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General Issues / Questions

This area deals with any general questions/issues regarding God / Islam / Quran not covered under other headings.

This category can be followed from the open social web via the handle [email protected]

7.2k Topics 133.2k Posts
  • Blog? INteresting in Opening one about "Muslim Life&amp

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    As Salaam Alaikum, I would like to know if anyone would like to open up a group blog with me at blogger.com? I think that it would be interesting to have a blog just about "Muslim life"... at least your spiritual thoughts, life, practices, etc, etc. Especially as a "free-mind". Here's what I am looking for 1.) Someone who can blog at least 3 times a week. 2.) Someone who rejects hadiths... 3.) Someone who is somewhat "spiritual" or at least can act like it... remember I want this blog to about life as a Muslim, and whatever spiritual thoughts that may cross your mind... with a few lines about if you failed that science exam or not. 4.) Someone who actually has something to say.... I don't want the vast majority of your entries to just be two lines! A good paragraph would do. 5.) And of course someone who is nice! Hmmm... I wonder how many of us should there be? Let's start off with 3! If you are interested please tell me or PM me. Also suggestions for a name are welcomed... I don't want it to be "free-minds" or something like that though. D Names so far The Lost Muslim Tribe The Other Muslims salaam
  • 13 Plus Centuries behind!

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    The Quran A Reformist Translation is getting ready for the publication, by God's will. Here, I would like to share with you one of its footnotes 060012 Verse 6012 informs us about the rights and privileges enjoyed by women in early muslim community during the life of Prophet Muhammad. In that verse, the Prophet acknowledges women's right to vote, by taking the pledge of believing women to surrender themselves to God alone and lead a righteous life. The word "BaYA'" used in the verse implies the political nature of the pledge; they accepted the leadership of the Prophet individually, with their free choice. This verse is not about some pagan or mushrik women embracing islam, but it is about the muslim women publicly announcing their allegiance to Muhammad who became a founder of a federally secular constitutional government in central Arabia. This is a historical document that muslim women were not considered default appendices of the their decision-making husbands, brothers, fathers or male guardians, but muslim women were treated as independent political entities who could vote and enter into social contract with their leaders. Unfortunately, many of the human rights recognized by islam were later one by one taken away from individuals, especially from women, by the leaders of Sunni and Shiite religions. They replaced the progressive and liberating teaching of the Quran and practice of the early muslims with reactionary and enslaving teachings, thereby resurrecting the dogmas and practices of "the days of ignorance." It took humanity centuries to recognize for women their God-given rights. For instance, the US recognized the right of women to vote in 1919 by passing the 19th Amendment. Exactly, 13 centuries after it was recognized by the Quran. As for the region that once led the world in human rights and freedom, it is more than 13 centuries behind! After women, the men too lost their dignity to elect their leaders. What a regression!
  • A very precious story

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    Peace all. I was on another site when i noticed this 'A very precious story about premature twin baby girls.One was so weak that she was expected to die,but a nurse violated the hospital rules and put the the little sisters in the same crib.The stronger one put her little arm around the shoulders of her sister as she lay there,and the vital signs of the weaker one grew stronger and more normal. One saved the life of the other... 'Transcends the intellect,but not the heart'. Peace all.
  • Visual Learning

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    Peace. As someone who learns best visually, I learn in terms of images and need to be exposed to or create vivid mental images to retain information. Living in the West, I am exposed to the documenteries of patriarchs published by Christian media houses and other religiously themed films, illustrated and visually-friendly Bibles, and of course, Christian iconography. However, I find there to be a lack of these same types of things in Islam. Although reading the Qur'an is fine, I love to have secondary visual resources to re-inforce Islamic lessons and values. Having stumbled across a few Islamic flash presentations, online shorts, etc. I find these to be a great tool to help me learn and retain information. If anyone has online resources for Islamic visual aids, such as links to flash demos, pictures, movies, basically anything that can be visually observed, if you could share your favorite online and offline content both, that would be great. Thanks! DCS
  • what was his name?

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    was 'muhammad' really his name? quran says somewhere that jesus said his (the coming messenger's) name be 'ahmed' (ismuhu ahmadu)! elsewhere it addresses him as 'muhammad'! if he was referenced as 'ahmed' by jesus, how come he is known as 'muhammad' and quran refers to him as such? since ahmed and muhammad have both got something to do with 'praise', could it be the 'ism' does not stand for name there, like in some other cases? like maybe his mark would be that he would be praised or something........! and maybe where 'muhammad' is used there is a similar connotation, like maybe marking him out as one who is praised....!
  • The God Code

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    The God Code, an Interview with Gregg Braden. http//video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4251343804323465549&q=Regina+Meredith
  • The Clearvision Jan. 2006 Newsletter

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    http//www.clearvision.com.pk/perspectives.php?func=show&id=50 Salaam I am pleased to inform you that our website (www.clearvision.com.pk ) is updated for Jan 2006, as published in our editorial calendar. In this update we have published the following essays submitted by our members Ad-Deen and its relevance to our Community In this essay we discuss that Ad-Deen is not simply a set of rituals but a system, based on the principles of Quran, which gives an opportunity to all Muslims, individually and collectively as a community, for self-improvement http//www.clearvision.com.pk/perspectives.php?func=show&id=47 Quran and honor of human beings God has honored the Children of Adam. In this essay we discuss that all human beings must be treated with honor, respect and regard, without distinction of any kind, such as the color of their skin, their race, line of descent, social background, national origin, gender, age, language, religion, political or other opinion, education, occupation, job, wealth, property or any other status. http//www.clearvision.com.pk/perspectives.php?func=show&id=46 Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Our Messenger In this essay we have selected three significant achievements, out of many, relating to three different aspects of his life as a reformer he abolished female infanticide in Arabia; as a strategist he planned and executed a peaceful surrender of Mecca; and as a leader he laid the foundation of a community which grew and prospered long after him. http//www.clearvision.com.pk/perspectives.php?func=show&id=48 Book Review Parables in Quran In the book review we present the book The Parable of the Quran by Prof. Ahmad Hasan Qurashi. http//www.clearvision.com.pk/perspectives.php?func=show&id=49 Your suggestions are always welcome. I sincerely hope these essays will help all of us to better understand the wisdom of Quran and Sunnah. Warm Regards, -Posted on request of [email protected]
  • Life through Quran: MUST HEAR audio, Harun Yahya

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    http//www.harunyahya.com/download/download.php?id=16710
  • The conflict between Love and Fear!

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    The conflict between Love and Fear! The reason we have emotions! Resident love, resident fear, and the emotions that overwhelms our existence. Stripping a man to his knees, removing all his pride, looking at his core, the intense emotional feelings behind what he has ever done and what he stood for. Facing pure resident love and pure fears that makes up a human being, is a stunning realisation that confronts you with the reality of who we really are. The story begins when we see the deep sorrow which resides within every human beings? heart, when we ask the question, why are we so emotionally frustrated, lacking the piece of mind and feeling the hollow that drives us to feel for others and scream with sorrow and painful, helpless desire to save people and the world. Emotions that pretend to be the answer to our existence and the healing power for our world. Empathy that leads us wasting our lives trying hard to relate ourselves to other people?s pains and agony, thinking that we could save the world and bring people together. It is like being sick and instead of healing yourself, you heal others instead. Let me tell you why. A man is born with the power that created existence, the power of love that does not allow sorrow, pain or frustration to enter his heart. Love here is not an emotion, it is a state that turned smoke into elegant form, into pure intelligence. A man is also born in ignorance, lack of knowledge, that separated him from his surroundings, from every other human being. This ignorance and separation have planted the seed of fear. A fear that resided in the back ground of his psychic, forced and dominated his actions. A man could decide to be one thing, he could learn and create his character based on the best he knew and influenced by the resident love he was born with. Man?s action, however, does not necessarily represent who he is, as fears make him the man he did not create. He decides to be loving, and in a split second, he turns mean. Sometimes he does not even understand his own actions and he wonders why he acted the way he did. Most of the time he blames it on the society, the circumstances, and the people around him, instead of looking for the reasons inside himself. This conflict between love and fear created a hollow, a sadness that filled the gap between what man is and what he became. These feelings are what we call emotions, the lagging substance, the emotions, that filled us with the desire to go against what we are doing, against our actions, and what we became, considering who we really are; loving human beings. We are one, yet we are separated from each other. In trying to heal our lives, and while trying to come to terms with our emotions, those not understood feelings that are telling us we are sad human beings, we directed our energy to help others, thinking that relief would be found in making others happy, in connecting ourselves with others and sacrificing, grieving and feeling their pain. Empathy became the pain killer for our own hidden sorrow which we constantly, and not knowingly, avoided to face. Who are we, is the question we can not answer because we are acting in a way that does not tell us who we are. If we truly know who we are, we wouldn?t feel sorry for anyone. Fears are directing our actions and create our psychic being which we can neither understand or change. It is the silly actions we do that makes us who we are not. The spontaneous reactions that declare our desire to be separated and stay selfish. Fear is the hard force that is leading us towards a life that otherwise wouldn?t exist. It allows theft and murder. Emotions are the feeling sorry for being what fears have made us to be. We have been created in a life that is so dependent on the existence of fear. A power that is dreaming of possibilities, of what it could be beyond what it really is, has created a power that we call life and within which, we exist. The perfection of such a well designed dream is hidden within our ability to apprehend the impossibility of awaking while dreaming. Even enlightenment could not be achieved, it can only exist as a dream within a dream, which does not make it real. But what do we know about real and not real? The only reality is, there is no reality. It is a smoke that could become what you and I wish it to be, an imagination. Where do we go from here? Where do we go from the dream if it is freighting and painful? Do we create an illusionary happiness, a hope, a dream within the dream? How could we wake up and stop dreaming? How could we break though? The only logical answer, which is impossible for us to do, is to realise that we are one, and become one again. Eliminating the possibilities, the gap between you and I, and first of all the conflicting emotions that is created by our love and fears. If we are one, there would be no need for emotions, there would be only love, and love is not an emotion, it is what we are. I am not a sad person, and I do not see life as a sad existence. And my intentions are not to make you feel sad, but to help you face your hidden sadness to break through and see the true creation and the reason behind it. We are here to celebrate life, the possibilities we are creating out of the smoke. It is a dream which you and I are creatively formulating. And the more we consciously dream, the better we experience our own intelligence. Isn?t intelligence the only pure, unbeatable gift we have? Is there a room for this intelligence to lead us towards realising that we should be fear free? Thanks for reading
  • new site needs yor help

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    Hi all.... I'm starting a new site on conspiracies and such... lots of interesting books and articles. Anybody wants to help me creat a community from the scratch? the site will look real cool and there is so much to read and enjoy. If yor interested, mail me [email protected]
  • THE KALAMA DISCOURSE!

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    One time, when the Buddha passed through the city of Kalama, people asked him "So many gurus were here and all of them gave us excellent teachings, but they contradict each other. What should we do?" The Buddha then gave the so-called Kalama Discourse and expounded on ten aspects that one should consider when listening to spiritual teachings. Summarised, the Buddha said "Do not believe a spiritual teaching just because it is repeatedly recited, it is written in a scripture, it was handed from guru to disciple, everyone around you believes it, it has supernatural qualities, it fits my beliefs anyway, it sounds rational to me, it is taught by a respectable person, it was said to be the truth by the teacher, one must defend it or fight for it. However, only when it agrees with your experience and reason, and when it is conducive to the good and gain of oneself and all others, then one should accept the teachings, and live up to them." What do you think?
  • Does the Quran say anything on Patents & Trade Marks?

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    Hi, Evrybody out there, I am moving in to Patents, were I am gona use my scientific skills to evaluate new scientific inventions etc. However, I always wonder whether its right or wrong to have a monopoly on something newly invented? What do you think....
  • I Would Like to Start "Quran Study" with Some folk

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    As Salaam Alaikum, How are you all? I am well. Yea I know there is a board that is specifically for this... but no one ever visits! So please don't move the topic. D Pretty Please. ops Anwyays... I would like to start Quran study with some folks. I mean it could be very simple. Just read one Surah a day. That's not too bad at all. And considering the fact that if you are not reading an Arabic Quran (but I'm not sure if it doesn't do it like this), that in many translations (at least in English) Surahs are divided into sections, you can easily divide it up in parts of your day. Usually, when I am reading the Quran I have a pen and paper. I write down the the Surah and Ayat # of theverses that stand out to me, especially the ones that forbid things or make things perfectly ok to do. D D And of course ones that clearly support Quran only thought too. Tongiht I will begin Surah 8.... yea I know we wont be starting from the begiinning, but it wont be too bad. We can read 1-7 afterwards... I just don't want to start all over again. So would anyone be interested??? All you have to do is read, and then just post about the vereses that stood out to you. D do what I do so you wont forget (write down the ayat number, with a small description beside it in a notebook). And no, I'm not saying you have to type of the verses. Doing 81-- Talks about spoils of war would be just fine. Very simple. Come on folks! We will start Surah 8 tonight. And I guess whoever finishes first, can start the "Surah 8" topic in the "QUran Study" part of the forum. Or at least I will when I am done if it hasn't been done already. salaam
  • Satan's Meeting

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    Hi guys, Got this forwarded message in my mail. Views welcome. ) What do u think of it? Satan's Meeting Satan called a worldwide convention of demons. In his opening address he said, "We can't keep Muslims from going to Mosque." "We can't keep them from reading their Quran and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their Allah and his messenger Muhammad." "Once they gain that connection with Allah, our power over them is broken.So let them go to their Mosques; let them have their covered dish dinners,BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with Allah and his messnger Muhammad." "This is what I want you to do," said the devil "Distract them from gaining hold of their Allah and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!" "How shall we do this?" his demons shouted. "Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow." "Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles.Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!" "Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive. To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays music constantly." "This will jam their minds and break that union with Allah and his messenger Muhammad." "Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers." "Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day." "Invade their driving moments with billboards." "Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes." "Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. " "Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night." Give them headaches too! "If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere.That will fragment their families quickly!" "Give them story books to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Salat. Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on Allah's creation.Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead. "Keep them busy, busy,busy!" "And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences." "Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Allah." "Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause." "It will work!" "It will work!" It was quite a plan! The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Muslims everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there. Having little time for their Allah or their families. Having no time to tell others about the power of Allah and his messenger Muhammad to change lives. I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes? You be the judge!!!!! Does "BUSY" mean B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke? Please pass this on, if you aren't too BUSY! I don't think I know 10 people who would admit they love Allah. Do You Love Him? IF YOU LOVE Allah, PASS THIS ON!!!!!!!
  • Free online video lectures from the-quran.org

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    check em out lectures by Muhammad Shiekh http//www.the-quran.org/lectures/lectures.htm
  • Nobody is above the law.

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    Peace.In our quest to increase our awareness we must be careful that our practical behaviour mirrors our theoretical awareness,ie we must talk the talk and walk the walk. No one is above obeying gods law, Iblis did this and the result is destruction of self.
  • An early quran only group : al-Sakkakiyah

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    al-Sakkakiyah The followers of Abdullah (Abdallah) al-Sakkak, a jeweller from the Berber tribe of Lawwatah.he lived in Qantrarah, of South Tunisia. On seven points in his thought he differed from the rest of the Ibadhis. i) He denied the rule of sunnah and personal judgement, and held that the legal system is to be derived from Quran only. ii) Prayers in congregation are an innovation (bidah). iii) Calling to prayer (adhan) is an innovation. iv) Praying in clothes which contain lice is not permitted. v) In prayers, Muslims should recite only the Quranic verses the interpretation of which they know. vi) The grain threshed on a threshing floor is unclean (najas) because it is mixed with dung, and also vegetables from gardens in which dung is used are unclean. This group was strongly opposed by the Ibadhi scholars and its followers were regarded as polytheists (mushrikun). It is reported that the Ibadhis bury the dead of non Ibadhi Muslims in the Islamic way, but this group would drag them to pits.However, the views of this group did not spread outside Qantrarah, and disappeared completely by the end of the fifth century H. http//www.islamfact.com/books-htm/ibadi/69.htm
  • Brothers and Sisters in Pakistan

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    SaLaM Everyone I just realised that there are members here on the forum who are from Pakistan. I just want to know if everyone is ok. Is your family ok. Are your neighbours ok. Your friends and relatives. I hope and pray that all of you are alright, but if its not too much, just let us know cry
  • This Saturday at San Diego

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    This Saturday, 8 of October, I will be at San Diego. There, I will meet with small group of monotheists. If you would like to join us, please contact me before Friday. [email protected] Peace, Edip
  • Why are we so dependant on religions?

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    .......................................................................Why are we so dependant on religions? The truth is we are all seekers, we want to know where we come from and why we are here and what should we do next with our life. Questions that are rooted deep inside our psychic and urge for answers. At the first instant, religions seem to have the answers. There is a God, there is life and there a test. There is a path that should be taken and the answers would come. We are here for a reason, says religion. We were created to worship the one God, say the prophets. The path is the righteous path that is laid for the believers. Follow my path and you would be healed, choose my choice and you would be chosen. Ignore my message and you would feed my blazing fire. Be kind, otherwise. Pray and you will be saved. Religion can tell us what it wishes to say. When the heart submits and gets control over the mind, there is nothing left for wondering. But if the mind wins, religion turns nonsense. Defying all logic and claiming victory over our lost souls. We are all sinners, yet there are those who are sinners believers, and others who are sinners unbelievers. When unbelievers sin the sin is greater, magnified by the original sin of disbelieve. When believers sin things could be dealt with, there is forgiveness, there is mercy and there is the advantage of having God and his prophets at their side. There are other seekers who do not give a damn what religion thinks? They walk their own path and they create their own rules based on the logical universal laws. Those men and women are among us to remind us that a bird does not need a teacher to learn how to fly. And a man does not need a guide to tell him when to eat. They are here to remind us that life can take good care of itself. Life supplied us with the all means needed to answer all our questions. The only obstacle we have is when we feed ourselves with someone else?s answers and manipulations. We disconnect from life when we think we know all the answers. We fall short when we believe in others more than we should believe in ourselves and life. We deny our own experience and accept a mythology that is not based on the logic that life is offering us. We repeat our failure and lose touch with life when we deny it. It is not too late for us to open up for the truth. It is never too late to invite life back into our lives. Breathe, just breathe and start a fresh. Why should we let the past blind our ability from seeing the future when we are capable and well equipped? Why use dead definitions when we can today create our own. The only thing that we should acknowledge the past of is giving us is our training but not the subject or the answers. The quest is our fresh choice no matter how many people before us have chasen it. Life does present itself in dimensions that include time, so why choose answers from another time. Our time is in the NOW and the answers should come from the same present. Isn?t time for us to learn form the past? From those who chased nothing but vague and vapour from their past. What exists today is existing for us to explore. What exists in the past existed for those who died. Life is alive right here and right now, you do not need to look for in the rumble of the past. The future is awaiting our choices for it to exist, it is yelling for a new beginning and a new life. Let?s create it. The present moment has a lot to tell us, listen to it and follow its leads. It is leading us forward if we dare. We have the means to know the quest, and seek the right answers. We are intelligent enough to understand what life want to tell us, all we need is tapping into its endless source of knowledge. Who are we? Why are we here? To be continued....if any interst is shown. Bless