Questions you have always wanted to ask Muslims about Islam

What are the questions you have always wanted to ask but are afraid to or don't know any Muslims? Is there anything you don't fully understand about the religion? Type the questions below and I will be able to respond.

 

1. I represent the Sunni Islamic Branch.
2. Of all the works of Hadeeth, Saheeh Al-Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim are regarded as the most authentic and authoritative books, after the Quran.
3. I speak from a theological point of view.
4. Yes Muslims all over the world follow the life and habits of the prophet and it is a suitable example to follow as a Muslim of the 21st century. Such as treating everyone with respect, dressing modestly, living as an authentic Muslim.

 

Absolutely! In the UK primary and secondary school students go on school trips to places of worship to learn more about the religion. I'm perfectly sure any Muslim would be happy for you to learn about their religion from a non converting standing point.

 

I don't really know what school of thought I belong to, I will find out for you soon.

Could you be more specific? Do you have anything on your mind were you think the prophet did do anything that would not be suitable today?

The Sharia is not an internal matter that only concerns Islam and Muslims. The Sharia includes a large number of provisions about people who are not Muslims. The Sharia Law comes from the Quran and also stems from the Prophet Muhammad's teachings and meanings of those teachings by certain Muslim scholars. These rules are usually prohibitions that carry severe penalties if violated.

I believe Sharia law should not be implemented in western countries as it is unfair to atheists and people of other faiths who don't want their lives to be governed by a Muslim law. I think many Muslims in the UK would be in favour of Sharia law being implemented here, but true Sharia law is only really possible in a Muslim society, not in a non-Muslim or mixed society.

Basically in Islam the needs of society always come first, with the proviso that injustices should always be able to be taken to judges who are not corrupt. The old Arab system allowed any person, no matter how humble, to take his/her case to the highest in the land personally. Islam brings a very strong sense of justice, very strict when it comes to punishment and care of the oppressed and exploited. Sharia should promote gender equality. In fact, the natural Islamic tendency is to always consider women as the weaker sex in need of care and protection, and come down hard on the men who allow their womenfolk to get into difficulties.

Woman and man who arecreated equal by God and standing equal in the sight of God, have become very unequal in Muslim societies. The Qur'anic description of man and woman in marriage: "They are your garments/ And you are their garments" (Surah 2: Al-Baqarah: 187) implies closeness, mutuality, and equality. However, Muslim culture has reduced many, if not most, women to the position of puppets on a string, to slave-like creatures whose only purpose in life is to cater to the needs and pleasures of men. Not only this, it has also had the audacity and the arrogance to deny women direct access to God. It is one of Islam's cardinal beliefs that each person -man or woman- is responsible and accountable for his or her individual actions. How, then, can the husband become the wife's gateway to heaven or hell? How, then, can he become the arbiter not only of what happens to her in this world but also of her ultimate destiny? Such questions are now being articulated by an increasing number of Muslim women and they are bound to threaten the existing balance of power in the domain of family relationships in most Muslim societies.

 

I've heard of Dr Taj Hargey and he is not taken seriously by Muslims at all. Many of us believe he is causing trouble.

The slaughter of a halal animal is called "zabihah" and there are certain guidelines to follow:
Allah's (God's) name must be pronounced during slaughter. The instrument must be very sharp to ensure humane slaughter. The animal must be slit at the throat.
The animal must not be unconscious
The animal must be hung upside down and allowed to bleed dry. Eating blood is not halal.
These steps must be accomplished by a Muslim or the People of the Book (Christian or Jew.)
Many observant Muslims find kosher meat acceptable.
The animal must have been fed a natural diet that did not contain animal by-products.

In order for meat to be considered Halal, the animal must have its throat cut (one quick slit of the throat and the blood of the animal must be drained). The meat must also be blessed, if one of these methods aren't followed the meat is NOT halal. So I have no idea what Dr Taj Hargey is claiming.

---------- Post added 23rd Jan 2016 at 10:07 AM ----------

The Muslims have to pay taxes (which is 2.5 percent of their annual income) under the name of "Zakah" to the "Muslim Financial Institute" or the "House of the Muslim Money" which all goes to provide welfare to the poor and the needy citizens; from both Muslims and non-Muslims. The poor and the needy (such as the Orphans, Widows and the disabled) from the Muslims are exempt from paying taxes.

However the non-Muslims have to pay a varrying amount under the name of "Jizyah", depending on their situation, which is taxes that don't go to help poor and needy Muslims, but instead, it goes to the government to (1) Provide protection for them since they are a minority; (2) Provide means for them to practice their religions freely by building Temples or Churches for them. For the non-Muslims, there are exemptions for the poor, for females and children (according to Abu Hanifah), for slaves, and for monks and hermits. It is important to know that the law in the Islamic State applies to everyone; both Muslims and non-Muslims equally. This means that murderers and rapists get executed, adulterers and adulteresses get flogged 100 stripes.

The reasons why muslims move to Europe/the west is due to better standards of living. Good water supply and sewage disposal, Adequate shelter, Good health services, High paying jobs and Freedom. Muslim countries are developing countries and are usually very poor. I am glad my grandparents moved to the UK, I would have hated life if I had to live in a Muslim country.

 

The misconception that Muslims hate Jesus comes from ignorance and a lack of knowledge of Islam. Yes, Muslims believe that Jesus is a prophet in Islam and he is well respected. In the Quran God sent the message through the angel Gabriel to Mary, that she was honored among the woman of all nations. She was going to give birth to a pure son, named Isa (Jesus), who would be a great prophet and God would give him the Gospel.

---------- Post added 23rd Jan 2016 at 10:25 AM ----------

One must first understand that 1400 years ago was very different than now, times have changed and so have humans. 1400 years ago it was something very common to marry young girls, in fact they were not considered young girls, and rather they were considered young women back then. It is a historic fact that girls from the ages of 9 to 14 were being married in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in fact even in the United States girls at the age of 10 were also being married just more than a century ago. In them days societies were different men in generally married girls young back then. even Europeans did it. it wasn't disgusting for it's time. people didn't live that long back then so as soon as the girl hit puberty they would get her married. 50 years ago, 16 wasn't considered young to get married. but now it is since people don't expect girls to marry until they are in their 20's now. it's just how society goes.

Yet with these facts no historian claims that all these people were sick perverts, historians would call anyone who made such a claim to be arrogant and very stupid who has no grasp or understanding of history.

Even in Indo-Pak Sub-Continent girls used to be married at 12-13 even 50-60 years ago. And those ‘girls’ infact raised much better families. There were less family problems then. A simple analyses of the divorce rate then and know would certainly make it clear that maturity level earlier used to be different i.e. people used to come of age rather quickly.

Furthermore as to the Holy Prophet’s marriage with Sayyidah Aisha, something people will notice is that the marriage was done when Sayyidah Aisha was 9 years old, not when she was 6. The reason why this happened is because Sayyidah Aisha had been through puberty by the age of 9, and in Islam a female who under-goes puberty is considered a lady and is fit for marriage.

 

There are five references in the Qur'an which have been cited as referring to gay and lesbian behavior. Some obviously deal with effeminate men and "masculine women." The two main references to homosexual behavior are:
"We also sent Lut : He said to his people : "Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds." Qur'an 7:80-81
"What! Of all creatures do ye come unto the males, and leave the wives your Lord created for you? Nay, but ye are forward folk." Qur'an 26:165
Both references relate to gay sexual activities; lesbian practices are not mentioned in the Qur'an.
Lut is referred to as "Lot" in the Hebrew Scriptures. This passage is an apparent reference to the activities at Sodom and Gamorah. It seems to imply that there was no homosexual behavior before it first appeared in Sodom. This is a uniquely Islamic concept; it does not appear in Jewish or Christian beliefs. The passage also links the sin of Sodom (the reason for its destruction) to homosexuality. That linkage is contradicted by other verses in the Hebrew Scriptures.

The Hadith and homosexuality: The Hadith are collections of sayings attributed to Muhammad. Many Hadiths discuss liwat (sexual intercourse between males). Two examples are:

"When a man mounts another man, the throne of God shakes."
"Kill the one that is doing it and also kill the one that it is being done to." (in reference to the active and passive partners in gay sexual intercourse)

There is at least one mention of lesbian behavior mentioned in the Hadith: "Sihaq (lesbian sexual activity) of women is zina (illegitimate sexual intercourse) among them."
According to a pamphlet produced by Al-Fatiha, there is a consensus among Islamic scholars that all humans are naturally heterosexual. Unfortunately Homosexuality is seen by scholars to be a sinful and perverted deviation from the norm. All Islamic schools of thought and jurisprudence consider gay acts to be unlawful. They differ in terms of penalty:

The Hanafite school (currently seen mainly in South and Eastern Asia) teaches that no physical punishment is warranted. Thank Goodness

The Hanabalites, (widely followed in the Arab world) teach that severe punishment is warranted.

The Sha'fi school of thought (also seen in the Arab world) requires a minimum of 4 adult male witnesses before a person can be found guilty of a homosexual act. Al-Fatiha estimates that 4,000 homosexuals have been executed in Iran since their revolution in 1979. 10 public executions of homosexuals have been performed in Afghanistan by the Taliban army.

Al fatiha is an LGBT Muslim foundation/LGBT Muslim Group Imaan/LGBTQI Resources — Muslims for Progressive Values.
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Things may slowly get better for LGBT Muslims but It will take time and I definitely don't reckon there will be a change anytime soon

---------- Post added 23rd Jan 2016 at 11:06 AM ----------

The Sunni branch believes that the first four caliphs whom were Mohammed's successors took his place as the leaders of Muslims. They recognize the heirs of the four caliphs as legitimate religious leaders. These heirs ruled continuously in the Arab world until the break-up of the Ottoman Empire following the end of the First World War.

Shiites, in contrast, believe that only the heirs of the fourth caliphs Ali, are the legitimate successors of Mohammed. In 931 the Twelfth Imam disappeared. This was a seminal event in the history of Shiite Muslims. According to R. Scott Appleby, a professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, "Shiite Muslims, who are mainly orignated in Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, believe they had suffered the loss of divinely guided political leadership" at the time of the Imam's disappearance. Not until the ascendancy of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1978 did they believe that they had once again begun to live under the authority of a legitimate religious figure.