News:

About us: a forum for monotheists, and discussion of Islam based on The Quran

Main Menu
Menu

Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Show posts Menu

Topics - mubashir55

#1
Questions/Comments on the Quran / 4:47 Vs 2:62
April 20, 2015, 11:29:03 PM
Dear All, Salam


4:47 O you who have been granted revelation [aforetime]! Believe in what We have [now] bestowed from on high in confirmation of whatever [of the truth] you already possess, lest We efface your hopes and bring them to an end - just as We rejected those people who broke the Sabbath: for God's will is always done.

2:62 VERILY, those who have attained to faith [in this divine writ], as well as those who follow the Jewish faith, and the Christians, and the Sabians -all who believe in God and the Last Day and do righteous deeds-shall have their reward with their Sustainer; and no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve.

-----------------------------------------
One seems to be commanding People of the Book to believe in the Quran lest they are visited by punishment.

The other says belief in God, last day and good deeds should be good enough for those who are not among those who have attained faith in [in this divine writ]

How do  you understand these verses? Have they been translated properly? Thanks
#2
When this question is asked, we get two answers 1. Submission 2. Peace.

If this is true then is a Muslim is one who submits or one who is peaceful?

What exactly does the Arabic language say? How can a word have two meanings? Kindly comment.

Thanks.
#3
As soon as you say, Quran is just the Book we should follow and reject all sectarian hadith books collected by Persians generations after Nabi Karim (based on hearsay) , people ask:

1. How to pray if we reject the Quran?

From the past many years I have seen the following replies:

a. Take your salat from Maqam Ibrahim (2:125) and pray as they do in Makkah
b. Follow how it is done in society as long as it does not clash with the Quran. The Quran speaks about Call to prayer, wudu, qiyam, Rukooh, sujood, dua, etc. If you find the salat matches these Quranic terms then follow it.
c. Some people prove there is a Salat method in the Quran. I could post a link if asked.

We also need to remember the Salat is a system of closely following Allah's guidance that needs to be established, a component of which is salat the prayer
#4
10,000 members !!! wow! Subhan'Allah.. Let the TRUTH shine brightly..

''Nay,-whoever submits HIS WHOLE SELF TO ALLAH and is a DOER OF GOOD,- He will get his reward with his Lord; on such shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve'' {Quran 2:112}

Dear All, Salam

You are welcome to visit this Facebook Page that is, with the Grace of Almighty, growing day by day. Feel free to engage. Thanks.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/481079851918341/
#5
General Issues / Questions / Kindly explain 07:35
October 01, 2013, 07:58:34 AM
7:35 O CHILDREN of Adam! Whenever there come unto you apostles of your own, conveying My messages unto you, then all who are conscious of Me and live righteously - no fear need they have, and neither shall they grieve;

Some explain verse 7:35 this way:

If we keep in mind that this verse was revealed 1400 years ago to a certain audience, then we can appreciate what it means; It was telling them that Allah's plan was to send messengers to guide the people (2:213) and according to that plan they should accept Muhammad (S) as one of those Messengers. Later on, when the Allah perfected Deen and announced the end of Nabuwwat, then there does not rise the possiblity or need for further Messengers.

Some say:

This verse is addressed to Bani Adam, hence all mankind and not just those Arabs who were present 1400 years ago. They highlight the difference between Messengers (Rusul) and Prophets (Nabi) and claim that Nabuwwat has ended and not Risalat. Therefore, Allah will keep sending Messegners to guide the Ummah to proper interpretation of the Quran and the Sunnah of Muhammad (S). According to them Mirza Ghulam Ahmed was one such messenger and not sure but Rashad Khalafa claimed to be one too.

Others (a minority) suggest that the messengers in this verse should be taken as not necessarily people send on a mission from Allah but common people who spread around the world to preach the Quran. Therefore, anybody preaching the Quran alone can be termed a messenger.
#6
An article critical of Islam and Muslims; It does, however, has some valid points for us to think about:

Islam Explained in Layman's Terms

Dr. Hammond's doctorate is in Theology. He was born in Capetown in 1960, grew up in Rhodesia and converted to Christianity in 1977.

Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat:

Islam is not a religion, nor is it a cult. In its fullest form, it is a complete, total, 100% system of life.

Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.

Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.

When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well..

Here's how it works:

As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving
minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:
United States -- Muslim 0..6%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1.8%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%

At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs.
This is happening in:

Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%

From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population.

For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims.

They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply.

This is occurring in:

France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions.

In Paris, we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non Muslim action offends Islam, and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam , with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam.

Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections, in:

Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 15%

After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:

Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%

At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:

Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%

From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:

Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%

After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:

Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99..8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%

100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace.. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Ko Ko Winran is the only word, such as in:
Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%

Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.

'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'

It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law.

The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death.

Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.

Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers.

Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century.

Adapted from Dr. Peter Hammond's book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat
#7
Peace Dear Friends

In 5:32 we read:

[Asad] Because of this did We ordain unto the children of Israel that if anyone slays a human being-unless it be [in punishment] for murder or for spreading corruption on earth-it shall be as though he had slain all mankind; whereas, if anyone saves a life, it shall be as though he had saved the lives of all mankind. And, indeed, there came unto them Our apostles with all evidence of the truth: yet, behold, notwithstanding all this, many of them go on committing all manner of excesses on earth.

I recently learn that there is no verse in the Bible that says something similar to the above. However, such verses can be found in the Talmud.

[We notice that Allah uses the word "We Ordain" (some translations use "We ordained") therefore Allah owns such a decree]

If true, then is there not room in religion for oral traditions/explanations as source of law?

How would, you interpret/explain 5:32?

Please and thanks.
#8
Confusion because of Translation ??

4:78 [Yusuf Ali] "Wherever ye are, death will find you out, even if ye are in towers built up strong and high!" If some good befalls them, they say, "This is from God"; but if evil, they say, "This is from thee" (O Prophet). Say: "All things are from God." But what hath come to these people, that they fail to understand a single fact?

4:79 Whatever good, (O man!) happens to thee, is from God; but whatever evil happens to thee, is from thy (own) soul. and We have sent thee as an apostle to (instruct) mankind. And enough is God for a witness.

In the first verse above, a certain kind of people are shown crediting God for good and blaming the Messenger for any bad that comes their way. They are told "All" are from God.

However, in the following verse, they are told that the bad is due their deeds:

4:79 Whatever good, (O man!) happens to thee, is from God; but whatever evil happens to thee, is from thy (own) soul. and We have sent thee as an apostle to (instruct) mankind. And enough is God for a witness.

The way translated, above may raise an issue of contradiction. However, we find that the confusion goes away if the meaning of the above is given as below:

[Shabbir] 4:78 Wherever you may be, death will find you, even if you live in fortified castles. When something good happens to them, they say, "It is from Allah." And when affliction befalls them they say to each other, "This is from you O fellow-man!" Tell them, "All things happen according to Allah's Laws." What is amiss with these people, they understand not a thing?

4:79 Allah never creates evil. Things and events have good and evil aspects. When you act according to the Law of Allah the results are pleasant, and when you act against the Law the results are unpleasant (42:30). So whatever good happens to you is from Allah, and whatever evil happens to you is from yourself. We have sent you as a Messenger to mankind and Allah is Sufficient as Witness.
#9

Salam All

What would be the correct translation/interpretation of Verse 2:186?

2:186 [Bilal] When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed near. I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls on Me. Let them also, willingly, listen to My call, and believe in Me, that they may walk in the right way.

2:186 [Asad] AND IF My servants ask thee about Me - behold, I am near; I respond to the call of him who calls, whenever he calls unto Me: let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might follow the right way.

We all know that each and every prayer is not fulfilled by Allah.  Although some of us may pray for years for some wishes to be fulfilled, but they are not.

So, does Allah listens or does He respond?

Thanks.
#10
Boston Bombing Suspect Posted Video on Al Qaeda Hadith Prophecy on YouTube
?By Adam Serwer
Fri Apr. 19, 2013 5:45 AM PDT

The deceased suspect in the bombing of the Boston marathon, which killed three and injured more than 170, appears to have posted a video extolling an extremist religious prophecy associated with Al Qaeda to his YouTube page.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the 26 year-old brother of the second Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, had a YouTube page where he posted religious videos, including a video of Feiz Mohammad, a fundamentalist Australian Muslim preacher who rails against the evils of Harry Potter. Among those videos is one dedicated to the prophecy of the Black Banners of Khurasan which is embraced by Islamic extremists?particularly Al Qaeda. The videos posted on what appears to be Tsarnaev's YouTube page may shed light on the motivations for the attack on the Boston Marathon. The prophecy states that an invincible army will come from the region of "Khurasan," a large portion of territory in central Asia.
"This is a major hadith (reported saying of the prophet Muhammad) that jihadis use, it is essentially an end-time prophecy," says Aaron Zelin, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy "This is definitely important in Al Qaeda's ideology." In The Black Banners, former FBI agent Ali Soufan's book about his pursuit of Al Qaeda that is named after this prophecy, Soufan describes the prophecy this way:

Khurasan is a term for a historical region spanning northeastern and eastern Iran and parts of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and northwestern Pakistan. Because of the hadith, jihadists believe that this is the region from which they will inflict a major defeat against their enemies?in the Islamic version of Armageddon.

The older Tsarnaev seems to have posted the video four months ago under the username "muazseyfullah." According to Zelin, "Mu'az is usually a name," and "Sayf Allah means sword of God." Here is the video:
According to Soufan's book, "It?s not a coincidence that bin Laden made al-Qaeda?s flag black; he also regularly cited the hadith and referenced Khurasan when recruiting, motivating, and fund-raising." Soufan adds that Al Qaeda operatives he interrogated were often convinced that by joining the extremist group they were fulfilling the prophecy. Soufan states that the origin of the "black banners" hadith?and whether the prophet Muhammad ever said it?is questionable.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/04/boston-bombing-suspect-posted-video-al-qaeda-prophecy-youtube
#11
Dear All, Salam

Strange indeed is the response of some of us when we point out some success stories in the West on good governance, science, technology, medicine, ethics, accountability, justice system, cleanliness, equality, social welfare systems, etc.

They response by quoting verses from the Quran that say:

2:212 Beautified seems the life of this world to the rejecters, and they ridicule the believers who uphold Permanent Values and look beyond instant gains. Those who live an upright life will be higher in degrees on the Day of Resurrection. Allah provides without stint to His creation according to His Law that does not discriminate between people. He is the Sustainer of all humanity (114:1)

3:14 Beautiful for mankind is love of the joys that come from women and children, and heaps of gold and silver, and branded horses, and cattle and well-tilled land. That is comfort of the life of the world. Allah! With Him is a more excellent abode. (Believers in the Divine Laws see this comfort as the means to a higher Goal --- Service --- Self-actualization --- Paradise)

(O Messenger) Say, "Shall I inform you of something better than these, with which those who walk aright will be rewarded by their Lord? Gardens with flowing streams beneath, where they will live forever with spouses of spotless character and the Blissful Approval of Allah. Allah is Seer of His servants."

In other worlds, Muslims must not seek excellence in this world and live like beggars, not contributing towards science, medicine, technology, good governance, proper justice system, social welfare, etc. etc.

Nice way of rationalizing azaab-like conditions and giving them a religious twist to make people feel better!!
#12

We have a whole "industry" running on future predictions of the blessed Nabi (S). Does the Quran support him having knowledge of future events?

We have people waiting for Mehdi and Eesa, Mujaddids at the start of each century; prediction of wayward scholars misleading the Ummah;  Arabs building skyscrapers; Quran aloners,  Dajjal, etc. etc. A new sect of Ahmedis claiming to be true and only Muslims was born based on such predictions. Each sect find something in predictions to justify their existence.

Can someone provide evidence from the Quran proving that the blessed Nabi had knowledge of future events? Thanks.
#13
Salaam Dear Friends.

How would you respond to a question like this:

"....There is no doubt that misusing or misapplication of any law is wrong whether the law pertains to blasphemy or some other issue. However, the question is should we simply reject the blasphemy law(s) on the grounds that Quran does not include Blasphemy among other punishable crimes.

Was it absolutely necessary that the punishment for blasphemy be prescribed in Quran ''explicitly'' before Islamic states could penalize blasphemous people? Does an earthly punishment for any crime necessarily have to be prescribed in Quran explicitly? In logic, there is something called '' Drawing Inference'' from a set of given statements. Is it possible that some things are implicitly stated in Quran rather than stated in explicit words?

There is a verse in Quran which talks about punishing those who spread ''Fisaad" or corruption on earth. What if an Islamic government infers based on the aforesaid verse a punishment for blasphemy arguing that the act is tantamount to causing disruption or fisaad on earth. After all, no matter what religion, when an act of insult is committed against anything sacred in any religion, it is a gross misconduct that has the power to cause disruption in society by hurting people's religious feelings and emotions. Pragmatically speaking, the act of blasphemy causes rash and anger among a huge number of people in a country where the act is committed. Shouldn't the perpetrator be punished for disturbing the peace in a country especially when the perpetrator commits this act knowingly and willfully? Yet, this is not to say that blasphemy should be punished by death.

Pragmatism is an approach that is becoming prevalent in legal systems across the world. Based on this approach, some acts are punished just based on the consequences which may result after the commission of the act. ...."

Thanks in advance !!

Mubashir
#14
WAS THE PROPHET OF GOD AKIN TO A POSTMAN WHO SIMPLY DELIVERS A MESSAGE?
By Joseph Islam

In discussions and in what is written, it is often implied that the Quran-centric approach renders the Prophet into merely a 'postman' who is tasked to simply deliver a message.

Such an attribution seems to be in part, a result of the limiting reading of verses such as 42:48, 13:40 and 5:99, in which the Prophetic role to deliver the message is emphasised without giving due appreciation to context and wider Quranic narratives.

If one studies such verses, one would note that such an emphasis to deliver the message is hedged with the underlying proviso that the Prophet would not be a warden over his people or be responsible for 'converting' others to the true religion.

Rather, it would remain God?s responsibility as to whom to ultimately guide. Hence, it is in this context that once notes the emphasis of the Prophetic role to primarily deliver the message.

Prophet Muhammad had TWO major roles during his ministry. His task was to deliver the revelations inspired in him by way of the Quran to mankind and in the same stroke, to IMPLEMENT ITS guidance in the complete sphere of his life during his Prophetic ministry.

The Prophet made use of the Quran as a clarification (tibiana lekulli shaye 16:89) and a guide to apply to his particular circumstances where:

(1) He made judgments by making use of the Quran's guidance. (24:48)
(2) He was an arbitrator and settled disputes (24:51; 8:46)
(3) He was a counsellor / consultant (58:12)
(4) He was a military leader and made use of the Quran's guidance to conduct his affairs during war (8:1; 8:7)
(5) He was a community leader (60:12) and consulted with his contemporaries to make best decisions for the community (3:159)
(6) He was the state leader of a chain of commands (4:59)
(7) He was the community's treasurer (8:41)
[8] He was a spiritual leader and was tasked to proclaim the message and deliver warnings (38:70)
(9) He was a spiritual guide in his personal sphere (e.g. with his wives 33:33)

In all that he did engulfing his ministry and in dealing with his wider circumstances, the Prophet made use of God's guidance as revealed to him by the Quran.

If one were alive during His ministry and took ?BAYA'A? (oath of allegiance) with him (60:12; 48:18), then as a believer, one would be expected to follow / obey the Prophet's commands. A 'baya'a' with the Prophet would be akin to making an oath with God Himself (48:10).

However, the Prophet is not alive today to take 'baya'a with nor are the circumstances present for the Prophet to implement the Quran's guidance. We all exist in different communities, at a different time with differing circumstances and challenges.

Prophetic practice refers to the practical responses of a Prophet in his capacity as a guide sent by God to deal with the circumstances that he is presented with during his ministry. In such a capacity, a Prophet makes use of Divine guidance revealed to him and implements them in the best possible manner to his circumstances. Therefore, for the Prophet's Sunna to have any intrinsic relevance, the circumstances of 7th century Arabia that the Prophet faced would also inevitably need to exist.

Hence, there is no Quranic warrant to 'religiously' sanction a corpus that 'allegedly' details a practice of a people of a certain time of ancient history.

Indeed, one should attempt to understand how a people attempted to implement the guidance of the Quran to their particular circumstances to gain any pearls of underlying wisdom and possible best practice. However, this should not be understood as 'religiously binding'.

Therefore, to draw an analogy of the Prophet simply with a 'postman' is not only unduly inappropriate and restrictive; it is also without any Quranic warrant regardless of who makes the assertion.

Similarly, to make use of Prophetic practice to sanction a corpus as 'religiously binding' also remains without any Quranic warrant.
#15
Salam Friends,

Are the following verses addressed to the blessed Muhammad or mankind in general?

[Bilal]
87:6 By degrees We will teach you to declare the message, so you will not forget,
87:7 Except what God wills, for He knows what is manifest and what is hidden.

Many translators assume that they are addressed to Muhammad and while trying to explain it, end up with the theory of abrogation.

[Haleem]
87:6 [Prophet], We shall teach you [the Quran] and you will not forget??

87:7 unless God wishes; He knows both what is open and what is hidden??

Would appreciate a better and clear understanding. Thanks.