Ask Me Anything: Muslim Edition

  • Thread starter Thread starter shazirah
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
While poor interpretation can make it seem otherwise, Islam tries to reconcile crimes while also allowing for mercy alongside justice. It doesn’t always do further good to execute a murderer. If the people who have the most reason to want the murderer dead can ask for mercy, then mercy can be granted. Some judges have also factored in evidence of coercion, and the person doesn’t always get off scot free just because they aren’t executed. Islam grew up in societies where tribal law existed alongside religious law. Murders had a tendency to start up prolonged blood feuds, so it was the job of the religious authorities to try and help resolve the problem in such a way that it helped the family of the victim feel that justice was done, while also trying to prevent further bloodshed. A substantial amount of money had to be paid by the murderer and his family to compensate a victim’s family if they chose to not to have the murderer executed and they might also be forced to free any slaves they held as a means of exchanging mercy for mercy.
 
Thanks! Yeah, I’m picky about my sources, so I try to look at the big picture and keep in mind that people have axes to grind.
 
What are some of the misconceptions of Islam that Muslims find most annoying?
On a semi related note, are their things/taboos that non-Muslims should be careful of when interacting with Muslims?
 
The most bizarre and annoying thing I’ve ever heard someone claim about Muslims, hands down, is that Muslims won’t go to heaven if they touch pork or pork blood (so, like, coat the bullets in pork blood, amirite? :roll_eyes:). A variant of this is that a Muslim who touches pork has to kill themselves. Someone literally threw a barbecued pork rib at my dad one time when we were walking and then yelled something about him going to hell now. You can’t make this stuff up.

Shazi’s general rules of politeness for meeting Musliims:
  1. Most Muslims avoid touching a non-relative of the opposite sex, so don’t be offended if we don’t shake your hand, hug you, etc. Very traditional people will keep their eyes averted if they’re talking to someone of the opposite sex and staring is seen as really rude anyway, so if someone isn’t making eye contact they’re probably just trying to be polite. Men and women who aren’t related or married aren’t supposed to spend time alone together, so if you’re a man it’s best not to approach a hijabi if she’s alone unless you can see that she needs immediate help for some reason.
  2. Muslims are forbidden to drink alcohol and very religious people won’t go to places that serve it either, so going for coffee or tea is a better choice if you want to hang out with someone.
  3. Of course the pork thing. We can’t eat pork or anything made with blood except in extreme circumstances, so no black pudding or anything like that.
  4. Keep in mind that some orthodox Muslims may not be comfortable around religious art, because depicting the Prophet (peace be upon him) or God is a big no-no.
  5. If you’re eating with a Muslim, it might be better to silently bless the food or just bless it in God’s name, because some orthodox Muslims may feel weird about eating food that someone has prayed over in the name of Jesus, since we’re told not to eat food that has been dedicated to anyone but Allah.
 
I often heard that the Islam practiced in south east Asia esp Indonesia is a bit different. What are the major differences?
Click to expand...
That’s a big one, so I’ll put a pin in this for tomorrow. 🙂
 
shazirah said:
That’s a big one, so I’ll put a pin in this for tomorrow
Click to expand...
No need to be too detailed, I guess I just want to see your list of points in order of importance. If I don’t understand the details I can always google. 🙂
 
shazirah said:
a video so you can get a feel for how it sounds when it’s done really, really well.
Click to expand...
is it always done singing? or can you just say it plainly?
Is the melody always the same, or are there different version? [same with reciting the Qur’an, are there different versions of recitation?]
is modern music (for the lack of a better term - but i think you know what I mean) ever used in Islamic worship?
 
shazirah said:
The only thing required for a person to become a Muslim is to speak out loud and believe sincerely the shahada
Click to expand...
what about babies, can they be Muslims?

A tangential question related to this:
can non-Muslims go to heaven? what about babies?
 
Do Muslims find it odd/strange/interesting that Catholics talk about Our Lady at Fatima?
[when Fatima is the name of your Prophet’s daughter]
 
If you’re greeting someone of the opposite sex, the polite thing to do for most Middle Eastern cultures is to place your hand on your heart and bow slightly.
 
Hello shazirah, I have a sister whom was once Catholic but converted to Islam, and married a Muslim. I also have Muslim sister in law whom is married to a Catholic man.

Shazirah, through Catholic history one could note interfaith marriages and friendships among Muslim and Christian, occurring for example in 17th century England and in the Kingdom of Jerusalem when Catholics controlled Jerusalem after the so called first crusade.

Do you approve of Interfaith marriage in Islam as many Muslims do, or do you agree with countries like Saudi Arabia and Israel which claim the religions of Islam and Judaism prevent interfaith marriage.
 
Last edited:
Oo I accidentally referred to shazirah as a brother.

Glad to have you aboard Sister Shazirah!
 
Southeast and south Asian Muslims tend to be a lot more varied in their practice than Arabic Muslims, and the mystical traditions are a lot stronger there. So, for instance, there are a lot of Sufis in the Southeast. They also have historically lived in more ethnically and religiously diverse societies, so whereas the state of Islam became monolithic in the Middle East, in South Asia it butted up against Buddhism and Hinduism as dominant forces and so people had to adapt more readily and learn to get along in a multicultural environment. You tend to see fewer Wahhabi folks in that area, although there’s a different strain of Islamist extremist that crops up in Malaysia. They’re less focused on a centralized variety of Islam - so not Islam as one state, just Islam as the guiding factor of many states.

Afghanis are sort of the oddball culture in the mix. You see a lot of surprisingly modernist Islam in the more populated areas because those would have formed the backbone of trade and cosmopolitanism through history, but then right beside it you have extremely rigid tribal Islam of the Taliban, so you never quite know what you’re going to get with Afghani Muslims. My friend from there often says that it’s because Afghanis have been through so much as a people, it’s like culture-wide PTSD keeps the strict ultraorthodox folks in power.
 
It’s always sung or chanted. The melody varies a little bit between sects and muezzin put their own stylistic flourishes on the chant for aesthetic reasons, but the basic pattern of melody is the same and there is a really complex musical theory as to the stress and timing that muezzin have to understand in order to give the call to prayer.

Modern music is never featured in Islamic worship, we just have the call to prayer and recitation of the Koran, which is an aesthetic art form unto itself.

Oh! regarding muezzin, my grandfather’s favorite joke: A mosque got a new muezzin one day and the imam was excited to see how he would perform. On his first day, the muezzin got up to give the call to prayer and he was dreadful! Hardly anyone came! But on the second day, everyone came even earlier than they ever had. The imam asked why they had come early and everyone replied “We’re already here! Make him stop!”
 
Last edited:
Is sacred music a part of islamic worship other than the call to worship?
How are friday prayer services structured?
 
Babies are considered to be Muslim from birth if their parents are Muslim, and most specifically if their father is Muslim. As far as non-Muslims going to heaven, people differ on that subject just like Christians. Some people who hold to extremely strict interpretations of the Koran say that all non-Muslims will go to hell. Others say that if someone has ever had the opportunity to convert to Islam and refused it, they will go to hell, but since Allah makes Himself known to all people in all times and places, someone who never heard the Message of Islam but who still lived a righteous life can reach Paradise at the Last Judgement. A common interpretation on the subject, and one that I share, is that Allah is all merciful, and so a person who sincerely worships God or sincerely tries to live a righteous life will be shown mercy on the last day even if they were never a Muslim, because they’re Muslim in their heart. Infants are blameless, and so no one has a doubt that they will reach Paradise. We don’t have a concept of original sin and prepubescent children can’t properly understand their sins.
 
I think most Muslim people don’t know about the appearance at Fatima, but it was kind of a weird moment for me when I first saw it referenced because I was like “Wait, THE Fatima? Why would Fatima be appearing to people, especially some Christian kids?”
 
Generally most interpretations of Islam allow for Islamic men to marry Christian and Jewish women or other People of the Book, but not the other way around because it would put a Muslim woman in a conflict of interest if she had to choose between honoring a non-believing husband and following her own faith. There’s a case to be made given Islamic ethical reasoning that the critical point in that though is harmony. If an interfaith marriage can be conducted in such a way as to promote harmony in the family and community, then I think that’s okay. Personally, this is one area in which I’m less Westernized, though, so it’s likely going to be a traditionally arranged marriage for me for both cultural and religious reasons.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top