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shazirah
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I’ve heard of it, but the problem is that in Islam we don’t believe in the assumption of Mary and so, while she is great and worthy of respect, to us Mary is still dead and awaiting resurrection at the day of Judgement like everyone else, and so an apparition of a dead person would be doubtful or attributed to the jinn or a trick of the devil.
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Curious11
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Why don’t Muslims have an organized church like Catholics?
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whyeyeman
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Why did Mohammad marry a 6 year old?
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Maximilian75
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@Shazirah And a follow-up to this, what are the biggest differences between Sunnis and Shias, and if that difference did not exist would it be valid to say Islam could look something kind of like Catholicism, with a supreme caliph/pope-ish figure?
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meltzerboy2
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Welcome! As a Jew on a Catholic Forum, it is also nice to speak with people of religions other than Christianity or Judaism. My question is, to what extent, if any, are the dietary laws in Islam influenced by Jewish dietary laws? Although not identical, there is remarkable similarity.
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shazirah
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That’s a really complicated question, actually. Not being a scholar of Islamic history, I’ll answer as best I can, but if you ask three scholars, you would probably get five answers in return, so just bear that in mind. The easiest explanation is that, because of the environment of early Islam, we developed a nation instead of a church in the Western sense of the word. All Muslims lived under one state in the beginning, and so a church wasn’t needed because the state took on the role of both government and church. When the Prophet, (peace be upon him) died, differences in opinion about who should be the head of the Islamic faith and state - one who was voted for by the early companions or one who was a relative of Mohammed (peace be upon him) - lead to that governmental cohesion splintering, and instead we developed traditions of philosophical thought instead of an organized central church.
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meltzerboy2
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Another question about influences: you may be aware that Christianity and Islam have similar concepts regarding heaven and hell, and punishment for sins, while Judaism is less specific about hell, other than separation from G-d (which some Catholics also believe). My question is where did the Muslim notion of hell as torturous punishment come from: was it influenced by Christian belief?
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omgriley
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Why do Muslims believe in the testimony of the Quran (circa A.D. 600) in regards the life of Jesus Christ, rather than the eye-witness testimony of the Gospels (circa A.D. 40-70)?
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shazirah
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Aisha’s age at the time of her betrothal is the subject of debate. Some say she was around 6, others calculating from other clues in the texts would suggest that she was in her early teens at the time of her marriage. Either way, Mohammed was betrothed to Aisha early but did not consummate the marriage until after her puberty. That was a pretty typical arrangement for people of political influence at that time in most of the world. The betrothal would have been contracted early for political reasons, to solidify the ties between Mohammed (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr, Aisha’s father.
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Prodigal_Son
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Here’s one, and please understand that this is meant respectfully, not as a trap:
If you were a father, is there anything that your child could do that should cause you to disown (or sever yourself from) your child, according to your faith?
If you were a father, is there anything that your child could do that should cause you to disown (or sever yourself from) your child, according to your faith?
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shazirah
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The difference between Sunni and Shia is one of who has religious authority. The Sunni branch believes that hereditary descent does not confer a special relationship with Allah, so it was appropriate for the early companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to elect a Caliph after his death. From the Shia perspective, they believe that only a descendant of Mohammed (peace be upon him) could follow in his footsteps. There are other differences. Sunni and Shia Muslims hold to different books of hadiths and that has resulted in different ways of praying and conducting jurisprudence.
I think if there had been no disagreement about who was in charge in the early days of Islam, it’s likely that we might still have a Caliph. Under the circumstances of history, though I’m inclined to believe that it’s good we don’t still have a Caliph. This is just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt, but I believe Allah took the Caliphate from us because we corrupted it. It was no longer serving the interests of God in helping people live in a moral and just society.
I think if there had been no disagreement about who was in charge in the early days of Islam, it’s likely that we might still have a Caliph. Under the circumstances of history, though I’m inclined to believe that it’s good we don’t still have a Caliph. This is just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt, but I believe Allah took the Caliphate from us because we corrupted it. It was no longer serving the interests of God in helping people live in a moral and just society.
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shazirah
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Since we consider the rules to come from the same God, I think there’s definitely a link. 
Historically, I think the difference between halal and kosher has more to do with the land the ancient people lived in. In Islam, the preservation of human life is more important than anything else, and so if there is literally nothing else for sustenance, we can eat forbidden foods, and there is a greater diversity of resources in the Levant than there were was in the area of Mecca, so I think God understood that we didn’t have as much to choose from. lol The halal diet was still likely instituted to separate us from the pagan cultures of pre-Islamic Arabia, just as the kosher diet separates Jews from Gentiles, so I think it comes down to the same thing.
Historically, I think the difference between halal and kosher has more to do with the land the ancient people lived in. In Islam, the preservation of human life is more important than anything else, and so if there is literally nothing else for sustenance, we can eat forbidden foods, and there is a greater diversity of resources in the Levant than there were was in the area of Mecca, so I think God understood that we didn’t have as much to choose from. lol The halal diet was still likely instituted to separate us from the pagan cultures of pre-Islamic Arabia, just as the kosher diet separates Jews from Gentiles, so I think it comes down to the same thing.
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angel12
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I don’t have a question at the moment, but I also want to thank you for this thread, and for your excellent answers. Greater understanding between members of the different religions can only be a good thing.
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shazirah
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It’s a mix of Christian and pre-Islamic beliefs like Zoroastrianism. The idea of a torturous hell existed in Arabia before Islam. Hell was a place where the souls of the wicked would be purified in fire and molten metal. In the minds of most Muslims, I think, this shows the continuity of the prophetic message, and it also explains why some religious scholars teach that even Hell is not final. Allah is all merciful and it is possible that souls who are purified in hell can re-enter Paradise.
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Fauken
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By my understanding, both the Jewish people and Christians believe that the price of sin is death, and sacrifices were performed for the forgiveness of sins. For the Jewish people, it was done in the Temple, and for Christians, Christ is pointed to as the sacrifice. This concept does not appear to be present in Islam, however. So why do Muslims not perform sacrifices for their sins?
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shazirah
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The explanation that I’ve always heard is that the message of the Gospels has been corrupted and certain aspects of the life of Isa (Jesus) twisted and confused. So, while we believe in Jesus as a prophet and servant of God with a very important message, we believe that God is and always has been One and incomparable, with no sons or relatives or peers, and so we believe that it is impossible for Jesus to have been the Son of God or part of God in any way.
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shazirah
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Absolutely nothing. I know that apostasy from Islam is thought to be the big red eject button and honestly for some people it would be, especially in very traditional families. Even Mohammed (peace be upon him) did not sever himself from people who recanted. In one hadith, a man converts to Islam and then later asks the Prophet (peace be upon him) to release him from his conversion. He was not released from his conversion, but also nothing was done to him. I feel like that’s the example we should follow. Everyone will account to Allah for their actions. It’s better for us to love others and let Allah deal with his own business, unless that person is actually harming other people.
I think we’re likely going to have to deal with this in my own family very soon as one of my brothers recently confided in me that he’s thinking of converting to Orthodox christianity. While our parents probably won’t be happy, I would be very surprised if they disowned him or did anything except try to convince him to stay.
I think we’re likely going to have to deal with this in my own family very soon as one of my brothers recently confided in me that he’s thinking of converting to Orthodox christianity. While our parents probably won’t be happy, I would be very surprised if they disowned him or did anything except try to convince him to stay.
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shazirah
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We do, actually! It’s just not an obligation. A voluntary part of the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca involves sacrifice, although it’s done by qualified halal butchers and the meat is sent to the poor instead of being immolated. When I went on Hajj, I purchased a sheep for sacrifice and got a text message a few hours later when the slaughter had been conducted. The meat was sent to a family in need in my name. Technology is really something. 
Sacrifice is ultimately connected to purification of sins and we have other ways of purifying ourselves. In Islam, vicarious sacrifice, such as through the blood of an animal or through the sacrifice of Christ, cannot absolve personal sin. We’re held responsible for our own actions, and so we remit sin through other types of ritual purification and through voluntary submission to the will of God.
Sacrifice is ultimately connected to purification of sins and we have other ways of purifying ourselves. In Islam, vicarious sacrifice, such as through the blood of an animal or through the sacrifice of Christ, cannot absolve personal sin. We’re held responsible for our own actions, and so we remit sin through other types of ritual purification and through voluntary submission to the will of God.
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omgriley
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Forgive me, but that doesn’t really make sense to me. I can understand the theory that the Gospel’s message has been corrupted (btw, there’s no proof of this) but when we have the actual text of Scripture making claims about the life of Jesus Christ contrary to the claims of the Quoran, how can a Muslim reconcile this? It cannot be disputed that real eye-witnesses of the life of Jesus made claims about him that are rejected by the Quoran.
What exactly do you think that message is if, as you say, the primary source for the life of Jesus has been so corrupted to the point where nothing of value can be gained from it? If the Gospels are so corrupted that they cannot be trusted, then how are we to know this “very important message” of Jesus Christ? How could Mohamed himself know what that message was?
So do we. From the Fourth Lateran Council of the Church:
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