Has anyone ever wondered why?
Islam happens to be the religion amongst others being attacked most ferociously? Has anyone wondered why?
Islam calls for general order of the soul, mind, heart and body. People dislike rules in general and have trouble abiding to them. Down deep inside we can all differentiate between right and wrong, yet we all sometimes do wrong anyway. However some people manage choose to "wrong" themselves and others obstinately, shamelessly and in excess. Here I am not pointing to the wrong doings towards the self, but of the wrong that would harm others. Why can't people just respect one another, let alone divine religions, religious figures and followers of a certain religion to follow it in peace and respect the differences? If someone wants to preach for their religion, so be it, but why can't this be in peace? We are all humans and following whichever religion should be part of the human freedom. It is a freedom of choice after all!
In certain countries citizens as well as ex-patriots of that country learn to abide by the laws whilst they find it so odd that Moslems abide with the Islamic Law which in our faith is a universal law open for all mankind, wish they be part of it or not, is a one to one matter between them and The Creator.... By no means does or was Islam forced on any one.
Those who propagated the claim that Islam has been spread by the sword had and have no clue what they were or are talking about. If so it would have simply not been embraced and followed till this instant. Moreover, it would have diminished if there was any truth behind that "false" accusation. Aggression never attracts people. Islam was and is not the aggressor, never has been and is not.
In Islam, God does not distinguish between peoples; He equalizes every one and puts all humans in the same frame. God does not discriminate between white, dark or yellow, Arabic speaking or non Arabic speaking. Racism and discrimination are creations of weak selfs who chose to submit to their greed and arrogance, thinking they are better than others which is not the case and certainly in Islam it is considered as a sin. People are only different in terms of levels of faith. That too is not of anyone's business or judgment. It is forbidden to judge people, but it is our duty to help one another to be on the right track. Calling for the way of God must be in means of kindness and good advice. Not by force.
I must stress not applying that rule should not incriminate Islam as a whole, but it does those who misapply it or misunderstand the peace and tranquility Islam enforces on its followers. And that I know is the problem. People are not differentiating but generalizing and that is what is totally unjust and bias as well as frustrating and annoying.
The problem is not the Islamic doctrines; the problem is the applicators of those doctrines. And that occurs in all religions. But again, Islam is the religion which has the most rules and as I mentioned before people by nature have trouble with rules. But what I do not understand is why does it still bother the non Moslems. They are not subject to these laws since they are not followers of Islam.
Many people including some Moslems who are not well aware of Islam and have no proper insight of the religion feel or claim Islam means restraint on freedom, where as in truth, it is not the freedom that is the problem. Islam does not restrain freedom, it restrains weakness of the self, submission to the calls of Satan and the weak inner self, which again is a problem for many people. When they cannot or willingly choose not to apply a certain conduct in Islam, they begin saying it is not or was not the case and should not be applied! That causes misunderstandings amongst people and especially to the non Moslems. Conflicts arise and such claims spread causing misunderstandings of Islam.
Now, come to the choice bit, those who insist on snooping into the Moslems' lives and matters, and give themselves the right to make judgments, what's it to them if a woman decides to wear hijab (veil) for instance? Why does it bother them so much? Why does it bother them that we pray five times a day? Why is it so bad that a woman has to be protective of herself in terms of conduct and dress? Even that is not forced upon her. Women make choices as any one else does and each individual is held accountable to their conduct only by God and God alone.
On the other hand, in other countries, some beaches are made for nudity (not to mention the strip clubs and others), the topless, for gays and lesbians… etc etc. No rules, no protection, no nothing, no encouragement for applying the doctrines of religion, namely Christianity and Judaism which are supposedly the religions of the western societies... DOES the Bible or the Tawarat accept such things? NO. of course not, I doubt that very much, no divine religion encourages sinful acts, and those are basically very similar in all three religions. Moslem Governments never interfered in such issues . Why are Christianity and Judaism diminishing from societies' practices? Why are people not getting married anymore? Why are there so many children with single mothers, if with a mother at all? Why are women being so degraded and their bodies so cheap for anyone to see or touch or even abuse? Of course these things also happen in Moslem societies, but if the ratios are going to be compared, sorry to say, but the ratios in non Moslem societies are much higher.
The Islamic doctrines are like the parents of each individual, guiding, teaching, loving and protecting its offspring.
No one forced the non Moslems to embrace Islam. Force nullifies the embracement of this faith and that is a well known order of God in the Holy Quraan and according to Prophet Muhammed!
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Terror is a result of a mix of continuous pressure, racism, bigotry, and clearly unwanted intervention. I by no means justify terror in any of its forms. No true practicing Moslem would. But come one, terror happens every where and by many non Moslems.
Those who practice terror under the banner of Islam are by no means justified. And by no means do they represent Islam or Moslems. But there has been a terrible confusion between terror and self defense in many instances. For example what happens in Palestine is terror, but not by the Palestinian side, it is Israel who is the real terrorist there. I cannot conceive how people cannot see that.
In Iraq, The united states claimed that it would grant the people freedom and democracy, what is the result??? They stimulated not only terror on the lands of Iraq, but international terrorism. Not only that, Americans are dying there for no reason! American finances are being wasted. American blood is being shed along with that of many innocent people, especially innocent children! Where is the peace in Iraq now? They gave way to formation of gangsters! They walked in and set the whole country in flames, rubble, and so many corpses! BLOODSHED! And under what banner? Freedom and Democracy? Please!
What differentiates people in Allah's view is our levels of faith, and even those of weak faith are most welcome to strengthen themselves and seek God's aid in that with no problem. Those who do not believe in Islam are free to do what they want… No one is to be forced to embrace this religion… But also Moslems do not want any intervention in their doctrines and lives.
The term "Kafir" bothers so many non Moslems. The word means non believer and may be applied by any one of any religion towards another who does not believe in the same. It is not an offense. For example for Christians I as a Moslem am considered a non believer therefore in Arabic meaning Kafira in their sense, since I am a follower of a different religion. However it is worth mentioning that actually as a Moslem I am believer in Christianity. I must and have no choice because it is part of my faith to believe in Christianity and Judaism which I gladly do. They are all God's word and are therefore part of my faith and it cannot be complete unless if I believe in them. How the people follow their religions is their business, not ours. We do not go around tampering with their books or dare say a word of their prophets or saints. No true Moslem would dare draw a cartoon mocking any respected figure in other religions. No Moslem scholar would dare come up with a new bible and encourage Christians to hand it to one another claiming it is a good present from a Christian to another! That was one of the sentences used by the priest who claimed to come up with a new version of the Quraan called the "true furqan" on the shelves carrying the books as a note from the author!!!
God is the all forgiving the all loving. He tells us that no matter how much we have sinned there is always a way for repentance. He forgives everything but one thing if insisted upon and not repented, and that is Shirk. Shirk is the concept of placing someone next to God the almighty in belief or worship. And that is THE SIN OFALL SINS in Allah's view. As humans, we are to believe in the following:
God is only One, has no partner or son, neither gives birth, nor is He born. He is eternally besought by all and has no beginning or end, and none is equal to Him
(Qur'an, 112:1-5)
That I know offends non Moslems, but again why? Why would it bother anyone as long as they are not forced to follow? At the end of the day, people do not bring this subject up unless if interest to understand and know is a subject of discussion. It does not come between a Moslem and a non Moslem friend, nor does it intervene in business amongst people, or soccer players on a field.
To us is our belief and to them is theirs. Islam does not force anyone to follow it. Force nullifies the belief in Islam. God commanded that we let every one follow what they choose to follow. It is a one to one relationship. But at the same time, in the case our religion is offended we are to speak out in peaceful means, if limits are crossed, we do have the right to defend ourselves, but by no means begin with transgression in terms of war and bloodshed.
Satan calls for anything and every thing in contradiction to what Islam calls for. Not to mention the weak inner self of the human nature.. We cannot go about always completely blaming satan can we?
All of the attacks on Prophet Muhammed are really odd and totally unacceptable. Common sense is in every thing he called for and do you know why? Because he was being taught by the creator. For those who look into this religion without being bias, they may come to realize that clearly. Prophet Muhammed was being guided by GOD as all other prophets and when not he even mentioned it.
In one of the battles against the Meccans, Prophet Muhammed ordered the Moslem soldiers to station the troops by a well to be in a strategic position. When asked by one of the Moslems if he had ordered to do so according to his thought as a human or as a direct command and instruction by God the almighty he replied no as Muhammed, the human. The man suggested they go to a bigger well and station there. Prophet Muhammed responded immediately and took the Moslem soldier's advice.
Prophet Muhammed called for justice, for kindness, for charity, for chastity, for ethics in everything even with those who did not follow the Islamic faith. Prisoners of war advised to teach ten illiterate people how to read and write in exchange for their freedom. Whilst in Abu Gharib, guantanamo, and Israeli prisons men are being degraded and tortured till this date despite the so called human rights. 25 Moslems' graves have been vandalized (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/12/AR2006021201087.html) Why? What have the dead got to do with all these messy situations??? How bizarre!
What makes me not so surprised from the current events and all the attacks Islam and Moslems are undergoing is Prophet Muhammed informed us that a time shall come when those clinging onto their faith shall be like those clinging onto a rock of fire! This indicated a time of difficulty and struggle the Moslems shall encounter. A time where those holding onto their faith shall be attacked ferociously and relentlessly. How would a human being know of such a thing? How would he predict something like that unless if there was a higher power informing him of such things. Many other things that the Prophet mentioned did take place and are taking place and shall keep taking place till he end of time.
In the Quraan and through Prophet Muhammed's teachings the followers of Islam were told clearly that if they follow what the verses of the Quraan taught and what the Prophet taught then people shall never stray or face major problems. That was not and is not the case. Unfortunately, a fraction of Moslems are only so on paper, and have abandoned the essences of Islamic doctrines. Many have adopted attitudes and practices that have nothing to do with Islam.
The result is what has happened, is happening and will happen. How would verses that were revealed more than 1,400 years ago and a Prophet that informed of so much be able to predict such incidents unless if it were truly from the Lord of this universe? Prophet Muhammed was, is and always shall be the master of ethics and morals above all mankind. He was chosen to fulfill the message of God on earth. Those who wish to listen, comprehend and follow are free to do so and those who choose otherwise are also free. But under no circumstances does this freedom mean transgression!
Many verses pointed out that only those who have soft hearts and open minds shall follow the Islamic guidelines. Kindness of the heart is an essential part of Islamic Faith? Hard hearts and stiff minds do not fall in place within this faith. Those whose hearts are warm and kind, and whose tears flow at hearing and comprehending the verses of the Quraan are those who are true believers. Those who treat those around them with compassion and consideration, those who respect, love and provide for their parents even if not following the same faith, those who care and provide for the poor and needy, those who do not wish or want for others except what they want for themselves, those who respect their neighbors and not inflict harm on them, those who share their wealth with the needy, those who fast with all their senses to feel for others and feel thankful for their blessings, those who marry and understand the sacred bond of marriage and what family ties mean, those who do not deal with a woman as if she were a mere object of exploitation… I can keep going on and on.
Islamic Faith shall prevail, I have no doubt. It did before in the face if tyranny and bigotry and it shall again. What makes me confident are the numerous things that have been mentioned in both the Quraan and the Prophets sayings and practices. Every thing has proven CORRECT and PRECISE. Everything is from the creator of this universe and all living creatures on it. If anyone looks deeply into this religion namely the Quraan and the Sunnah with an open heart and mind free of bias feelings, and has some common sense shall know for sure that it is the Religion for all mankind. It combines belief of all divine revelations, of all prophets of all Angels. OF simply everything!
The Quraan, the teachings and sayings of Prophet Muhammed, inform us of the logical beginning and the inevitable end.
Time shows so much, but only for those who are logical or reasonable, even the Quraanic verses always referred to the same, to those who are rational or logical in mind and heart, that those shall be the ones who will abide to the laws of GOD. To the one and only God with no partner… Allaho A7ad… Allah is one.
If we count the transgressions on Islam by non Moslems towards our most revered objects and people representing keys of faith, too much has been done, and many crossed their limits. End results are however never going to meet their expectations. This religion has the deepest and longest roots since the creation of humanity be it admitted or not admitted. It has flourished, spread, survived and has been embraced and followed with conviction and shall continue to do so God willing.
The only thing those people are doing are "creating" unnecessary fury and anger against them. They are creating more and more gaps. Maybe their economic status will change eventually, Maybe they will go to the WTO to complain and get somewhere with that, but the disrespect will not go away and neither shall the hatred they created.
What really startles me is Moslems are always expected to be silent if and when offended.
Strange.
I always believe that something good always finds its way out of the worst situations one or people may face. Moslems whom have been distant are growing closer and closer, struggling strongly for one cause. Moslems are getting more and more united. A stronger awareness of unity has come out of this.
I would like to say this to my fellow Moslems, bothers and sisters. It is about time that all of us (including myself when and if applicable) who have abandoned our Islamic traditions and ideologies go back and abandon what you are blindly mimicking. It will not make you modern to do so, or civilized. Civilization is what the Quraan and Prophet Muhammed taught, ethics and etiquette, kindness and justice, equality, peace and love, unity, aid when needed, etc etc etc.
Abandoning these things is precisely what gave those people the chance to dare cross their limits. I am not saying by any means do not mix or not be in peace with Non Moslems, because The Holy Quraan and Prophet Muhammed taught us to deal with them in peace in all aspects (as long as they are in peace with us). Do not abandon who and what you truly are. Take pride in yourselves, pick up on the positives things they may teach us, but do not ever loose your true identity and Islamic practices. There are no conflicts of interest in that.
Ash-hado an la illaha ila Allah, wa 2ana Muhamadoun Rasoulo Allah! Allahoma balaght Allahoma fash-had.
I bear witness there is no God but Allah and that Prophet Muhammed is his Prophet. Oh Allah I have informed Oh Allah be my witness.
Peace be to all you out there.
Islam calls for general order of the soul, mind, heart and body. People dislike rules in general and have trouble abiding to them. Down deep inside we can all differentiate between right and wrong, yet we all sometimes do wrong anyway. However some people manage choose to "wrong" themselves and others obstinately, shamelessly and in excess. Here I am not pointing to the wrong doings towards the self, but of the wrong that would harm others. Why can't people just respect one another, let alone divine religions, religious figures and followers of a certain religion to follow it in peace and respect the differences? If someone wants to preach for their religion, so be it, but why can't this be in peace? We are all humans and following whichever religion should be part of the human freedom. It is a freedom of choice after all!
In certain countries citizens as well as ex-patriots of that country learn to abide by the laws whilst they find it so odd that Moslems abide with the Islamic Law which in our faith is a universal law open for all mankind, wish they be part of it or not, is a one to one matter between them and The Creator.... By no means does or was Islam forced on any one.
Those who propagated the claim that Islam has been spread by the sword had and have no clue what they were or are talking about. If so it would have simply not been embraced and followed till this instant. Moreover, it would have diminished if there was any truth behind that "false" accusation. Aggression never attracts people. Islam was and is not the aggressor, never has been and is not.
In Islam, God does not distinguish between peoples; He equalizes every one and puts all humans in the same frame. God does not discriminate between white, dark or yellow, Arabic speaking or non Arabic speaking. Racism and discrimination are creations of weak selfs who chose to submit to their greed and arrogance, thinking they are better than others which is not the case and certainly in Islam it is considered as a sin. People are only different in terms of levels of faith. That too is not of anyone's business or judgment. It is forbidden to judge people, but it is our duty to help one another to be on the right track. Calling for the way of God must be in means of kindness and good advice. Not by force.
I must stress not applying that rule should not incriminate Islam as a whole, but it does those who misapply it or misunderstand the peace and tranquility Islam enforces on its followers. And that I know is the problem. People are not differentiating but generalizing and that is what is totally unjust and bias as well as frustrating and annoying.
The problem is not the Islamic doctrines; the problem is the applicators of those doctrines. And that occurs in all religions. But again, Islam is the religion which has the most rules and as I mentioned before people by nature have trouble with rules. But what I do not understand is why does it still bother the non Moslems. They are not subject to these laws since they are not followers of Islam.
Many people including some Moslems who are not well aware of Islam and have no proper insight of the religion feel or claim Islam means restraint on freedom, where as in truth, it is not the freedom that is the problem. Islam does not restrain freedom, it restrains weakness of the self, submission to the calls of Satan and the weak inner self, which again is a problem for many people. When they cannot or willingly choose not to apply a certain conduct in Islam, they begin saying it is not or was not the case and should not be applied! That causes misunderstandings amongst people and especially to the non Moslems. Conflicts arise and such claims spread causing misunderstandings of Islam.
Now, come to the choice bit, those who insist on snooping into the Moslems' lives and matters, and give themselves the right to make judgments, what's it to them if a woman decides to wear hijab (veil) for instance? Why does it bother them so much? Why does it bother them that we pray five times a day? Why is it so bad that a woman has to be protective of herself in terms of conduct and dress? Even that is not forced upon her. Women make choices as any one else does and each individual is held accountable to their conduct only by God and God alone.
On the other hand, in other countries, some beaches are made for nudity (not to mention the strip clubs and others), the topless, for gays and lesbians… etc etc. No rules, no protection, no nothing, no encouragement for applying the doctrines of religion, namely Christianity and Judaism which are supposedly the religions of the western societies... DOES the Bible or the Tawarat accept such things? NO. of course not, I doubt that very much, no divine religion encourages sinful acts, and those are basically very similar in all three religions. Moslem Governments never interfered in such issues . Why are Christianity and Judaism diminishing from societies' practices? Why are people not getting married anymore? Why are there so many children with single mothers, if with a mother at all? Why are women being so degraded and their bodies so cheap for anyone to see or touch or even abuse? Of course these things also happen in Moslem societies, but if the ratios are going to be compared, sorry to say, but the ratios in non Moslem societies are much higher.
The Islamic doctrines are like the parents of each individual, guiding, teaching, loving and protecting its offspring.
No one forced the non Moslems to embrace Islam. Force nullifies the embracement of this faith and that is a well known order of God in the Holy Quraan and according to Prophet Muhammed!
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Terror is a result of a mix of continuous pressure, racism, bigotry, and clearly unwanted intervention. I by no means justify terror in any of its forms. No true practicing Moslem would. But come one, terror happens every where and by many non Moslems.
Those who practice terror under the banner of Islam are by no means justified. And by no means do they represent Islam or Moslems. But there has been a terrible confusion between terror and self defense in many instances. For example what happens in Palestine is terror, but not by the Palestinian side, it is Israel who is the real terrorist there. I cannot conceive how people cannot see that.
In Iraq, The united states claimed that it would grant the people freedom and democracy, what is the result??? They stimulated not only terror on the lands of Iraq, but international terrorism. Not only that, Americans are dying there for no reason! American finances are being wasted. American blood is being shed along with that of many innocent people, especially innocent children! Where is the peace in Iraq now? They gave way to formation of gangsters! They walked in and set the whole country in flames, rubble, and so many corpses! BLOODSHED! And under what banner? Freedom and Democracy? Please!
What differentiates people in Allah's view is our levels of faith, and even those of weak faith are most welcome to strengthen themselves and seek God's aid in that with no problem. Those who do not believe in Islam are free to do what they want… No one is to be forced to embrace this religion… But also Moslems do not want any intervention in their doctrines and lives.
The term "Kafir" bothers so many non Moslems. The word means non believer and may be applied by any one of any religion towards another who does not believe in the same. It is not an offense. For example for Christians I as a Moslem am considered a non believer therefore in Arabic meaning Kafira in their sense, since I am a follower of a different religion. However it is worth mentioning that actually as a Moslem I am believer in Christianity. I must and have no choice because it is part of my faith to believe in Christianity and Judaism which I gladly do. They are all God's word and are therefore part of my faith and it cannot be complete unless if I believe in them. How the people follow their religions is their business, not ours. We do not go around tampering with their books or dare say a word of their prophets or saints. No true Moslem would dare draw a cartoon mocking any respected figure in other religions. No Moslem scholar would dare come up with a new bible and encourage Christians to hand it to one another claiming it is a good present from a Christian to another! That was one of the sentences used by the priest who claimed to come up with a new version of the Quraan called the "true furqan" on the shelves carrying the books as a note from the author!!!
God is the all forgiving the all loving. He tells us that no matter how much we have sinned there is always a way for repentance. He forgives everything but one thing if insisted upon and not repented, and that is Shirk. Shirk is the concept of placing someone next to God the almighty in belief or worship. And that is THE SIN OFALL SINS in Allah's view. As humans, we are to believe in the following:
God is only One, has no partner or son, neither gives birth, nor is He born. He is eternally besought by all and has no beginning or end, and none is equal to Him
(Qur'an, 112:1-5)
That I know offends non Moslems, but again why? Why would it bother anyone as long as they are not forced to follow? At the end of the day, people do not bring this subject up unless if interest to understand and know is a subject of discussion. It does not come between a Moslem and a non Moslem friend, nor does it intervene in business amongst people, or soccer players on a field.
To us is our belief and to them is theirs. Islam does not force anyone to follow it. Force nullifies the belief in Islam. God commanded that we let every one follow what they choose to follow. It is a one to one relationship. But at the same time, in the case our religion is offended we are to speak out in peaceful means, if limits are crossed, we do have the right to defend ourselves, but by no means begin with transgression in terms of war and bloodshed.
Satan calls for anything and every thing in contradiction to what Islam calls for. Not to mention the weak inner self of the human nature.. We cannot go about always completely blaming satan can we?
All of the attacks on Prophet Muhammed are really odd and totally unacceptable. Common sense is in every thing he called for and do you know why? Because he was being taught by the creator. For those who look into this religion without being bias, they may come to realize that clearly. Prophet Muhammed was being guided by GOD as all other prophets and when not he even mentioned it.
In one of the battles against the Meccans, Prophet Muhammed ordered the Moslem soldiers to station the troops by a well to be in a strategic position. When asked by one of the Moslems if he had ordered to do so according to his thought as a human or as a direct command and instruction by God the almighty he replied no as Muhammed, the human. The man suggested they go to a bigger well and station there. Prophet Muhammed responded immediately and took the Moslem soldier's advice.
Prophet Muhammed called for justice, for kindness, for charity, for chastity, for ethics in everything even with those who did not follow the Islamic faith. Prisoners of war advised to teach ten illiterate people how to read and write in exchange for their freedom. Whilst in Abu Gharib, guantanamo, and Israeli prisons men are being degraded and tortured till this date despite the so called human rights. 25 Moslems' graves have been vandalized (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/12/AR2006021201087.html) Why? What have the dead got to do with all these messy situations??? How bizarre!
What makes me not so surprised from the current events and all the attacks Islam and Moslems are undergoing is Prophet Muhammed informed us that a time shall come when those clinging onto their faith shall be like those clinging onto a rock of fire! This indicated a time of difficulty and struggle the Moslems shall encounter. A time where those holding onto their faith shall be attacked ferociously and relentlessly. How would a human being know of such a thing? How would he predict something like that unless if there was a higher power informing him of such things. Many other things that the Prophet mentioned did take place and are taking place and shall keep taking place till he end of time.
In the Quraan and through Prophet Muhammed's teachings the followers of Islam were told clearly that if they follow what the verses of the Quraan taught and what the Prophet taught then people shall never stray or face major problems. That was not and is not the case. Unfortunately, a fraction of Moslems are only so on paper, and have abandoned the essences of Islamic doctrines. Many have adopted attitudes and practices that have nothing to do with Islam.
The result is what has happened, is happening and will happen. How would verses that were revealed more than 1,400 years ago and a Prophet that informed of so much be able to predict such incidents unless if it were truly from the Lord of this universe? Prophet Muhammed was, is and always shall be the master of ethics and morals above all mankind. He was chosen to fulfill the message of God on earth. Those who wish to listen, comprehend and follow are free to do so and those who choose otherwise are also free. But under no circumstances does this freedom mean transgression!
Many verses pointed out that only those who have soft hearts and open minds shall follow the Islamic guidelines. Kindness of the heart is an essential part of Islamic Faith? Hard hearts and stiff minds do not fall in place within this faith. Those whose hearts are warm and kind, and whose tears flow at hearing and comprehending the verses of the Quraan are those who are true believers. Those who treat those around them with compassion and consideration, those who respect, love and provide for their parents even if not following the same faith, those who care and provide for the poor and needy, those who do not wish or want for others except what they want for themselves, those who respect their neighbors and not inflict harm on them, those who share their wealth with the needy, those who fast with all their senses to feel for others and feel thankful for their blessings, those who marry and understand the sacred bond of marriage and what family ties mean, those who do not deal with a woman as if she were a mere object of exploitation… I can keep going on and on.
Islamic Faith shall prevail, I have no doubt. It did before in the face if tyranny and bigotry and it shall again. What makes me confident are the numerous things that have been mentioned in both the Quraan and the Prophets sayings and practices. Every thing has proven CORRECT and PRECISE. Everything is from the creator of this universe and all living creatures on it. If anyone looks deeply into this religion namely the Quraan and the Sunnah with an open heart and mind free of bias feelings, and has some common sense shall know for sure that it is the Religion for all mankind. It combines belief of all divine revelations, of all prophets of all Angels. OF simply everything!
The Quraan, the teachings and sayings of Prophet Muhammed, inform us of the logical beginning and the inevitable end.
Time shows so much, but only for those who are logical or reasonable, even the Quraanic verses always referred to the same, to those who are rational or logical in mind and heart, that those shall be the ones who will abide to the laws of GOD. To the one and only God with no partner… Allaho A7ad… Allah is one.
If we count the transgressions on Islam by non Moslems towards our most revered objects and people representing keys of faith, too much has been done, and many crossed their limits. End results are however never going to meet their expectations. This religion has the deepest and longest roots since the creation of humanity be it admitted or not admitted. It has flourished, spread, survived and has been embraced and followed with conviction and shall continue to do so God willing.
The only thing those people are doing are "creating" unnecessary fury and anger against them. They are creating more and more gaps. Maybe their economic status will change eventually, Maybe they will go to the WTO to complain and get somewhere with that, but the disrespect will not go away and neither shall the hatred they created.
What really startles me is Moslems are always expected to be silent if and when offended.
Strange.
I always believe that something good always finds its way out of the worst situations one or people may face. Moslems whom have been distant are growing closer and closer, struggling strongly for one cause. Moslems are getting more and more united. A stronger awareness of unity has come out of this.
I would like to say this to my fellow Moslems, bothers and sisters. It is about time that all of us (including myself when and if applicable) who have abandoned our Islamic traditions and ideologies go back and abandon what you are blindly mimicking. It will not make you modern to do so, or civilized. Civilization is what the Quraan and Prophet Muhammed taught, ethics and etiquette, kindness and justice, equality, peace and love, unity, aid when needed, etc etc etc.
Abandoning these things is precisely what gave those people the chance to dare cross their limits. I am not saying by any means do not mix or not be in peace with Non Moslems, because The Holy Quraan and Prophet Muhammed taught us to deal with them in peace in all aspects (as long as they are in peace with us). Do not abandon who and what you truly are. Take pride in yourselves, pick up on the positives things they may teach us, but do not ever loose your true identity and Islamic practices. There are no conflicts of interest in that.
Ash-hado an la illaha ila Allah, wa 2ana Muhamadoun Rasoulo Allah! Allahoma balaght Allahoma fash-had.
I bear witness there is no God but Allah and that Prophet Muhammed is his Prophet. Oh Allah I have informed Oh Allah be my witness.
Peace be to all you out there.
posted by Dalulla at 2:38 AM
3 Comments:
Dalulla,
I was never one to leave a comment to piss you off because I generally have great respect for you, but after reading this post I think I am going to break that rule just this once, and say something. Please don't take offense to what I say or if I use colorful language, I use it to convey meaning, and not to insult anyone. Ok?
Ok
First of all, you talk to the notion that Islam is being attacked ferociously more than any other religion. That is simply not true. Every religion got criticisezed at some point in history, and I am guessing now it is Islam's turn. Muslims view the criticisms as attacks because they are not used to question anything when it comes to their religion- unlike judaism which encouraged questioning and christianity with its various reformation movements. Since we are told not to question, we are not prepared to answer the criticisms of those who do not see the religion the way we see it. So, in our horror of recognizing our weakness, lack of knoweldge and prepardedness, we resort to the "we are being attacked" mode, while in reality, we really aren't. At least not as much as we tell ourselves we are.
What drives me crazy, however, is that we have no problems living in this state of victimhood without actually doing something about it. I was speaking to Moez Masoud- the guy from Iqra's Stairwy to paradise- and we were talking about Islam's misrepresntation in the world. He was concerned about our image in the west and how we should defend it. I said :"fine, let's say we defend it. Let's say we defend the part of Islam that says beating women is ok if they disobey-in the context that is allowed of course- and we convicne the west of our point of view. What about the million jerks back in egypt who beat their wives 3all ray7ah wel gayah cause the Koran said it's ok? When do we talk to them? Cause, u know, if they no longer do this shit, we don;t need to defend nothing". He couldn't answer me. He agreed though.
My point is this: Muslims make Islam weak. They make it open to attack by being passive-agressive, by not knowing their religion, by living in this state of prepertual victimhood and by letting the extreemist assholes do all the talking while we do jack squat. Oh, but blame the west if they think badly of us or view us as violent. Well, really, what other chocie have we given them? What other example of muslims is out there?
I mean, you speak about the poor americans dying there, but what about the poor iraqis getting killed by other iraqis. Do you realize that the "resistance" killed 15 times more iraqis than americans? Innocent american blood? How about the innocent iraqi blood? Oh wait, that's ok, we only care about arab blood when foriegenrs kill it. But when arabs or muslims kill it, that's freakin fine.
I mean, you talk about the people who do this as extreemists, and I repeat that same line, but I am not sure that I believe it anymore. I no longer believe there is a "moderate muslim majority" that disagrees "with the extreemists". I would never say it on the blog, but I don't believe that such a thing exists anymore, and I can prove it to you.
Go ask any guy on the street what he felt about septemer 11. Go ask any of them what they thought about the syrians burning the danish embassy and they will tell you "regallah". Go ask the man on the street his opinion of Osama Bin Laden and see what he will say. You say the extreemists have nothing to do with Islam? I say you are the one who is not in touch with today's muslim population. And guess what? People judge the religion by its followers. Start looking at Islam's follwers and u will see why the west thinks this way. Hell, u might even start realizing that with the existnace of such followers, there is no need for a "global conspiracy for attacking Islam". What muslims are doing is quite enough.
It's fine that we say that Islam is the religion of peace, of knoweldge, of democracy and all that good stuff. But when we start examining those tenents of Islam to what Muslims these days do, you find that the muslims are the cause of such attacks. I mean let's examine those tenents, shall we?
Religion of peace: Terrorism is now almost conclusively an islamic franchise. Islam is invoflved in 22 current conflicts around the world. There isn't a day where someone doesn;t blow something or someone up in the name of Allah. But fine, let's say that those are "the extreemists" and ignore that point.
Religion of Knoweldge: Can you name me the number of Muslims who won the Nobel prize in any of the sciences in the past 100 years? How about the past 50 years? I mean it's ncie that we borught algebra to 9th centry spain, but that was 9th century spain. What have we done lately?
Religion of democracy: Can you tell me how many Islamic countries are democracies? True democracies? (And please rememebr that Iran doesn;t count because the clerical council is the one that actually rules and the Preisdent has no real power against it, so it doesn;t really count.)Any luck there?
Dallula, we have problems. We have serious ones. And unless we confront them, we are doomed. Let's quit living in our delusional world of conspiracies and confront the current problem, because we are running out of excuses, and we are running out of time.
I was never one to leave a comment to piss you off because ……..
I thank you for your respect, all my due respect rendered to you too. I do pray I am truly worthy of this respect therefore I will say this, Allahoma ighfirly ma la ya3lamoun waj3alni khayran mima yathounoun… Ameen
Oh Allah I seek your forgiveness from what is unknown about me and help me be better than what anyone may think of me.
I read your entire comment and I did not feel offended at all. With regards to colorful language, well I have reservations about it and personally feel it is not really necessary, there are many substitute "words" that may suffice and serve meanings well.
I in turn ask you (and any other reader, Moslem or non Moslem) to please not be offended at anything I will write herein as well, this is meant to be a fruitful discussion and that is all.
First of all most of what you said in your comment is true, but I think u missed the point or message of the post sandmonkey.
Ok
First of all, you talk to the notion that Islam …..
All well and good, but not the way Islam has been and is being attacked. I could understand criticizm, I could understand differences, but I never heard throughout history that a bible or torah has been stepped on, or burnt, or that a Prophet had been disrespected publicly and openly the way Prophet Muhammed had been especially lately and I mentioned that in the post.
Muslims view the criticisms as attacks because …….
Kindly elaborate on what you meant by "not used to question"?
Question what exactly? And who said that we cannot question and discuss. One of the major essentials in Islam is to question and seek knowledge and reach conviction otherwise we become merely Moslems on paper. The other issue if it were not for questioning, no one would have embraced this faith.
The other issue is the point you brought up about not being prepared to answer to criticism. Who said we are unable to answer? Maybe the answers are not good enough due to the obstinate part of the mind of the non Moslems and sometimes even Moslems themselves. That is simply due to blocks created in the mind which are inturn due to bias reactions and not enough understandings of the issues being brought up. I also mentioned this in the post. Some people want freedom, do not want restraints, some people resist the concept of abiding to rules, which is a common trait in all of us, but what are the ratios of the people who are able to abide by these laws? And why do you think they do it.
From my personal experience, I had a very good religious foundation. However, there came a time when I questioned myself: Why am I Moslem? (sometimes i was mistaken for a Christian, and others for a Jew by the way, but i never understood why and that was one of the many reasons why i questioned) Why am I not anything else? Why on earth do I have to abide to these rules? Many questions did come to my mind and in my short seek for answers for these questions, God quickly provided the answers through incidents and people I spoke to.
I am not the average Egyptian/Moslem woman you may meet every day, especially at the time when these questions came to my mind. To my family I was odd and different and to society as well. I never abided to man made cultures and never will still
(except those which are in agreement to the basics of Quraan and sunna). What I reached was that no culture is going to make me live the way I want to and i was seeking justice and equality and that i only found in Islamic laws. My beliefs were very islamic, yet in an odd and untraditional manner at the time.
I always questioned equality between men and women, between humans in general and always wondered why do men in society get away with so many things while females don't? What makes me inferior to a man? Being a woman?
To me there was something majorly wrong somewhere.
As time passed by and my knowledge grew more and more of Islam (stil have much to learn still) I discovered I was not and am not wrong about any of my assumptions and beliefs. Men and women have been granted equal rights By ISLAM. Humans in general have been given rights. Societies tampered with all these things and messed them all up. And what forms a society now a days? Man made laws (which shall never compare to divine law since it was perfected by the Creator "Allah sub7anaho wa ta3ala") and allowed intervention with justice which is the main problem.
So, in our horror of recognizing …………..
What you just mentioned here is precisely the problem. Sand moneky, what you mentioned concerning this lack of knowledge and preparedness (where Islamic foundations and laws are concerned) was and is the main problem. The aim of my post was this in particular. I want people to differentiate between Islam and its followers. As I mentioned many times over and over for purposes of emphasis was Islam is not the problem, the problem is the appliers of Islam. That was the main issue. However, that still does not give any living being to cross their limits about the Holy Quran or Prophet Muhammed or any other. If they had made and they did many times and so do our own caricature artists any caricature of person x with a bomb ontop of his head or whatever, the Muslim Umah's feelings would not have been stirred up the way they did for Prophet Muhammed. Is Prophet Muhammed just anyone to bring up in such a way? Is our Holy Quraan a mere book to be treated the way it has? Definitely not.
What drives me crazy……..
The problem here is the misinterpretation. Do you know that on judgement day Al mo2men la yo3azaz bejahlo? A moslem is held accountable for not knowing enough. It has been made quite clear that the beating issue is not like many people interpret it. The prophet told us that the hitting process should be like hitting some one with a miswak (something like a toothbrush). And that should only be used as a symbol of anger. What harm would a miswak do. And ok, you mentioned what we will tell them of the women being beaten here or elsewhere. What are the ratios of women being beaten up in our societies compared to theirs? The rapes? The murders, the sexual harassment? My point is, why are they always criticizing us whilst back in their societies they have more to worry about first? Why not deal and handle their own issues. Why do we have to answer to them anyway? And who gave them the right to interfere with our issues? We do not interfere in theirs? I am not by any means denying that we have issues, but they have greater issues. Man tadakhal fima la you3nih samiya ma la yourdih… whoever interferes in something that is not of their own business should expect to hear what they do not wish. It is just annoying. When asked for assistance, fine they are most welcomed in, but barging in the way they are doing is not acceptable.
The matter and the fact is, in my post the main aim was to tell the world that they must differentiate between Islam and its followers. Its followers is a different issue where my post is concerned.
My point is this: Muslims make Islam weak……..
Why should there be choices where our affairs are concerned? Ok, my view of the west is that their societies are out of control. They have higher rates of everything on the ugly list just as well as anywhere, only maybe just a bit more. When you say "Moslems make Islam weak" yes I do agree on that one, and that also was a main point.
If u read through my post well, I also shared the same view, and I mentioned why. It is because many Moslems have abandoned what is theirs and took up something that is not. It is like going to shop, finding an outfit or pair of shoes, only not the right size, and just because of personal appeal taking it anyway. The person ends up looking silly. It is about time people educate themselves religiously. Prophet Muhammed said in one of his hadeeth, what means: There are two things if followed and not abandoned, people shall never stray, the Quraan and the sunnah. Why was there more order and peace at the time when the Prophet lived? Because people abided to the laws of the Quraan and Sunnah and all lived in peace. There were differences in religions back then as well, but every one lived under the umbrella of Islam and lived in peace. Every one was protected by Islam. The problems aroused only when those laws were being abandoned. Besides as I mentioned, I am really not surprised of all what is happening, since Prophet Muhammed told us of these events.
You are right however that we should do something. Each one of us should start repenting and trying to understand the tolerance of Islam and applying it. The extremism and those who adopt it are victims of ignorance and only bring about more innocent victims and give Islam a bad name. But again, Islam is not the problem.
I mean, you speak about the poor americans ………..
Who on earth said so? Ahhh, you mean the ignorant Moslems. By the way, Ignorance and deserters of Islamic teachings are not representations of Islam or all the Moslem population. Amongst Christians and Jews there are many deserters of their own religions as well if u may notice, and in great numbers too. Israel is a nation with citizens all away from the true essence of Judaism, please look into my previous article about Jews and Zionists, and look into the site of Neutra karta International.
I mean, you talk about the people who do this as extreemists, and I repeat that same line, but I am not sure that I believe it anymore.
If you will allow me, please No! Do not stop believing so.
I no longer believe there is a "moderate muslim majority" that ……..
Go ask any guy on the street what he felt about septemer 11. Go ask any of ………..
Ok I do agree with you that many will say so. But who are these people? What kind of educational background do they have? What kind of religious grounds do they have? This is what I am struggling to get through. These are not the people that represent Islam. Allaho al hady, I seek forgiveness from God for saying so, but they truly are not. Islam teaches tolerence, it teaches moderation, it encourages peace, but also encourages strength of will and self defense. Those people are blinded by anger and fury, which was so many times warned about in both the Quraan and by Prophet Muhammed. Give in to your anger and the consequences shall be terrible.
In the Quraan: wal kathemeen al ghayth wal 3afeen 3an el nas… roughly meaning, those who restrain their anger and forgive people….
Prophet Muhammed said: Laysa al shadeedo bel sour3a, inamma al shadeed al lathy yamlouk nafsaho 3enda al ghadab..
A strong man is not he who reacts upon anger and in haste but he is the one who restrains his anger.
So many verses and sayings by the prophet. Not only that, the prophet's behaviour as well teaches us that in many instances.
It's fine that we say that Islam is the religion of peace, of knoweldge, of democracy and all that good stuff.
Stuff? No it is not stuff my friend, but fundamentals of truth about Islam.
But when we start examining those tenants …….
Correction if I may and with my all due respect. That is precisely the major problem that gave way to those people to trespass their limits. When you, and him and her, who are educated young men and women, or respected so called thinkers or philosophers or respected figures who claim to be modern and educated say something like what u just did regarding Islam and blaming Islam, it is a major misconception and big big mistake. That is one of the reasons that created and is creating the real problem. No Sand monkey, it is not Islam and again I stress and will keep stressing, it is not ISLAM. There has to be a clear distinction. It is people who happen to be labeled as Moslems, not true representatives or applicators of ISLAM. I by no means accept to be associated to these people in any sense, nor do I and I am sure many will agree with me, to be associated in any sense to Islam as a religion. Islam is not the transgressor here. It did not and does not encourage mass murders, it did not encourage 9/11 and cannot be held accountable for it, it did not encourage for any of the degrading acts carried out by those people, not now, not ever! If prophet Muhammed or one of the sahabas were alive, they would have seen to it that such sectors of the Moslem society be eradicated!
Is it Islam's fault that these people used its name to commit such acts? The authentic Jews say the same about Israel and Israelis. "Israel does not represent Judaism"… "Israel is an illegal state"... "Israel is a nation against the will of God!" It is the same issue with Islam, the same calls. Islam and true Moslems are in mourning for what is being committed in its and their names!
If someone steels your passport and forges it, and uses it to do something illegal, will you be held accountable? And if u were, how would you plead? Guilty or not guilty? Would you stand up and defend yourself with honor and dignity and fight for proving your innocence or will you just give in, feel shameful and say, it wasn't my day and accept the allegations rendered without putting up a struggle?!
Religion of Knoweldge……
No offense, but that will take too much time to discuss, I will have to get into politics and international affairs and speak of many presidents and government officials, but I will try briefly.
We all know that most Arab countries are being ruled by a bunch of …… Allah yehdeehom ba2a…hasbya Allah wa ne3ma al wakeel. It is not the fault of the people. It is totally a matter of theft and individual benefit issue that brought our countries backewards.. Why? Simply again, again and again, because our rulers have not been abiding to Islamic laws.. They have given in to their own personal benefits disregarding the fact that some day they will die, not taking anything with them, and will severly be judged for the millions and millions of people they were responsible for. Long issue, I prefer not dwelling into now. Please do forgive me. Are you aware of the signs of the hour? This is one of them by the way. Prophet Muhammed informed us that there shall come a time when those who rule Moslems are not fit for their postitions. Not to mention the time when those clinging onto their faith shall be similar to someone clinging to a rock of fire (which happens to be the case of the ummah now). And the proof is the terrorists and extremist who are clearly catalyst of the process.
Religion of democracy…….
More or less same as above.
Dallula, we have problems. We have serious ones. And unless we confront them, we are doomed. Let's quit living in our delusional world of conspiracies and confront the current problem, because we are running out of excuses, and we are running out of time.
The current problem will ONLY be solved if the Moslems go back to the true essences of the Quraan and Sunna. That is the only thing that will correct our image. That is what each Moslem really needs if they know what is good for them.
Oush-hidokom anny Amanto Bellah wa bel yawm el akher… Amanto bel 3athab wa bel na3eem, amanto be3adli Ellah wa ra7matihi. Allahoma ajerna fi moseebatina wakhlofna khayran minha!
(rough translation) I am bearing witness before all of you that I believe in Allah and in the day of resurrection, I believe in his punishment and reward, I believe in Justice and mercy of Allah… Oh Allah save us from this calamity and grant us better instances
Assalamu alaikum,
Dallula, I read your post of you going out with your friends Wanderer and Charismatic Soul. Mashallah! Walahi nothing makes me happier than to see good Muslim women happy. Allah yewafi2ik 2u yewafi2 zawjik wa Omar kaman! ameen ya rab.
Now for the topic, I agree with alot of what you said, however I have to point out that I also believe that what's going on is a clash of civilisations, or to be more accurate, a clash of ideologies.
The reason Islam is being attacked so much is because it is not a religion in the sense Christianity is a religion, or Judism is a religion, or Hinduism is a religion. These religions are only involved in the personal life of the followers. They are weak and do not effect their followers in a great extent. This is why if you watch the daily life of any man in London or anywhere n the west, you will absolutly not be able to know what religion or faith that man follows. Only when he enters his temple of worship could you actually tell. It even goes to the extent that some of the personal domestic laws that the religion orders are not followed even by it's most stern believers. Take pork for example, it is described in the Bible as a filth (or corrupt or something to that effect) meat. Do Christians care? Not at all.
Now you might ask, how is that compared to Islam? How is Islam different from religion? Well, Islam goes beyond these minor issues that all other religions stress on. Islam is a system, it's an ideology. It is politics, economics, foriegn policy and resource management. Islam is a system the same way Communism and Capitalism are systems and even then, it is more. It does not only tell man how to eat, dress, sleep and work. It does not only tell man how to worship and what stories to believe. It also speaks to rulers on how to rule, how to manage agricultural land, how to inheret and how to punish. It is a system the competes with other systems and it has a 1.6 billion individuals for fellowship.
For an ideology to exist it needs to carry out three objectives, promote, protect and propogate. Those three objectives makes it imperative for an ideology to attack any competeing ideology, you only need to look at history. Before the first world war (and after the reneisance), the main objective of the Capitalist west was the destruction of the Uthmanees. They realised that to remove the Khilafah once and for all, they will have to make her own people destroy it. Thus they used the dog Mustapha Kemal. He incited the Turks and pushed the idea that the Sultan Abdul Hamid II was un-Islamic. Very soon after the deposition of the Sultan, Mustapha Kemal, with the support of his chosen senate began ripping apart Islam in Turkey piece after piece. From changing the turkish alphabet to using latin instead of Arabic script, to banning women wearing hijab, forcing men to dress like Europeans and finally establishing the Republic of Turkey.
"We must put an end to anything which brings about any Islamic unity between the sons of the Muslims. As we have already succeeded in finishing off the Khilafah, so we must ensure that there will never arise again unity for the Muslims, whether it be intellectual or cultural unity" - The British Foreign Minister addressing the British Prime Minister shortly before World War II.
“ There are people who control spacious territories teeming with manifest and hidden resources. They dominate the intersections of world routes. Their lands were the cradles of human civilizations and religions. These people have one faith, one language, one history and the same aspirations. No natural barriers can isolate these people from one another ... if, per chance, this nation were to be unified into one state, it would then take the fate of the world into its hands and would separate Europe from the rest of the world. Taking these considerations seriously, a foreign body should be planted in the heart of this nation to prevent the convergence of its wings in such a way that it could exhaust its powers in never-ending wars. It could also serve as a springboard for the West to gain its coveted objects.” - 1902 - Sir Campbell Bannerman, Prime Minister of Britain [1905-08]
The came the USSR, another competition to the capitalist west. The history of how the USSR feel apart due to it's bankruptcy is all in the Cold War history.
What the west is begining to realise today is that Islam is not dead. It is actually being awakened slowly in the hearts and minds of the Muslims. We no longer hear the calls of Arab nationalism or Socialism. We have seen the filth of capitalism (or what they like to package as "democracy"). Today, the loudest voice we hear coming from the Muslim ummah is the voice of Islam.
According to the National Intelegence Council report on the world in 2020, one of the possible senarios (out of 5 possible senarios I believe) is the emergence of a caliphate. According to the report, they discribe the caliphate as bin Ladinist. That's their speculation on what Islamic rule looks like, the main point is that they do realise Islam's growth in the ummah.
Abu Bakr is reported to have said, "Muhammad has indeed died. This Deen needs some one to maintain it."
Umar Ibn Al-Khatab said: "There can be no Islam without Jama'a; no Jama'a without an Ameer (leader); and no leadership without obedience."
You might want to check the "Ideology" article I wrote in my bog for more clearity. Inshallah khair.
http://nabahani.blogspot.com/2006/02/ideology.html
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