Senin, 15 September 2008

Misconception - Islaam degrades women

Even though many aspects of Islaam are misunderstood by non-Muslims, the ignorance, misinformation and incorrect assumptions that are made in regards to Islaam's treatment of women are probably the most severe.

Numerous verses of the Qur.aan make it clear that men and women are equal in the sight of God. According to the teachings of Islaam, the only thing that distinguishes people in the sight of God is their level of God-consciousness. Due to this, many people are surprised to find out that Islaamic Law guaranteed rights to women over 1400 years ago and that women in Europe and America only obtained their rights recently. For example, Islaam clearly teaches that a woman is a full-person under the law, and is the spiritual equal of a male. Also, according to Islaamic Law, women have the right to own property, operate a business and receive equal pay for equal work. Women are allowed total control of their wealth, they cannot be married against their will and they are allowed to keep their own name when married.

Additionally, they have the right to inherit property and to have their marriage dissolved in the case of neglect or mistreatment. Also, Islaam does not consider a woman an "evil temptress", and thus does not blame women for the "original sin". Women in Islaam participate in all forms of worship that men participate in. Actually, the rights that Islaam gave to women over 1400 years ago were almost unheard of in the West until the 1900's.

Less than fifty years ago in England and America, a woman could not buy a house or car without the co-signature of her father or husband! Additionally, Islaam gives great respect to women and their role in society; it gives them the right to own property, marry who they want and many other rights. Also, it should be mentioned that the Prophet Muhammad's mission stopped many of the horrible practices in regards to women that were present in the society of his time. For example, the Qur.aan put an end to the pagan Arab practice of killing their baby daughters when they were born.

Additionally, Islaam put restrictions on the unrestricted polygamy of the Arabs of the time, and put many laws in place to protect the well-being of women. Today, most of the so-called reforms in the status of women came about after the West abandoned religion for secularism. Even those in the West who claim to follow the so-called "Judaeo-Christian tradition" really follow the values of Western liberalism, but just to a lesser degree than their more liberal countrymen.

If women in the Muslim World today don't have their rights, it is not because Islaam did not give them to them. The problem is that in many places alien traditions have come to overshadow the teachings of Islaam, either through ignorance or the impact of Colonialisation.
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Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad

Selasa, 16 Oktober 2007

What is the Qur_aan

It is the final revelation of the will of Almighty God's to all of mankind, which was conveyed through the Angel Gabriel, in Arabic, to the Prophet Muhammad in its sounds, words and meanings.

The Qur'aan, sometimes spelled Koran, was relayed to the Prophet's companions, which they memorised verbatim, and which has been publicly and continually recited by them and their successors until the present day. In short, the Qur'aan is the book of guidance from God par excellence. The Qur'aan is still memorised and taught by millions of people.

The language of the Qur'aan, Arabic, is still a living language to millions of people, so unlike the scriptures of other religions, the Qur'aan is still read in its original language by countless millions of people. The Qu'raan is a living miracle in the Arabic language; and is known to be inimitable in its style, form and spiritual impact. God's final revelation to mankind, the Qur'aan, was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of 23 years. The Qur'aan, in contrast to many other religious books, was always thought to be the Word of God by those who believed in it, i.e. it wasn't something decreed by a religious council many years after being written. Also, the Qu'raan was recited publicly in front of both the Muslim and non-Muslim communities during the life of the Prophet Muhammad.

The entire Qur'aan was completely written down in the lifetime of the Prophet, and numerous companions of the Prophet memorised the entire Qur'aan word-for-word as it was revealed. So unlike other scriptures, the Qur'aan was always in the hands of the common believers, it was always thought to be God's word and, due to wide-spread memorisation, it was perfectly preserved.

In regards to the teachings of the Qur'aan - it is a universal scripture, and it is addressed to all of mankind, and not to a particular tribe or "chosen people". The message that it brings is nothing new, but the same message of all of the prophets - submit to Almighty God and worship Him alone. As such, God's revelation in the Qur'aan focuses on teaching human beings the importance of believing in the Unity of God and framing their lives around the guidance which He has sent. Additionally, the Qur'aan contains the stories of the previous prophets, such as Abraham, Noah, Moses and Jesus; as well as many commands and prohibitions from God. In modern times in which so many people are caught up in doubt, spiritual despair and "political correctness", the Qur'aanic teachings offer solutions to the emptiness of our lives and the turmoil that is gripping the world today.
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Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad

Selasa, 09 Oktober 2007

MISCONCEPTION - MUSLIMS HATE JESUS

Many non-Muslims are surprised to find out that according to Muslim belief, Jesus, the son of Mary, is one of the greatest messengers of God.

Muslims are taught to love Jesus, and a person cannot be a Muslim without believing in the virgin birth and miracles of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him.

Muslims believe these things about Jesus not because of the Bible or any other religion, but simply because the Holy Qur.aan says these things about him. However, Muslims always emphasise that the miracles of Jesus, and all other prophets, were by "God's permission". This having been said, many Christians feel to not believe that Jesus is the "Son of God", "God Incarnate" or the "Third Person" of the Trinity. This is because the Qur.aan clearly says that Almighty God does not have a "Son" --- neither allegorically, physically, metaphorically or metaphysically.

The Pure Monotheism of Islaam rejects the notion of "defining" God (which is basically what the "Doctrine of the Trinity" does), saying that someone is "like" God or equal to him, or praying to someone else besides God. Also, Islaam teaches that titles such as "Lord" and "Saviour" are due to God alone.

In order to avoid misunderstanding, it should be clarified that when Muslims criticise the Bible or the teachings of Christianity, they are not attacking "God's Word" or Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. From the Muslim point of view, they are defending Jesus and God's Word, which they have in the form of the Qur.aan. Muslim criticism is targeted at writings that some people claim are God's word, but Muslim's simply don't accept their claim that they are really God's word.

Additionally, Christian doctrines such as the Trinity and the Atonement are criticised by Muslims precisely because they did not originate from Jesus, peace be upon him. In this way, Muslims are the true followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, because they defend him from the exaggerations of the Christians and teach the Pure Monotheism that Jesus himself followed.

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Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad

Selasa, 18 September 2007

What is Islaam

The word "Islaam" is an Arabic word that means "submitting and surrendering your will to Almighty God".

The word comes from the same root as the Arabic word "salam", which means peace.

Unlike the names used for other religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, the name for the religion of Islaam was both revealed by God and carries a deep spritual meaning - only by submitting one's will to Almighty God can one obtain true peace both in this life and in the life hereafter. Islaam teaches that all religions originally had the same essential message - which was to submit whole-heartedly to the will of God and to worship Him and Him alone.

For this reason, Islaam is not a new religion but is the same divinely revealed Ultimate Truth that God revealed to all prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

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Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad

Kamis, 30 Agustus 2007

Who are Muslims?

The Arabic word "Muslim" literally means "someone who submits to the will of God".

The message of Islaam is meant for the entire world and anyone who accepts this message becomes a Muslim.

Some people mistakenly believe that Islaam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from the truth, since in actuality over 80% of the world's Muslims are not Arabs! Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists.
If one just takes a look at the various peoples who live in the Muslim World - from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to Indonesia - it is easy enough to see that Muslims come from all different races, ethnic groups and nationalities.

From the very beginning, Islaam had a universal message for all people. This can be seen in the fact that some of the early companions of the Prophet Muhammad were not only Arabs, but also Persians, Africans and Byzantine Romans. Being a Muslim entails complete acceptance and active obedience to the revealed will of Almighty God.

A Muslim is a person who freely accepts to base his beliefs, values and faith on the will of Almighty God. In the past, even though you don't see it as much today, the word "Mohammedans" was often used as a label for Muslims. This label is a misnomer and is the result of either wilful distortion or sheer ignorance. One of the reasons for the misconception is that Europeans were taught for centuries that Muslims worshipped the Prophet Muhammad in the same way that Christians worship Jesus. This is absolutely not true since a Muslim is not permitted to worship anyone or anything besides Almighty God.

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Prepared by: Abu 'Iyaad