Ask a Muslim, Part II

[Salah-Al-Din]

Hello everybody. May this reach you all in peace.

This thread was created so that people could ask questions about the Islamic faith. I believe that there are many misconceptions about Islam, and I would like to be here to try my best to clear them up, Allah Willing.

A quick note about myself: I am what you would call a "fundamentalist Muslim." I understand that this term is usually used in a derrogatory manner, but I think that in reality there is nothing wrong with the word "fundamentalist" as it simply means one who follows the fundamentals of his faith. I adhere to the Islamic canon strictly, observe the Islamic Laws, and follow the classical teachings of the faith.

I follow the orthodoxy of Islam (i.e. Sunni), and I do not follow any of the small sects that split away from the mainstream Islam. Therefore, I feel that my responses will be indicative of the faith, as I represent a very classical and orthodox paradigm of Islam.

The fact that I am an orthodox fundamentalist does not mean that I support terrorism. In fact, this is a very big misconception that fundamentalists are terrorists. Far from it. The small minority who adhere to terrorism belong to the heterodoxy, a heretical branch that has split itself away from the mainstream orthodoxy which vehemently rejects terrorism.

Anyways, back to introducing myself...I am both an Islamist and a Pan-Islamist. I'm pretty much as conservative of a Muslim as they get, so keep that in mind when I answer questions. (You might be surprised that a conservative Muslim is not as crazy as you think.) My views will not be white-washed at all or watered down. I will tell you like it is, and anything other than that would be a violation of my faith, as I am strictly instructed to tell the truth about my faith and any changes on my part to water it down would be a great blasphemy.

Some would argue that I am not representative of the vast majority of Muslims, since the masses are not fundamentalists but rather "more moderate." That is actually very true. However, I think that I do represent the faith, the canon (Quran and the Prophetic Sayings), the Islamic Laws, the orthodoxy, and the classical scholarship.

This thread is about the Islamic faith and questions you might have about it. I would love to clear up misconceptions. As for debate, I would rather not do that, but I think that this is an inevitable consequence. Therefore, this thread is open to courteous and productive dialogue. In the end, I hope to build bridges, not blow them up.

What this thread is *not* about is politics or about historical polemics. It is about the faith itself, not the actions of those who follow it. Therefore, I ask that all historical questions be limited to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (s) as well as the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs. (This span of history is considered "religious history" and fundamental to the faith.) My interest and "speciality" is upto this point in time, and I would ask that if you would like to discuss history past that point in time, please open up another thread, because that is about the actions about people rather than the doctrines of my faith. Again, this thread is dedicated to the faith, its doctrines, its beliefs, values, etc.

This thread is a continuation of our previous thread:

Ask a Muslim (Part I)

It reached its maximum limit of posts, so I opened up this thread. As for that previous thread, I do not condone any of the views expressed therein except my own. I think that the Original Poster of that thread was good intentioned and I respect her, but I do not think her views are indicative of the faith so much as personal opinions of her own. She is considered heterodoxy by the orthodoxy in Islam, and therefore her views are obviously not representative of the orthodoxy or mainstream of Islam. May Allah bless her. I mean no disrespect to her at all--just clarifying as I want to be very clear on the views that are a part of the Islamic orthodoxy and those which are not.

Anyways, so fire away with your questions. I will try addressing all of your questions, but sometimes it takes a bit of time, but generally speaking, I don't ignore posts...so just hold your horses if it takes a day or two to reply.

Peace be unto you.

 

[Fifty]

Do you ever wonder what pork tastes like or feel tempted to try some?

 

[El_Machinae]

Hi again.

I'm still lost on the concept of "hiding sins". I understand that a misdeed still needs to be undone (if it can be) and that lying is forbidden; but outside of this, it seems that there's an admonishment to not expose your misdeeds for public scrutiny. Maintaining your reputation seems to be encouraged, even if you don't deserve it.

And how does this transfer onto the faith as a whole? If you're admonished to maintain the reputation of Islam (even when it doesn't deserve it), then you're not motivated to expose any faults with it so that they may be discussed.

 

[aneeshm]

Is it allowed for a Muslim to be a priest in a Hindu temple, and to conduct ceremonies there? (In reference to this thread)

I think that it is not, and I've said so in that thread, given the nature of your responses previously, but I wanted confirmation.

 

[Salah-Al-Din]

Do you ever wonder what pork tastes like or feel tempted to try some?

Hi, Brother.

Wonder? Yes. Tempted? No.

Honestly, it *looks* tasty. But tempted is a very strong word. It's honestly not a very big deal to abstain from pork. Neither is it that big of a deal nor is it as central to our faith as everybody assumes. Yes, it is definitely forbidden, but it's not like we have conferences about it or dwell on it. It's a very minor law in our faith, something we barely think twice about. It's more of Non-Muslims who think a lot about it, as opposed to Muslims who don't really think too much of it. It is, after all, only one dish out of the hundreds of other dishes that Allah has given us.

Take care.

 

[CCA]

Hi Salah-Al-Din

If you were able to vote in the 2008 US elections who would you vote for and why?

Regards

 

[Swedishguy]

Do you think Islam and Christianity has any connection to each other?

 

[Salah-Al-Din]

Is it allowed for a Muslim to be a priest in a Hindu temple, and to conduct ceremonies there? (In reference to this thread)

I think that it is not, and I've said so in that thread, given the nature of your responses previously, but I wanted confirmation.

Hi Brother Aneeshm.

No, it is not permissible for a Muslim to be a Hindu priest. Nor does it make any sense to do that. This is one of the most absurd things I have ever heard. Just shows that there are exceptional cases out there in the world and that we can't take that as indicative of the faith at all. For example, I read an article about how a Christian man chopped off his genitals because he said they led him to sin. Of course, such anecdotal references are just isolated events and not indicative of the faith in general.

The article you referenced says that this is a "shining example" of "respect and tolerance for all faiths." That may be so, but it is not to say that those who do not advocate such a thing are being disrespectful or intolerant. Islam teaches us to respect the right of Hindus to practise as they wish and to be tolerant towards them. That doesn't necessitate that we have to mix our faith with theirs. The example of that is that a capitalist could be tolerant and respectful towards those who believe in communism, but this doesn't mean that he has to mix capitalism with communism.

I have absolutely no problem with Non-Muslims practising whatever faith they want. But mixing our faith with any other faith and then claiming that this is Islam is a great heresy, and you will find that classicaly the Muslims were more condemnatory towards "Muslim" heretics than to Non-Muslims. Islam presents itself as the Absolute Truth, much like the other two Abrahamic Faiths, namely Judaism and Christianity.

On the other hand, Hinduism facilitates the amalgamation of various faiths. In fact, Hinduism did not start as one faith, but rather there were a bunch of local religions in India that eventually were "united" under Hinduism. Oftentimes, there are at least seemingly contradictory elements to Hinduism, but I have heard that Hindus in general feel that this is a strength of their faith and not a weakness (i.e. it adds a dynamic element to their faith).

That's good and well. And I can see why Hindus would be very accepting of mixing of the faiths, but you cannot necessitate that Muslims feel the same way. Muslims feel that the strength of their religion lies in the fact that it is the Haqq (Absolute Truth) and that it is the One true path to the One God.

In conclusion, I tolerate other faiths, as Islam demands that I must do that. But I do not think that anyone who mixes Islam with other faiths is doing the right thing, especially since many of the beliefs of say Hinduism are in direct contradiction to the Islamic beliefs.

Take care, Brother.

 

[Salah-Al-Din]

Do you think Islam and Christianity has any connection to each other?

Hello, Brother.

Actually, they definitely have a connection. We Muslims believe that Islam is the continuation of the faith brought by Prophet Jesus (as). In fact, we believe in all of the Biblical Prophets, and simply believe that after Prophet Jesus (as) came Prophet Muhammad (s), who we believe has been prophecized in the Biblical texts.

Islam--like Judaism and Christianity--is one of the Abrahamic faiths. We believe in all of the Prophets starting from Prophet Adam (as) and ending in Prophet Muhammad (s). We believe that Prophet Moses (as) taught the Word of Allah, and so did Prophet Jesus (as)...but we believe that their followers eventually corrupted the Word of God and strayed from the path. And so Allah sent another Prophet to correct these people and bring them back to the path, and this was Prophet Muhammad (s). We believe that Islam superceded the faith spread by Prophet Moses (as) and Prophet Jesus (as), in the sense that Prophet Muhammad (s) carried on their work and finalized it. We believe in the Old and New Testaments (although we believe they have been heavily corrupted by man), and we believe that the Quran is the uncorrupted Final Testament.

It should be noted that Muslims do not believe that Prophet Moses (as) was a Jew or that Prophet Jesus (as) was a Christian. The term "Jew" comes from "Judah" and the term was coined much later than when Prophet Moses (as) was alive. The same can be said of the early followers of Prophet Jesus (as) who were not termed "Christians", and in fact, that term came around much later by the time that the Unitarians were being "fought" by the Trinitarians. We believe that the Trinitarians defeated the rightful Unitarians (i.e. the original followers of Prophet Jesus). And because of this corruption on the part of the Trinitarians, Allah sent Prophet Muhammad (s) to rectify them. (I use the term "Unitarian" and "Trinitarian" strictly in the Islamic sense, and this does not refer to the actual denominations today that are called by these names.)

Because the Bible and Prophet Jesus (as) were the last Word of God and last Prophet of God before Prophet Muhammad (s), we believe that the least corrupted religion is Christianity. Hence, the Muslims have a strong connection, reverence, and respect for Christians. Allah says in the Quran:

"And you will find that the closest people in friendship to the believers are those who say, 'We are Christian.'" (Quran, 5:82)

Indeed, the bulk of converts to Islam come from Christianity, because they realize that Islam is the continuation of their own faith. In the end, Muslims give the honorary title of Ahle Kitab (People of the Book) to Christians. Islam exhorts them to come to Islam as a completion of their faith.

Take care, Brother.

 

[Guangxi]

What is your opinion of Sikhism?

 

[ComradeDavo]

What do you think the law should be in regards to the following -

a)Alcohol
b)Womans public appearance
c)Freedom of speach (including freedom to insult and mock religion)
d)Marriage/Adultery/Divorce
e)Homosexuality

I am intrested to see whether you think the laws you advocate should applyto just Muslims or whether non-muslims should follow them as well, even if forced upon them. Should non-muslims be made to follow muslim laws? Or live and let live?

I hear varying Muslim views on what their laws should be and whether non-muslims should be subjected to them or not.

 

[Salah-Al-Din]

Hi Salah-Al-Din

If you were able to vote in the 2008 US elections who would you vote for and why?

Regards

Hello, Brother Francisco.

I am very much able to vote in the 2008 US elections. However, I will not do so. As a Muslim, the issue that is most important to me revolves around foreign issue policies. I do not think that there exists any candidates who have a good foreign policy plan *and* who stand a chance at winning. I would, for example, vote for Ralph Nader, but I know that he doesn't stand a chance at winning.

I take the view of Malcolm X (may Allah be pleased with him) on the issue of voting. He laughed at blacks who voted for this one political party and then that political party ended up hurting those same blacks once it was in power. Malcolm X (may Allah be pleased with him) referred to this group of black voters as "chumps" and he called on his fellow blacks to abstain from making "fools of themselves."

Likewise, I fear becoming a "chump". I believe that the Muslims became "chumps" just a few years ago, when we all voted en masse for George Bush. What a big joke on us. Back when that vote was taking place, Muslims like myself were warning the Muslims of this fate of becoming "chumps" but the Muslims foolhardily gave their vote to George Bush. I believe that this is a very embarassing scenario, since we are now complaining against the very man we helped (albeit minimally and only symbolically) bring to office.

I believe that the political forces in power today will not allow for a president to ever come to office who would have a fair foreign policy platform. I believe that the lobbies in power ensure this. America is run by these lobbies, such as AIPAC, and so long as this is the case, there is no hope for a good president to come to the fore. I believe therefore that Muslims are wasting their time and energy voting, and instead they should work on changing the hearts and minds of the masses so that people become less fearful of Muslims, less xenophobic, less imperialistic, etc.

To vote for people who promise to destroy Muslim nations is not an acceptable thing to do. In the words of Malcolm X (may Allah be pleased with him): "You don't take your case to the criminal. You take the criminal to court." I believe that people like George Bush are criminals and should be tried for crimes against humanity. Therefore, I believe it is unacceptable to vote for such people. Voting is a sign of acceptance of a person. It is a "vote of confidence"...how can we give that to someone who kills our brothers overseas?

There are many Muslims that advocate voting "for the lesser of two evils", but I guess you could count me as part of the disenchanted group who have given up on that route. I believe that we should instead invest our time on spreading awareness and understanding about Islam and Muslims, and work from there, Allah Willing.

Take care.

 

[Salah-Al-Din]

Hi again.

Hello, Brother El Machinae.

I'm still lost on the concept of "hiding sins". I understand that a misdeed still needs to be undone (if it can be) and that lying is forbidden; but outside of this, it seems that there's an admonishment to not expose your misdeeds for public scrutiny. Maintaining your reputation seems to be encouraged, even if you don't deserve it.

Islam advocates not only hiding your sins but also hiding your good deeds. Revealing your good deeds to everyone is considered Al-Riya (ostentation) and this invalidates one's good deeds. When Muslims donate money to charity, for example, they are commanded to do so in the most surreptitious way possible, so that nobody finds out that they did this. Otherwise, there is the fear that this deed was done not for the sake of Allah but rather for the sake of aggrandizement in the eyes of the people. For example, at the mosque, Muslims who donate money do so by filling out anonymous cards and having little children bring them up to the front so that nobody knows who sent them.

There is also the example of one of the pious people in Islam, who used to pray all night long at night. However, one day his friend was sleeping over at his house in his room. The pious person kept asking every hour or so "are you alseep yet?" The other person kept responding "no, not yet." Finally, this other person decided to feign sleep to figure out why the pious person kept asking "are you asleep yet?" When the person didn't respond, the pious person got up and started offering prayers all night long. He didn't want to do this in front of the other man, because this would be showing off in terms of faith.

As for hiding sins, this is so that a person doesn't lose his honor. For example, a person who engages in drugs will forever lose his honor if this becomes known, and even if he leaves that, some ignorant people will forever associate him with dishonor. Maintaining your reputation is very important. You have added the phrase "when you don't deserve it", but doesn't every person deserve the chance to reform? If, for example, a girl freely tells the world that she sleeps around with men, she will be known as a promiscious girl of no respect. But one day she decides to change and become "born again". But no matter how hard she tries, people will always think of her as dishonorable.

Islam recognizes that everybody makes mistakes and that society only remembers the bad things, even after people have long since repented. Therefore, to protect an individual from such ignonimy, it is advocated to hide past sins and repent. Not only should you hide your own personal sins, but you should also hide the personal sins of others if you come to know of them. For example, if a woman sleeps with someone, you as a Muslim are instructed not to expose her sin to the world but rather to hide it. You are only to advise her in private, but not to expose her publically, so that she has a chance to reform herself and still maintain her honor.

It should be noted that this refers only to the sins which are personal in nature, and which do not affect the rights of others. For example, if a person was selling drugs to little kids, then you should warn the people about such a man so that they can keep their children away from him. But, if a person is just using drugs for his own benefit in the confines of his own home, then you should not reveal his sin to the entire world.

Islam, therefore, does not advocate revealing good deeds, nor does it advocate revealing bad deeds. The former leads to ostentation, arrogance, and pride. The latter leads to dishonor and shame, yet Islam wishes that all human beings maintain their dignity, self-worth, honor, and reputation.

And how does this transfer onto the faith as a whole? If you're admonished to maintain the reputation of Islam (even when it doesn't deserve it), then you're not motivated to expose any faults with it so that they may be discussed.

You are confusing issues. This is totally untrue what you are saying.

First of all, I don't believe Islam has any faults. Islam teaches that it has no faults and that it is perfect. So how could there be a concept in Islam to hide parts of it which are faults, when we don't even believe in the existence of any such faults?

We are instructed in our faith to publically call to Islam, to preach the religion openly and honestly so that the people can know the Haqq (Truth). The concept of an elite class of religious men hiding the faith from the masses has no basis in Islam. Rather, every soul has the right to hear the entire Call to Islam, uncut and uncensored.

Take care, Brother.

 

[Trajan12]

Howdy there welcome back

What is you stance on gun control? And does your religion influence it in any way?

 

[Love]

Where do you live?

Yust a question...

 

[Samson]

This is a really interesting thread. Thanks for taking the time to inform us all. One little question;

In fact, we believe in all of the Biblical Prophets, and simply believe that after Prophet Jesus (as) came Prophet Muhammad (s), who we believe has been prophecized in the Biblical texts.

Do you believe that Muhammad is the Messiah prophecized in the old testament, as Christians believe Jesus to be?

 

[Red Stranger]

1. Do Muslims usually refer to other guys as brothers? Do you refer to women as sisters?

2. How far is your view from mainstream Muslim?

3. What is a pan-Islamist?

4. If Moses, Jesus and Mohammud are all messengers of the same God, why not just be a Jew. Same message right?

5. Do Sunnis and Shia speak different languages?

6. Do you like Algebra?

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

I can answer #5: it is like asking "do Catholics and Protestants speak different languages?" Given that most Shi'a are either from Iran (and thus speak Farsi) or Iraq or Lebanon (Arabic), whereas Sunni are found in Arabia, as well as everywhere from Afghanistan to Indonesia, et al, the answer is "of course".

 

[Erik Mesoy]

Actually, they [Christianity and Islam] definitely have a connection. We Muslims believe that Islam is the continuation of the faith brought by Prophet Jesus (as). In fact, we believe in all of the Biblical Prophets, and simply believe that after Prophet Jesus (as) came Prophet Muhammad (s), who we believe has been prophecized in the Biblical texts.

Islam--like Judaism and Christianity--is one of the Abrahamic faiths. We believe in all of the Prophets starting from Prophet Adam (as) and ending in Prophet Muhammad (s). We believe that Prophet Moses (as) taught the Word of Allah, and so did Prophet Jesus (as)...but we believe that their followers eventually corrupted the Word of God and strayed from the path. [...] We believe in the Old and New Testaments (although we believe they have been heavily corrupted by man)

Given texts such as the Codices Vaticanus and Sinaiticus from the 4th century, when do you believe that the Testament texts became corrupted?

(Samples from the Codices are annoyingly tricky to track down, here's one for convenience.)

Spoiler :

John 1:3 reads:
"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." -New International Version
"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made." -King James Version

In relation to the above, what is the Islamic version of the story of Jesus, apart from the obvious things such as not being the son of God? Did Jesus, according to Islamic tradition, do any or all of the following: create food, heal the sick, raise the dead from tombs, turn water into wine, drive unclean spirits out, rise from the dead, ascend to heaven, send a guiding spirit to men? I take it for granted that he preached such things as peace among men, doing good deeds and repenting of sins in the Islamic tradition.

It should be noted that Muslims do not believe that Prophet Moses (as) was a Jew or that Prophet Jesus (as) was a Christian.

All the Christians I know would say that Jesus was a Jew, too. Talking about Moses is unclear, partly due to the multiple (ethnic/religious/cultural/habitational) definitions of "Jew".

 

[GenMarshall]

I hope you dont mind me asking a boat load of questions later on as I get into the Islamic section in my Comparative World Religions class. We just finished Judaism and moving into Christianity.

I have a question: why did Muslims, during their conquest of the Middle East and eventually the fall of Constantinople, convert Christian Churches into Mosques (An example of this is Hagia Sophia, which used to be an Eastern Orthodox Church)?