::Official ask a Muslim vol. Salaam::

[mo matik]

Bump. No more questions?

 

[cwalk1950]

Do Muslims accept the gospels in the Bible? and if so, how can they not believe in Jesus' divinity?

 

[cwalk1950]

Do Muslims accept the gospels in the Bible? and if so, how can they not believe in Jesus' divinity?

 

[shawnb86]

Originally Posted by Mo Matik

Are women looked as being inferior to men, or is that just a misconception?

As Anton Lavey pointed out, this is a touchy subject and will be addressed as such.

Personally I believe it to be a misconception.  Islam acknowledges the differences between Genders while the current Western social norms pretends there aren't any.  But even the West needs to acknowledge the very fundamental differences between men and women in certain areas. 

It's very much like that episode of the Office, where Michael Scott says 'Stanley I don't treat you any different right?  I'm color blind' when someone else says, 'That's exactly what we don't encourage.  That's fighting ignorance with more ignorance.  We need to embrace our differences.' 

On many topics this acknowledgment of differences is what causes a misinterpretation of misogyny.

If women aren't inferior to men in your religions beliefs than why must only women cover themselves in public? Why do women pray separately from men? Why are women stoned and tortured for certain crimes in Saudi and countries of the similar? Not trying to get your thread locked but please open your eyes to what your religion truly preaches and what you'd like to believe. The fact is Islam does not preach equality and never has.

A quote from the office does nothing btw, give a real answer.

 

[shawnb86]

Originally Posted by Mo Matik

Are women looked as being inferior to men, or is that just a misconception?

As Anton Lavey pointed out, this is a touchy subject and will be addressed as such.

Personally I believe it to be a misconception.  Islam acknowledges the differences between Genders while the current Western social norms pretends there aren't any.  But even the West needs to acknowledge the very fundamental differences between men and women in certain areas. 

It's very much like that episode of the Office, where Michael Scott says 'Stanley I don't treat you any different right?  I'm color blind' when someone else says, 'That's exactly what we don't encourage.  That's fighting ignorance with more ignorance.  We need to embrace our differences.' 

On many topics this acknowledgment of differences is what causes a misinterpretation of misogyny.

If women aren't inferior to men in your religions beliefs than why must only women cover themselves in public? Why do women pray separately from men? Why are women stoned and tortured for certain crimes in Saudi and countries of the similar? Not trying to get your thread locked but please open your eyes to what your religion truly preaches and what you'd like to believe. The fact is Islam does not preach equality and never has.

A quote from the office does nothing btw, give a real answer.

 

[ohdannyboy]

why don't muslims ever say "praise be to god"...I understand that allah is god in arabic, but what I don't understand is why muslims never (or can't) say god?

 

[ohdannyboy]

why don't muslims ever say "praise be to god"...I understand that allah is god in arabic, but what I don't understand is why muslims never (or can't) say god?

 

[995010001]

Do you believe in the Promised Messiah? 

 

[995010001]

Do you believe in the Promised Messiah? 

 

[wawaweewa]

How do non Arab Muslims feel about Arab Muslims seeing them as second rate Muslims? are there any passages in fe Qu'ran that mention Arabiab Muslims vs. Non Arabian?

 

[wawaweewa]

How do non Arab Muslims feel about Arab Muslims seeing them as second rate Muslims? are there any passages in fe Qu'ran that mention Arabiab Muslims vs. Non Arabian?

 

[995010001]

double post.

 

[995010001]

double post.

 

[mo matik]

How do non Arab Muslims feel about Arab Muslims seeing them as second rate Muslims? are there any passages in fe Qu'ran that mention Arabiab Muslims vs. Non Arabian?
Well I don't want to make generalizations.  Some Arabs certainly do feel that way, but those same people tend to include all non Arabs, not just Muslims. 

I'm not familiar with any passages like that.  Arabic the language is a fairly important aspect of Islam as a religion.  I've posted this before, but this is a great Hadith, and cannot be any clearer.  In the Prophet's last sermon, he left his people with the following wise words:

“ All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has nosuperiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over anArab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has anysuperiority over a white - except by piety and good action. „

—(Hadith, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 7, Ch. 3)

 

[mo matik]

How do non Arab Muslims feel about Arab Muslims seeing them as second rate Muslims? are there any passages in fe Qu'ran that mention Arabiab Muslims vs. Non Arabian?
Well I don't want to make generalizations.  Some Arabs certainly do feel that way, but those same people tend to include all non Arabs, not just Muslims. 

I'm not familiar with any passages like that.  Arabic the language is a fairly important aspect of Islam as a religion.  I've posted this before, but this is a great Hadith, and cannot be any clearer.  In the Prophet's last sermon, he left his people with the following wise words:

“ All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has nosuperiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over anArab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has anysuperiority over a white - except by piety and good action. „

—(Hadith, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 7, Ch. 3)

 

[mo matik]

How do non Arab Muslims feel about Arab Muslims seeing them as second rate Muslims? are there any passages in fe Qu'ran that mention Arabiab Muslims vs. Non Arabian?
Well I don't want to make generalizations.  Some Arabs certainly do feel that way, but those same people tend to include all non Arabs, not just Muslims. 

I'm not familiar with any passages like that.  Arabic the language is a fairly important aspect of Islam as a religion.  I've posted this before, but this is a great Hadith, and cannot be any clearer.  In the Prophet's last sermon, he left his people with the following wise words:

“ All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has nosuperiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over anArab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has anysuperiority over a white - except by piety and good action. „

—(Hadith, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 7, Ch. 3)

 

[mo matik]

How do non Arab Muslims feel about Arab Muslims seeing them as second rate Muslims? are there any passages in fe Qu'ran that mention Arabiab Muslims vs. Non Arabian?
Well I don't want to make generalizations.  Some Arabs certainly do feel that way, but those same people tend to include all non Arabs, not just Muslims. 

I'm not familiar with any passages like that.  Arabic the language is a fairly important aspect of Islam as a religion.  I've posted this before, but this is a great Hadith, and cannot be any clearer.  In the Prophet's last sermon, he left his people with the following wise words:

“ All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has nosuperiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over anArab; also a white has no superiority over a black nor a black has anysuperiority over a white - except by piety and good action. „

—(Hadith, Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 7, Ch. 3)

 

[hazeleyed honey]

How do you know that Islam is the true and right religion?

What do you think about the patriarchal sub-contexts of the Qur'an and its inequality views on women? Yes, it is more advanced in terms of giving women's rights than the Torah and the Bible, but definitely provides an unequal representation of women to men which is quite reflective of the patriarchal society that is entrenched deeply in the Middle Eastern culture.

 

[hazeleyed honey]

How do you know that Islam is the true and right religion?

What do you think about the patriarchal sub-contexts of the Qur'an and its inequality views on women? Yes, it is more advanced in terms of giving women's rights than the Torah and the Bible, but definitely provides an unequal representation of women to men which is quite reflective of the patriarchal society that is entrenched deeply in the Middle Eastern culture.

 

[mo matik]

Do you believe in the Promised Messiah? 

Yes.

why don't muslims ever say "praise be to god"...I understand thatallah is god in arabic, but what I don't understand is why muslimsnever (or can't) say god?
No reason other than wanting to say it in the original Arabic.  A Muslim can, and could say praise be to God if they are just using it as an expression on a daily basis.  The salat must be done in the original Arabic. A prayer can be done in English or any other language.

If women aren't inferior to men in your religions beliefs than why mustonly women cover themselves in public? Why do women pray separatelyfrom men? Why are women stoned and tortured for certain crimes in Saudiand countries of the similar? Not trying to get your thread locked butplease open your eyes to what your religion truly preaches and whatyou'd like to believe. The fact is Islam does not preach equality andnever has.

A quote from the office does nothing btw, give a real answer.
Well, I feel like the rest of the post you quoted poses problems to your belief that Islam doesn't preach equality.

I'll quote it here:

[3:195] Their Lord responded to them: "I never fail to reward any worker among you for any work you do, be you male or female - you are equal to one another. Thus, those who immigrate, and get evicted from their homes, and are persecuted because of Me, and fight and get killed, I will surely remit their sins and admit them into gardens with flowing streams." Such is the reward from GOD. GOD possesses the ultimate reward

[16:97] Anyone who works righteousness, male or female, while believing, we will surely grant them a happy life in this world, and we will surely pay them their full recompense (on the Day of Judgment) for their righteous works.

[33:35] The submitting men, the submitting women, the believing men, the believing women, the obedient men, the obedient women, the truthful men, the truthful women, the steadfast men, the steadfast women, the reverent men, the reverent women, the charitable men, the charitable women, the fasting men, the fasting women, the chaste men, the chaste women, and the men who commemorate GOD frequently, and the commemorating women; GOD has prepared for them forgiveness and a great recompense.


^Thisverse stands out for me.  It is written in a manner that must beacknowledged by the reader.  It brings emphasis to the point ofequality, by listing men and women together repeatedly.

[49:13] O people, we created you from the same male and female, and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize one another. The best among you in the sight of GOD is the most righteous. GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant.
We are ranked in the sight of God by our level of righteousness, not by our sex or any other denomination.

-Women don't pray separately from men; Men and women pray separate from one another.  Men and women pray separately for multiple reasons.

We pray separately forreasons of modesty and it is possible to be distracted by feelings of attraction when attempting to focus on religiosity and spiritualism. In the time of theProphet Mohammad (pbuh) women would pray in rows behind the rows ofmen. If they prayed in front of the men or mingled with the men thenwhen we prostrate men would get a direct view of womens bottoms, thisis not a way to be modest and would make it difficult for everyone toconcentrate on their prayers.

These days we either praybehind the men, in rows adjacent to men, with a curtain dividing menand women or in a separate prayer room for women.

-Saudi Arabia is not a model of shariah law, nor is it properly enforced in the Taliban model of it.  But there is a possible choice of stoning for some crimes in the proper understanding of Shariah, that much is certainly acknowledged.  And in those cases, both men and women are punished, not just women.

Do Muslims accept the gospels in the Bible? and if so, how can they not believe in Jesus' divinity?
I'm fairly certain that we believe in the Gospels, but as the original version.  Please do not be offended, but Muslims believe that the Bible has been changed from it's original.

And among themthere are those who are uneducated and know not the Book, but only lies, andthey do but conjecture. Woe, then, to those who write the book withtheir own hands and then say: This is from Allah (2:78-79)
Muslims believe in Jesus as  a Prophet of God, but not as the Son of God, and therefore we don't believe that he should be worshipped. 

And their saying:Surely we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of Allah;and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them asso and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt concerning it;they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, andthey killed him not for sure.  (4:157)

If you have converted to Islam and say your Christian motherpasses away, is it OK for you to attend the funeral service? I haveheard conflicting stories
I've never heard that it would be a problem to attend a Non-Muslim funeral before.

Can you explain the reason Muslims do not approve of Muhammedbeing depicted? Is there a particular reason or simply because it isso?
Muslims do not approve of depictions of the Prophet because depictions bring the possibility of the Prophet being worshipped rather than God. 

The controvercies with the Danish cartoons are another story.

 

[mo matik]

Do you believe in the Promised Messiah? 

Yes.

why don't muslims ever say "praise be to god"...I understand thatallah is god in arabic, but what I don't understand is why muslimsnever (or can't) say god?
No reason other than wanting to say it in the original Arabic.  A Muslim can, and could say praise be to God if they are just using it as an expression on a daily basis.  The salat must be done in the original Arabic. A prayer can be done in English or any other language.

If women aren't inferior to men in your religions beliefs than why mustonly women cover themselves in public? Why do women pray separatelyfrom men? Why are women stoned and tortured for certain crimes in Saudiand countries of the similar? Not trying to get your thread locked butplease open your eyes to what your religion truly preaches and whatyou'd like to believe. The fact is Islam does not preach equality andnever has.

A quote from the office does nothing btw, give a real answer.
Well, I feel like the rest of the post you quoted poses problems to your belief that Islam doesn't preach equality.

I'll quote it here:

[3:195] Their Lord responded to them: "I never fail to reward any worker among you for any work you do, be you male or female - you are equal to one another. Thus, those who immigrate, and get evicted from their homes, and are persecuted because of Me, and fight and get killed, I will surely remit their sins and admit them into gardens with flowing streams." Such is the reward from GOD. GOD possesses the ultimate reward

[16:97] Anyone who works righteousness, male or female, while believing, we will surely grant them a happy life in this world, and we will surely pay them their full recompense (on the Day of Judgment) for their righteous works.

[33:35] The submitting men, the submitting women, the believing men, the believing women, the obedient men, the obedient women, the truthful men, the truthful women, the steadfast men, the steadfast women, the reverent men, the reverent women, the charitable men, the charitable women, the fasting men, the fasting women, the chaste men, the chaste women, and the men who commemorate GOD frequently, and the commemorating women; GOD has prepared for them forgiveness and a great recompense.


^Thisverse stands out for me.  It is written in a manner that must beacknowledged by the reader.  It brings emphasis to the point ofequality, by listing men and women together repeatedly.

[49:13] O people, we created you from the same male and female, and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize one another. The best among you in the sight of GOD is the most righteous. GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant.
We are ranked in the sight of God by our level of righteousness, not by our sex or any other denomination.

-Women don't pray separately from men; Men and women pray separate from one another.  Men and women pray separately for multiple reasons.

We pray separately forreasons of modesty and it is possible to be distracted by feelings of attraction when attempting to focus on religiosity and spiritualism. In the time of theProphet Mohammad (pbuh) women would pray in rows behind the rows ofmen. If they prayed in front of the men or mingled with the men thenwhen we prostrate men would get a direct view of womens bottoms, thisis not a way to be modest and would make it difficult for everyone toconcentrate on their prayers.

These days we either praybehind the men, in rows adjacent to men, with a curtain dividing menand women or in a separate prayer room for women.

-Saudi Arabia is not a model of shariah law, nor is it properly enforced in the Taliban model of it.  But there is a possible choice of stoning for some crimes in the proper understanding of Shariah, that much is certainly acknowledged.  And in those cases, both men and women are punished, not just women.

Do Muslims accept the gospels in the Bible? and if so, how can they not believe in Jesus' divinity?
I'm fairly certain that we believe in the Gospels, but as the original version.  Please do not be offended, but Muslims believe that the Bible has been changed from it's original.

And among themthere are those who are uneducated and know not the Book, but only lies, andthey do but conjecture. Woe, then, to those who write the book withtheir own hands and then say: This is from Allah (2:78-79)
Muslims believe in Jesus as  a Prophet of God, but not as the Son of God, and therefore we don't believe that he should be worshipped. 

And their saying:Surely we have killed the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of Allah;and they did not kill him nor did they crucify him, but it appeared to them asso and most surely those who differ therein are only in a doubt concerning it;they have no knowledge respecting it, but only follow a conjecture, andthey killed him not for sure.  (4:157)

If you have converted to Islam and say your Christian motherpasses away, is it OK for you to attend the funeral service? I haveheard conflicting stories
I've never heard that it would be a problem to attend a Non-Muslim funeral before.

Can you explain the reason Muslims do not approve of Muhammedbeing depicted? Is there a particular reason or simply because it isso?
Muslims do not approve of depictions of the Prophet because depictions bring the possibility of the Prophet being worshipped rather than God. 

The controvercies with the Danish cartoons are another story.

 

[teamjordan79]

I'm fairly certain that we believe in the Gospels, but as the original version. Please do not be offended, but Muslims believe that the Bible has been changed from it's original.

word to the King James Version and all the other ones. 

If you believe islam is the true religion.....do you think you would have found it regardless if you came from a non-muslim/arab background? For example, if you were never exposed to the word of the Koran or Allah.

 

[teamjordan79]

I'm fairly certain that we believe in the Gospels, but as the original version. Please do not be offended, but Muslims believe that the Bible has been changed from it's original.

word to the King James Version and all the other ones. 

If you believe islam is the true religion.....do you think you would have found it regardless if you came from a non-muslim/arab background? For example, if you were never exposed to the word of the Koran or Allah.

 

[mo matik]

Originally Posted by Hazeleyed Honey

How do you know that Islam is the true and right religion?

What do you think about the patriarchal sub-contexts of the Qur'an and its inequality views on women? Yes, it is more advanced in terms of giving women's rights than the Torah and the Bible, but definitely provides an unequal representation of women to men which is quite reflective of the patriarchal society that is entrenched deeply in the Middle Eastern culture.

For a very long time I had a problem with that very question.  I mean I knew much of the answers to issues were very moral and righteous, but the concept of this being a true religion.  The concept of God.  Now I was still fairly skeptical of Atheism at this time as well.  I just wasn't convinced by the traditional explanation for the significance of prayer, and praying to God.

I figured more knowledge would help me get my answer.  I found scientific miracles in the Qu'ran which strengthened my belief, references to the Prophet Muhammad in the Bible, and much more information.  The more I learned about the Prophet, the more I became appreciative.  The more criticisms I found and the more answers to them with which I could not help but agree with continued to strengthen my belief in the religion as true.  At this point I had a strong belief in God, and the teachings of Islam to be divine.  But I still had trouble with the fundamental concept of prayer, and thus the concept of religion in general.  Why can't one just live by and teach the philosophy?

I began to pray just because of the sins of not praying.  After a day, and a few prayers alone specifically, I had a very religious experience.  And I realized what I had been neglecting, what I could not have achieved through just the pursuit of knowledge.  My feelings of religiosity is jsut something I had never experienced previously.  And immediately I understood how important having a reaffirmed belief in God and keeping these principles in mind at all times is.

If you were more specific about the undertones I can give a more detailed response.  But all criticisms under the theme of "women's rights" that I have encountered I've been able to find legitimate explanations for.  Mysogyny in the Middle East outdates Islam by far.  In fact female infanticide was fairly common prior to Islam, and specifically cited as a sin in the Qur'an.

 

[mo matik]

Originally Posted by Hazeleyed Honey

How do you know that Islam is the true and right religion?

What do you think about the patriarchal sub-contexts of the Qur'an and its inequality views on women? Yes, it is more advanced in terms of giving women's rights than the Torah and the Bible, but definitely provides an unequal representation of women to men which is quite reflective of the patriarchal society that is entrenched deeply in the Middle Eastern culture.

For a very long time I had a problem with that very question.  I mean I knew much of the answers to issues were very moral and righteous, but the concept of this being a true religion.  The concept of God.  Now I was still fairly skeptical of Atheism at this time as well.  I just wasn't convinced by the traditional explanation for the significance of prayer, and praying to God.

I figured more knowledge would help me get my answer.  I found scientific miracles in the Qu'ran which strengthened my belief, references to the Prophet Muhammad in the Bible, and much more information.  The more I learned about the Prophet, the more I became appreciative.  The more criticisms I found and the more answers to them with which I could not help but agree with continued to strengthen my belief in the religion as true.  At this point I had a strong belief in God, and the teachings of Islam to be divine.  But I still had trouble with the fundamental concept of prayer, and thus the concept of religion in general.  Why can't one just live by and teach the philosophy?

I began to pray just because of the sins of not praying.  After a day, and a few prayers alone specifically, I had a very religious experience.  And I realized what I had been neglecting, what I could not have achieved through just the pursuit of knowledge.  My feelings of religiosity is jsut something I had never experienced previously.  And immediately I understood how important having a reaffirmed belief in God and keeping these principles in mind at all times is.

If you were more specific about the undertones I can give a more detailed response.  But all criticisms under the theme of "women's rights" that I have encountered I've been able to find legitimate explanations for.  Mysogyny in the Middle East outdates Islam by far.  In fact female infanticide was fairly common prior to Islam, and specifically cited as a sin in the Qur'an.