslim Personal Law is not recognized in the West, the Personal Law of non-Muslim minorities has always been recognized in the Muslim world.

Second, while throughout Europe and America, Muslims are not permitted to make the call to prayer (adhan) on loud speakers, church bells ring freely in the Muslim world.

Third, the wide spread anti-Islamic prejudice in the Western media is both a cause and a consequence of the underlying intolerance.

Fourth, hate crimes are a fact of life in the West. As just one small indication, nearly two-dozen incidents of vandalism have taken place against Mosques in the peaceful USA during the last seven years, not to mention hundreds of attacks against individuals.

Allah Almighty knows best.
islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?cid=1123996016448&pagename=IslamOnline-English-AAbout_Islam%2FAskAboutIslamE%2FAskAboutIslamE

 

[sedonaman]

…I replied, “Here, you should consider the following three points:

1. Islam is a religion, state, and politics, and its constitution is the Glorious Qur’an; …

Wait a minute. planten told us there is no politics in Islam. So which is it?

 

[Hypatia]

Wait a minute. planten told us there is no politics in Islam. So which is it?

I am with MW on this one.

Islam is not merely a description of isolated individuals but of community as well (in relation to one another and in relation to God). How can religion not also be a politics? There is nothing that is outside or beyond God.

 

[The_Fool]

In Christianity when you die your soul goes to heaven immediately, you are judged on your life and how you lived it then either you go to heaven or hell.

Okay, okay, I know this is a thread on Islam, but I want to make the correction in case someone reads this and misunderstands. According to the Catholic Church, when you die, your soul does not go to heaven immediately unless you’ve been really, really, good, and at the moment of your death you were in the all clear. The Church believes in a concept called Purgatory, and this statement is, I believe unintentionally, misleading at best. I apologize for the off topic post.

 

[planten]

Wait a minute. planten told us there is no politics in Islam. So which is it?

Islam has its own politics ( i.e. Guidance in all matters including politics). But islam is not a political religion. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

[The_Fool]

Wait a minute. planten told us there is no politics in Islam. So which is it?

Politics is a process by which people make decisions. Well, I define it like that at least, so Islam, as I believe many Muslims define it, is a type of politics. It is a state in the sense that a state may be a set of specific laws, or authority over a geographic area… at least in name. I’m sure there are people on this forum who believe that just because a country may claim to be a state based on Islam, does not guarantee that they will be one according to its principles, much as how claiming to be a Christian state doesn’t mean the state will act in a Christian manner.

 

[Charlotte2008]

Islam has its own politics ( i.e. Guidance in all matters including politics). But islam is not a political religion. Please correct me if I am wrong.

**Well then how do you explain all the muslims shouting that they will create a worldwide islamic state if it is not political? btw with the New World Order people you would never succeed.
**

 

[Charlotte2008]

New question to muslims: Can Islam be reformed? Please read this site before responding reformislam.org/

Thanks