Mujahideen For the Awareness of Islam *Bism Allah alrrahman alrraheem *Be nameh Khoda, Mehrabantareen va Bakhshandehtareen *In naam van Het meest verfijnde God, het Mildst *Au nom de Dieu, le plus aimable, le plus compatissant *Im Namen des Gottes am liebenswÃÆÃâÃâürdigsten, am barmherzigsten *In nome del dio, piÃÆÃâÃâù gracious, piÃÆÃâÃâù merciful *No nome do deus, o mais gracious, o mais merciful *En el nombre del dios, mÃÆÃâÃâás gracioso, mÃÆÃâÃâás merciful *In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful STATED GOALS -------------------------------- 1) To teach about Islam 2) To answer any questions reguarding Islam ************************************ ABOUT US We are the Mujahideen For the Awareness of Islam. We are here to answer any questions. I am 16 years old, and very knowledgable when it comes to religion. I thought I would like to share this knowledge amongst people. And yes, it did take me over an hour to organize this thread. Thank you, Kirbytime ************************************* QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Note: These are actual questions asked by real people. They have not been edited except when [] are used. The responses are gathered from a plethora of responses by {MFAI} members and many different online sources. 1. Are translated versions of the [Noble Qur'an] considered not as holy or something? Only God's words are considered holy. God did not speak English/Spanish/Farsi/German/etc... He COULD have, but He chose Arabic. Thus, only the original Arabic words are considered Holy. 2.Is the Taleban's view of the Koran the most fundamentalist? "Fundametal" and its variations have become the biggest misnomers in the English language. If anything, the Taliban represented a fundamental corruption. 3.Does the Quran talk about Jews and how so? It talks about the Jews more than anyone else. Moses (pbuh) is basicly the main character of the Noble Qur'an. He is talked about more than any other prophet in the Noble Qur'an. But that's not all. It also says that the Jews must remember that we are all children of Abraham. Also, the dietary laws of the Jews are overrided by the dietary laws of the Noble Qur'an. 4.Why doesn't muslim eat pork? I know why Jews don't eat pork but what about muslim? Because Allah says so. But, there are other lesser reasons as well. Remember that the way to get Halal (lawful) meat is to cut the animal's neck and severe its spinal cord. That way, the animal does not suffer much pain. But more importantly, the blood splurts out of the neck and thus the body is cleaned from the blood. The blood is usually bad to eat, and that's why it must be emptied out, and this is a very efficient way to do so. That method works on animals that have necks, and thus Allah decided that whichever animals have necks are suitable for human consumption. Pigs, however, are very horrible for human consumption. One, their blood is much filthier than other animals. Second, they don't even have a well defined neck region! So it makes sense for dietary purposes to outlaw it. But note that these laws are not absolute: So that means, if you are starving and you got a fat pig in front of you... ^_^ 5. Can Qu'ranic verses 'abrogate' previously received ones? I am of the opinion that Noble Qur'anic verses only abrogate verses of previous Scriptures, not of other verses of the Noble Qur'an. 6.Is wearing a hijab a must for muslim women? Hijab is required for both men and women, but it usually refers to a woman's dress. The exact verse is the following: That's the verse. The trouble arises with what the Noble Qur'an refers to when it says "ornaments/adornments". Some idiots (ex. Taliban, Pakistan) decided it means the face. But that is incorrect, because a woman does not need to strike her feet to make her face apparent. I am of the opinion the "ornaments/adorments" refer to the breasts and the buttocks. 7.Is the Qu'ran the uncreated word of God, which existed in heaven in its present configuration before being revealed to Muhammad? Yes. 8.I hear of muslim girls that do not wear the hijab... they're in the wrong then? Yes. Usually Muslim women do not wear hijab in the western world because of peer pressure. But also remember, hijab is only required for girls who attain puberty. The Noble Qur'an says that women of old age can also relax the dress code as well. 9.Is Islam Judaism+Muhammed's teachings (excuse my bad spelling)? I have heard things that...weakly indicated that, but I have no idea. Anyone wanna give me the basics of it? Islam is the teachings of all of God's past messengers combined. That includes Judaism and Christianity. 10. How does Mohammed fit in? He is the descendant of Ishmael, and it was prophesized that Ishmael's sons will "rise to make a great nation" in the Bible. Also, there are many other passages where it shows that the Jews were expecting a Messiah AND a Prophet. That's one example from the Bible. Exactly WHO is "the Prophet" this passage is referring to, if not Christ (pbuh) nor Elijah (pbuh)? I say Muhammad (pbuh). Here's the rest of the passage: It is very suspicious... who is this Prophet they were expecting, if not Jesus nor Elijah? (The person they are asking is John the Baptist, but he already said He is not the Prophet they are thinking of) 11. Since christianity is already laid out till the end of time, how can you call all of it "the past"? Because Christianity was corrupted... that's why God sent one more messenger to clear up His message and protect it from further alterations. 12. According to Islam, who was going to be sacrificed by Abraham? Muslims believe it was Ishmael (pbuh), not Isaac (pbuh) who was going to be sacrificed by Abraham (pbuh). 13. Also correct me if I'm wrong, but when a female converts to Islam should it always be like -boom- they have to wear a hijab from now on? yep. Unless she is of old age or has not attained puberty yet. 14.What motivates some Muslims to become extremists? Is it texts that are misinterpreted? Does it even have anything to do with the actual religion? How come some people believe that martyrdom is the only way to "heaven?" In your opinion, does that belief have backing? I have never found anything in the Qur'an that supports terrorists when one analyzes it to any extent. Terrorists try to draw on the unifying power of religion to further their political ends, and the West has played right into their hands by buying into it and believing that Islam is a religion of hate. Every time a news anchor adds "Islamic" onto their description of terrorists they give terrorists their credibility. Had the government the authority, it should never have allowed that to start. Now the American people have it ingrained that Muslims are nothing but a bunch of ignorant, [wagon]-backward desert wandering, camel riding, wife beating, bastards who revel at the idea of a collapsing America. There may be some who claim to be Muslims who fit that very description, but the vast majority do not. Some who are Muslim may even have grievances against the United States, but such grievances, for the most part, are not rooted in religion but economics and politics. It is profoundly foolish to assume that because the West is predominantly Christian and the Mid-East predominantly Muslim that any conflicts arising between these two is due to Religion. People have mistaken political and Economic conflict for a religious one, a grievous error because as you can see throughout history, there are few wars more brutal than religious wars. The Bush administration made an effort to explain to the American people that this is not a religious war, but his own supporters have turned a deaf ear to this and spout hatred on a daily basis across the airwaves. The American people do not get a great deal of open contact with Muslims, and likewise Muslims outside America have had little contact with Americans. This lack of contact combined with the religious bigotry preached over radio have combined to result in an American people who are not only afraid of what they don't know, but are afraid to learn. There can be no worse state of things when the balance between a war fought for freedoms and a war fought over religion is tipping to the far more gruesome of the two. For the sake of America and for the world this war must not be about religion. The unique characteristics of this war - an enemy which has no nation and hides among innocents mean that should it turn into a religious war we will be looking at genocide. America needs to convince the Middle East that it has no interest in pushing religion on them at all and that at home there is no discrimination against Muslims for their Muslimhood, else the terrorists gain in legitimacy. We need to behave in such a way that the terrorists can not claim religion as an excuse for war. We can not grant them legitimacy by letting them get by with calling themselves Muslims, nor should we grant them the legitimacy of us calling them "Islamic" anything. its not simply misinterpreted texts, its the deliberate ignoring of that text which forbids what they do and creating false interpretations that any legitimate Islamic scholar could refute that they draw upon. The martyrdom thing is only their way of trying to get people to join their cause. Those who actually study Islam find that it is striving to do good to and for you fellow man that grants one admission to heaven, not viciously slaying innocents. If anything, the killing of innocents is strictly forbidden. As has occurred numerous time in history, those who want to avoid this ethical issue try to dehumanize their targets to justify what they do. In my opinion, a religious war is only legitimate when one is on the defensive, persecuted side and then only so long as the persecution continues. One fights for the safety of his home and country as he must, but slaying innocents is never a must. So long as I live I will never have respect for men who in war deliberately execute civilians, no matter what type of war it is, though I will hold respect even for an enemy if he fights honorably. The terrorists do not fight with honor. They are the anithesis of what good Muslims should be. 15. Why is a woman's testimony only worth half that of a man's? a. That had to do with business disputes. Women at the time had less experience and knowledge of business so it was decided that two women should be required to verify testimony for arbitration. b. The man can't marry the female witness and skew her testimony to his favor. 16.Should apostates from Islam be executed? Absolutely not. If there is no freedom in religion then then we are forced to jump to a conclusion we've yet to experience as truth and will do so spitefully. Executing an apostate only aggravates the situation, making it appear to others in doubt that there is something hidden outside of one's religion that makes it false, else why would you want to silence them? I say let men speak and let their followers experience for themselves the truth or falsehood that is yielded, only then would they understand. 17.Doesn't a woman just need to swear to Allah four times [to negate her husband's claim of adultery when there aren't any witnesses]? A man testifies that his wife has committed adultery. Then the man has to swear four times, and then one more time. Then if the woman swears for times that her husband is lying, then she wins the case. 18. Is polygamy allowed in Islam? Polygamy is the exception to the rule such that in times of war widows and orphans could be better provided for. It is set up so that only the men who can provide for the widows may marry them. It isn't supposed to be a matter of whim. If a sizeable portion of your male population is killed in battle who is to care for their wives, children, and those women who would have been married to those men who would not have remained single? How moral is it to tell an orphan that because even though there are men around who are capable of providing for them as fathers, they can't do so because they're already married? Polygamy is not meant to be taken up at a whim, it serves a specific purpose, to pick up the slack where monogamy fails due to circumstance. In defense of polygamy in general, is it moral to tell women that because oops there's not enough men anymore for each to have one they can't be provided for sexually? If tomorrow 3/4 of the world's men died how long do you think monogamy would remain the rule? 19. Is there a lot of hatred for Jews in most of the Muslim community? There seems to be so much tension throughout the Middle East and Europe between Muslims and Jews. I know this attitude is not accepted by all Muslims but it seems to be rising, due to current events and history in Israel. Is there an attitude concentrating more on disagreement with a government's actions or as a people as a whole (I guess depending on one's point of view it might go hand in hand)? I can't speak for the feelings of every Muslim, but I have no problem with the Jews and am a strong supporter of Israel, having a great respect for any people who can hold it together and even prosper against the odds. 20. Do Muslims believe that all non-believers go to "hell" when they die regardless of how good they where in life? Humans are judged based on rather or not they are good. Non-Muslims can go to hell, but they can also get into heaven and unlike Christian hell, the Muslim concept of hell is temporary. 21.Would you give a short explanation of "Peace Be Unto Him" [pbuh] for us? You say it for all the Muslim prophets and other important figures. It is a sign of respect. For instance the Virgin Mary (Peace be upon her) is not a prophet(ess), but she still deserves respect. Also, when naming many prophets, for instance a list of them, Abraham, Joseph, Lot, John the Baptist, Moses (peace be upon them) is used. 22. Could you also explain "Imam"... is it the equivalent of "Rabbi"? 23.When does Ramadan (sp) start? This year it started on October 5th. 24. [Would you] explain the concept of Djinn? Djinn (or Jinn) are invisible beings that are also being judged by God in the same way that humans are being judged. While human beings were made from clay (Adam was crafted from clay), Jinns were made from fire (Satan was made from fire and the Jinn are his offspring). On Judgement day, Jinns will also be judged at the same time as humans, and they will also reach their final destination of either: A. a separate heaven for Jinns. B. a hell for all sinful beings, where Jinns and humans together are there. Some assert that Jinns are fourth dimensional creatures. 25. [Would you] explain the differences between Shiite(sp), Kurd and Sunni? While Shiite is one way to spell it, a better way would be Shia (pronounced Shee'eh). Kurds are an ethnicity (separate from Arabs), not a sect of Islam. So basicly the difference between Sunni and Shia is who the next leader of the Muslims was supposed to be, back in the time of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). When the Prophet died, there was a split between who would be his successor. Sunnis said Abu Bakr, which was the Prophet's close friend and father-in-law. Shias said Ali, which they say was appointed by Muhammad (pbuh) himself. 90% of the world's Muslims are Sunni. 26.Was/Is the Islamic world angered by the fact that an organization known as "The Nation Of Islam" was formed by Louis Farrakhan and revealed to be a fraudulent organisation? I've wanted to know that since I watched Malcolm X long ago. Yes, they were angered, but there wasn't public outcry in the middle east simply because people didn't know much about the organisation. 27. What are the opinions from the followers of the REAL Islamic religion on this subject [Nation of Islam]? It teaches racism, the idea that God would send a messenger after Muhammad (pbuh), that its founder was God-incarnate, that Yacub was an evil scientist that invented white people, etc. All sorts of garbage that is forbidden under Islam. When Malcom X performed Hajj, he saw actual Islam without racism, and when he came back to the United States, he was assassinated by the NOI because of this. 28. could someone please explain why there is so much hate from the Islam towards other believers? Allah is the word "God" in Islam. Muhammad preached in the same line of Prophets as Jesus did so he was talking about the same one God. There is friction between Muslims and Christians in general because people don't like others telling them their religion is wrong (something a lot of people have a habit of doing, no matter what their religion happens to be), and specifically because Christian kingdoms and Islamic kingdoms have not gotten along pretty much since Christians have known there were Muslims. The hatred you speak of doesn't come from Islam, it comes from political amd imperial screw ups that have embittered various parts of the world. It happens that a lot of those countries that got the short end of the stick were Muslim and the ones screwing them over happened to be Christian so both sides misused and continue to abuse religion as a rallying point. Political leaders have often used irrelevant premises to get their point across, its unfortunate that religion is among the irrelevant premises that work best. Christianity has historically had a serious superiority complex. Everywhere "Christians" went everyone else was wrong and needed to be converted. It just happens that it wasn't until about 230 years ago that governments that happened to be Islamic began to fall from within and could no longer so strongly resist the Christians they had held at bay for so long (The Ottomans lose bits and pieces of their empire first to other Muslims, hold their own against the Russians a couple times but eventually cede land on the black sea to Catherine, Mughal dynasty collapses in India etc). That sense of rivalry never faded, but the ability to physically resist imperialist Europe was all but gone. It was shortly after this that the Industrial revolution occurs and non-traditional markets popped up on the scene in all the prosperous countries with strong governments. Islamic countries at that time generally didn't have strong governments to advocate economy at all so the Industrial Revolution passed them by, further putting them behind. By the time world war one had rolled through history most Islamic countries were one way or another subjected to some colonialist power, and what was left of the Ottoman Empire finally collapsed. After WWII "empire" became a dirty word so European countries began giving up the overseas colonies that didn't get a chance to revolt during the Napoleonic age or Hitler's time in power. Europe really ****s this up. France tried to keep its holding but bungled it particularly badly. In South East Asia the Vietnamese had been ready to fight the French before WWII, but the French were replaced by Japanese so they fought against them instead - again, for their independence. After the Japanese were thrown out the French wanted it back so the Vietnamese fought them too. The French were hardly in a position to fought a drawn out war so they dragged us into it, playing off the cold war, and so the Vietnamese fought us too. Then the French give up and leave - thanks for dragging us into your war and departing the field France. Algeria was another French colonial possession that the French were determined to hold on to but whose people were sick of them. Knowing the attitudes were ripe for war the French enacted all kinds of restrictions on the Muslim populace there, preventing a traditional open civil war. At this point the Muslims living their needed a way to hit the French and get them out and someone came up with terrorism. The French, too stubborn to grant Algeria its rightful independence and to weak to hold onto it eventually give up and suddenly terrorism becomes the new greatest weapon to use, so you can thank France for the use of terrorism for the last 60+ years. Britain didn't fare much better. They couldn't control the Indian Subcontinent and eventually split it into three parts because Muslims and Hindus couldn't agree to how the country should be run and there was violence on both sides as a result. East Pakistan, later Bangladesh got along relatively well with India, but West Pakistan, later just Pakistan, had a territorial dispute over the area called Kashmir, with IIRC a mostly Hindu population ruled by a Muslim leader. That territorial dispute is what causes friction between the two countries. After WWII the British, and Western powers in general, felt sorry for the Jews whom they had neglected and decided to give them a homeland of their own in what was once their ancient homeland - Palestine. The trouble was people were already living there who didn't want a Jewish theocracy and didn't feel they should have to move. The various Muslim countries sympathized and joined the fight. The British eventually completely lost control of the situation as even the Jews were fighting them because of their hindering the Jews' defense. This conflict results in violence in the Holy Land for the next 60+ years. If the British had thought to give the Jews a homeland that wouldn't involve kicking out the people who already live there all that mess could have been avoided. 29. What are the Five Pillars of Faith in Islam? A. Shahadaah (Declaration of Faith) B. Salat (Five prayers daily) C. Sawm (Fasting during Ramadan) D. Zakat (Donation to charity) E. Hajj (One time pilgrimage to Makkah) 30.How bad is it too masturbate after iftar during Ramadan? I mean seriously it's becoming way too hard to control I mean like WAY too hard. I heard it's ok to do it if you do it to keep yourself away from sex. Masturbation is sexual activity. Don't engage in sexual activity while fasting. When you are done fasting (at night), go ahead and do it. 31. Is lifting weights against ramadan? Of course not. 32. I've always wanted to know, what do muslims say about Jesus performing miracles? Jesus (pbuh) performed miracles. Sura 5 Verse 11 is Islam's thoughts on Jesus's (pbuh) miracles in a nutshell. Also, Jesus spoke while an infant: Jesus (pbuh) was a Prophet of God. 33. What is islam's interpretation of the creation story. up to and including Cain if he is in there. Allah tells the angels that he is going to create caretakers for the Earth, or 'Khalifa, stewards (as translated literally from Arabic) that would be endowed with the gift of freewill, from clay. The angels respond by asking why Allah is placing a creature that will 'make mischief' and spill blood on the earth, whilst the angels sing Allah's praises. Allah merely replies: "I know what you don't." Allah then creates a man, named Adam, from sounding clay moulded into shape and He breathes life into His spirit. Now that Adam is alive, Allah teaches him the names of all things. Allah then goes to the angels and shows them some of these things, which they can't name. The angels realise now Allah's plan, and they profess His glory. Allah says that He knows the secrets of the heavens and the earth. Allah declared to the Angels and Jinns (it is important to note that jinns are creatures created from smokeless fire, and are capable of exercising freewill, unlike the angels who are made of light, and live to do Allah's bidding only) to bow (prostrate) before Adam. The Jinns who were also in the garden bowed before Adam as well - except one, the Chief of the Jinns, whose name was Iblis (translates as "frustrated" in english). An Argument then ensues as Allah demands that Iblis explain why he refuses to bow down. While Allah knows the answer to the question he does ask Iblis to explain himself and state his case in all fairness. Iblis responds by saying that he is better than this man as he's made out of fire and not mere clay. As such he believes himself of higher caliber and worth than this man. Some traditions say that Iblis did not prostrate to Adam for he refused to postrate -a sign of submittance- to anyone but his God, Allah. Allah is angered by Iblis' questioning of his decision and his refusal to accept a direct order from him. He tells Iblis he intends to throw him out. So Iblis begs for respite till the Day of Judgment to prove to Allah that this flawed creation, man, is not worthy as he is easily lured away from Allah and towards evil. Allah says that no righteous men will be lured by Iblis and his deception. To prove it he agrees to grant Iblis respite but tells him that he and any humans who willingly follows him shall be cast to spend eternity in the fire of Hell. After this Allah puts Adam and his wife (traditionally called Hawa; she is not actually named in the Qur'an) in a garden, where there is no toil or pain and where there is more than enough food to eat. Allah tells them to eat of whatever they desire in the garden, except for one certain fruiting tree (not actually named). He also warns them of the lure of Iblis, and that they should not follow him as he is their enemy. Iblis nevertheless manages to whisper suggestions to the pair. He tells them that Allah only forbade the tree because if they eat of it then they shall become like angels and live forever. Encouraged by Iblis' lure, Adam and his wife both eat of the tree. As soon they do so, they become self aware, find themselves naked and make an effort to find coverings of leaves for themselves. Allah then reminds Adam that He told them not to eat of the tree, and that He warned them of Iblis' lure. While the blame for the disobedience is put on Adam, he begs Allah's forgiveness. Allah then teaches Adam words of repentance and tells him that he is to recite these words in the future should he succumb to Iblis' temptations and commit another transgression. Allah then sends Adam and his wife down to the earth, where they and their kind shall live for a while before the Day of Judgment. He tells them that from time to time He will be sending messengers who will deliver Allah's truth and message to their descendants and that those who chose to follow the messengers shall be saved and spared while those who refuse will suffer the punishments of Hell. Cain and Abel (referred to as Qabil and Habil in Islam) are the two sons of Adam. God demanded a sacrifice from each of them. Cain has crops, Abel has livestock. Cain gives the worst of his crops as sacrifice. Abel gives the best of his livestock as sacrifice. God accepts Abel's sacrifice but not Cain's. Cain then gets angry and threatens to kill Abel. Abel says that if Cain tries to kill him, he will not fight back, because he fears God. Cain then kills Abel. With Abel's dead body on the ground, Cain doesn't know what to do next. So God sends down two ravens and has them stand next to each other. These ravens proceed to fight, and one of them kills the other as Cain looks on. The surviving raven then starts to dig at the ground with its claws, and it makes a hole. Cain, who had no knowledge of death at the time, understands what is going on a digs a hole for Abel. Cain asks for forgiveness. 34. why did God made man in the first place though? He created Adam to test His creatures, and when Satan (Iblis) didn't listen to God's direct order, then he failed the test. 35. Is it an appropriate interpretation to consider [iblis] to be a metaphor for the internal struggle for good and evil? or does this jinn HAVE to be an external influence. nope. God doesn't say anything about it being a metaphor. And unlike the Bible, the Noble Qur'an says: So unless God says to take it metaphorically, then it is taken literally. In this case, God says, yes, this is literal and true, so we are to take it literally. Other times, such as descriptions of Heaven and Hell, God says are allegorical (metaphorical). But in this case, no, this is not metaphorical. 36. what does the koran say about those who didn't get allah's message. like say, the native americans. does humanity have some sort of conscience or something? because one of the problems i have with externalizing evil is that there is no good influence to balance it out except the religion itself. There is no original sin in Islam. If they don't get the message, then they are sent to heaven, thanks to God's mercy. The Noble Qur'an says only those who receive the message, then deny it go to hell. 37. [Doesn't] that makes your religion rather pointless, since it only effects a minority of people? Let me give you a good analogy: You have a mountain. Islam is an escalator to the top. You can take Islam to the top, or you can climb your way to the top. It isn't pointless. Being a Muslim is being guaranteed a spot in heaven. Not being a Muslim has no guarantees. 38. can u enjoy leisure activities on Ramadan? Yes. 39. So the holy book is the Koran (excuse my spelling), can you just tell me the brief history of that? When Muhammad (pbuh) reached the age of forty, he went to the Cave of Hira to meditate. Once there, he heard a voice say "read!". Muhammad (pbuh) was confused, and he answered that he doesn't know how to read. And then the Angel Gabriel grabbed Muhammad (pbuh) and pressed him. Muhammad (pbuh) again replied he did not know how to read. The angel grabbed him again. He once again said he did not know how to read. The angel grabbed him and pressed him one more time, then said "Iqra bismi Rabbi kal- ladhi khalaqa" ("Read in the name of your Lord Who created"). Muhammad (pbuh) became afraid and ran home. He told his wife what happenned, and also added that he was afraid of his life. His wife told him not to be afraid, because he has done many good deeds. Then his wife took him to her cousin Waraqah bin Naufal. Her cousin was a Christian who wrote the Gospel in Arabic and Hebrew. He asked Muhammad (pbuh) what he had seen. When Muhammad (pbuh) told him, Waraqah immediately responded that it was in fact the same angel that had visited Moses. Waraqah was very old and also blind, and he then said that he will not live to see Muhammad (pbuh) be expelled from his tribe. Muhammad (pbuh) asked if he would really be expelled. Waraqah then said yes. And so, Muhammad (pbuh) returned to the cave many other times and the Angel Gabriel told him the verses of the Noble Qur'an little by little until it was completed. 40. What's the deal with 72 virgins in heaven? It is a myth and has no basis in Islam. 41. How long is the Noble Qur'an? 114 chapters, the longest chapter has 286 verses the shortest has 3. In comparision to the Bible, it is slightly shorter than the New Testament. 42. How does your religion feel about Jewish ideology and the Torah? Jewish ideology: many of the prophecies attributed to the Messiah were not fulfilled by Jesus because they were in fact for the Prophet. Rebuilding the temple for example. Torah: Muslims believe that the original Torah written by Moses was lost, and that the one we have today was written by unknown authors. 43. Is there a point you guys actually converge/diverge [with Judaism] and what's the reason for that point? it depends on which sect of Judaism you ask. For certain Jews, Muslims diverge at Noah, because there is no mention of a global flood in the Noble Qur'an. For the rest of the Jews, Muslims diverge at Abraham, because Muslims believe that it was Ishmael (Ismail) that was what Abraham was to sacrifice, not Isaac (Ishaq). Also, it is never mentioned in the Noble Qur'an that the order to Abraham to sacrifice his son was given by God. 44. I remember reading somewhere, that in the early days of Islam, Muhammed told people to pray towards Jerusalem, then changed it to praying towards Mecca. If this is true, why was it done? That was because Mecca was filled with Pagan idols at the time. Once it was cleared of them, the Qiblah was restored back to Mecca. 45. dont muslims pray directly at some big pagan-originated idol in Mecca? Abraham and Ishmael (pbut) went and built a black cube (calle the Kaa'ba in Arabic) in Mecca. At first, it was used correctly and pointed the direction of prayer. But then, the Pagans added their idols to it. After Muhammad (pbuh) received revelation from the Angel Gabriel, the people of Mecca found out about Islam, and the Muslims had to retreat to Medina. It was during this time that they prayed towards Jerusalem. This is also the beginning of the Islamic Calendar (AH 0; or 622 AD). AH stands for After Hijrah, which is what the journey from Mecca to Medina was called. After the Muslims returned to Mecca and cleared the idols out of the Kaa'ba, the Qiblah (direction of prayer) was restored. So basicly, if the Kaa'ba is not able to be faced for some reason, the Qiblah changes to Jerusalem. 46.How old exactly is Islam? What did the people believe in current Islamic societies before Muhamad? In fact, the transformation wrought by the Holy QurÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢ÃÆÃâÃâÃÂ¥n is unparalleled in the history of the world. No other reformer brought about such an entire change in the lives of a whole nation in his lifetime. The QurÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢ÃÆÃâÃâÃÂ¥n found the Arabs worshippers of idols, stones, trees, heaps of sand, and yet, within less than a quarter of a century, the worship of the One God ruled the whole country, idolatry being wiped out from one end to the other. It swept away all superstitions and gave in their place the most rational religion that the world could imagine. The Arab who prided himself in his ignorance had, as if by a magicianÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s wand, become the lover of knowledge, drinking deep at every fountain of learning to which he could get access. This was the direct effect of the teachings of the QurÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢ÃÆÃâÃâÃÂ¥n, which not only appealed to reason, ever and anon, but declared manÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s thirst for knowledge to be insatiable, when it directed the Prophet himself to pray: ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¦Ã¢â¬ÅO my Lord, increase me in knowledgeÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬ÃâÃ
