questions about islam

[whitecrayon]

if any readers of this thread, especially any readers who are serious muslims or who have studied islam in some depth, could help me and any others who may share these questions, i ask them here in sincere faith and with an open mind:

why, if mohammed received the word of allah/god while writing the holy koran, did mohammed teach violence towards nonbelievers and hate towards jews? i am not a koranic scholar, but i have read through much of a few english translations of the holy koran, looking for answers to questions such as: are god and allah the same divine person? and can christians syncretize the teachings of the holy koran with our holy bible in order to try foster world peace (especially between muslims and christians) or to save souls in muslim countries?. in my limited understanding, the prophet mohammed claimed to be the last and ultimate prophet of mankind, and he taught that muslims should “never turn their backs on nonmuslims” (not a verbatim quote, mind you) and that jews were to be hated especially for some reason. the prophet mohammed also, i believe, specifically called out christians and jews by name as being hypocrites to their own faiths.

i cannot help, therefore, but criticize the muslim belief system on several grounds, including that it teaches hate and violence, which is contrary to the core and fundamental teachings of all of the other noble faiths of earth, as well as on the grounds that it professes to believe that jesus christ was a holy prophet (albeit, according to muslim thought, he was a minor prophet) while its holiest and ultimate prophet, mohammed, taught doctrines and beliefs that contradicted and opposed completely christ’s teachings. that is, christ taught love and forgiveness towards all, and he entrusted the furtherance of his messages and the facts about his life to others whom he loved, while mohammed taught violence and overpowering of nonmuslims. these two teachings, peace and self-sacrifice versus war and domination, cannot be reconciled, to my mind.

if any muslims or theologians of any sort who have some depth of knowledge into the holy koran could address these problems for me and any other readers of this thread, i would greatly appreciate it. it seems to me that in this era of globalization and multiculturalism worldwide, muslims and christians more than ever need to understand and to appreciate each others’ faiths.

i do not believe that the muslim faith is unholy or of the devil, but i still need help understanding many things about it, such as those issues i have explained above.

surely, though, the prophet mohammed taught his followers many holy and sacred ideas, which i hope others will learn about, including lessons of love, morality, charity, mercy, faith, and hope.

sincerely
whitecrayon

 

[Sister_Amy]

I saw an interesting video (it’s real short) which is a brief (not even 10 minutes) talk by an agnostic Jewish lady who just read the Qur’an for the first time, and her impression.

I think it might be a good place to start this discussion.

youtube.com/watch?v=O7yaDlZfqrc

 

[Sam_777]

why, if mohammed received the word of allah/god while writing the holy koran, did mohammed teach violence towards nonbelievers and hate towards jews?

According to Quran and Hadiths, Jews & Christians committed many mortal sins, here are just few examples:

• Jews corrupted the Torah.
• Jews did not work with what was written in the original Torah.
• Jews and Christians took the graves as worshipping places.
• Christians worshipped JESUS and made Him GOD.
  And most importantly Jews and Christians rejected Muhammed particularly when Muhammed was dealing with them in a peaceful way in the first few years of peaceful Islam.

are god and allah the same divine person?

Allah in Islam is not a person, it can be translated as “The Deity”.

and can christians syncretize the teachings of the holy koran with our holy bible in order to try foster world peace (especially between muslims and christians) or to save souls in muslim countries?.

Someone already did that, it’s called “The True Furqan”.

 

[FightingFat]

if any readers of this thread, especially any readers who are serious muslims or who have studied islam in some depth, could help me and any others who may share these questions, i ask them here in sincere faith and with an open mind:

why, if mohammed received the word of allah/god while writing the holy koran, did mohammed teach violence towards nonbelievers and hate towards jews? i am not a koranic scholar, but i have read through much of a few english translations of the holy koran, looking for answers to questions such as: are god and allah the same divine person? and can christians syncretize the teachings of the holy koran with our holy bible in order to try foster world peace (especially between muslims and christians) or to save souls in muslim countries?. in my limited understanding, the prophet mohammed claimed to be the last and ultimate prophet of mankind, and he taught that muslims should “never turn their backs on nonmuslims” (not a verbatim quote, mind you) and that jews were to be hated especially for some reason. the prophet mohammed also, i believe, specifically called out christians and jews by name as being hypocrites to their own faiths.

One of the problems with the Qu’ran is that the surahs are not in chronological order, so it can be difficult to follow the story. Basically when Mohammed was expelled from Mecca and travelled to Medina he was welcomed to the city by Jews and Christians. His preaching is very Christian and as anyone who reads the Qu’ran can see for themselves, is basically a critique or twisting of Christian belief.

After some time, Mohammed attracted more followers to his cause and became powerful by raiding the rich Meccan caravans of the Quaraishi. He attempted to proselytise the three Jewish clans who lived in Medina but they refused. When this happened, his attitude towards them changed dramatically, as recorded in the Qur’an. Eventually he expelled two of the tribes from Medina and slaughtered the third. Nice.

these two teachings, peace and self-sacrifice versus war and domination, cannot be reconciled, to my mind.

Agreed.

if any muslims or theologians of any sort who have some depth of knowledge into the holy koran could address these problems for me and any other readers of this thread, i would greatly appreciate it. it seems to me that in this era of globalization and multiculturalism worldwide, muslims and christians more than ever need to understand and to appreciate each others’ faiths.

I would say that we can not compromise with Muslims, our faiths are ultimately unreconcilable and certainly, they are not interested in any reconciliation. They believe we will all be Muslim eventually, one way or another. Many say that Mary is the route to Muslim conversion, they have many passages in the Qur’an about her and hold her in high regard. Check this out for more info: blog.adw.org/2011/01/mary-and-the-muslim-world-is-she-the-key-to-evangelization/

i do not believe that the muslim faith is unholy or of the devil, but i still need help understanding many things about it, such as those issues i have explained above.

No, I agree. I have many Muslim friends who are great people and are ultimately inspired by faith. Ahmaddi Muslims are especially peace loving and Sufis tend to be less fundamentalist in their outlook.

surely, though, the prophet mohammed taught his followers many holy and sacred ideas, which i hope others will learn about, including lessons of love, morality, charity, mercy, faith, and hope.

Absolutely!

 

[Sam_777]

Ahmaddi Muslims are especially peace loving

That is a heretical movements founded at the end of the 19th century…

 

[FightingFat]

That is a heretical movements founded at the end of the 19th century…

I didn’t say I agreed with their theology Sam (they believe that Jesus survived the Cross and went to live in Pakistan), just that they were peace loving!

 

[Sam_777]

I didn’t say I agreed with their theology Sam (they believe that Jesus survived the Cross and went to live in Pakistan), just that they were peace loving!

Therefore they should be called “Ahmaddi movements” not “Ahmaddi Muslims”. Moreover, surviving the crucifixion or denying it, is by itself a heresy, because it’s the main Christian principle.

 

[FightingFat]

Therefore they should be called “Ahmaddi movements” not “Ahmaddi Muslims”. Moreover, surviving the crucifixion or denying it, is by itself a heresy, because it’s the main Christian principle.

You’ve lost me Sam. They’re Christian heretics? Certainly. But they would not consider themselves as Muslim heretics, the same as a Baptist would not consider himself a Christian heretic, although he would be a Catholic heretic!

My Ahmaddiya friends are very attentive to the Qur’an and adhere to the five pillars of Islam and we are not discussing this matter in an Islamic environment therefore I did not feel the need to be so picky about their standing within the Ummah. Certainly they are reviled and killed as heretics by Sunni and Shia, but they’re still Muslims as far as I am concerned!

 

[whitecrayon]

thank you, guys, for your help. i really ought to spend a few days learning more about the prophet mohammed and islam. i know so little about them, and islam is the second most powerful faith on earth!

 

[Sufjon]

I didn’t say I agreed with their theology Sam (they believe that Jesus survived the Cross and went to live in Pakistan), just that they were peace loving!

Hi FightingFat: That’s very close, but I think the tomb you are referring to is actually in Kashmir. It is Mary who is supposedly entombed in Pakistan on the side of a mountain, which is now enclosed behind a fence for a radio tower or something like that. Anyway, that’s some pretty controversial stuff among Christians though. The tomb that is reportedly that of Jesus (or Saint Issa as we call Him) is now closed to the public because some western visitors started taking relics/souvenirs from the place.

Your friend
Sufjon

 

[agent_grey]

I am not a muslim. I do not promote islam.

Read the old testament. The Old testament says the same thing. Genocide and mass executions. There was even a dude that was executed for picking up sticks on the wrong day.

I think some guy that called himself a prophet said to kill every single human in a group of people with thte exception of the virgins females. He said you can keep the virgins for your spoils.

Maybe that is why the author of the Quran said Christians are Hypocrits. JUst a thought.

Come to think of it I can’t think of a single group more hypocritical than Christians on the entire planet.