(I don't "care" if my answer gets sooo long that no one bothers to read it. I've lots to say, so I will.)
Kids, kids, kids, the asker doesn't seem to, in anyway, be asking you to become Muslims or to accept Islam! Sheesh, the Quran permits EVERYONE to believe whatever they wanna believe; it's the ONLY Holy Scripture that contains this teaching: "Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things" (Quran, 2:256).
Can someone please name another Scripure that says something similar, if not exact?
All he's saying is for you judgmental darlings to not judge a religion based on how its followers follow it; the Quran is strictly against fighting others without a just cause. So all I can say is, true Muslims who know Islam and God really well do NOT fight others unjustly. It's the narrowminded, terroristic "Muslims" who're killing each other, and the Quran promises them punishment in hellfire. No doubt abt that at all.
Do you people have ANY idea what the Quran teaches at all?
Well, obviously not, but inshaAllah, I'll get to that in this answer. First, allow me to address some answers' comments on here. Let's pray this answer doesn't get deleted because I've the tendency to comment on people's answers quite often and then people can't handle them so they report me! Wonder why, but it's all good.
-- Icarcus62, dearest, I'm not understanding something here.... How come you only chose those verses where God warns you of the consequences of your actions? Of course there are ALWAYS consequences of the actions we take, right? This also includes the type of life that we life; depending on how good or bad you're living life, treating yourself and others, you'll be punished or rewarded, and if you don't believe in God, I'm not in the mood to explain that--and it has nothing to do with the question anyway.
BUT one thing I'm also not understanding is you only mentioned those verses where you're warned... how come? What about those verses where God promises you nothing but happines and peace and peace and happiness and happiness and peace ... in Heaven if you're a good and righteous peron? No worries; I'll give you those.
The only problem is, there are SO many that I've no idea where to start!!!! But, again, no worries :D I've got it ALL under control here, hon. I'll make sure to give from the same chapters that you've mentioned as well. You can't ignore these, you see, and just pick and choose from the Quran; that's just not wise.
1) "But give glad tidings to those who believe and work righteousness, that their portion is Gardens, beneath which rivers flow. Every time they are fed with fruits therefrom, they say: "Why, this is what we were fed with before," for they are given things in similitude; and they have therein companions pure (and holy); and they abide therein (for ever)" (2:25).
2) 'Say: Shall I give you glad tidings of things Far better than those? For the righteous are Gardens in nearness to their Lord, with rivers flowing beneath; therein is their eternal home; with companions pure (and holy); and the good pleasure of Allah. For in Allah's sight are (all) His servants, (Namely), those who say: "Our Lord! we have indeed believed: forgive us, then, our sins, and save us from the agony of the Fire;"- Those who show patience, Firmness and self-control; who are true (in word and deed); who worship devoutly; who spend (in the way of Allah); and who pray for forgiveness in the early hours of the morning' (3:15-17).
3) "For such the reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and Gardens with rivers flowing underneath,- an eternal dwelling: How excellent a recompense for those who work (and strive)!" (3:136)
4) "And their Lord hath accepted of them, and answered them: "Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female: Ye are members, one of another: Those who have left their homes, or been driven out therefrom, or suffered harm in My Cause, or fought or been slain,- verily, I will blot out from them their iniquities, and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing beneath;- A reward from the presence of Allah, and from His presence is the best of rewards' (3:195).
5) "...Those who obey Allah and His Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath, to abide therein (for ever) and that will be the supreme achievement" (4:13).
6) "But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness, We shall soon admit to Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath,- their eternal home: Therein shall they have companions pure and holy: We shall admit them to shades, cool and ever deepening" (4:57).
7) "But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness,- we shall soon admit them to gardens, with rivers flowing beneath,-to dwell therein for ever. Allah's promise is the truth, and whose word can be truer than Allah's?" (4:122)
What's bugging me too much is that you mentioned 10:4 but didn't complete it!! Why, buddy? ;)! Here's why:
8) "To Him will be your return- of all of you. The promise of Allah is true and sure. It is He Who beginneth the process of creation, and repeateth it, that He may reward with justice those who believe and work righteousness; but those who reject Him will have draughts of boiling fluids, and a penalty grievous, because they did reject Him" (10:4).
Come onnn.. do I have to go further???? The point is, God in the Quran NEVER says anything like, "I'll punish those who're unrighetous" without saying, "I'll reward those who're righteous", okie?....Try to remember that, buddy. Oh, and woudldn't you expect God to warn you ahead of time before it's too late?... I'd think so. But, yes, yes, I know, you're not me.
MOVING on :D!
-- Om... Before, I start, here's what 2:6 says: "As to those who reject Faith, it is the same to them whether thou warn them or do not warn them; they will not believe."
Does it REALLY say to not bother with you?... You see, the Quran doesn't force anyone to believe; God knows ahead of time who's gonna believe in Him and who's not. He told Muhammad (peace be upon him) this strictly and clearly in the Quran: "Don't worry if they don't believe in you or me; no problem, since the fault is theirs. Your ONLY job is to inform them about me. I'm the Final Judge."
If you're in some sort of unclear way trying to indicate that the Quran (or God) hates the unbelievers, don't be silly; here's what He says about such folks:
"And tell My (God) worshippers that they should speak in a most kindly manner unto those who do not share their beliefs. Verily, Satan is always ready to stir up discord between men; for verily; Satan is man's foe .... Hence, We have not sent you (Unto men O Prophet) with power to determine their Faith" (17:53-54).
Here is what God says about NOT forcing the unbelievers into our religion:
1) "And so, (O Prophet!) exhort them your task is only to encourage (gently push them towards the Truth); you cannot compel them to believe" (88:21-22; also see 24:54).
2) "But if they turn away from you, (O Prophet remember that) your only duty is a clear delivery of the Message (that is entrusted to you)" (16:82).
3) '(O Prophet?) 'We have not sent you except to be a mercy to all mankind:" Declare, "Verily, what is revealed to me is this, your God is the only One God, so is it not up to you to bow down to Him?' But if they turn away then say, "I have delivered the Truth in a manner clear to one and all, and I know not whether the promised hour (of Judgment) is near or far"' (21:107-109).
MUST I continue further?... Bottom line: How can you expect us Muslims, or Muhammad (peace be upon him), to be punished for the doings of the non-Muslims or even Muslims? YOU do something bad, YOU deser the punishment--NOT anyone else unless they had a say in your wrongdoings; YOU do something good, YOU deserve the reward--not anyone else unless they had a say in your good doings.
Is that too hard to understand?
-- JesusFreak, you're my FAVORITE one!! Ahhh, thank GOD you chose women :D!!!! You see, I'm a feminist, and I'm Muslim, and I LOVE Islam; it's simply the most beautiful Gift God has bestowed upon me. The more I learn about Islam, the more I love it as a woman. Because the women topic is gonna take me some time to discuss here (it's my favorite topic of all things open to discussion), I'll first ask you WHO told you that Islam was spread by the sword? The Quran doesn't believe in such a thing so if any Muslims have ever done that or are doing that today, they're NOT following the Quran; if you're gonna be a Muslim, you need to follow the Quran, or then stop claiming you're Muslim. True Islam does NOT teach anything silly like, "Death to America!" or "Death to Israel" or "Death to the West"! LOL! Silly you; true Islam teaches Muslims to pray and say, "Peace and blessings of God be upon the world!" The ENTIRE world, not just the Muslim or the non-Muslim world.
You wanna talk about FIGHTING and wars and killings in Islam? Cool with me. Let's talk about it.
Why judge a religion by its followers? How do you know if these Muslims are following the real Islam that's taught in the Quran? What would you say if I judged the entire religion of Christianity based on what the Slave Trade (controlled by Christians) was like? What about how Christopher Columbus and his crew wiped out the innocent Native Americans in the name of Christianity? What about those Christians who bombed abortion clinics because "they" didn't believe in abortion?
Mind telling me if these people truly represent the true Chrisitianity taught by the true Jesus? No, they don't. Jesus NEVER permitted ANYONE to bomb anyone.
Islam IS the Religion of Peace. Only and only if you read the verses of the Quran "IN" context, not "out of" context. Only and only if you LEARN the Quran and Islam KNOWING that each verse of the Quran has a certain context, and not all of them (e.g., the ones about killings!!) can be used in daily affairs.
See, anyone who thinks that Islam teaches evil and hatred takes verses of the Quran where God told Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers who were with him during the War of Badr, "Kill them wherever you see them!" Or when God told Muhammad (pbuh) and his followers during their threat of extinction from Mecca to Madina, "Kill the non-believers wherever you see them, and don't be afraid because I'm with you." Sheesh! Do you really expect us to let you anti-Muslims and non-Muslims kill us as you please??? Give me a break! You wouldn't do anythingdifferent yourself, you see. What would you do if some enemies wrongfully attacked you and your family and other loved ones and threated to wipe you all out and raped your women and children and fought the freak out of your men? Do you HONESTLY believe you'll NOT fight back? Come onn!! You know you would. So, the Quran allows us to fight back when needed! What's wrong with that?
You're looking at these terrorists and other idiots who claim to be Muslims and you're thinking that Islam supports them in those verses that you think it supports them in.
Whoever told you that these idiots follow the True Islam, the Islam taught by the Quran? Lemme tell you that they're NOT, ok? These people include the Talibans, of course. They're the type of people who'd NEVER let their women to be educated; they're the type who'd NEVER let their women drive; they're the type who'd NEVER let their women choose their own marriage partner; they're the type who'd kill others if they educated their women!! THIS is NOT Islam. In fact, NONE of what they practice seems to follow Quranic teachings; do you know that? No, you don't, and I don't blame you since these Talibans go around claiming the Faith of Islam, claiming they LOVE God when they don't even know what the Quran says; they don't even know that the Quran hates their negative actions and that God WILL be punishing them for spreading lies and hatred.
Please read the following because it explains the Quranic verses in context, those verses that anti-Muslims use against Islam and those verses that're used by supposed Muslims who are terrorists.
Anti-Islamic people often use the following verses to justify the stereotype that Islam is a religion of violence and intolerance and was spread by the sword. The following will hopefully help you understand that Islam DOES teach peace (but some of its followers don't practice Islam properly).
The verses used by these anti-Muslims are given below:
Sura 8.12 "Remember thy lord has inspired the angels with the message. Give firmness to the believers and instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers. Smite them above their necks and smite the fingertips of them."
Sura 9.5 "When the sacred months have passed, kill the idolaters whereever you find them."
Sura 47.4 "When you encounter the unbelievers, Strike off their heads. Untill you have made a wide slaughter among them tie up the remaining captives."
Below are the completions of /explanations to the verses.
Sura 8 is about a BATTLE - the Battle of Badr - not just some daily affair. A battles take two side to occur. Are you under the impression that while these 'horrid' Muslims were fighting, the enemies were simply standing there like good little peaceful men?
Sura 47 was revealed during the first year of Hijrah when the Muslims were under *threat of extinction* by invasion from Makkah.
Sura 9 is interesting. Non-Muslims almost invariably quote verse 5 but leave out verse 4 and 6. Why? Because verse 4 says, "But the treatires are not dissolved with those Pagans with whom you have entered into alliance and who have you subsequently failed you in aught, nor aided anyone against you. So fulfill your engagements with them to the end of their term: for God Loves the righteous."
And verse 6 says, "If one among the Pagans ask thee for asylum, grant it to him so that he may hear the Word of God; and then escort him to where he can be secure."
So basically what has been done above is:
1. The background to each sura was shown. One cannot take a verse revealed for a battle and insist it is if for the daily affairs of Muslims.
2. It was shown how Non-muslims who wish to attack Islam, conveniently leave out verses before and after their quoted verse. Above, I have shown only one of the many examples.
And don't you forget: "Let there be no compulsion in religion; Truth stands out clearly from Error..." (Quran, 2:246).
In the Qur'an, the principle of fighting is purely self-defensive.
"Permission [to fight] is given to those against whom war is being wrongfully waged and, verily, God has indeed the power to succour them; those who have been driven from their homelands against all right for no other reason than their saying, 'Our sustainer is God!'" (22:39-40).
Now, anyone can commit acts of terror and aggression and say, "it's in self-defense." In fact, that is precisely what Al Qaeda is doing: they claim by killing 3,000 people in New York City and Washington, D.C., they are "defending" the Muslim nation against "Zionist and Crusader" aggression against the Muslims. What sheer rubbish! They're NOT following the Quran!!! They're killing others for personal pleasure as have done many, many other religious freaks throughout history.
The Qur'an clearly states, in the remainder of 2:190:
"...but do not commit aggression, for verily, God does not love aggressors."
"Committing aggression" includes killing innocent civilians in Tel Aviv, Beslan, New York, Baghdad, or wherever. Furthermore, when the enemy ceases its hostility, fighting must cease:
"...but if they desist, then all hostility shall cease, save against those who [willfully] do wrong" (2:193).
Another verse repeats this insistence that hostility must cease when the enemy stops its aggression against you:
"But if they [the enemy] incline to peace, incline thou to it as well, and place thy trust in God: verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing! And should they seek but to deceive thee [by their show of peace] - behold, God is enough for thee! He it is who has strengthened thee with His succour, and by giving thee believing followers" (8:61-62).
Thus, even if the enemy is feigning a peaceful posture, the Muslims are still commanded to cease hostility and "place their trust in God."
It is quite clear that fighting is in self-defense, and aggression is not allowed. Now, Muslims have waged wars of aggression in the past, for sure, and they even called them "jihad against the infidels" in order to justify their desire for territorial expansion. In fact, one of the most pertinent examples of this was the Ummayad Dynasty, which enacted a policy of "jihad" as perpetual warfare. But, such a policy is not Islamically correct, and as the collapse of the Ummayad Dynasty showed, not sustainable.
Truly educated Muslims who practice Islam TRUTHFULLY know this as well:
During wars, Muslims are NOT permitted by God to kill children, women, religious leaders (priests, imaams, rabbis, etc.), or the elderly; we're not permitted to destroy places of residence, animals (unless they're being used in the war--as has been the case in past history), or places of worship like Mosques, Churches, Temples, etc. If Muslims disobey this law, that's between them and God, and God is most Fair.
Noowwww... WOMEN :D:D!!! You've NO idea how in love I am with the topic of women in Islam! You westerners think we Muslim women are oppressed, but I find that hilarious. It's obvious that you don't know what your Bible teaches, isn't it?
Have you ever read the Bible to see what the Bible thinks of WOMEN? I have. Don't skip those parts of the Bible; that's hypocritical of anyone to do. "Jesus" taught from the Torah, and the Torah hates women just as much as the Bible does--only more, actually. I wonder how many Christian women know this...?... The excuse that I've been hearing from Christians concerning the women's status in the Bible is this: "Those laws don't apply to us anymore because Jesus fulfilled the Law and died for us." Oh, really? Doesn't it "ever" cross your mind that "once upon a time," the God that you believe in today said the most evil, most disgusting things against women? How would you have felt if you were a part of those women, ma'am? I'd have cried and cried ad cried and eventually opened my eyes and thought to myself, "NO! This CANNOT be God's Words. He created me, and He loves me just as He loves any man." I've also heard the excuse that in Christianity, women represent flesh; yet, God hates flesh. Hm... makes you think, I'd expect. Why does "God" talk so much against WOMEN in the Bible but not men?
Shall I give you a few of those verses that I'm talking about?... Sure. NOoooOoo problem :)!
1) "When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening. anything she lies on during her period will be unclean, and anything she sits on will be unclean. Whoever touches her bed must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whoever touches anything she sits on must wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will be unclean till evening. Whether it is the bed or anything she was sitting on, when anyone touches it, he will be unclean till evening" (Leviticus 15:19-23).
2) "...if a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days...but if she bear a maid child, then she shall be unclean two weeks..." (Leviticus 12:2-5).
3) "And in case men struggle together (in a fight) with one another, and the wife of the one has come near to deliver her husband out of the striking one (to save her husband), and she has thrust out her hand and grabbed hold of his private (the other man's groin), she must then get both her hands cut off, and the eyes of the men must feel no sorrow" (Deuteronomy 25:11-12).
4) "... Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And every w om an who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head...If a w om an does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a w om an to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head" (1 Corrinthians 11:3-6).
5) "The birth of a daughter is a loss" (Ecclesiasticus 22:3) [Catholic Bible].
6) "Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law, and if they will learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for woman to speak in the church" (1 Corinthians 14:34-35).
7) "Your daughter is headstrong? Keep a sharp look-out that she does not make you the laughing stock of your enemies, the talk of the town, the object of common gossip, and put you to public shame" (Ecclesiasticus 42:11.)
8) "I find more bitter than death the w om an who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare." "Look," says the Teacher, "this is what I have discovered: "Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things-while I was still searching but not finding- I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all" (Ecclesiastes 7:26-28).
9) "If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives" (Deut. 22:28-30).
... And it never ends! ... THIS is what the Bible thinks of women!!! You wanna know what ISLAM and the QURAN think of women? I asked a question, and I got lovely responses (from Muslims, non-Muslims, AND anti-Muslims); how about visiting it to learn more, huh? Here's the link: http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AlGbIH8HgRgSxuQsS7e.OvGRHQx.?qid=20061225222453AAomXg6
I've Christian friends leaving Christianity MAINLY due to the disrespect that the Bible gives them. And no one's able to deny this fact, the fact that the Bible hates women's guts.
One last note to you, "JesusFreak": If you REALLY were a Jesus' Freak like you believe you are, you wouldn't call another religion a "lie". :D See, Jesus (peace be upon him) never taught such a thing. Ever imagined what your afterlife will be like "if" Jesus isn't God or God's Son after all?.... Think about it some time.
--Cthemagicofdawn, do you honestly believe that the media portrays Islam as a peaceful religion? Come on; I'm sure you know better than that. When some folks bombed some buildings in Oklahoma some years ago, the American media said, "We SUSPECT that the attack was done by some Islamic terrorists." Yeah, right!! Only after a while did they find out they were wrong to suspect such a thing. The attack was proven to have been done by some CHRISTIAN terrorists! Ever heard the phrase before? "Christian terrorists." No, I'm sure you haven't because most people seem to believe there's no such thing! LOL! Makes me laugh. Not ALL terrorists are Muslims (if ANY Muslim is a terrorist, he/she is NOT following the Islam that God taught in the Quran); and not ALL Muslims are terrorists.
The media is the reason most westerners are programmed to believe everything they see/hear/read on news/paper, you see; this is quite disturbing and a major fault of the west since it's not wise at all to believe lies. Why not search the truth yourself? Why not question whatever you hear or see or read in the paper? The media has brainwashed these innocent people, and they don't even realize it. Too bad, so sad.
So, you see, the important thing to remember about Islam is that it's being misunderstood by MANY people, and then there are those other people (anti-Islamic ones) who judge it based on how some uneducated-in-Islam Muslims practice the religion. They look at Osama Bin Ladin or other terrorists and then claim that Islam supports them in being terrorists. But that's not true. The Quran abhors terroristic acts, but people take verses out of context from the Quran and apply it to every-day life when that's not supposed to be the case.
Anyway, I think I'm done and can enjoy the rest of my day. Peace to you all!
Note to the Asker ;)! You know something? I'm not minding all these misconceptions about Islam, though. It is mainly due to these misconceptions that non-Muslims (and Muslims too) start to open their eyes and QUESTION Islam. While searching for what Islam reallly is about (e.g., does it REALLY teach Muslims to kill non-Muslims? Why? That's not fair!), they find out the TRUTH about Islam, and most eventually conver to Islam. Is anyone aware that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, mainly with Western women? Women have more respect in Islam than they do in other religions, that's why. For instance, it is the Quran that obligates every Muslim parent to educate his/her children (males AND females) equally and to treat them equally in all other matters as well. It is the Quran that says that male and female children are an EQUAL blessing to their family, and Quran is the ONLY Holy Scripture that condemns killing your daughters based on their gender (something still practiced all over the world!!! It's really, REALLY sad, I know). It's the Quran, ONLY, that doesn't say that women are a loss... the Bible says this, for God's sake. :S
~ Peace and blessings of God be upon the world! ~
2007-03-12 11:11:04
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answered by ♡♥ sHaNu ♥♡ 4
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