Muslims, Why Qur'an=Word of God?

[Ontheway]

You do realize an overwhelming majority (probably 99.9%) of Muslims do NOT support jihad, or blowing up buildings. That is just a disrespectful and stereotypical way of thinking, and quite honestly, I was a bit shocked when I read your post.

How do you know this?

 

[LegoGE1947]

How do you know this?

Just after 9/11 a bakery run by an Arab man & wife was vandalized in the city I live in. Just after that, there was a small Protestant church that selected this couple’s bakery as a source for their communion bread. This was to show this couple that not everyone in our town disliked them just because they were Muslim.

 

[Ontheway]

Just after 9/11 a bakery run by an Arab man & wife was vandalized in the city I live in. Just after that, there was a small Protestant church that selected this couple’s bakery as a source for their communion bread. This was to show this couple that not everyone in our town disliked them just because they were Muslim.

This is wonderful gesture and a great example for us all.

My original question has to do with people who insist that 99.9% of Muslims don’t support this or that. Where does that intelligence come from? How does anyone know what the general feeling is in Pakistan, Indonesia, Algeria, Nigeria, Bahrain, Detroit, etc.?

This business of 99.9% of Muslim not supporting something is either our wishful thinking or yet another attempt at political correctness.
One friendly Muslim you meet at work does not constitute 99.9% of the global Muslim population.

 

[Ontheway]

The black stone doesn’t have special powers, nor was it an instrument that was used as a means to recieve revelation. During the Hajj Pilgrimage, pilgrims kiss the black stone, but not because we think it’ll give us powers. It’s because, according to Islamic tradition, that stone originally fell out of Heaven. Kissing the stone is basically a way of showing reverence to God’s Kingdom.

Dude,

There are lots of meteors at the Smithsonian, and people do go around them to get a better look. But no pilgrimages yet.

And, BTW. God’s Kingdom is all around you. Go outside and kiss the ground you walk on.

 

[Eric_Hilbert]

Okay.
I have given repeated warnings.
There is a sticky at the top of the page for guidelines regarding interfaith communication.
There is no excuse why I had to waste twenty minutes of my life pruning this thread of 27 posts.
Return to the topic of the OP.
Follow the guidelines.
There will be NO further warnings.
…and DO NOT reply to this post.

 

[LivingWaters7]

Interesting. What are some of these similarities you see with the Gospel of Mark and the teachings of Islam?

Ok. Interestingly, I find that Christians also tend to view their faith as completely logical and rational, and that the Bible presents God in a rational way. I guess I was wondering about Islam/Qur’an specific things that convince you that it really is the “one true faith” and all others (or at least specifically Christianity, as that’s what I’m interested in comparing it to) are not. Isn’t the teaching of Tawhid essentially found in Judaism too? I’ve been finding some similarities between Islam and Judaism vs Christianity, which is what really piqued my interest in Islam and the Qur’an.

Ok, I’ll check out the video soon. I have heard of the claim of historical and scientific miracles in the Qur’an, I’m hoping that these are actually miraculous. Describing destroyed nations that have only been discovered recently, with specific details certainly would be uncanny and cause for pause.

Bump!

Also, I’m reading the book “What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam-Answers to Frequently Asked Questions from One of America’s Leading Experts” by John Esposito (Professor of Islamic Studies at my alma mater, Georgetown!). He says this that I had never heard before (but then again, I don’t know too much about Islam):
**
“Muslims believe that the Quran, as well as the Torah and the Gospels, is based on a tablet written in Arabic that exists in heaven with God. They believe that the teachings of these scriptures, revealed at different times in history, originate from this source.”**

Could a Muslim tell me more about that concept?

 

[jakasaki]

Bump!

Also, I’m reading the book “What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam-Answers to Frequently Asked Questions from One of America’s Leading Experts” by John Esposito (Professor of Islamic Studies at my alma mater, Georgetown!). He says this that I had never heard before (but then again, I don’t know too much about Islam):
**
“Muslims believe that the Quran, as well as the Torah and the Gospels, is based on a tablet written in Arabic that exists in heaven with God. They believe that the teachings of these scriptures, revealed at different times in history, originate from this source.”**

Could a Muslim tell me more about that concept?

The Quran only claims that the Quran is preserved on a table in heaven.

Read it in Sura 85

 

[TheSufi]

So I’ve begun reading an English translation of the Qur’an (the M.A.S Abdel Haleem Oxford University Press translation). While I do find it interesting (and it’s helpful to have a copy of the Qur’an on hand to go back to the controversial sections to see if the context still keeps them controversial), I can’t help but compare the Qur’an and its origins to that of the Book of Mormon. It seems that in both cases (and I do have to read more about the origins of the Qur’an), a man claimed to receive a text from/through an angel, and revealed it through the gift and power of God. In both cases, there is a claim of restoring truth that was lost. Christians would probably see this as “more of the same”, where throughout history there have always been people claiming to have been visited by God or angels, purporting to have and reveal the truth that was lost, frequently without any witnesses to such revelatory experiences.

There is a big difference between the Quran and the Book of Mormon, the Quran was revealed in Arabic and we still have the original, while the Book of Mormon is a translation, which no one has seen the original, except Joseph Smith. How do we know he translated it correctly?

So, my question is, how do you know that the Qur’an is the word of God? Is it based only on the testimony of a single man, Muhammad?

How do we know any book is a book from God, essentially it is based on trust, faith, and experiencing it, right? I don’t have any reason not to believe in it. Prophet Muhammad was a prophet with the meaning of the word, he was connected to God, with a real connection. He was a mercy to the world, in more ways then one.

The Quran was revealed in Arabic, thus many of its meanings are lost in translation. Everything about the Quran has been preserved and transmitted by Prophet Muhammad. It’s exact pronunciation along with its meanings. Arabic is a heavenly language, as all Semetic languages are, so the sounds have meanings. One can can be in prayer, while one’s tongue is English, one’s heart will understand its meaning, and weep from hearing the words of God in Arabic. Reading the Quran in English isn’t the same as reciting it in Arabic, with proper pronunciation. It is multi-dimensional in meaning. The Quran has to be experienced.

Also, I’m curious as to why Muslims would accept Jesus as a prophet, born of the virgin Mary, etc.

Simply because it is in the Quran.

Do you believe that Jesus taught Islam? If so, why?

Islam just means Submission to God, all Prophets taught submission to God.

Did not Jesus teach that He is the way, going to the Father through Him, etc?

He was the way before the coming of Prophet Muhammad, after his coming, we believe everything was transferred to Prophet Muhammad.

 

[LivingWaters7]

There is a big difference between the Quran and the Book of Mormon, the Quran was revealed in Arabic and we still have the original, while the Book of Mormon is a translation, which no one has seen the original, except Joseph Smith. How do we know he translated it correctly?

So I was reading a book on Islam and the Qur’an, and it mentioned, if I remember correctly, that the Qur’an was revealed in different dialects of Arabic, and that one dialect was chosen as the standard, while the others were destroyed?

Yes, with the Book of Mormon, the original gold plates, according to LDS belief, were taken back by the angel Moroni, though various witnesses allegedly saw the gold plates (though some explicitly refer to that experience as more visionary/spiritual, and not physical). And I guess it would be difficult to authenticate the translation even if we did have the plates, since Mormons believe that they were written in “reformed Egyptian”.

How do we know any book is a book from God, essentially it is based on trust, faith, and experiencing it, right? I don’t have any reason not to believe in it. Prophet Muhammad was a prophet with the meaning of the word, he was connected to God, with a real connection. He was a mercy to the world, in more ways then one.

The Quran was revealed in Arabic, thus many of its meanings are lost in translation. Everything about the Quran has been preserved and transmitted by Prophet Muhammad. It’s exact pronunciation along with its meanings. Arabic is a heavenly language, as all Semetic languages are, so the sounds have meanings. One can can be in prayer, while one’s tongue is English, one’s heart will understand its meaning, and weep from hearing the words of God in Arabic. Reading the Quran in English isn’t the same as reciting it in Arabic, with proper pronunciation. It is multi-dimensional in meaning. The Quran has to be experienced.

Okay. But are there any external evidences you, or others, believe point to the authenticity of the Qur’an as a text originating from God? I think people of many other religions would also claim similar things about their sacred texts, whether it’s the Bible, Torah, Book of Mormon, Bhagavad Gita, etc, so I’m just wondering if there are external Qur’an-specific evidences that may point to.

Also, how exactly was the Qur’an received? Was it received over years and years (I’m sure I’ll get to that in the book I’m reading, but just thought I’d ask here as well)? When Muhammad was visited (or did he only hear) by Gabriel, was this just a personal experience? Were there “witnesses” or others that experienced joint visions or auditory experiences with Muhammad, or something that others experienced that points to confirmation of what Muhammad claimed? I guess I’m trying to compare it to how Mormons view their foundational spiritual events, and how some are said to have only been experienced by Joseph Smith (i.e. the “First Vision”), and others purportedly involved Joseph Smith plus one or more people.

Simply because it is in the Quran.

Okay.

Islam just means Submission to God, all Prophets taught submission to God.

Okay. I guess I’m trying to understand specifically how Muslims view that all prophets taught Islam from the beginning. Did they teach the Five Pillars? Did they, including Jesus, teach prayer 5 times a day, water purification prior to prayer and reading scripture, etc? Again, just trying to understand what specifically it means to believe that Jesus, being a prophet of God, taught Islam.

He was the way before the coming of Prophet Muhammad, after his coming, we believe everything was transferred to Prophet Muhammad.

Very interesting, I didn’t know that. So being “the way, the truth, the life, going to the Father through Him, etc” was a…“position”, if you will, held by all the prophets (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad), transferred in succession? Do you view this as God changing His mind or statements, when Jesus states-“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”(John 14:6)? So it is believed that that was true at that time, but now it is no longer true, since Muhammad replaced Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life?

Thanks!

 

[TheSufi]

So I was reading a book on Islam and the Qur’an, and it mentioned, if I remember correctly, that the Qur’an was revealed in different dialects of Arabic, and that one dialect was chosen as the standard, while the others were destroyed?

All the dialects have been preserved, its proper pronunciation, sound, tone and meanings. And you can learn them today. For example Hafs is the most common recitation of the Quran taught today. Another famous one which is across North Africa is called Warsh. However there are scholars who have memorized all of them.

Okay. But are there any external evidences you, or others, believe point to the authenticity of the Qur’an as a text originating from God? I think people of many other religions would also claim similar things about their sacred texts, whether it’s the Bible, Torah, Book of Mormon, Bhagavad Gita, etc, so I’m just wondering if there are external Qur’an-specific evidences that may point to.

If there are, I don’t know. I haven’t studied about them.

Also, how exactly was the Qur’an received? Was it received over years and years (I’m sure I’ll get to that in the book I’m reading, but just thought I’d ask here as well)? When Muhammad was visited (or did he only hear) by Gabriel, was this just a personal experience? Were there “witnesses” or others that experienced joint visions or auditory experiences with Muhammad, or something that others experienced that points to confirmation of what Muhammad claimed? I guess I’m trying to compare it to how Mormons view their foundational spiritual events, and how some are said to have only been experienced by Joseph Smith (i.e. the “First Vision”), and others purportedly involved Joseph Smith plus one or more people.

I think, it was received to Prophet Muhammad sometimes as a spiritual experience and sometimes as the Angel Gabriel came as a man. I don’t know if any one witnessed the Angel Gabriel dictating the Quran. But there is a tradition in which the Angel Gabriel visited Prophet Muhammad in the form of a man, and his companions didn’t know who he was, he had no signs of travel, yet he know one knew him. The Prophet told the companions, that it was Gabriel.

Okay. I guess I’m trying to understand specifically how Muslims view that all prophets taught Islam from the beginning. Did they teach the Five Pillars? Did they, including Jesus, teach prayer 5 times a day, water purification prior to prayer and reading scripture, etc? Again, just trying to understand what specifically it means to believe that Jesus, being a prophet of God, taught Islam.

Law of each Prophet would be different, and specific to that Prophet. And this would include how one prayers and lives daily life.

Very interesting, I didn’t know that. So being “the way, the truth, the life, going to the Father through Him, etc” was a…“position”, if you will, held by all the prophets (Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad), transferred in succession?

That is an expression from Jesus, not sure every Prophet would have expressed it in those exact words.

Do you view this as God changing His mind or statements, when Jesus states-“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”(John 14:6)? So it is believed that that was true at that time, but now it is no longer true, since Muhammad replaced Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life/?

I think the truth is that the Prophets are the way to God and that hasn’t changed.

 

[mangy_dog]

It’s interesting how you are so quick to defame Joseph Smith in comparison to Muhammad.
Personally I hold that they are both equally heretical.

Jesus Christ is the one, true Lord and God of all and St. John the Baptist is His Prophet…no greater prophet has ever existed nor will ever exist because he is the Prophet of the Most High Jesus Christ.

Some CAF members and even CAF staff may tip-toe around your heretical rhetoric but not this mangy dog.

 

[TexanKnight]

I read the Koran. Very interesting. Not sure where all the hate comes from