[firmbeliever]

As I am a firm believer in Islam, I would like to hear what others see in muslims and Islam.
Or if they have any misconception about Islam, I would like to hear about them.

If you know muslims personally what have you seen in them and what has changed in your view after meeting them and knowing them.


I hope to hear your views on this...

Thank you all:)

[JohnSnownw]

From what I know of Islam, it is essentially much like Christianity. I believe that the way the Koran is written allows it to be more easily interpreted fanatically. That is not to say that Christianity cannot, because it most definitely can and has. However, the Koran's principal (keyword there) beliefs are in line with Christian ones.

I have a few Muslim friends, and at least one I would consider a close one. He is kind, respectful, and altruistic, however, I don't feel that his religion defines him.

[GlindaofOz]

When I was in college we had to took a seminar our entire freshman year the theme of my year was religion. We read all of the religious text including the Koran. It was very interesting to me how similar everyone's religion is in the sense of what God is to its worshipers. One of our Professors was a strict follower of Islam and he was the coolest guy. Just when you looked at him you felt as if he embodied God he always said how much his religion gave him.

I think that Muslims and Islam in general get a bad rep but just like in any religion there are people who are fanatics and well mess it up for everybody else.

[NeedKarma]

My parents spent 2 1/2 years in Saudia Arabia. While my father enjoyed the relationships and the work he did there my mother felt a little stiffled by the restrictions that women have. Plus they were both scared to death every time they drove on the roads there. If not the roads themselves it's the reckless drivers.

[firmbeliever]

My parents spent 2 1/2 years in Saudia Arabia. While my father enjoyed the relationships and the work he did there my mother felt a little stiffled by the restrictions that women have. Plus they were both scared to death every time they drove on the roads there. If not the roads themselves it's the reckless drivers.

I would just like to clarify that stifling women is not part of Islam. It is just the law of some countries that stifle the women.:)

And out of curiosity why were your parents afraid to drive if not for the reckless drivers?

[NeedKarma]

If you are a woman who has lived all your life in a non-islamic country the rules are indeed stiffling, no question about it.

As for the driving: it seems that the saudis drive without a care in the world for safety, the thinking being that if they die in a car accident "it is the will of Allah'.

[firmbeliever]

If you are a woman who has lived all your life in a non-islamic country the rules are indeed stiffling, no question about it.

As for the driving: it seems that the saudis drive without a care in the world for safety, the thinking being that if they die in a car accident "it is the will of Allah'.

I understand the difference in culture maybe a bit restricting.

And about the reckless driving I assure you that most muslims do not think that way, in fact anything that would harm one's health is to be avoided, hence alcohol,pork etc being prohibited), some even give up smoking when they understand that it is harmful to health and it is not liked by Allah for one to abuse ones body in any way.

Even during funerals the men and women are not supposed to harm themselves in grief.Crying all we want is allowed, but hitting ones own self even in grief is not allowed (sometimes you may see on the news, how muslims women/men beat themselves at the death of a loved one).

[firmbeliever]

I was hoping to hear more responses,
For those who did
NK, johnsnow and Glinda, thank you for sharing.

[Marily]

Religion doesn't matter much to me because the Lord won't judge you whether you are Pentecostal, Hindu a Christian or Islam but by His Word and His Word only

[firmbeliever]

Religion does'nt matter much to me because the Lord won't judge you whether you are Pentecostal, Hindu a Christian or Islam but by His Word and His Word only

Marily,
Are you saying that you accept me as a believer or are you saying you believe in the Islamic faith to be right?

Another thing I would like to clarify is how does anyone choose his way of life if you say that it does not matter whether one follows a religion or not.
And also how does one know His word if one is not following any religion?
Who/what do you mean as "His word"?

Thanks:)

[JoeCanada76]

Is Allah, considered to be the same as the Christian God? This might sound like an ignorant question but I do not know much about Islam? Do Islam respect and believe in the Christian God to be the same. All in one? Does islam believe in Jesus to be part of God?

Edit:::: Muslim and Islam are the same?

[firmbeliever]

Is Allah, considered to be the same as the Christian God? This might sound like an ignorant question but I do not know much about Islam? Do Islam respect and believe in the Christian God to be the same. All in one? Does islam believe in Jesus to be part of God? Oh I have so many questions.

I believe the original teachings of Jesus (alaihi salaam) was the same,as we believe he was a messenger from Allah.We also believe that the Injeel was revealed to him by the Almighty, but we do not believe in the current day Bible/s as they have been tampered and we cannot identify the True words of the Almighty and the human editions.

We also believe in Jesus (alaihi salaam) virgin birth to be a miracle from Allah and his mother (peace be upon )Mary(Mariyam) is also mentioned in the Quran and a whole chapter is named after her.
We also believe Jesus (alaihi salaam ) spoke in his crib and other miracles performed during his time.

The difference is I think that some Christians consider Jesus (alaihi salaam) as the son of God and we would never put any of the prophets and messengers(peace be upon them all) in such a rank, as we believe even they are first servants of the Almighty just like all humans and jinn.

We also believe in the descending of Jesus(alaihi salaam) during the end times to abolish falsehood and establish the truth of monotheism.But we believe that he was not crucified but was taken up to Allah and his descent will disprove the theory of his crucifixion.

I am so glad you asked and if you have any others please do and I will try to clarify as much as I could.:)

Edit-Islam is the religion which is of total submission to Allah.
muslim= is the one who submits and bows down to the will of Allah.Muslims are the followers of Islam

[JoeCanada76]

Why do you, or islam do not believe in the crucifixion of Jesus? Also was not the Quran written by man as well? Is it not true that both the bible and Quran were written by the hands of people through the revelation from God?

Does quron or Allah teach exceptance of all people, no matter what their belief? I am curious on the rules and guidelines of Allah, I also hear they are very similar to the Bible. That the bible is more history based with details and Quran is more of a Blueprint with guidelines of how to live without the historic background, what is your take on this?

[firmbeliever]

Why do you, or islam do not believe in the crucifixion of Jesus? Also was not the Quran written by man as well? Is it not true that both the bible and Quran were written by the hands of people through the revelation from God?

Does quron or Allah teach exceptance of all people, no matter what their belief? I am curious on the rules and guidelines of Allah, I also hear they are very similar to the Bible. That the bible is more history based with details and Quran is more of a Blueprint with guidelines of how to live without the historic background, what is your take on this?

About the compilation of the Quran please follow this link.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/compilationbrief.html

The reason we believe jesus (alaihi salaam) was not crucified is based on the Quran.
Quran 4:157
"And because of their saying (in boast), "We killed Messiah 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary), the Messenger of Allâh," - but they killed him not, nor crucified him, but the resemblance of 'Iesa (Jesus) was put over another man (and they killed that man), and those who differ therein are full of doubts. They have no (certain) knowledge, they follow nothing but conjecture. For surely; they killed him not [i.e. 'Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)"

Quran 43:61
"And he ['Iesa (Jesus), son of Maryam (Mary)] shall be a known sign for (the coming of) the Hour (Day of Resurrection) [i.e. 'Iesa's (Jesus) descent on the earth]. Therefore have no doubt concerning it (i.e. the Day of Resurrection). And follow Me (Allâh) (i.e. be obedient to Allâh and do what He orders you to do, O mankind)! This is the Straight Path (of Islâmic Monotheism, leading to Allâh and to His Paradise)."

------------
Regarding Allah-
Allah accepts only pure monotheistic belief without any partners associated with Him.

Quran chapter 112
"Say (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)): "He is Allâh, (the) One.
"Allâh-us-Samad (The Self-Sufficient Master, Whom all creatures need, He neither eats nor drinks). "He begets not, nor was He begotten;
"And there is none co-equal or comparable unto Him."

-------------------
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamen...ropillars.html
The Meaning of Islam
"ISLAM" is derived from the Arabic root salaama peace, purity, submission and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to His law.

Everything and every phenomenon in the world, other than man and jinn is administered totally by God-made laws,they are obedient to God and submissive to His laws, i.e. they are in the state of Islam. Man possesses the quality of intelligence and choice, thus he is invited to submit to the good will of God and obey His law, i.e. become a Muslim. Submission to the good will of God, together with obedience to His beneficial law, i.e. becoming a Muslim, is the best safeguard for man's peace and harmony.

Islam dates back to the age of Adam and its message has been conveyed to man by God's Prophets and Messengers including Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Islam's message has been restored and enforced in the last stage of the religious evolution by God's last Prophet and Messenger Muhammad.

The word ALLAH in the Arabic language means God, or more accurately The One and Only Eternal God, Creator of the Universe, Lord of all lords, King of all kings, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful. The word Allah to mean God is also used by Arabic speaking Jews and Christians.

Articles of Faith
1. Allah, the One and Only God
2. Messengers and Prophets of God
3. Revelations and the Quran
4. The Angels
5. The Day of Judgement
6. Qadaa and Qadar(pre ordainment)

-Please refer link for an explanation of each article of faith and to read the rest of the article.
-------------------------------------------------------------

I haven't read the Bible/s so I cannot give you a comparison.

The Quran is a set of guidelines as well as some historical accounts,
Information regarding Heaven and Hell,information on the attributes of Allah,attributes of believers and non believers,how to govern the state,how to conduct our daily everyday affairs,divorce and marriage,birth and death,war and peace treaties,inheritance,way to dress,guidance for us to look and marvel at the signs of Allah in all the living things we see around us... etc.
And we also refer to Hadith (wayof conduct/sayings of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a perfect example of following the Quran.

[templelane]

I have known many muslims down the years my school was about a third muslim which when you consider most of the non muslims where agnostic/athiest probably made it the majority religion. This being so I never learnt about it in RE just other religions.

My lasting impressions of muslims/islam are Eid, Ramadam, henna and calvin klein hijabs. Most 'muslims' I meet now are not very strict, about the same as westeners you can stop in the street who call themselves 'kinda christian I suppose.' I put this down to the fact I work in a scientific field.

There is a lot of muslim terrorists in my country at the moment (my friend dated one!) but I remember back when it was the IRA so it's all swings and roundabouts really. Anybody who judges a whole religion and it's followers by a couple of fanatics actions is an idiot in my book.

[shygrneyzs]

The first time I met a Muslim was when I was a senior in high school - there was a foreign exchange student from Morocco. I remember him as a very kind and caring person. He was only in the U.S. one year and then to go back to his family. He was VERY patient in answering questions about his country and his beliefs. One thing he did mention, more than once, was the liberalism in dress for women. That was 1969-1970 and many girls were definitely in the fashion of short skirts and the like. He did not think that was appropriate and he was right!

In college there was a group of four or five students from Iran who went to my college and several from Saudi Arabia. You could not ask for nicer people. Some of them were in my philosophy class and they would go round and round with the monk who was teaching. I got more education out of the dialogue between them and the instructor than I got out of the philosophy books. Two were in my Old Testament class and it was amazing to me to see the parallels in teachings.

Now I have a little contact as there is a family that just moved here from Nigeria that are Muslim and I see again that Muslims are peace loving. I know there are the radicals out there - but honestly those radicals exist in every country, in every faith, and every point of origin. It would never be fair to place all in the same category as those who expouse violence as a answer to the world. While I do not share the belief in Allah, I can respect those that do.

Hope this helps answer your question.

[firmbeliever]

I have known many muslims down the years my school was about a third muslim which when you consider most of the non muslims where agnostic/athiest probably made it the majority religion. This being so I never learnt about it in RE just other religions.

My lasting impressions of muslims/islam are Eid, Ramadam, henna and calvin klein hijabs. Most 'muslims' I meet now are not very strict, about the same as westeners you can stop in the street who call themselves 'kinda christian I suppose.' I put this down to the fact I work in a scientific field.

There is a lot of muslim terrorists in my country at the moment (my friend dated one!) but I remember back when it was the IRA so it's all swings and roundabouts really. Anybody who judges a whole religion and it's followers by a couple of fanatics actions is an idiot in my book.

We have two eids,one right after the Fasting month of Ramadhan and the other Eid is the celebration of the end of Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca).

About Henna, we are allowed to use Henna on our hands as decoration, but permanent tattooing is not allowed.
The reason for this is we have a ritual right before we pray or read the Quran (in its original form in Arabic),in that we have to wash palms,mouth and nose,face,hands,wipe our hair with water,wipe both our ears with water and wash our feet. And each part is washed three times each,except for the hair and ears, one of the musts of this ritual is water must touch the skin and tattoos and nail varnish prevent us from this.
Some use nail varnish during the period when we cannot pray, which is during the monthly menses for women,as this is considered an impurity.
We can start praying right after the menses but after a ritual bath. Even sexual intercourse is forbidden during the periods as this a time of uncleanliness and danger of disease for the husband.


Calvin Klein hijabs are just comercialised headscarves to market in the muslim community.Some assume that the headscarf is a form of oppression or not as a compulsory thing, but it is stated in the Quran that both men and women should lower their gaze(i.e not look at forbidden things), and to guard their modesty.Even Scholars of Islam agree that the minimal covering of the whole body except for the hands and face is recommended by Allah. The dispute between scholars rises on the face veil, which was a practice(Allahs command) of the wives(May Allah be pleased with them) of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and as we regard them to be the mothers of all believers we try to emulate them as much as possible.

Some people consider the lowering of the gaze and such commands from Allah as too strict, but in Islam most commands are as a prevention before the act happens.
Everyone knows how hard men and women work on keeping their wives and husbands from cheating on them, by the command to lower the gaze prevents one from the forbidden look which in turn may or may not lead to a forbidden act.
I am not saying muslims do not cheat or have sex outside of marriage, but if one is a good practicer of Islam, they would be safe from STI,unwanted pregnancies etc.
Another thing about women being covered is the peace of mind we women have in that I do not have to compete with other women to look sexier,more beautiful or to have the perfect body.This unhealthy competition between women is eliminated in that we stop trying to show off our bodies except our husbands.

About strictness of muslims,all of us are supposed to be fundamentalists in that we should be following the fundamental principles of the religion in order to be a muslim.
The five pillars,the articles of faith are to be believed and followed. And our conduct must be according to the Quran and the Prophet's (peace be upon him) way pf conducting himself.
Mohammed The Prophet By Prof. K. S. Ramakrishna Rao
Here is an article by a non muslim on Muhammad (pbuh).

The word fundamentalist as been used by the media is a biased term and it is used only in reference to muslims, whereas there are orthodox Jews and fundamental Christians too.
The funny thing is if we were to leave the basics of the religion we follow we would cease to be Muslims as the fundamental beliefs is what defines each religion.

Thank you Templelane and Shygrneyzs for your unbiased opinion and for not judging us by what is portrayed by the mass media.:)

[Marily]

What I am trying to say firmbeliever is when God comes back, we all will know what the truth is whether the bible was tampered with as you believe or whether the koran was the holy book of God

[firmbeliever]

What i am trying to say firmbeliever is when God comes back, we all will know what the truth is whether the bible was tampered with as you believe or whether the koran was the holy book of God

"when God comes back"
Therein lies the difference of our opinion, we do not believe God will descend to earth, but Jesus (alaihi salaam), the messenger of God...

I agree with you Marily that when Jesus (alahi salaam) descends to earth all falsehood will perish and the truth will be established.:)

[Marily]

Just out of curiosity, who is alaihi salaam ? According to islam who is Jesus and who is God ? :)