No, and here is some information to explain why:
In the past few years, as a result of political events, many people have become interested in learning about Islam and Muslims. There are several misconceptions about Islam in the general public also. The misconceptions are based on incorrect interpretations or misquotes of religious text. Let’s take a tour of this religion’s basic values and teachings as stated in the Holy Koran and address the issue of misconceptions.
First of all, the word, “Islam”, comes from the root word, “Salam”, which means peace. The more direct meaning of the word would be, “to submit”, that is, to submit to the will of the One God and his way. A person who does just that is called “the submitting one”, in other words, a “Muslim”. From that angle, prophets like Moses, Jesus and Abraham are all “Muslims” since they also “submitted” to the way of the One God and preached about it. Islam views God as unique, indivisible, unquestionably singular and genderless in nature. He does not have a beginning or an end. He does not need to rest nor does he get tiered. He cannot be formed into an image in your mind; hence he cannot be carved into a statue to be worshipped. Islam is not just a religion; it is a way of life. You live your life according to the guidelines as explained in the Koran and practiced by the Prophet Mohammad. A Muslim has a very deep and personal connection with God. And only God is considered your savior. No intermediary is needed. Prayers are directed to God and God alone. Islam believes in accountability of actions. You will be held responsible for your actions, there are no free passes. The Koran says in chapter 99-7, "Anyone who has done an atom weight of good shall see it and anyone who has done an atom weight of evil shall see it too." This, however, does not mean that God is not merciful. The very first verse in the Koran, which also begins every chapter in the Quran, is, “In the name of God, the most Merciful and the most Beneficent”.
Islam has five pillars. The first is the declaration of faith which merely states that there is no god but God and Muhammad is his messenger. The second pillar is prayers. Muslims face toward Mecca and perform prayers called Salat, five times a day. These are obligatory and contain direct verses from the Koran. Prayers are said at dawn, mid-day, late-afternoon, sunset and nightfall. They can be performed practically anywhere. The third pillar is charity. There are two forms of charity: The first is Zakat, which is the obligatory component that every Muslim has to pay and which is based on the wealth you accumulated during the year. The other form of charity is non-obligatory and every one is encouraged to participate in it as much as possible. A great importance is placed in charity as the Prophet Mohammad said that “even a smile is a charity”. The fourth pillar is fasting in the month of Ramadan from dawn until sundown. Muslims abstain from food, water and other pleasures during this time. Fasting is a way to remind ourselves of the difficulties the less fortunate people endure. Ramadan ends with Eid-ul-Fitr, a holiday. During this holiday you greet others by saying “Eid Mubarak”, which means, “Happy Holiday”. The last pillar is the pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca, a tradition, according to Islam, started by the Prophet Abraham. It is obligatory for those who are physically and financially capable. During Hajj everyone wears the same white clothes so as to strip away all distinctions of class and status. In the end there is Eid-ul-Adha, which means, “holiday of the sacrifice”, referring back to Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son as proof of his commitment to God. One of the rituals of Hajj is the seven trips back and forth between the two mountains where Abraham’s wife, Hagar, ran back and forth when she was looking for water for her child, Ishmael.
Muslims believe in many of the same prophets that Christians and Jews believe in. They also believe in four holy books as the direct word of God: Torah (Moses), The Psalms (David), The Gospels (Jesus), and the Koran (Mohammad). Here is what Koran says about the revelations:
“Say (O Muslims): We believe in God and that which is revealed to us and that which was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which Moses and Jesus received, and that which the prophets received from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have surrendered (2:136)”
Muslims believe that God’s message is unchanged. The Bible has been translated from the original text into other languages. A Bible in English is still considered a Bible. The Koran is only considered a Koran if it is in the original Arabic. All translations are mere opinions. Stress is laid on reading multiple translations to grasp the full understanding of the original text. The Koran was dictated to the prophet Mohammad by God through the arch angel Gabriel. It is the actual words of God and that is why if you read the Koran, you will notice that it is very direct and is always in the first person just like a dictation. It is never an account of what someone heard someone said or an inspired word that was narrated by someone else. Here are two verses below that would sufficiently illustrate the point:
“And it is We who have built the universe with Our creative power; and, verily, it is We who are steadily expanding it (Koran 51:44)”
“Do not the unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were once a single entity, which We then parted asunder? and that We made out of water every living thing? Will they not, then, believe? (Koran 21:30)”
Let’s address some of the misconceptions about Islam now. The most common misconception is that the God of Islam is some how not the God of the Christians or the Jews. This is incorrect. The Arabic word “Allah” means “The God”. This is how you say God in Arabic. The word “Allah” comes from the Aramaic word “Ala” or “AL” which means God. This is the same word that branched out to become Elohim in Hebrew. Some have even suggested that “Allah” is a moon god secretly worshipped by Muslims. On this the following verse in the Quran will suffice:
“And among His signs are the night and the day and the sun and the moon; DO NOT prostrate to the sun nor to the moon; and prostrate to Allah Who created them, if Him it is that you serve.” (Quran 41:37)
Next most common misconception relates to the word Jihad. It is commonly believed that Jihad means “Holy War”. Again, that is incorrect. Jihad means “Struggle” not “holy war”. The actual Arabic word for “war” is “Harb”. Jihad is the struggle to improve and make oneself better, to pray daily, give charity, and help the needy and so on. It is a struggle to better yourself spiritually. And yes, Jihad also translates into physical struggle, but only in self-defense against injustice and oppression. When Jihad becomes a physical struggle, it brings with it great responsibility. Aggression and vigilantism are not acceptable, joining your country’s military and fighting for your country in self-defense is acceptable. Even during war you are not allowed to hurt women, children and the elderly or damage food and vegetation. You are forbidden from attacking religious leaders. When a Muslim army camps out it must position itself in such a way that it does not cause undue hardship to the general public. In the event of a cease-fire, you are to protect the captured soldiers, treat them as you would treat your own, and provide them with safe passage back to their land.
Another common misconception is that the Koran contains verses that directly call for the murder of other people. This claim usually involves partial quotes from the Koran. Here are two verses commonly quoted:
“And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you…” (2:190)
“And kill them wherever you find them…” (2:191)
Please notice the “…” in the end of each quote. Here is the full text:
And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits. (2:190)
And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from whence they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque until they fight with you in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the recompense of the unbelievers. (2:191)
From the above verses it is clear that you are allowed to fight but not commit excesses, “do not exceed the limits”. Additionally, you notice that you are fighting to defend your ground not invading another country, “drive them out from whence they drove you out”. Fighting in Islam is allowed only for defensive purposes and killing of the innocents is very strictly prohibited. The Koran clearly says, “Whoever kills a person without his being guilty of murder or of creating unrest in the land is as though he kills the whole of mankind. (5: 32)”.
Furthermore, Muslims spent the first 13 years in Mecca, where they were persecuted for their beliefs by the pagans. They did not fight back; instead, they moved to Medina to escape the persecution and established the first Islamic state. The pagan armies still attacked them. Finally, God revealed the above mentioned verses allowing the Muslims to fight back. It is in this historical context that you need to read these verses.
The next misconception is about the treatment of women. It is often said that Islam condones harsh treatment of women by men. The reality is that it is the men who treat women this way not the religion. Some men are abusive and break under pressure from daily life and take out their aggression on women, while hiding behind the façade of religion. People commit crimes and often find society to blame for their actions, hence hiding behind a wall of protection. After 9-11, many hate crimes were committed against Muslims. These criminals where not mourning the 9-11 deaths. They were simply racist, and were committing hate crimes while hiding behind patriotism. Here are some verses in the Koran about women:
I shall not lose sight of the labor of any of you who labors in My way, be it man or woman; each of you is equal to the other (Koran 3:195)
Every soul is held in pledge for what it earns (Koran 74:38)
"And they (women) have rights similar to those (of men) over them, and men are a degree above them." (Qur'an 2:228).
This “degree” refers to maintenance and protection, not man’s superiority over women. Men have the added responsibility of protecting and providing for the women. One thing to keep in mind is that when other faiths treated women as property, Islam came out as a force of liberation for women. Islam gave rights to women that were unheard of in those days and many of those rights are not even a century old by our standards. For example, women in Islam, 1400 years ago, had the right to work, earn their own money and keep it. They had the right to inheritance. They had the right to vote and be heard. They had a say in family matters. They had the right to own a business. They had the right to choose a mate. They had the right to be taken care of by husbands and fathers and so on.
Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. It is the fastest growing religion in the US. Over all, it has 1.2 billion followers in the world. Its adherents cover every race, color, and nationality. It does not preach hatred, and violence. It does however; preach love, kindness, charity and praising the Almighty. Bin Laden and his cronies have a political agenda not a religious one. However; they too, like the racists, can hide behind the façade of religion to commit hate crimes on a larger scale just as they did on 9-11
2006-10-11 14:47:26
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answer #4
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answered by Whatever 3
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