Ask about Islam

[wordcross]

I kept wracking my brain for something i could do here in this forum, but couldn't think of anything i was particularly qualified to speak on.

I don't know why i didn't think of this sooner

Anyway, Ask anything and everything you want about Islam. Don't worry if you think it's silly, I don't take offense very easily, so feel free to really ask anything.

My hotseat has a host of information in reply to people's questions so far. You can find it here:
http://www.greylabyrinth.com/discussion/viewtopic.php?p=242585#242585

I might transfer questions to this thread over time, but not all at once. I'm too lazy

So go ahead, ask away!

[edit] oh, and Don't worry about repeating questions that were asked in the hotseat. I won't make you read it if you haven't been keeping track. I may just cut and paste from that thread, or I might simply re-answer it
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[Courk]

Here's my stupid question: Do Islamic prayers and terms have to be in Arabic? Or can they be in English or French or Swahili? The only Muslims I know are Arabic, so it might be easier for them, but I don't know.

[Blighty Chap]

As I may have mentioned before in you hotseat, the Sikh population have a hatred for the Muslim gathering, and in the town in which I live in here in Blighty, we have one of the largest Sikh populations in Europe. Now my question is,
Why do Muslim extremists preach terrible vengence on us westeners and not on the Sikh community within western communities, being that westeners have a better understanding and sympathy with Muslim folk in general but the Sikhs don't?

[side note] I sometimes run an after school football club at my son's school. The club is probably 50% Sikh kids and 50% Western kids. On few occasions when our school has had asylum seekers children placed, one's from Muslim countries, said children are bullied and abused by Sikh kids and therefore cannot join the club. Now I've tried to run the club with a mixture of 2 Muslim kids, but they again get abused when I'm not looking by the Sikh kids.
This is a type of instilled hatred that looks to be passed down through generations, and one type of racial abuse that's overlooked by Governments. I mean, our Government is heavy on British folk not being racist against anyone non whitey, but they turn a blind eye against same colour race abuse.[side note]

If the whole orld took up the Muslim faith, do you think the world would become a boring place? Or do you think it would be wonderful for everyone?

Why do Muslims have to pray so many times in the day? And if you cannot guarentee facing towards Mecca, does it really matter?

Is there anyway to distinguish between a thief and someone who has lost a hand in an accident? Would the latter be ostricised still?

Prohibition of Looking at the 'Awrah of Others? Does this affect yourself and other Muslims when viewing TV programs such as 'Baywatch', or even watching Olympic swimming events? Or because One is more 'westenised' than others it's not as strict on Oneself?

[Mackay]

Does being obliged, so to speak, to pray take any of the sincerity out of it? Do you pray spontaneously at other times?

I know we've had this conversation before to some extent, but could you explain in detail here, so I have something to refer to, the basic "mechanics" of salvation according to your faith? i.e. how does someone get into Heaven, what is Heaven like, how are people judged, etc?

[wordcross]

Do Islamic prayers and terms have to be in Arabic? Or can they be in English or French or Swahili?
The actual prayers must be in Arabic. There are some people I've heard of who do it in English, but I think that they were "Nation of Islam" or something, and not at all mainstream. And I don't know how they justify it, either.
Personal supplication does not have to be in Arabic. You can ask God for anything you want, and you can use English.
It is, however, highly encouraged to learn Arabic, since the Qur'an can only truly be understood in its original language, and one should understand what is being said during the prescribed prayers.
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[jadesmar]

Question: How many books are in the Koran (Quran) (sp?). Does it have any stories like in the Old Testament (Jonah, Daniel etc.). Are there any "parables" of Mohammed (sp?).

Are there any good stories suitable for well, what in a Christian church would be known as "Sunday School", which is, basically, a place for parents to send their children so that they are not in the room when the collection plate is being passed around.

Basically, the jist of this post is this: Tell me a story, from the Qu'ran (sp?) and make it a good one, suitable for children.

Also, is there a good Ko'ran (sp?) story behind the proverb about Mohammed and the mountains?

Also, what is the correct spelling of Quran?

[wordcross]

Why do Muslim extremists preach terrible vengence on us westeners and not on the Sikh community within western communities, being that westeners have a better understanding and sympathy with Muslim folk in general but the Sikhs don't?
Sikhs, despite the animosity between beliefs, probably aren't seen as being so licentious and evil as Westerners who must have no morals at all. I've honestly not had that much exposure to Sikhism and/or the problems between Muslims and Sikhs. So i'm not sure exactly where the animosity comes from.
and as far a "Better understanding" I'm not sure that's true. Sikhs probably understand Muslim viewpoints, as much or more than Westerners, they just have a more extreme reaction to it, ask opposed to indifference or sympathy. And Muslims who don't live in the west aren't likely to get much in the way of Westerner sympathy, and most of them probably think such a thing is a fiction. So it's easy for extremists to convince people that Westerners are the devil, and more or less ignore the Sikhs, outside of India/Pakistan

The other thing is, the Sikh population is in a more-or-less localized area, and not terribly large, comparatively. They don't have the far-reaching contact of the Western world, and don't go into countries elsewhere to try to do anything to anyone, so there's no chance that they get blamed for the problems of, say, a Middle-Eastern country.

If the whole world took up the Muslim faith, do you think the world would become a boring place? Or do you think it would be wonderful for everyone
Well, despite the fact that this would never happen...
I doubt, even with Islam, that it would ever be "wonderful for everyone." There will always be some problems that don't get resolved. That's true even in small communities, and is most definitely true for a worldwide population. I don't, though, think that it would be a boring place. Maybe by the standards of a far more liberal-minded society, it would seem sober and prudish, but that doesn't mean that others would not find however much fun and amusement as they wished, within the bounds of Islam

Why do Muslims have to pray so many times in the day?
It keeps our minds on God. If you pray five times a day, then you have very little chance to stray too far in between.

It could have been more, however. In the Prophet Muhammad's journey to Heaven during "Miraj" (yes, this is the origin of the term Mirage) he met up with Moses. When moses first asked him how much he had been commanded to pray, Muhammad replied "Fifty times a day." Moses thought that this was too much, and advised Muhammad to go to God and ask for fewer prayers. He went, and God decreased it to Forty. Muhammad went back to Moses, who advised him to ask for even less. This went on until it came down to five, at which time Moses still thought it too many, but Muhammad could not face God and ask for less than this, so he left it at Five.

And if you cannot guarentee facing towards Mecca, does it really matter? One should always make the best effort to find the direction toward the Kaa'ba, but if there is no good way (You're in the middle of nowhere, at night, and it's cloudy, or something), then you should make the best guess you can and pray anyway. In such a case, one's intention to pray in the proper direction suffices, since he could not have done more than he did, and still made prayers on time.

Is there anyway to distinguish between a thief and someone who has lost a hand in an accident? Would the latter be ostricised still?
I'd like to say that the latter would not be ostricised, but human nature being what it is, he probably still would be, at least a bit. Even if most people believed that he had lost it in an accident, there would still be some who didn't trust him.
I'm not sure, with advances in prosthetics, if a thief would be allowed to get a fake hand. I'll ask someone about that. I'll also ask if there is anything else that would indicate that a lost hand is the result of a theft sentence, since i don't really know myself.

Prohibition of Looking at the 'Awrah of Others? Does this affect yourself and other Muslims when viewing TV programs such as 'Baywatch', or even watching Olympic swimming events? Or because One is more 'westenised' than others it's not as strict on Oneself? The way it's supposed to be, neither of those would be acceptable for Muslims to watch. The olympic swimming events, while not sexually implicit in any way, could still cause temptation, which is the whole point behind not seeing the Awrah of others. Men are not supposed to watch women at sports anyway, even if they did have their Awrah covered. (Women, however, are allowed to watch men)
Most of the Muslims in the West probably don't follow this very strictly, however (I know I don't), though they should. I do know some people who watch very little Television for this reason and others. My father forbade us kids from watching any sitcoms, even ones that are supposedly family oriented (like Full House or Family Matters) since the values where not always the same as with Islam (i.e. dating etc.)
So basic answer is: No, Muslims shouldn't watch anything where the Awrah is not covered, but most of them (who live in the west, at least) do it anyway.
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[wordcross]

Does being obliged, so to speak, to pray take any of the sincerity out of it? Do you pray spontaneously at other times?
If we weren't obliged to pray, it wouldn't likely happen very often. However, I don't think being obliged to pray necessarily takes any sincerity out of it. If a person prays when they are alone, then they are obviously sincere, even though they're only praying because they have been told to, by God.
Granted, people who pray in public because otherwise it would look bad for their reputation, and leave prayer while alone, aren't always sincere. But that's true for any action. It's best to have the child start praying, at least a little bit, at a young age, and build on it over time, while explaining why it's necessary and rewarding to do so, so that they'll want to do it even when they are by themselves.

I know we've had this conversation before to some extent, but could you explain in detail here, so I have something to refer to, the basic "mechanics" of salvation according to your faith? i.e. how does someone get into Heaven, what is Heaven like, how are people judged, etc?
Alrighty. Firstly, If a person has even the smallest amount of belief in Islam, even if they've never prayed a day in their lives and did all kinds of bad stuff, but deep down they knew it was wrong and knew that Islam was right, they'd *eventually* get to heaven. However, on Judgement Day, when the good deeds are weighed against the bad, if they have more bad deeds then they may spend time in Hell as punishment (or God may choose to be merciful, and forgive them, if he so wills)
There are many sayings about what guarantees you a place in Heaven, or what guarantees you a place in Hell, but by and large most of them are meant to be taken with other behavior into account. For example, it is said that one who always tells the truth is guaranteed a place in Heaven. However, this is on the basis that a person who tells the truth also has other good qualities that go along with it. If a person goes out whoring and drinking every night, and beats his kids, and does all kinds of bad stuff, but never lies about it, that doesn't mean he goes straight to Heaven.

And one's good deeds usually count for far more than one's bad deeds. For most things, it is said that doing something good counts for 10 good deeds in your book, but doing something bad counts for only 1 bad deed in your book. There are exceptions to this, of course.

Heaven itself, in Islam, is much like in other religions, with rivers of Milk and Honey and Wine (which doesn't intoxicate). Palaces and servants and anything you desire, forever, without boredom. If you like, I can go grab a book and get more descriptive
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[wordcross]

Question: How many books are in the Koran (Quran) (sp?). Does it have any stories like in the Old Testament (Jonah, Daniel etc.). Are there any "parables" of Mohammed (sp?).
There is only one book, the Qur'an itself. It has 114 chapters, in 30 sections. It includes general instruction for life as well as many of the stories found in the Bible (the story of Joseph, several stories about Moses, the story of Noah, Stories about Abraham and his sons, etc.)
There is very little about Muhammad himself in the Qur'an, specifially. Most of the stories concerning Muhammad are found in the way he lived his life (Sunnah) or sayings (Hadith)

Are there any good stories suitable for well, what in a Christian church would be known as "Sunday School", which is, basically, a place for parents to send their children so that they are not in the room when the collection plate is being passed around.
Muslims have Sunday school too, at least in the west. In the Muslim world it's probably Friday School. Kids get stories there too

Basically, the jist of this post is this: Tell me a story, from the Qu'ran (sp?) and make it a good one, suitable for children. Smile
I'll get back to you on this one. I'd like to find a book that would tell the story better than I

Also, is there a good Ko'ran (sp?) story behind the proverb about Mohammed and the mountains?
Although I've heard of this proverb before, I don't recall what it says. If someone will tell me, I'll let you know if there's a story behind it

Also, what is the correct spelling of Quran? "Qur'an" is how i see most Muslims spell it. However, it doesn't make a huge difference in how it's spelled in English as long as it pronounced like it's supposed to be. The only spelling that makes a difference is in Arabic itself.
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[Courk]

How is it supposed to be pronounced?

[Samadhi]

Qur'an.

Duh.

[casinopete]

[wordcross]

And in the fullest, most absolute sense, Islam is just knowledge/faith that God is God and Muhammad His Messenger? Those two things and nothing else?
If a person believed those things, but knew nothing else about Islam at all, they would still be considered Muslim and would eventually make it to Heaven. However, if a person believes those things, but knows and dismisses the rest of Islam, he/she is walking a fine line. At this point, I would leave to the discretion of God to say whether they'd actually go to Heaven or not.
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[wordcross]

What possible use is wine that doesn't intoxicate?
Um.. refreshing drink? Like Grape Juice?
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[Samadhi]

[casinopete]

You have answered what I asked, but I really intended to emphasize something else. fnord.

If a person knows believes God is God, but doesn't know and/or isn't sure Muhammad is Messenger, is there any way he can reach paradise? (no need for "further knowledge about Islam" disclaimers)

[wordcross]

Samadhi: You know what i mean

If a person knows believes God is God, but doesn't know and/or isn't sure Muhammad is Messenger, is there any way he can reach paradise?
Not if Islam was presented to them in the proper fashion, and they still rejected either part of that. You're either in all the way (on those two points), or it doesn't count.
If Islam was not presented to them properly, or at all, then it is solely at the discretion of God where they go. I wouldn't lay odds that they'd make it to heaven, in most cases, but I have no way of knowing for sure.
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[Leptonn]

Omar, you rock a lot.

Which is worse, eating pork or drinking alcohol?

More thoughtful questions to follow.
(my girlfriend of four months is Islamic of a rather orthodox household)

[Samadhi]

What's with the 72 virgins thing?

[wordcross]

Which is worse, eating pork or drinking alcohol?
Hands down, drinking alcohol.
One is even allowed to eat pork if the only alternative is death, but only enough to stay alive until a different food is available.
There is almost *never* a time when drinking alcohol is allowed. For any reason. (the only exception i can think of is if a person puts a gun to your head and says "drink this or i'll blow your brains out" in which case you have a choice.)
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[wordcross]

What's with the 72 virgins thing?
I'd like to do some research on this before answering. I've heard the explanation before, but i wasn't paying a terribly large amount of explanation, so I'd probably botch it
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[Blighty Chap]

What do Muslims class as 'fun activities'? I mean, Can a muslim man dance with a woman at a wedding or other festivity? Are Muslims allowed to listen or even dance to western music? If no alcohol allowed, is just juice or water digested, or something else? Are Muslim women allowed to partake in sports?

Why is alcohol Haraam?

Do you eat Kosher meat?

Do you eat at any fast food joint such as Burger King or MacDonalds? Do Halaal rules prohibit you from eating there?

Can you explain how Cholesterol is considered Mushbooh?

Thanks

Blighty Chap (aka Agamemnon, in case anyone did not know, but from how long I've been here, you all should )

[Blighty Chap]

I follow the beliefs and studies of Paganism/Wicca/Druidism. I drink a lot of alcohol. I eat the wrong things. I blaspheme. I do not condone pornography.
Would I be a nightmare neighbour to live next door to a Muslim?

[Antrax]

Does Islam have any "die and don't disobey" orders, like Judaism? (curious after seeing you're allowed to eat pork if the alternative is death).
Antrax
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After years of disappointment with get rich quick schemes, I know I'm gonna get rich with this scheme. And quick!

[wordcross]

What do Muslims class as 'fun activities'? I mean, Can a muslim man dance with a woman at a wedding or other festivity?
Men and women who are not immediate family are not allowed to dance anywhere. Nor any other activity that requires intermingling. Such things are often done, especially in Muslim countries, as a product of culture and semi-westernization, but that doesn't make it right.
Are Muslims allowed to listen or even dance to western music?
Public dancing in and of itself, if you ask a conservative scholar, is not allowed. It draws too much attention to one's self, which is something one should not do.
If no alcohol allowed, is just juice or water digested, or something else?
Almost anything non-alcoholic... Water, Milk, Juice, Tea, Coffee, Soda... whatever, is allowed to drink.
Are Muslim women allowed to partake in sports?
Women are very much allowed to play sports. But men are not allowed to watch them while they play.

Why is alcohol Haraam?
This goes with your last question, look there

Do you eat Kosher meat?
Sometimes, but not usually. I know people who eat nothing but meat slaughtered by Muslims (Zabeeha meat). The most common ruling in the West is that as long as the meat has been slaughtered by a Jew, Christian, or Muslim, it's okay to eat and if we don't know who slaughtered it, then it's fine to eat it.

Do you eat at any fast food joint such as Burger King or MacDonalds? Do Halaal rules prohibit you from eating there?
Most of the common fast-food restaurants I eat at, and I myself don't see any problem. Other people refuse, however, for the same reason that they don't buy meat at the grocery store.
There are certain places, though, where I don't eat, because they either cook pork and other meats on the same surface, or cut pork and other meats with the same slicer or knife. When ordering pizza I ask them to use a clean cutter, or just leave it uncut. Some people don't even go this far, but i figure the least i can do is avoid any contact with pork.

Can you explain how Cholesterol is considered Mushbooh?

[wordcross]

I follow the beliefs and studies of Paganism/Wicca/Druidism. I drink a lot of alcohol. I eat the wrong things. I blaspheme. I do not condone pornography.
Would I be a nightmare neighbour to live next door to a Muslim?
no more than your average Southern American
Well, other than the Paganism/Wicca/Druidism thing. Islam goes rather harsh on non-Monotheists.
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[wordcross]

Does Islam have any "die and don't disobey" orders, like Judaism? (curious after seeing you're allowed to eat pork if the alternative is death).

I shouldn't think so. You're even allowed to verbally state that you don't believe in Islam if it will save your life, as long as you still believe it in your heart. This is not to say that you *should* rescind your verbal adherence, but you're allowed if you're not brave enough to die for it.
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[Samadhi]

Since virtually everything is harmful in large amounts, shouldn't everything be banned in large amounts? And wouldn't that make everything banned in small amounts?

[wordcross]

Since virtually everything is harmful in large amounts, shouldn't everything be banned in large amounts? And wouldn't that make everything banned in small amounts?

[Samadhi]

[casinopete]

I don't think it transfers quite like that, Samadhi.

For it to be harmful, you must eat "too much salt."

You cannot eat "too much salt" in small amounts.

[Legend of Tenshi]

But you can not 'drink too much alchohol' in small ammounts.

[cloudRunner]

If I may, wordcross, the reason why pork and alcohol are particularly forbidden in Islam isn't really a question of how much harm it will do in large or small amounts. They are forbidden in Islam simply because God ordained it in the Qur'an. Because of that, there is really no dead-on reason why. Of course, scholars can give you their opinions on why alcohol may be forbidden , but the primary reason why alcohol and pork are forbidden is because God said so.

[wordcross]

[wordcross]

And as a clarification of my statements about the reasons for no alcohol, I probably should not have lumped it in with all other dietary prohibitions. Drugs and Alcohol are in a class to themselves, and the reasons given for leaving them don't necessarily translate over to other substances, they're just justifications given for God's command.
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[jadesmar]

I think the Mohammed saying is something like:
"If Mohammed won't go to the mountain, bring the mountain to Mohammed."

Is there a story here?

[Blighty Chap]

[wordcross]

well, try looking at it this way. Musbooh is like saying "this could have adverse consequences, beware."
So it's not necessarily that one should strive to cut all cholesterol out of one's diet. It more a warning to be moderate, and at least be aware of such a substance and how much you eat of it. with Mushbooh items, one does not recieve a bad deed for eating it, but recieves reward for actively avoiding it to whatever extent. Haram items are not allowed, obviously, but Mushbooh is more a suggestion than a rule. (a suggestion from God, perhaps, but a suggestion none-the-less)
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[Agamemnon]

So avoiding healthy fatty acids that are beneficial to you is bad, yes? This law could not have come from God as the proof has only been around for several years, so who made this law then?

[Agamemnon]

On a different note:

Muslims can live in western countries, build Mosques, have special muslim only schools and live within their beliefs whilemixing with western people and cultures.
If I went to Qatar (for example, though any muslim country would probably do) and tried to set up a Druid settlement, I'd probably be hung or shot on the spot.
Why? We accept the muslim faith and culture yet Muslim countries do not accept non-muslim faiths to build and thrive, apart from Christianity I believe.