Ask Me Anything: Muslim Edition

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In Islamic teaching, there is suffering that a person brings on themselves and suffering that is caused by sin. Most of what people experience comes from personal sin or another’s sin. God does not protect us from the consequences of our own actions, He simply forgives us for them if we seek forgiveness. Some suffering, though, is a test of faith and meant to reveal the true inner nature. If your faith is never tested, do you truly have faith or just complacency with your lot? God already knows our hearts, but people have a tendency not to know their mettle until it’s tested. So, God has set out a path to righteousness and allows us to encounter obstacles on that path as a means of testing and strengthening our resolve, and also as opportunity for others to cultivate righteousness by helping their brothers and sisters.
 
It depends on who you talk to about Sufis and which group of Sufis particularly. Sufism is a school of thought in Islam that is more concerned with the mystical experience of God and you can find both Sunni and Shi’a Sufis, so it’s not necessarily a distinct sect in and of itself. Mainstream Sunni and Shi’a philosophies mostly concern themselves with morality, ethical philosophy, and practical issues, while Sufis concern themselves with the metaphysical and interior aspects of Islamic worship and practice. One of the central doctrines in Sufism is embracing and transmitting the light of God, from God to teacher, from teacher to pupil, etc. Sufis have historically run afoul of ultraconservatives like Wahhabis and Salafis because of their veneration of Islamic saints (too close to shirk for some) and other practices that are seen as heterodox. But Sufi philosophy was fairly widespread pre-modern times and is making a big comeback recently.

Sufis usually try to practice sunnah, or the actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him), as closely as they can and also add other practice. Most will seek out a spiritual advisor to assist them and engage in extra prayers and ascetic practices in order to reduce improper desires and dependency on the world and to basically strip their life down to a basic, pure state that allows the light and wisdom of God to shine through.
 
I think that’s true with every sport now. The Olympics are so political. Sports are supposed to be something everyone can enjoy together without all the political posturing getting in the way.
 
We hear lots about what heaven is like for men. What about women? What do they have to look forward to?
 
shazirah said:
Did anyone see God dictating to Moses?
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I was reading and enjoying part of this thread (I’ll never have time to read it all) but I couldn’t resist interjecting here - yes, the Torah and our national tradition attest that the children of Israel not only witnessed God speaking to Moses but that He actually spoke directly to the entire nation at once publicly, a claim that no other religion or tradition has ever made and an ironclad foundation of the Jewish religion that distinguishes it from any other religion.
Shalom and salaam.
shazirah said:
No one saw Moses receive the commandments.
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Ex. 19:9 “And the LORD said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.” "
Ex. 19:11 “Let them be ready for the third day; for on the third day the LORD will come down, in the sight of all the people, on Mount Sinai.”
Deut. 5:4 “Face to face the Lord spoke to you (pl.) on the mountain out of the fire”
5:19 “The LORD spoke those words—those and no more—to your whole congregation at the mountain, with a mighty voice out of the fire and the dense clouds. He inscribed them on two tablets of stone, which He gave to me.”
5:21 “The LORD our God has just shown us His majestic Presence, and we have heard His voice out of the fire; we have seen this day that man may live though God has spoken to him.”

Etc.
 
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ratio1 said:
Reading the Old Testament in Hebrew is just so much more satisfying for me now as I can appreciate the poetry of it.
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There’s nothing like it. No translation holds a candle. Hebrew is direct, powerful and magesterial.
 
Thanks for your reply. There are similarities in the Islamic teaching of suffering and the Catholic teaching.

Some points on the Catholic teaching of suffering:

(1) To awaken us to reality
(2) To test us
(3) To discipline us, to teach us humility and trust, and to work righteousness into us
(4) To give us an opportunity to love God, to give God glory, to merit glory, and to participate in His work of redemption

More details may be found here: A Catholic Reflection on the Meaning of Suffering | Called to Communion
 
As I know there is no any permission in Quran to lie. The orders in Quran are always to be right and avoid from lie. There are some Hadiths about lying which do not mean directly “lying is allowed”. lying is always lying and that do not change by circumstances. Scholars interpret that hadiths in that way: perhaps person who say some words which look like a lie could not be sinful in some circumstances. Otherwise lie is always lie. ıslam is religion of lightness. For instance pork is haram but there is a permission te eat barely not to die. But if someone is so pious so he could prefer to die not to rebel against God’s orders.

Scholars explain that lying is not allowed in any circumstances any more. Because that permission was given by individual fatwas and time abolished that fatwa.
 
I think we could know exactly when (if?) we go there! There are pleasures both for men and women in Heavens. Quran(God) just describe for men but that do not mean there is no for women. By death marriage is end and there is no geniture in Heavens.
 
If I may ask, why do Muslim women need permission from a guardian to marry?
 
The WWE is having a big card of wrestling action in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia later this week.

But the women’s division is staying home, the wrestling will be all men’s action.

Is Women’s wrestling considered to be offensive to islam?
 
I think women’s WWE-style wrestling is offensive to anyone.

Saudi Arabia sent women to compete in Olympic judo, so I don’t think its the wrestling itself, but rather the fact that women’s wwe wrestling is little more than hair pulling and slapping with two women in bikinis
 
Surah 4:157claims that Jesus was not crucified, contrary to the belief of Christians supported by thousands of historical records. My question then is: does the Quran say how Jesus died.
 
Maximilian75 said:
the fact that women’s wwe wrestling is little more than hair pulling and slapping with two women in bikinis
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I think your analysis of the WWE women’s division is a little bit dated. It was pretty accurate for 10 years ago when they hired models who looked like they spent more time at the hair salon than the gym.

But now, I think gals basically do all the same moves as the men- the WWE hires a lot of actual women athletes instead of models nowadays.
 
Indeed - the issues of Mecca has engaged my interest for some time:

1/ Off the main trade routes.
2/ Not mentioned as an Islamic/Muhammad holy place until some while AFTER Muhammad’s death.
3/ Earliest mosque remains denote their qiblas being aligned towards Petra - which makes sense as it was a main hub of several trade routes, and also had a ka’aba, to which many Arabs would make pilgrimage in those times.
4/ The descriptions in the Quran and the Sunna of Muhammad’s place of being accords far more with Petra and its environs, than arid, out of the way Mecca.
5/ Mecca is not even recorded on a map until the 9th century.
6/ When sending goods from many of the places in the East to places around the Mediterranean, it makes far more economic and security sense to place and keep them on board ships.
7/ The only means of water at the time was the {as has recently been discovered] arsenic laced Zam Zam well, which was a rather small water hole dug in the past by nomadic Arabs.
8/ Mecca was not mentioned by name until after Muhammad had supposedly fled/been invited to Medina.
9/ There were several ‘ka’abas’ built in pagan times, for pilgrimage and prayer and ritual.
10/ The Hajj rituals bear a sameness with the pagan ‘hajj’.
11/ The ‘Black Rock’ meteorite stone at the Meccan Ka’aba was originally worshipped by pre-Islamic Arabs at the ‘ka’aba’ at Petra.

I could probably find one or two more troubling ‘anomalies’ regarding the official line, regarding Mecca.
 
What is the Muslim position on abortion? I ask this because on a pro-life march today, the ‘opposition’ was there, as to be expected, shouting stuff at us and in amongst their number there were a couple of women wearing hijabs. What is the Muslim position on abortion?
 
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Brendan - It appears that in Islam the foetus is believed to become a living soul after four months gestation, and abortion after this point as being ‘generally’ impermissible. There are however differing views and ‘interpretations’ among many ‘scholars and thinkers’ as to particular circumstances - just to muddy and confuse the waters.
 
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If that is the case, that’s very sad really. I assumed that Islam would basically have a pro-life position on abortion.
 
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