I just read a really good article on Islam that I want to recommend around: A False Quest for a True Islam. The author points out, among other things, that reading the Qur'an in hopes of understanding Islam as it is practiced is like reading the Bible in hopes of understanding Christianity as it is practiced, or reading the Bhagavad Gita in hopes of understanding Hinduism as it is practiced today, or reading the Pali Canon in hopes of understanding Buddhism as it is practiced today. Did I nail that point hard enough? Check it out - it's very interesting, and something that any modern critic of Islam should be reading before they open their mouth.
posted by Ted Lemon at 5:09 AM
3 Comments:
These Sunni and Shia clerics follow sectarian Islam that relies on hadiths for 95% of its jurisprudence. Hadiths were "compiled" 2 to 3 centuries after the prophet. They are the "supposed" deeds and speeches of the prophet that the clerics use to "explain" the Koran. Each sects have hadiths that refutes the other. Both claim that their hadiths have been rigorously "authenticated". Even if they had to carry out this "authentication" process 2 to 3 centuries after the events. They rely on orally transmitted narrations they claim was "carefully passed down" through the ages. The prophet never left behind him any hadiths. The only text the prophet and the 4 caliphs left behind and spread was the Koran.
The Koran gave COMPLETE freedom for everyone.
The Quran(Koran) Concerning other monotheist faiths:
Not all of them are alike; a party of the people of the Scripture stand for the right, they recite the Verses of God during the hours of the night, prostrating themselves in prayer. They believe in God and the Last Day; they enjoin good and forbid wrong; and they hasten in good works; and they are among the righteous. And whatever good they do, nothing will be rejected of them; for God knows well those who are God fearing. 3:113-115
And there are, certainly, among the people of the Scripture, those who believe in God and in that which has been revealed to you, and in that which has been revealed to them, humbling themselves before God. They do not sell the Verses of God for a little price, for them is a reward with their Lord. Surely, God is Swift in account. 3:199
Verily! Those who believe and those who are Jews and Christians, and Sabians, whoever believes in God and the Last Day and do righteous good deeds shall have their reward with their Lord, on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve . 2:62
Say: "O people of the Scripture : Come to a word that is just between us and you, that we worship none but God, and that we associate no partners with Him, and that none of us shall take others as lords besides God. 3:64
And they say: "None shall enter Paradise unless he be a Jew or a Christian." Those are their (vain) desires. Say: "Produce your proof if ye are truthful."Nay,-whoever submits His whole self to God and is a doer of good,- He will get his reward with his Lord; on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve. The Jews say: "The Christians have naught (to stand) upon; and the Christians say: "The Jews have naught (To stand) upon." Yet they study the (same) Book. Like unto their word is what those say who know not; but God will judge between them in their quarrel on the Day of Judgment. 2.111-113
If any do deeds of righteousness,- be they male or female - and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them 4.124
The Quran(Koran) Concerning who we fight or don't:
As for such who do not fight you on account of faith, or drive you forth from your homelands, God does not forbid you to show them kindness and to deal with them with equity, for God loves those who act equitably. God only forbids you to turn in friendship towards such as fight against you because of faith and drive you forth from your homelands or aid in driving you forth. As for those from among you who turn towards them for alliance, it is they who are wrongdoers. 60:8-9
Permission (to fight) is given to those against whom war is being wrongfully waged, and verily, God has indeed the power to aid them. Those who have been driven from their homelands in defiance of right for no other reason than their saying, ‘Our Lord is God.’ 22:39-40
The Quran(Koran) Concerning freedom:
2:256 There is no compulsion in religion, for the right way is clearly from the wrong way. Whoever therefore rejects the forces of evil and believes in God, he has taken hold of a support most unfailing, which shall never give way, for God is All Hearing and Knowing.
16:82 But if they turn away from you, your only duty is a clear delivery of the Message .
6:107 Yet if God had so willed, they would not have ascribed Divinity to aught besides Him; hence, We have not made you their keeper, nor are you a guardian over them.
4:79-80 Say:'Whatever good betides you is from God and whatever evil betides you is from your own self and that We have sent you to mankind only as a messenger and all sufficing is God as witness. Whoso obeys the Messenger, he indeed obeys God. And for those who turn away, We have not sent you as a keeper."
11:28 He (Noah) said "O my people! think over it! If I act upon a clear direction from my Lord who has bestowed on me from Himself the Merciful talent of seeing the right way, a way which you cannot see for yourself, does it follow that we can force you to take the right path when you definitely decline to take it?°
17:53-54 And tell my servants that they should speak in a most kindly manner. Verily, Satan is always ready to stir up discord between men; for verily; Satan is mans foe .... Hence, We have not sent you with power to determine their Faith.
21:107-109 (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 is near or far."
22:67 To every people have We appointed ceremonial rites which they observe; therefore, let them not wrangle over this matter with you, but bid them to turn to your Lord. You indeed are rightly guided. But if they still dispute you in this matter, `God best knows what you do."
24.54. Say: "Obey Allah, and obey the Messenger. but if ye turn away, he is only responsible for the duty placed on him and ye for that placed on you. If ye obey him, ye shall be on right guidance. The Messenger's duty is only to preach the clear (Message).
88:21 22; And so, exhort them your task is only to exhort; you cannot compel them to believe.
48:28 He it is Who has sent forth His Messenger with the Guidance and the Religion of Truth, to the end that tie make it prevail over every religion, and none can bear witness to the Truth as God does.
36:16 17 (Three Messengers to their people) Said, "Our Sustainer knows that we have indeed been sent unto you, but we are not bound to more than clearly deliver the Message entrusted to us.'
39:41 Assuredly, We have sent down the Book to you in right form for the good of man. Whoso guided himself by it does so to his own advantage, and whoso turns away from it does so at his own loss. You certainly are not their keeper.
42:6 48 And whoso takes for patrons others besides God, over them does God keep a watch. Mark, you are not a keeper over them. But if they turn aside from you (do not get disheartened), for We have not sent you to be a keeper over them; your task is but to preach ....
64:12 Obey God then and obey the Messenger, but if you turn away (no blame shall attach to our Messenger), for the duty of Our Messenger is just to deliver the message.
67:25 26 And they ask, "When shall the promise be fulfilled if you speak the Truth?" Say, "The knowledge of it is verily with God alone, and verily I am but a plain warner."
The Quran(Koran) concerning justice:
"And among His signs are the creation of the heaven and earth, and the variation in your language and your colors; verily in that are signs for those who know" (30:22).
"Satan seeks only to cast among you enmity and hate"(5:91).
O you who believe! Stand out for justice, as witnesses to God, and even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin, and whether it be rich or poor. An-Nisaa’ 4:134
"O you who believe! Be the maintainers of justice and bearers of witness for God's sake though it be against your own self, parents and relatives" (4:135).
"O you mankind! We have created you from a single pair of male and female and made you into nations and tribes so that you know each other. Verily the most honored in the sight of God is the one who is most righteous" (49:13).
O you who believe! Stand out firmly for God, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just: that is next to piety and fear God, for God is well acquainted with all that you do. 5:8
And thus We made of you a justly balanced community that you might bear witness to humankind and the Apostle might bear witness over you. 2:143
O you who believe, observe your duty to God with right observance, and die not except in a state of submission (to Him). And hold fast, all of you together, to the rope of God, and do not separate, and remember God's favor unto you: how you were enemies and He put love between your hearts so that you became as brothers by His grace: and how you were upon the brink of a fire and He saved you from it. Thus God makes clear His revelations unto you so that you may be guided" (3:102-103).
"The believers are nothing else other than brothers, Thus make peace between your brethren and observe your duty to God that you may haply receive His mercy" (49: 1 0).
The Quran(Koran) Concerning propagation:
Invite (all humankind) to the path of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation and argue with them in the most kindly manner, for, indeed, your Lord knows best as to who strays from His path, and best who are the right-guided. (16:125)
Had your Lord so willed, all those who live on earth would surely have attained faith, will you then compel people, against their will, to believe? 10:99
And We have not sent you, but as mercy to all the worlds. 21:107
Islam is peace!
Mohamed, thank you for your comment. What you say about the Hadiths is something I have heard before, and that resonates for me since I think this is what commonly happens after the coming of a prophet, unfortunately. But whether or not it's true, it doesn't help us very much if few Muslims believe it to be true.
I have some questions for you, if you are willing. Please forgive me if these questions are naive. In the very first verse of the Qur'an that you quote, it says "they believe in God and the Last Day." I am curious what these two terms mean to you. People use the word "God," and they all think they are talking about the same thing, or the same person, but it is obvious when their conversations continue that they are not.
Likewise, in the Christian scriptures, in the words of Jesus, you hear him talking about the Last Days, and modern Christians tend to interpret this as meaning some kind of apocalypse. But when I read the actual words of Jesus, it seems to me that he is talking about the fact that we all must die, and then how we must act, knowing that to be so. What does the term "Last Days" mean to you?
I realize that you are your own person, and can't speak for Muslims in general, so please don't take this as a request for anything more than your own opinion on the matter - I do not mean to put you on the spot!
Again, thanks for writing.
I forwarded your posting on to my family mailing list, and since my mother hasn't yet set up a blog (although she's threatening to), I thought I'd post her response here. FWIW.
Religion is subjective - designating the feelings and acts of men which relate to god - rather than objective - denoting those ideas of god which man entertains respecting the god whom he worships. Subjective religion, which is based upon the feelings and acts of men, is always open to misinterpretation and misappropriation, whereas objective "religion", such as that of Native americans, which relies especially on the scientific and systematic views of nature, does not require "sorting out the facts", especially as they relate to a particular place and time. (See one of my 'thoughts for the day'.) Unfortunately religionist's do not take both points of view into consideration.
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