Questions about Islam???

Question

Hi everyone/Salam everyone, so I'm 20 years old and lived in America my whole life. My father was a devoted Muslim man who raised his children to be the same, so recently I started asking some questions about Islam, that started upsetting some people.(including my so called Muslim friends) before I say anything else, let me just say I have the highest belief in God, I mean it's a no-brainer to me. But my main issues involving Islam are the following:

• (1.) The way they regard women: a woman is seen lower than a man, having to cover up for a man for modesty reasons, in some Muslim countries a woman would be stoned to death if even seen talking to another man that wasn't related to her.
• (2.) You must pray five times a day to Allah (the greatest). My question is why? As a sign of respect? But can't you do that other ways, like by doing good, and respecting others.
• (3.) They say eating meat is a must, and on Eid you must sacrifice an animal. In my book that's just wrong, plain and simple.
• (4.) So like I said earlier "(including my so called Muslim friends)" if I were to miss a church day on Friday, they will always ask me where I was, putting peer pressure on me, to get me to come. I for one think, you should not be peer pressured into religion. I mean it's just phony; it's as if you were living a lie.

• So I guess the main question I'm asking myself is: are my intentions what I want them to be, am I doing it for Allah(the greatest), or is it just for show???

So those are my main questions dealing with Islam, if anyone could address these questions I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer 1

Hi Hakim!
Upsetting your friends? hmmm! I lost few good ones like that too :-(
It is normal such Qs do come to mind. But wouldn't asking an Islamic scholar these Qs be better? Not because of bias, but to validate. After all, you don't go to dentist for heart surgery do you? No doubt, you got very honest replies but did they satisfy you?

My answers may not satisfy you either, but I hope they're helpful.
1- Your first Q:
Have you ever wondered how different each culture is from the other? In Arabs, women cover almost all of their bodies, in Asia, they usually dress loosely (pants, frocks, sarees, qurtas...), in Europe and America, you can wear whatever you like.
My Q is, how did the Arab/Asian/Western women dress before Islam came to the world? And what was the perception of men at that time about women?
My point is, although religion has an influence, the culture dictates most of one’s believes and actions.
What you believe to be oppressive today, may not be so in another culture, or your own culture even a hundred years ago! (Could ladies wear bikinis or dresses of that sizes on the beaches even hundred years ago in the west? Nope! Because it would not be culturally acceptable!)
Culture dictates your believes that a woman is being oppressed or liberated. Cultures change, religions don’t (at least not Islam).
If you ask me honestly, I believe, through experience, that women are in no way any less than man. And females of my family enjoy the same degree of freedom as the CULTURE plus Islam dictates. For the interpretation of what Islam dictates varies widely from culture to culture.


As far as Islamic obligations are concerned, if a female can’t have open sex, so can’t the male! If the female gets stoned, so does the male (by the way, the law dictates that at least two witnesses must have physically seen the act of having sex!!!)
Islam is not oppressing women in Arab; it’s their own twisted culture pre-dating Islam. If it was Islam, girls in my family would be wearing such dresses too.

2- Your second Q:
Praying is a personal obligation. And no, there’s no getting around it. It is a drill of cleanliness, character and discipline. And you CAN do it! No matter how busy you are! Believe me.

3- Third Q:
No, eating meat is not a must. Vegetarians are as much Muslims as non-vegetarian. Just maintain a healthy diet what ever you eat.
Do you know the distribution system of sacrificial meat?
Meat should be distributed as follows:
1- Poor in your relatives
2- Poor outside your relatives
3- Your relatives
4- You and your family
In my country, that’s one occasion when even the poorest get to have good food on their table. Not to mention the family gathering, elders forgiving their young ones and disputes getting settled, essence if sacrifice. Is it wrong?

4- Fourth Q:
Again your personal obligation. You said it very right, “peer pressure”.


About your intensions:
Do you think everyone who gets up to offer prayer is doing it out of “the pure pleasure” of offering prayers?
NO! Sometimes you’re happy, sometimes you’re sad! Sometimes you feel like it and sometimes you don’t! That’s what makes you human! That what makes us better than angels! We can feel the pleasures, yet we endure the pain, just to fulfill an obligation. That’s why lucifer was damned! OBLIGATION! But whatever you’re mood is, if you pray, what should be in your mind is a humble thought, that “Lord, I am but a human, if my prayers are not up to your standards, forgive me, and accept my broken qiams (standings) and sujoods (prostrations)”. Remember, in Islam, actions are graded based on your true intensions!

Do you know why I love Islam? There is no intermediary! No priest, no institution! I don’t need to confess my sins to anyone except Lord Almighty Himself! I am equivalent to the holiest of holy priests! And Lord has promised to forgive me if I ask for forgiveness with pure heart! And if I fall a million times and million times I ask His forgiveness, He would forgive me! Again, the art is, how you ask!

Have faith, the road me and you are treading, millions have trodden before us, and millions will follow.

If I don't satisfy you, reach out, knowledge is out there! Qur'an says: "So is there anyone who would think and understand?" Read articles, attend few lectures. Answer is definitley out there!

May Lord bless me, and you, and everyone else with true knowledge.

Kind Regards,
Farooq

Answer 2

1. The woman is not lower than a man in Islam , they respect them , for the cover its to protect the women . and stoned to death i dont know from where you get that there is nothing like that in Islam
2. If you are a teacher how you will know the good and the bad student , you will give them a test , and the highest marks will get rewarded , so as the prays that God ask us to do there more than pray 5 times , you must also acting good .
3. Eating is a must ( wrong ) nothing like that is . Sacrifice is once a year at Adha Eid if you can if you cant there nothing on you . and its normal thing do you eat in restaurant
4. Friday pray is the most important pray in whole the week , and there a say from Mohammed the profit that who is missing the Friday pray ( afternoon ) three consecutive time he not from Muslims . ( its to indicate only the importance of this pray )

Hopefully you understand the Islam is so simple and asking people what to do is good thing

Answer 3

"freedom" is a troll. watch out. Anyway, you would be better off asking this question in an Islamic forum. I mean if you want serious answers from Muslims and not bigots who haunt this R&S section. Visit this link below. It's the best.

http://www.islamicboard.com/

Salam.


1."in some Muslim countries a woman would be stoned to death if even seen talking to another man that wasn't related to her." This is so wrong. You are obviously misinformed. Yes, in some areas they do stone but only in a case of adultery. And it's not only the women which is stoned. They man is stoned as well. Get your facts straight.

2. We have to pray five times a day because that is part of Islam. It's one of the five pillars of Islam. It is the most important part of being a Muslim. And it's not for respect, mind you. God doesn't need our respect. It's an act of devotion which keeps us constantly close to God. Doing good things are good but not as a substitute to praying.

3. Eating meat is not a MUST. You can be vegetarian. A human being needs a balanced diet. Although it's not a must but as a personal advice; I think you should try it. It's not bad at all. Why is slaughtering an animal a no-no in your book? How do you think billions of people eat meet in this world? they eat the animals ALIVE?

4. Friday prayers are compulsory as are daily 5 time prayers. Extra importance is given to it because according to what I know, missing 3 Friday prayers constantly without a valid reason makes you "no-more a Muslim'. But I'm sure you didn't know. If any mistake is done due to ignorance God forgives it. Make sure you don't miss it anymore.

Answer 4

Islam has as many nuances as Christianity or other religions, and so much of what you said I could have said about growing up as a Christian in the American South. But I know that Islam, like Christianity, is practised by different people in different ways.

It's obvious you aren't a Muslim, as a Muslim would never call a Mosque a Church - do your friends see you as Muslim, because of your father? Also, your statements are similar to those by Christians who don't know much about the religion.

Some Muslims, like some Christians, believe women are inferior. But other Muslims, like other Christians, don't at all. Both groups base their beliefs about women on interpretations of their holy books - and these interpretations vary hugely.

Muslims believe that Mohammad was told by God how to pray, just as Christians believe that Jesus, as God/son of God, told Christians how to pray. What YOU choose to believe or not to believe is up to you.

The dietary laws of Muslim are practised strictly by some groups, and not at all by others -- just like in any other religion. The animal is sacrificed per the many stories in the Koran -- which are similar to those in the Bible. So, if you believe in the Old Testament, for instance, you should see nothing wrong with this Muslim practise, which follows the same methods. Plus, on Thanksgiving, most Americans sacrifice a Turkey - we did this year, and it was quite tasty.

Finally, you will get reprimanded for not going to Temple, Mosque or Church no matter what religion you pick. How you handle the chiding of others is up to you.

You can learn more about Islam, which is one of the three religions that trace their roots to Abraham, at http://www.beliefnet.com, a site that is trying to educate about all the various faiths out there.

Answer 5

Dear Hakeem,I'm sure you didn't read the Qur'an
because your question is answered in the Qur'an.
unfortunately,most the foreign born Muslims were
not thought Arabic which is the language of the Qur'an......Women in Islam were liberated and given rights even before the western women.
people of color were given the their freedom 1,400 years before Abraham Lincoln,equality between all mankind before any human right organization existed ...et cetera,and so forth..also Islam is wide spread religion which means different languages & cultures from one country to other try to read about the Arabs & Muslim countries and compare,it's all about traditions
we're talking about 5.000 years old history !
In Islam,women were given the most important role in the society which is building a family and
building a good family is building a good society.
Go to Google video & try to watch :
1) Ahmad Deedat.
2) Zakir Naik.

Answer 6

I think the main problem is our refusal to change islamic ways to adapt to new realities. It was doing good or fairly good untill extremists and Ikhwanis, and Mujahid and Al Q etc came thretening every living thing that moves.
My question would be if During 23 years that Qoran was sent to Mahammed, things that were Halal in begining , was Haram at the end and vise versa. No cppulsion in Islam than changed to compulsary Jihad etc. If it was ok to change Koranic laws in 23 yrs During Mohammad PBUH's life, what makes us so narrow minded that we thing over 1400 years shouldn't. Comeon, Hijab in 21 st century , just making clowns of ourselves

Answer 7

All my respects to you for having the courage to ask questions instead of taking your religion by blind faith.

However, some of the facts you related in your question are not completely true, maybe a little research wouldn't go astray on your part.

God bless.

Answer 8

There is nothing wrong with your questions.

But, why don't you contact me; i will answer, with Allah's help, all your questions (in detail) that you have raised.

It will be my pleasure to remove all the misconceptions that you have of Islam from your mind.

Bye.

Answer 9

A religion, to the best of my understanding, is a gift from whatever you consider God to be, to the people He choose to give it to.
The suitability of that religion for those people depends on their view of "the world" and where they find themselves in that view.
When you change that person's world view and their relationship to that view, then either, the religion must be flexible enough to change with the individual, or die, because it becomes unsuitable in the "current" conditions.

It sounds to me like you have "outgrown" the beliefs of your father.

Answer 10

Thought provoking.