How can Muslims (not all those crazy people who stir up religious hatred) restore their image that has been destroyed? I am a Muslim myself and I just try to correct people's misconecptions about Islam. What else is there that we can do?
No stupid or ignorant answers please, I'm being serious!
2007-03-30 07:05:00 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Praise be to Allah.
Allah has created man and given him reason, and He has sent down to him Revelation and sent to him Messengers to call him to the truth and warn him against falsehood. Then He has left him to make his own choice.
“And say: ‘The truth is from your Lord.’ Then whosoever wills, let him believe; and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve
[al-Kahf 18:29 – interpretation of the meaning]
Allah commanded His Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to convey the truth to all of mankind. Then they have the choice to do as they wish. If a person obeys, he benefits himself, and if he disobeys, he harms himself, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Say: ‘O you mankind! Now truth (i.e. the Qur’aan and Prophet Muhammad), has come to you from your Lord. So whosoever receives guidance, he does so for the good of his own self; and whosoever goes astray, he does so to his own loss; and I am not (set) over you as a Wakeel (disposer of affairs to oblige you for guidance)’”[Yoonus 10:108]
Islam is the religion of the natural state of man (fitrah), the religion of reason and thought. Allah has distinguished the truth from falsehood. He has enjoined all that is good and forbidden all that is evil. He has permitted good things and forbidden evil things. There is no compulsion in religion because the benefits or harms come back upon the created being, not upon the Creator. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taaghoot (false gods) and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break”
[al-Baqarah 2:256]
And Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Whosoever does righteous good deed, it is for (the benefit of) his ownself; and whosoever does evil, it is against his ownself. And your Lord is not at all unjust to (His) slaves”[Fussilat 41:46]
Guidance is in the hand of Allah. If Allah willed, He could guide all of mankind, for there is nothing that He cannot do on this earth or in the heavens. Nothing happens in His Dominion except that which He wills.
“Say: ‘With Allah is the perfect proof and argument, (i.e. the Oneness of Allah, the sending of His Messengers and His Holy Books, to mankind); had He so willed, He would indeed have guided you all’”[al-An’aam 6:149 – interpretation of the meaning]
But in His Wisdom, Allah has created us with the ability to choose, and He has sent down to us guidance and the Criterion. So whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger will enter Paradise and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger will enter Hell, as Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, proofs have come to you from your Lord, so whosoever sees, will do so for (the good of) his ownself, and whosoever blinds himself, will do so to his own harm, and I (Muhammad) am not a watcher over you”
[al-An’aam 6:104]
The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has no part in guidance; all that he and the Muslims have to do is to explain and convey the message, and show them guidance but they cannot force people to follow it, as Allah said to His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):
“And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed, all of them together. So, will you (O Muhammad) then compel mankind, until they become believers”[Yoonus 10:99]
And Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And the duty of the Messenger is only to convey (the Message) plainly”[al-‘Ankaboot 29:18]
Guidance to the truth is in the hand of Allah alone and no human being has any share in that, as Allah said to His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, you (O Muhammad) guide not whom you like, but Allah guides whom He wills. And He knows best those who are the guided[al-Qasas 28:56]
Allah guides whomsoever He wills and sends astray whomsoever He wills. He has told us that He guides those who obey Him and turn to Him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“While as for those who accept guidance, He increases their guidance and bestows on them their piety”
[Muhammad 47:17]
But whoever disobeys Allah and turns away from Him, Allah will not guide him, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Truly, Allah guides not him who is a liar, and a disbeliever”
[al-Zumar 39:3]
Allah is Omniscient and knows what has happened and is happening and what is yet to come. Allah knows the believers and the disbelievers, and what they will do, and He knows what their fate will be in the Hereafter. He has written all that in al-Lawh al-Mahfooz (the Preserved Tablet), as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“And all things We have recorded in a Book”[al-Naba’ 78:29]
Allah has created man with the ability to choose, and He has created him able to do both, either believer or disbelieve, as He says (interpretation of the meaning):
“Verily, We showed him the way, whether he be grateful or ungrateful”[al-Insaan 76:3]
2007-03-30 10:42:51 · answer #1 · answered by Khalid H 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, I'm not Muslim but a Wiccan, but I greatly admire the faith of Islam. Most of the Muslims I've met have been dignified, humble, truthful, polite and trustworhty. On this R&S section I have rarely seen a Muslim respond to a question with malice, sarcasm, or irrelevant banter.
To answer your question, I don't think there is anything you can do to change ignorant peoples' minds. They believe what they believe and no one can tell them anything different.
For one thing, individual Muslims are not responcible for the actions of a few deluded and destructive practicioners. After all, are the Christians of today responcible for the thousands (maybe millions) of woman who were burned at the stake in Europe during the Middle Ages? I think the vast majority of reasonable people would say no.
All religions have had individuals who reject their faith's teachings and go ahead and do horrible things. That's a human trait, not a religious one. Collectively, humankind needs to examine what conditions cause destructive behavior and work towards decreasing it.
In regards to what else Muslims can do: basically just be a model of what a "good" Muslim can be, how a good human being acts and when someone brings up a misconception to politely correct it. Otherwise just hang your head high and go on with your life.
2007-03-30 15:30:19 · answer #2 · answered by Silverwing6700 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Salam Alikom,
I am Muslim as well, and I haven't faced any problems because I just be who I am. I don't think there anything we can actually do except live our lives according to the Holy Quran and let the "REAL" Islam shine through us. Just be a true example of Islam. We can't change the minds of ignorant and close minded people. We are here to live as Allah designed and we will not resign to anyone who treats us with ill manner.
Peace
We must hold our head up high and hold strong to our beliefs and let the truth of Islam be revealed through each of us in our daily lives
2007-03-30 20:44:01 · answer #3 · answered by Chery 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The only suggestion I can give is to be louder than the zealots. Become a vocal and active member of your interfaith community and write letters to the editor. Annoy your congress-critters, throw a block party, start an interfaith club. Call around the churches and ask if they would like to do a joint project, or if they would like you to give any talks about the misconceptions of Islam. Start a charity or volunteer organization. Adopt a highway or sponsor an animal at the animal shelter, or a family during the holidays. Hope those ideas will help.
2007-03-30 14:12:39 · answer #4 · answered by lalasnake 3 · 6⤊ 1⤋
I'm a Muslim too and I think to just to keep being ourselves. Maybe one day, we will meet somebody who dislikes Muslims and we will show them that we are not terrorists.
I'm thinking of starting a group about Muslims at my school. You know, just to tell people that we are not terrorists and show them that we are not evil.
Why don't you set up a local group in your community? Allow everybody to attend. Have people ask questions and try to dispel the misconceptions.
2007-03-30 14:16:54 · answer #5 · answered by ? 5 · 5⤊ 0⤋
Assalamu A'alaekum sister,
I would like to translate over here, chapter 103, Al-Asr of holy Qura'n.
103:1. By Al-Asr (the time).
103:2. Verily! Man is in loss,
103:3. Except those who believe and do righteous
good deeds, and recommend one another to
the truth, and recommend one another to patience.
My sister don't worry be happy.
Ma'assalamah.
2007-03-31 02:06:27 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Find a way to demand media attention to the protests by Muslims against Islamic extremism.
Right now, the media finds such protests to be far less exciting than the latest suicide bombing, so they cover that. The mainstream media's bias is neither conservative nor liberal--it's sensationalist, meaning they will write stories to create buzz (and hence, sell more papers).
2007-03-30 14:09:43 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
The only way is that they return to Qur'an, because Qu'ran doesn't teach us to spread hatred and terrorism, but to keep the peace on earth, because Banu Adam, i.e. the whole mankind, are Allah's viceregent on earth, and as those, it's thier duty to manitain order on earth.
2007-03-30 15:44:20 · answer #8 · answered by Hurricane 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
sister we dun need 2 give explanations n justifications 2 ne1. ppl who r sensible will surely understand tht not all muslims r fanatics. ur ques itsellf shows tht.
abt da misconceptions , jus answer ur best weneva sum1 asks u abt islam. n yea actions speak louder than words. we need 2 work hard 2 be gud muslims as we shud be.
abt arrogant n hateful ppl, jus ignore em, sum ppl can neva learn.
salaam
2007-03-30 14:25:20 · answer #9 · answered by NS 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
This question could just as easily be asked by a christian, as in my opinion they have done far worse than muslims... the important thing to remember is that your religion is your own and you don't have to attone for others. Believe what you believe, don't force it on others, and you're doing fine.
I don't apologize for america killing anyone it wants for whatever cause, because I don't advocate it. You don't kill people in the name of your god, so you don't belong to the group, and thus you bear no responsibility for that groups actions. (Same name does not denote same beliefs).
2007-03-30 14:09:39 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 1⤋
I really admire the Muslim faith because they seem so strong to me. I never hear of you crying that you're persecuted, or hear of you playing the victim. My advice is to stand strong, and people will realize that you have nothing to apologize for just because some radicals choose to try to destroy what you have built.
2007-03-30 14:09:30 · answer #11 · answered by Justsyd 7 · 9⤊ 1⤋