Ikes says: June 12, 2013 11:16 AM
Peace be upon all of you
I sense much of hate towards “Muslims” and therefore Islam in general, therefore i ask fellow brothers and sisters (we are all family after all) to please refrain from reading this with preconditioned judgements towards me or Islam.
When i say Islam i mean in its pure sense, not how so called “Muslims” actions portray it to be, nor the so called Islamic countries. I am sure this is what GodisGreat saw in Islam and is defending.
I follow a Mystic form of Islam (Submission to the will of God) called Sufism, which is basically a “religion” of love. I will not go into further detail regarding sufism for that is much better explained on wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism
I dont claim to be any sort of expert on religion but with my limited knowledge i would like give some information that would enable everyone to judge Islam properly.
With regards to all the quotes on Hadith and the Quran ..
Firstly, everything was in Arabic, which is a very difficult language to translate from. Therefore each person who translated it had to make some assumptions when choosing the correct words to use in their respective translations. These assumptions came from their understanding of of Islam, which is always limited (culture and time period would drastically influence the translation) and would therefore differ from person to person.
Secondly, there is a context to every verse or hadeeth. As soon as you take something out of context the variety of interpretations could be unlimited. For example, alcohol was first allowed in the early periods of Islam and later prohibited for various reasons .. If quote that verse out of context and say i can drink alcohol now, that would be ridiculous.
I will quickly burn through important clarifications in response to above topics. Please ask me if you need proof for any of my statements, i may be slow as i am writing tertiary exams.
Please refrain from mixing Islam and “Muslims”.
Women are highly respected in Islam, there are several verses and hadeeth that prove this… Those who respect women are considered the best of men and those who disrespect women are considered to be close to animals, maybe even worse for animals don’t have a conscience. Men have distorted translations so badly that they convince themselves that (God forbid) rape is justifiable in Islam.
Any verses regarding slavery were for that period in which slavery was a norm. Slavery is disliked in Islam, there are countless examples of the freeing of slaves in the Prophet’s time.
Regarding that 72 virgins, it has no relation to Islam, i have no idea where that comes from, its actually hilarious.
The Quran does says that there will be virgins with lustrous eyes in heaven etc. I interpret this is directed to those men who want some sort of gain for worshiping God, the whole idea of heaven is God giving those who want returns for worshiping their Creator.. Are we not suppose to submit our selves in thanks to God for this life amazing already? Anyway, thats besides the point..
I am not just giving theories on how women should be treated. My mother is psychologist and teacher, she is very active in the community more so than my father, who is a practicing Muslim. He treats her with honor and respect. I don’t see so much of this respect for one another in todays dominantly secular society. I am quite disgusted with any man who treats a women badly, no matter what ‘religion’ they follow.
Islam is a religion of peace and justice. That is why the main reason for war and violence is against oppression. It is also important to keep in mind that wars were fought by men during that period. Men were only allowed to be killed in wars. As far as my understanding, women and children are not supposed to be killed. Today, innocent civilian women and children are being killed by so called “Muslims” who fight for their twisted interpretation of Islam. Suicide is considered a ticket to Hell in Islam.
Many accusations in the above comments are not based on facts, such as calling the Prophet a rapist?? In an extensively researched book of the most influential men of all time (led by a Christian author), Muhammed was at the top. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100 I doubt a rapist would be given such a position.
I have a best friend who is a female and Hindu, I’ve realized that all “religions” are the same … I actually dont believe in “religions”, there is only one God and the paths to him are as many as the people on this earth.
The only reason I’ve posted this is because i dislike judgement. Especially if it is not based on facts. I am not defending any immorality, in any way done by “Muslims”. I am quite ashamed to be labeled Muslim with them.
Thanks for hearing me out. May Goodness in all its forms always be with you. -Ikes
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Satyen says: June 14, 2013 at 4:34 pm
The Admin has asked very simple and straightforward questions for the guidance to those who are in interfaith relationships and are mulling interfaith marriages. I request the Sufi followers to answer those questions as they will help remove the doubts regarding the Sufi sects of Islam. Apart from the queries raised by the Admin, I have the following to say about the Sufi sect of Islam:
1. Sufis consider it must to have a peer(Guru) to reach Allah.
2. Muhammad is considered to be their supreme peer and all the later peers including today’s peer must have been the descendants of the unbroken chain of the peers starting from Muhammad.
3. The Sufis also accept Quran in its present form and all the laws of Sharia including the four wives and talaq.
4. They also believe in the Shirk(polytheism) as the unpardonable sin
5. Sufis also believe in all the sunnats including circumcision and burial practices and eating the left overs of their Peers as many of the followers of Muhammad used to eat (even today, Muslims eat the left overs of each other) as it’s considered a means of spreading love and brotherhood among themselves!
6. Sufis consider idol worship as bad as any other Muslim will consider it to be.
7. Some of the Sufis have been instrumental in bringing Muslim plunderers such as Mahmud of Ghazani/Ghori to India.
I also request the mainstream Muslims to express their agreement on the views expressed by the Sufi follower. -Satyen
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I found the following succinct and objective article that is useful for the readers at this site and they may express their views:
http://agniveer.com/why-i-am-proud-to-be-hindu-part-1
What’s the opinion of the Sufis on the following news item? Do they endorse the following citing the example of Muhammad?
Afghan parliament upholds right to marry children
by News Editor : Jun 13, 2013 :
Afghanistan’s parliament has rejected a measure that would have barred men from marrying girls younger than 16, saying the proposal ran counter to Islamic ideology.
The Admin has asked very simple and straightforward questions for the guidance to those who are in interfaith relationships and are mulling interfaith marriages. I request the Sufi followers to answer those questions as they will help remove the doubts regarding the Sufi sects of Islam. Apart from the queries raised by the Admin, I have the following to say about the Sufi sect of Islam:
1. Sufis consider it must to have a peer(Guru) to reach Allah.
2. Muhammad is considered to be their supreme peer and all the later
peers including today’s peer must have been the descendants of the
unbroken chain of the peers starting from Muhammad.
3. The Sufis also accept Quran in its present form and all the laws of
Sharia including the four wives and talaq.
4. They also believe in the Shirk(polytheism) as the unpardonable sin
5. Sufis also believe in all the sunnats including circumcision and
burial practices and eating the left overs of their Peers as many
of the followers of Muhammad used to eat (even today, Muslims eat
the left overs of each other) as it’s considered a means of
spreading love and brotherhood among themselves!
6. Sufis consider idol worship as bad as any other Muslim will
consider it to be.
7. Some of the Sufis have been instrumental in bringing Muslim
plunderers such as Mahmud of Ghazani/Ghori to India.
I also request the mainstream Muslims to express their agreement on the views expressed by the Sufi follower.
Hello readers,
Understanding the distinctions that separate these three components of religion, we can then turn to the relationship between Fiqh, the science of jurisprudence, and Tašawwuf, the science of Iħsān. To understand this relationship, it is useful to consider the example of prayer.
The science of fiqh teaches us that we must perform our prayer in full accordance with the rules of the Shari’ah, including all of the prescribed actions, invocations and intentions. This is known as jassad aš-šalāt, the body of the prayer. Included in these is the requirement to keep the heart in Allah’s Divine Presence and to know that Allah is observing you during the entire prayer. The external form of the šalāt is its body, and the humility and self-effacement, khushu, is its soul, or rūħ. This is the essence of the prayer, but we know from our own experience that people sometimes perform the outward actions of šalāt without this inner awareness in their hearts. The one who performs the outward actions of šalāt without maintaining this awareness of the Divine Presence is like a zombie.
As the soul needs the body in which to live, so too does the body need the soul to give it life. The proper relationship between Shari’ah and Haqīqat is like the relationship between body and soul. The perfect believer who has reached the state of Iħsān is the one who can conjoin Shariah and Haqīqat.
That is why Imān came directly after the five pillars of Islam in Umm al-ħadīth which defined al-aqāid — the doctrine of Islam. If Imān is strong, then one can ascend to the third level, which is moral excellence — the state of Iħsān. Imān is the mindset of belief, itiqād fikrī. Imān is a theoretical belief that requires strong character to accept. Imān needs a booster. That booster is the spiritual dimension of the self. Returning to the story of Cain and Abel, we see now that Cain was arrogant and his faith was weak. These diseases of the heart led him to kill his brother and lie to his Lord. He fulfilled Allah’s Order to make a sacrifice, but his intention was impure. His story is important, for it shows us that one can perform the outward acts required by the religion and still fail to fulfill the attending obligations because those actions lack sincerity and are, therefore, not accepted.
Consider the case of one who performs his obligatory prayers, but while doing so conspires in his mind against his brother or sister. Will his prayer be accepted? A Muslim who prays and fasts but does not have a purified soul and does not have a qalbun dhākiran, a heart that remembers Allah, but instead gives himself over to all kinds of pleasures and desires – one who never knew humbleness, or sincerity, or struggles in the Way of Allah – his heart is dead, although he performs his prayers. He is a Muslim in appearance, but not in reality. What is the benefit of a dry prayer that has no soul in it and no life? In such a person Islam becomes weak and faith becomes weak because there is no warmth, no shawk, no love, no yearning, no emotion, no fear, no compassion. That one is no different from someone who is not a Muslim.
وعن أبي هريرة قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم ( آية المنافق ثلاث . إذا حدث كذب وإذا وعد أخلف وإذا اؤتمن خان وإن صام وصلى وزعم أنه مسلم . (مسلم
Abū Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said, “A hypocrite has three distinguishing signs; first when he talks he lies; when he makes a promise he breaks it; and when something is entrusted to him he misappropriates it. And [this is the case] even if he prays and fasts and considers himself a Muslim.”
How many Muslims today observe all five pillars, yet when they speak they lie; when they make business deals they cheat and when they enter politics they are deceitful. Such people make promises they do not keep, and they feel no remorse in eating the money of other Muslims. Such a person, even if he offers the prayers and keeps the fast, and considers himself a pious mosque-attendee, is still a hypocrite.
عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ السَّاعِدِيِّ، اَنَّهُ قَالَ مَرَّ رَجُلٌ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ لِرَجُلٍ عِنْدَهُ جَالِسٍ ” مَا رَاْيُكَ فِي هَذَا ”. فَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ اَشْرَافِ النَّاسِ، هَذَا وَاللَّهِ
حَرِيٌّ اِنْ خَطَبَ اَنيُنْكَحوَاِنشَفَعاَنيُشَفَّعَ. قَالَ فَسَكَتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ثُمَّ مَرَّ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ لَهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” مَا رَاْيُكَ فِي هَذَا ”. فَقَالَ يَا
رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَذَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ فُقَرَاءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، هَذَا حَرِيٌّ اِنْ خَطَبَ اَنْ لاَ يُنْكَحَ، وَاِنْ شَفَعَ اَنْ لاَ يُشَفَّعَ، وَاِنْ قَالَ اَنْ لاَ يُسْمَعَ لِقَوْلِهِ. فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ” هَذَا
خَيْرٌ مِنْ مِلْءِ الاَرْضِ مِثْلَ هَذَا ”. (البخاري
Abūl-Abbās Sahl ibn Sa’ad as-Sa’adī relates that a person passed by the Holy Prophet and the Prophet asked one of the Companions that was sitting with him: “what do you think of this man, who has just passed this way?” The companion replied, “He is one of the noblest (or gentlest) of men, and by Allah, if he proposes marriage with any woman, his proposal should be accepted, and if he should recommend, his recommendations should prove effective.” And the Holy Prophet kept quiet. Then another man passed by and the Prophet asked, “What is your opinion of this man.” The companion replied, “He belongs to the class of poor Muslims. If he goes for marriage his proposal will be turned down; if he were to intercede on behalf of any person, his intercession would be rejected; and if he were to speak nobody would listen to him.” The Holy Prophet said, “If everyone in the world were like the first man, this man would be better than them all.”
The first person described is someone highly respected in the community. The second person described is an indigent of no apparent consequence. But the first is proud and arrogant, and full of all sorts of bad manners, while the second is humble and sincere. Although both pray, fast, give charity and do hajj, their actions will be weighed in accordance with what is in their hearts. Again, we find the same dichotomy that separated Cain and Abel.
These ahādīth of the Prophet , narrated by authentic sources, demonstrate that Islam requires more than just outward adherence to its five pillars. It also requires us to overcome the diseases of the ego and approach those acts of worship with sincerity and purity of heart. If we do not, all that we have done in the way of worship may come to naught and we may face disaster of Judgment Day, for Allah said:
وَقَدِمْنَا إِلَى مَا عَمِلُوا مِنْ عَمَلٍ فَجَعَلْنَاهُ هَبَاء مَّنثُورًا
Dear Ikes,
Thanks for sharing knowledge, we appreciate it. Please come back here to guide Hindu-Muslim lovers on this site.
We have questions for you on a practical side. Lets assume one day you may consider to marry your Hindu friend. Further, lets assume she wishes to remain a pure Hindu, meaning wishes to express the same God you described in many ways and forms (Rama, Krishna, Laxmi, ….). Further, she wishes to teach BOTH faiths to kids and take her/your children to a Mosque on Fridays and to mandirs on Saturdays and teach them doing the pooja and aarti of the same God (but different form and ways than Muslims) you described. Questions for you are:
1) How will you get married and register your marriage, Hindu ways or Islamic Nikaah after Shahadah conversion of that HIndu to Islam?,
2) will you be okay having your first child’s name Arjun or Gayatri?,
3) will you join her and your children to teach from Geeta and accompanies your family to Mandirs on Saturdays?
4) will you teach your children that it is okay to see the One God in different forms like you Hindu Mother doing?
We hope to hear from you. Best wishes for your exams.