General Issues / Questions

So many associate simply Christians and Jews with the People of the Book, and sometimes a few others as well. I was thinking that maybe 262 might be the answer "Surely those who believe; and those who are Jewish, and the Nazarenes, and the Sabians, whomever of them believes in God and the Last Day and does good work; they will have their reward with their Lord, with no fear over them, nor will they grieve" (262) By this understanding it would make it seem to me that it means someone who believes in one god (monotheism) and the Day of Judgment and does good deeds However if that is so, a lot of monotheists don't really believe the "Day of Judgment" and rather think that as soon as you die, you are judged and sent to heaven or hell or some monotheists may think that once you die you are dead. Are either of them people of the book if it was defined based on 262? If 262 is not what defines the People of the Book, what other verse may it be? Thanks Generally people of the book term in the Quran are the Israelites. Those given the previous scriptures term used are both Jews and Christians.

Religion vs. Deen Religion Deen Religion is merely some sort of subjective experience and Deen is an objective reality and a system of collective life. is concerned only with the so-called private relationship between God and man. Every follower of a Religion is satisfied that he has The aim of Deen on the other hand is the welfare and progress of all established a communion with the Almighty, and mankind, and the character and constitution of a society the objective of each individual is his own salvation. indicates whether or it is founded upon the Divine Law. Religion does not afford us any objective criterion In a social order governed by Deen, the development of a by which we could determine whether or not our of a collective and harmonious life correctly indicates whether actions are producing the desired results. or not the people are pursuing the right course. Religion is hostile to scientific investigation and Deen helps in the development of human reason and knowledge. is an adversary of reason, so that it could allows full freedom to accept or reject on the basis of reason flourish unhampered with the aid of a blind faith. and arguments, and encourages investigation and discovery of all the natural phenomena to illumine the path of human life and its advancement in the light of the Permanent Values Religion follows the susceptibilities and prejudices Deen seeks to lead men to a path of life that is in harmony with of men and pampers them. the realities of life. In every age, therefore, Religion sets up new idols But Deen is rational and radical it breaks all idols, old and new, and and mumbo-jumbos in order to keep the people's is never variable in its principles. attention away from the real problems of life. Religion induces a perpetual sense of fear in the While Deen treats fear as a form of polytheism and seeks to make minds of men and seeks to frighten them into men courageous daring and self-reliant. conformity; Religion prompts men to bow before every seat of Deen encourages man to walk about with his head erect, and attain authority and prestige, religious as well as temporal. self-confidence. Religion induces man to flee from struggle of life. But Deen calls upon him to face the realities of life squarely, whatever the hazards. Religion treats the world of matter with contempt Deen, on the other hand, enjoins the conquest of matter and and calls upon man to renounce it. It promises leads man to immeasurable heights of attainment. It exhorts him to paradise only in the Hereafter as a reward for the seek well-being and happiness in this world as well as felicity renunciation of the material world. in the life Hereafter. Religion encourages belief in fatalism, and this Deen gives man power to challenge fate, and provides energy tends to dissuade man from active life for a life of activity and self-development. and self-development. Religion seeks to comfort the weak, the helpless Deen, on the other hand, raises the banner of revolt against all forms of and the oppressed with the belief that the affairs It calls upon the weak and the oppressed to follow the Divine Laws and of this world are governed by the Will of God and to establish a social order in which all tyrants and oppressors will be that its acceptance and resignation helps to endear forced to accept the dictates of right and justice. them to God. This sort of teaching naturally tends In this social order, there is no place for dictators, capitalists or priests. to morbidity, and emboldens their religious leaders who profess to interpret the Will of God, so that they indulge in their misdeeds with perfect impunity and persuade the adherents to complete and quiet submission. Religion enjoins religious meditation in the name Deen exhorts men to assert themselves and struggle perpetually for the of worship and thus induces self-deception. establishment of the Divine Social Order, and its betterment when attained. Worship in din really means obedience to the Laws of God. Religion frowns and sneers at all things Deen defies those who forbid the enjoyment of the good and beautiful of art and beauty. things of life which God has created for the enjoyment of man. Religion denounces everything new and Deen holds that the needs and demands of human life keep declares all innovation as sin. with the change in the conditions of life; change and innovation are, therefore, demanded by life itself. Only the Divine Laws are immutable. It should now be easy for us to see the fundamental difference between Deen and Religion. Islam means saying "Yes" to life; while the response of religion is "No"! Thus Islam is an open challenge to religion as such. Salam! We should read "Islam a challenge to religion" written by Allama Parwez to understand the above points clearly. Anyone would like to read can download the work from the following website. www.resurgentislam.com

What is "neutered"?

Peace, I don't think we need to criticise other people's religions really. We can say our position and politely tell people where we disagree. Other faiths do it with the Quran all the time! It's part of the discussion in this area. The underlying issue here is that if there is a Deity, then rejection of that Deity become a moral issue. In terms of different lifestyles, people following Quran only have different lifestyles as well and yes we should be harmonious about that. And about animals they too are in their own submission or alignment to our Creator's design and will.

Who is Sultan Jafar anyway? The name doesn't really matter, the point is to show you, once somebody has POWER, ECONOMY/WEALTH can come easily to him. And it was the Sultans/Kings who came up with Holy Dogmas fully embraced by the Muslim today. In fact the religion called Islam was also being invented by the same parties, with the same objective. All for the sake of POWER

Anythinth in human hands is susceptible to become a denerative disease and not just Islam or even islam. Everything tht comes into human hands is susceptible to be turned into guaranteed shit, or on the other hand into an inspiration to surpass ourselves in effort. I concur to the above statement, allow me to 'clarify' a bit. ANYTHING THAT HUMAN DOES IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO CORRUPTION It's within the very nature of the big primate who live on earth to be SELFISH. This is because the big primate have a very big EGO, whether it's a group-centric-ego (e.g. My group above all other groups) or individual-centric-ego (e.g. I am above all others). And God (or nature) has created a system of 'check and balance', those who fell into corruption shall be 'checked' by the other group. This is clearly evident in history, many nation/civilization has risen and fallen. And from among those who has fallen, there are many Islam Caliphates. And this should be heed as a lesson for future generation. We have that responsibility of crrying it out faithfully, others do no have it or do not r3ecognize they have it. We do. And should also know that the imperials of today love that MMuslims or muslims be as narrow minded, as hateful, and backwards and as negative as possible, because that gives the imperials the enemy they like and need. They would have to have in front of them an Islam or islam that is free, thoughtful, forward minded, optimist and without inferiority complex, because that would be a huge obstacle to the imperial designs. The narrow dogmatic islam is a gift to them, and that is why they promote it openly, but mostly covertly, because that Islam or islam gives them the alibi to go agaisnt anything muslim, while keeping a facade of ccepting a modern open to sionism and other "modernities" islam or islam. It si still the same imperial tactics used by the romans, nothing new. The "Islamic Calphates" in the past has deployed the same imperial tactics, or to put it in another words, the Islamic Caliphates was acting as the Imperalist in the past. From enslaving and raiding the "kuffars" to invasion to the "Kuffar nations". They always think that They're the only one who has being given God's revelation Those who are 'not them' are ignorant and kuffar They're 'above all other nations'. And now it's the time to fully recognize that. The Islam society (the political and social group) need to embrace and accept the fact above. That their ancestor is NOT HOLY, learn from their wrongdoings and mistake to build better future. It's very easy to point out 'what's wrong' in other people, yet it's very hard to recognize 'our own wrongdoings'.. The 'ex western roman colonies' (e.g. western civilization) has been able to fully embrace their own dark history. They can fully embrace that The colonization was a mistake Their ancestor has done many despicable act The christian/catholic religion has done many evil deeds The christian/catholic church is susceptible to corruption and is not holy. The christian/catholic bible is also susceptible to corruption and is not holy. And they're now teaching the above as a lesson for future generation Cash My Sin http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1gfQQOdnPE History Of The British Empire http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWedTbuAtR4 I haven't seen the same 'attitude' from "Islam Society" up until now.. Recognizing 'our own past wrong doing' is essential to build better future. Salam / Peace

Peace Family, One must also remember that Islam is the liberator of women, giving women rights before which time they had none. Divorce according to Islam is to insure that both parties are treated equitably. Please reread your ayats with the understanding that women are to be treated fairly. 2228 And those divorced shall wait for three menstruation periods; and it is not lawful for them to conceal what God has created in their wombs, if they believe in God and the Last Day. And their husbands would then have just cause to return together, if they both wish to reconcile. And the obligations owed to them are to be fulfilled, as are the obligations owed by them. But the men will have a greater responsibility over them in this. And God is Noble,Wise. 435 And if you have reason to fear that a breach might occur between a couple, appoint an arbiter from among his people and an arbiter from among her people; if they both want to set things aright, God may bring about their reconciliation. Behold, God is indeed all-knowing,aware. 2232 And if you divorce the women, and they reach their required interim period, then do not make difficulty for them if they wish to remarry their husbands if they have amicably agreed among themselves out of what is best. This is to remind any of you who believe in God and the Last Day, this is better for you and purer; and God knows while you do not know. 2229 A divorce may be twice, whereupon the marriage must either be resumed in fairness or dissolved in a goodly manner. And it is not lawful for you to take back anything of what you have ever given to your wives unless both have cause to fear that they may not be able to keep within the bounds set by God hence, if you have cause to fear that the two may not be able to keep within the bounds set by God, there shall be no sin upon either of them for what the wife may give up in order to free herself. These are the bounds set by God; do not, then, transgress them for they who transgress the bounds set by God - it is they, they who are evildoers! With the advent of Islam women were no longer considered the property of men. Female Infanticide was also abolished. Praise God for giving our other halves their rights! peace

Regarding the whole Salah debate (only got to page 2 on the thread) they are doing that annoying thing where they are searching for their understanding of Salah rather than trying to learn what the Quran is trying to teach. I'm by no means an expert and I'm still a noob regarding the whole prayer debate (heck nearly everything), but some Sunni's seem to lack faith in God and go to other human's for religious guidance. Salaamun alayki, REDs By acknowledging this, you are al ready in my eyes more knowledgeable then the most knowledgeable amongst them yes I clicked the link and on page 2 there is a guy with 10000+ posts who begins his post with "Ya Rahmaan, Ya Raheem, ..." hypno This already shows the level of their understanding of The Quran. Salaam, Bender

Salam Scribbler, You wrote Where is your proof for such claims? Please refer me to Quranic verses for such claims as your evidence. Are the verses wherever there is mention of the two Malayika in Quran not proof enough? Only thing is that you should know who is who. And but for Allah who else is well aware them? Have you ever turned to Allah seeking from Him who they are? Why have you not asked from Him? Do not you have interest to speak to Malayika or to keep constant company with them? Do not you want to make friends with them by proclaiming to the world "Only Allah; and Allah alone is sufficient for you for your entire life!" 4030, 31. Had you proclaimed thus, Malayika would have descended on your premises by the leave of Allah, saying Have the promised heaven on this earth itself! We are companions unto you both in this world, and in the world next!" You wrote Say Whoever is the enemy to Gabriel (Jibril) - for indeed he revealed it / brought it (nazzala) to your heart (AAala qalbika) by God's permission, confirming that which is before it (co-existent) and a guidance and glad tidings for the believers. (297) And indeed, it surely is a revelation from the Lord of the worlds. The Faithful / Trustworthy Spirit (Ruh al-ameen) has revealed it / brought it (nazala) upon your heart (AAala qalbika) that you may be of the warners. In plain / clear Arabic language. (26192-195) The above two verses are synonymous regarding the Spirit. They both have brought the revelations (nazzala) upon the heart (AAala qalbika) of the Prophet. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that they are the same Spirit, and not two different Spirits. I think it would be pertinent not to answer the above in italics and underlined part of your query, until such time you could get a glimpse of the Malayika, by the leave of Allah. May Allah Bless You With Insight To have the glimpse. Peace, fazl Thanks for explaining 4130 & 31

"take on the Sibgah of Allah" There are some different meaning regarding Sibgah Allah, the meaning is Allah's dye, Allah's religion, Allah's colour etc. But it's not important because the real meaning is based on your inspiration.

Peace Family, Of course the body is physical, which is part of the physical creation, but it is the soul that animates us, curiously, my question is why do we refer to our bodies in terms of ownership? We say "my body" or "my eye" or "her lips" describing ownership. Therefore "we" are souls who own or as some say, borrow these bodies for a perod of time. We animate these biological bodies and the Quran refers to us as such. 2/48 3/61 4/107. Therefore to answer the question "What is life." Life is comprised of the biological necessities to live in an earthbound environment as described by hicham9 as well as the animation component called the soul. How this animation aspect works in the physical creation in other than humans is a topic for another discussion. He shaped him and blew into him from His spirit. And He gave you the hearing, the eyesight, and the brains; rarely are you thankful. God Bless peace

The inheritly violent person will "see" the Quran as a warriors manual, the confused person will be confused by it, the non-believer will see it as nonsense, the humble person will be made content by it. The person in search of salvation can find wisdom in its ayats. The tyrant will use it to further his agenda, the believer wll be brought to tears and will fall prostrate. What a book! All praise to God lord of the Universe peace Peace hawk99, I like the way you put this. I think there are times when everyone can feel like they don't understand what something means in the Quran, but once we ask Allah swt for help we gain deeper understanding or perhaps its a topic that we are only ever supposed to know a little bit about to make things easier. Like when it warns the believers at the time of initial revelation, not to ask for so many things about possibly minute things, because they would receive a type of answer and in the long run it would make things more difficult... a little like the story of the calf. Overall, those categories fit well. May all those who seek the Creator become closer to Him and know of His Mercy.

I forgive you lol I forgot ,

If being a muslim is conditional then no one would be a muslim. True as the below statement is also true.. If being an honest is conditional then no one is truly honest at all time..

u guys will see Hussein is right dajjal is not human Allah is going to give the Humans what they want they want a Big monster he is going to give them a Big monster ^^ soon u will se

Interesting post

Peace I think the best thing for the man to do would be to migrate to a more tolerant region of South Asia, maybe Eastern Pakistan or something else, or he may compromise with others. But, I think it could be a grave matter if they are really serious... & Peace Maya Harun

Since I do not know Arabic, my take on the "obey the Messenger" issue Although this point has been dealt with by many people lot more knowledgeable than myself on this forum , a couple of issues emerge If we keep in our mind the fact that these verses were revealed 1400 years ago to a group of people who had their doubts about Islam or were not sure how to respond to blessed Messenger's role and call. They were being told in clear terms what the role of the Messenger was and as Allah's sole representative and that he had to be obeyed as head of the community. They were asked to listen to him as someone who was conveying Allah's Message to them and not to turn away. He may also be giving them other instructions, about their every day lives in view of Allah's Word, specific to those times. So where ever we read verses about obeying the Messenger as a representative of Allah means it was a question of authority and discipline. We find in history that there were certain opinions the Messenger gave on matters based on his personal opinion that were not related to Allah's Word and people had a right to accept or excuse themselves . As far as we are concerned, we must follow what Allah through His Messenger left behind and promised to guard it The Qur'an alone. If the blessed Messenger's sayings and deeds were of the utmost importance (as claimed by Hadith followers) then the question would arise that why were no instructions came down to compile and collect them in a separate Book for all times to come? It was well known what happened to stories based on hearsay over time They get corrupted and mixed up with falsehood. The Messenger himself knew well what happened to the Christians who ended up turning man to God and God to man, based on hearsay stories which got written down much later after Jesus (AS)! He could have given instructions to compile a book, verified it and approved it for Muslims of future generations. The first four Caliphs would have done it. Why did they not? What we have here are collections by Sunnis and Shias often at odds with each other and containing material that clashes with the Qur'an. How can then, deen be based on conjecture and controversial material collected 220 years after the Messenger passed on, based on hearsay? Although we can never say for sure if a report of saying/deed is 100% truth, we can allow the possibility of such material being true if only matches the Qur'an. Also we may read it as students of history to get an idea of the times of those who were gathering this material and a glimpse of early Islamic history. Knowingly and unknowingly we have adopted many practices handed down to us over generations and no harm in following them if they don't clash with the Qur'an. Now, I have heard from many hadith believers that if the Qur'an was passed on to us with the same accuracy by people over generations, why can't it apply to ahadith? Well, the answer to that is that the Qur'an has an assurance of preservation from Allah. How He does it is His business. No such promise was given to ahadith and the Messengers sunnah. Here cornered, the hadith believers don't give up. They counter Hadith is part of Zikr and part of Hikmah so it is preserved as well by Allah!! Some of them even suggest that this being the case, Hadith abrogates the Qur'an! Try all you can. You can't win can you? But, as the Qur'an says we must state the truth and guidance is up to Him Alone. I just want to caution that as a student I could be wrong and welcome any other opinion. Some say that when Allah says in the Qur'an Allah and Rasool together, it means an Islamic Government (to which 1400 years ago disputes were to be referred). So, what happens when the Rasool passes on, you may ask. The Quran deals with this by asking if the Rasool were to pass on, would you turn on your heels? When the Rasool passed on the Islamic government was run by a successor of the Rasool (Khalifa) to which matters were to be referred to. Now, what to do when there is no unified Islamic government ruling entire Ummah?? All I can say is to explore this question further and sit down with consultation and come up with some solutions!! In the meantime, The Book (Qur'an) is there for us to run our affairs with mutual consultations. No harm in following traditions handed down from centuries as long as they don't clash with the Qur'an

Peace, Hmm... I have basically never put my eye in a hadith except to just look how crazy they are and I have not really been part of a muslim community, but I find prayers to be part of the religious activities. I simply cannot find any good way of sincerely glorify God without any form of intensified moment in devotion to God. Does that render me someone who believe in other hadith than God's hadith? In addition to that, the first chapter of Quran is clearly a prayer. Study the text and you can see the reader is asking God for His services while reciting it. It is not meant as an informative text but to be used like.. a prayer to God. You implore God about something in it, the same as the Jesus prayer "Our Lord of Heaven". There is not many other clear prayers in Quran, but I know one other "Oh Lord, admit me an honorable admittance, let me depart an honorable departure, grant me from You a powerful support. The Truth has prevailed, falsehood has vanished, falsehood will inevitably vanish". AQ 1780-81 Notice that the verse clearly starts with "and say" (wa qul) and is addressed to your "rabb", ie God. The verse clearly shows that there is some prayer involved in the worship of God or at least to use your voice to communicate with God or why would it else tell you to say? Add the verse which tells which tone of voice to use during salat. Why do you think I believe prayers to be valid part of the worship of God? How do you "think" an inquiry you may have to God? Is not your voice a more natural tool? I find it a dangerous step to state that prayers are an invalid practice in my opinion and warn against something which is clearly not forbidden but rather recommended. Sorry that I am talking for Lena, but I was a bit annoyed when someone spreads falsehood about God, even if it is not on purpose. And I accept if you do not pray, but please do not tell me I do something haraam for promoting prayers. Sorry if I may have sounded aggressive in this post, but I was actually pretty calm. Hope I have your understanding too. Sorry for any inconvenience I may have caused. God bless you

I really like Bart D. Ehrman, I have many of his books! Thanks for the link )