The Unofficial "Ask a Muslim" Thread.

[BuffedGuy]

Peace be unto all those who seek righteous guidance.

I know there are a lot of questions people have for Muslims. I hope I can help answer some of them, God Willing. I only ask that you be courteous, and most importantly, that you limit the length of your post and not post a billion things at once, especially if it's just hater-ation. Let's keep this thread friendly, or at least cordial, and also limit it to those who actually want to learn something, not those who want to push their agendas.

I should qualify this thread by saying that it should *actually* read "Ask an orthodox Muslim" thread. So I don't speak for ALL Muslims, only religious, practicing, and fairly conservative ones. I do, however, believe that I speak for mainstream Islam.

I promise not to mince words and I'll tell it to you as it is, with honesty and academic integrity.

Ask away.

In the Care of The Lord,
-Saladin

[Ernst]

What's the difference between Sunni and Shi'ite?

[BuffedGuy]

Peace be unto the one who seeks righteous guidance.

What's the difference between Sunni and Shi'ite?

Great question.

First, let me tell you what the typical (and wrong) answer a lot of people give is: something along the lines of "there is no major difference between the two". Or another wrong answer is "it's just political". Based on these (wrong) answers, the sectarian rivalry between Sunnis and Shi'ites seems absurd, or another case of the Hatfields vs McCoys.

However, this typical answer is wrong and misinformed. The truth of the matter is that there is a huge difference between the two groups, especially from a theological standpoint. Classically, the Sunni "clergy" (Ulema) have considered Shi'ism to be another faith altogether; and classically the Shi'te clergy have also had an unfavorable view of Sunnis.

First, to give you a brief breakdown: the Sunnis make up 85-90% of the Muslims, and the remaining 10-15% is Shi'ites. The Shi'ites are the minority in almost places, with the exception of Persia (Iran) and a few other small places.

The dispute between Sunnis and Shi'ites can be traced back to after the death of Prophet Muhammad [s] over 1400 years ago. The Sunnis believe(d) that the successor of the Prophet [s] would merely be a temporal ruler democratically elected by the people; according to the Sunnis, this temporal ruler would have no special religious authority. So Sunni Islam has no "pope".

The Shi'ites, on the other hand, believed that the ruler could NOT be democratically elected by the people, but rather he must be appointed by God Himself. The Shi'ites further believed that this divinely appointed ruler MUST come from the descendants of Prophet Muhammad [s] (whereas the Sunnis say it can be anyone who is capable). The Shi'ites thus believe in 12 successive Imams, who are divinely appointed rulers over the Muslims.

These Imams had religious "powers" like that of the Pope in Christianity. Actually, that is an understatement. According to the Shi'ites, the Imams would control the atoms of the very universe, a belief considered blasphemous by Sunnis.

So the Shi'ites considered the Sunni rulers to be usurpers, and they waged rebellions against them. Conversely, the Sunnis reacted by persecuting Shi'ites. Atrocities were committed by all sides.

The last of the 12 Shi'ite Imams was said to have gone into occultation, and the Shi'ites believe he will return to rule the world at the End of Times. At that time, they believe he will resurrect the Sunni leaders and punish them severely. (This is one of those beliefs that gets Sunnis riled up, since we revere the early leaders.)

Anyways, for Sunnis, the revelation ended with Prophet Muhammad [s]. There can be no divinely appointed figure for us, until Prophet Jesus [as] returns at the End of Times. Since the End of Prophethood is a very significant part of Sunni Islam, the Sunnis look down on the Shi'ites as heretics for believing in their Imams, who according to Shi'ites are even superior in rank to the Prophets. On the other hand, Shi'ites condemn the Sunnis for disbelieving in their Imams, since they believe one MUST believe in them just like we believe in the Prophets.

So this may seem MINOR, but it is MAJOR, because the SOURCES that the laws were derived from differs for Sunnis and Shi'ites. The Sunnis only look to the Quran and the words of the Prophet Muhammad [s], whereas the Shi'ites take the words of their Imams as well. This resulted in a totally different religion altogether between the two.

Another MAJOR difference--and perhaps THE MOST MAJOR difference--is that the Shi'ites believe it is ok to direct prayer to other than God. They pray to their Imams for help, whom they believe were given permission to do that by God. So the Shi'ites will often say "Ya Ali Madad" (O Ali, help me). [Note: Ali was the name of their first Imam.]

Based on this principle, the Shi'ites build shrines over the graves of their Imams and other saints, and then pray to them like Catholics do.

To Sunnis, this is considered blasphemy and negates one's Islam. We believe that you can ONLY pray to God ALONE, and only God can help us. Therefore, it is only proper to say "Ya ALLAH Madad" (O GOD HELP ME) and anyone who prays asking for help from someone other than God is considered by Sunnis to be a Non-Muslim polytheist. Sunnis forbid shrines over graves, and even praying at graves is forbidden and seen as grave-worship. The Sunnis are very strict on monotheism and the Unity of God's Oneness (Tawheed). We believe it is the central part of our faith, and all issues take a backseat to this matter.

Sunni Islam focuses on the Oneness of God concept, whereas Shi'ism tends to focus on the love for the Prophet Muhammad [s] and his descendants, i.e. the Imams. Sunnis believe that the Shi'ites are too extreme in their love for Prophet Muhammad [s] and his descendants, whereas Shi'ites believe that the Sunnis are too extreme in their concept of monotheism. Sunnis consider Shi'ites to be mushrikoon (polytheists), and Shi'ites consider Sunnis to be nawaasib (haters of the Prophet's family).

So there you have it: the two major differences between Sunnis and Shi'ites: i.e. Imams (the second major difference) and the issue of intercession before God (the first major difference).

In the Care of The Lord,
-Saladin

[DSM4Life]

What's the difference between Sunni and Shi'ite?

Who gives a Shi'ite !

[BuffedGuy]

Who gives a Shi'ite !

lol we use that one all the time. As well as "Sunni side up" when we order eggs.

[Tock]

Last summer, the guy who does my dry cleaning is a devout Muslim, and he returned $400 he found in a suit pocket. He wouldn't take a reward or cash appreciation or anything . . .

This being the holiday season, is there an occasion where it would be appropriate to offer a gift of some sort to this guy?

[BuffedGuy]

Peace be unto the one who seeks righteous guidance.

In the Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.

Last summer, the guy who does my dry cleaning is a devout Muslim, and he returned $400 he found in a suit pocket. He wouldn't take a reward or cash appreciation or anything . . .

The reason is that he actually believes that he is getting the better end of the bargain, and will be rewarded many times over in Paradise. If he had accepted the money, it may be that his intention would become clouded, and instead of doing the good deed for the Good Pleasure of God, he would be doing it to attain a worldly benefit.

The BEST gift you can give is to pray to God for him. Ask God for his well-being and success in this life and the next.

This being the holiday season, is there an occasion where it would be appropriate to offer a gift of some sort to this guy?

Well, it is the Christian and Jewish holiday season, but not for Muslims. We have two holidays per year (called "Eid"), and the closest one is in September 2009. (A long ways away.) However, we also consider every Friday to be a mini-holiday, and it is typical of Muslims to exchange gifts on this day of the week. (Unfortunately, most of us are cheap and only do it on the two Eids, but it is recommended to do it on Fridays as well.)

So yeah, you can give it to him on any Friday, and just say "Jummah Mubarak", which translates roughly to "Congratulations it's Friday" (similar to "Thank goodness it's Friday").

Hope that helps.

In the Care of The Lord,
-Saladin

[BuffedGuy]

Bumpity bump.......

[Bojangles69]

Whats a muslims beliefs about animal sacrifice?

Do you do it like Hindus do? Because I know the Jains tried to control their rituals but I think still 2 years ago they did a mass sacrifice during their Oct/Nov ritual and killed something like 2,000 buffalo and lambs. They believe chanting certain scriptures during the sacrifice sanctify the act while many other people think its barbaric and an act of evil.

Is that something muslims are into or not really? Never really knew.


edit: For the record I'm an animal lover.

[BuffedGuy]

Peace be unto you, Bojangles.

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Whats a muslims beliefs about animal sacrifice?

Do you do it like Hindus do?

Before I begin, I just want to clarify something: Islam is one of the three Abrahamic faiths. We believe in all of the Prophets such as Adam [as], Noah [as], Abraham [as], Moses [as], Jesus [as], etc. We believe that Prophet Muhammad [s] is simply the last one in that long line of prophets. (There are many more that I didn't mention.)

My point is that Islam is closer to Judaism and Christianity. There is no religion that is more different to Islam than Hinduism. Islam is also extremely dissimilar to Buddhism, Jainism, etc. The way that Christianity "descended" from Judaism, similarly did Islam "descend" from Christianity AND Judaism.

So the belief towards animal sacrifice in Islam is the same as it is for Judaism and Christianity. For example, Professor Wikipedia says:

In Judaism, a sacrifice is known as a Korban, from the Hebrew root karov, meaning "to [come] close [to God]".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrifice#Judaism

In Islam, we use the same word for such sacrifices: "Qurbani". (Just a little different pronunciation.)

Similarly, animal sacrifice *does* have a part in Christianity:

(Luke 2:24) They also offered a sacrifice as required by the Lord's Teachings: "a pair of mourning doves or two young pigeons."

We Muslims believe that Prophet Abraham [as] was ready to sacrifice his son for God, and then at the last minute, God replaced his son with an animal, which he [as] then sacrificed for God. Based on this story, we Muslims sacrifice a sheep or goat on Eid (a holiday of ours), and the meat from that animal is then distributed to the poor, in commemoration of Abraham's sacrifice to God.

I understand that you love and care for animals, and we Muslims are strongly encouraged to do the same. However, we are not vegetarians. The animals that are killed in the sacrifice are NEVER wasted, and their meat is distributed to the poor and hungry. Nothing is left to waste, and to do that is a great sin.

To conclude, I would say that animal sacrifice has a role in Islam like that in Judaism and Christianity. I think that some Eastern religions focus on animal sacrifice a lot more than the Abrahamic faiths.

One more point: sacrifice is considered a part of worship. The purpose for our creation--according to the Quran--is to worship God. This worship entails everything from prayer, invocation, liturgy, to sacrifice. Therefore, Muslims are extremely strict on making sure that all animals are slaughtered in the name of God alone. This is a very important part of Islamic monotheism, which is the central tenet of our faith. Islam is EXTREMELY STRICT about upholding monotheism, more so than any other religion on earth. We believe that Prophet Muhammad [s] was sent with the perfection of pure monotheism.

Because I know the Jains tried to control their rituals but I think still 2 years ago they did a mass sacrifice during their Oct/Nov ritual and killed something like 2,000 buffalo and lambs. They believe chanting certain scriptures during the sacrifice sanctify the act while many other people think its barbaric and an act of evil.

We believe that if sacrificing the animals will result in feeding a lot of hungry people, then it is justified and is pleasing to God Almighty. If the meat is left to waste, then it is considered a sin and blameworthy.

Like I said, animal sacrifice is not a MAJOR part of our religion, only so much as it is in Judaism.

edit: For the record I'm an animal lover.

Islam enjoins us strongly to be kind to animals. I'd post more on this topic, but I fear that my post is already too lengthy and may bore you. If you want details, let me know.

In the Care of the Lord,
-Saladin

[daem]

Why are muslims encouraged to grow out their beard and hair?

[Tesla]

Why do Muslims not like dogs? Dogs make some of the most loving and loyal companions.

[youngNhungry]

I think that what you are doing is very commendable Buffedguy. I believe that it is through the understanding of and compassion towards others beliefs, that we can live together and grow as a society. So much of the worlds hate is drawn on by blind ignorance, which is totally unacceptable. No matter if you are an aetheist, satanist, hindu, buddist, muslim, jew, christian, it is important that we respect the beliefs of others and not force our beliefs on others as well. I am a Christian but repect all others faiths. We can learn so much from what other people believe, if we do not try to judge, convert, or hate.

[BuffedGuy]

Peace be unto all those who seek righteous guidance.

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Why are muslims encouraged to grow out their beard and hair?

Muslim men are strongly encouraged (but not required) to grow their beards. As for hair (on the head), this can be of any length, i.e. there is no religious injunction for hair on the head. (Mine is extremely short!)

The reasons that the beard is strongly encouraged are as follows:

1. All of God's Prophets grew beards, including Prophet Jesus [as].

2. We consider it a symbol of piety and modesty.

3. It distinguishes the believers from others. So you automatically know when you see a bearded person: "this is a man of God". We believe that men of God were always bearded, including the Jewish rabbis and Christian priests.

4. The Muslims are encouraged to be noticeable and distinct from others. It is a matter of preserving our identity as Muslims. Therefore, we are encouraged to have our own rites, our own distinct celebrations, our own grooming, etc. So a beard is a strong sign "hey that is a Muslim". We believe that we should actively promote our creed (in a healthy way), which is to unify all worship for God alone.

5. Women wear headscarves and men grow beards. I guess this is the same as point two above though, which is modesty. If hair for women can be used to look very seductive, then chiseled chins are the main attraction for men. As you probably know, sexual modesty is a big deal in Islam.

Hope that helps!

In the Care of the Lord,
-Saladin.

EDIT: I should make the correction that there *are* certain hairstyles that are forbidden, but that is another post altogether. What I meant was that there is no ruling on the actual length of the hair itself.

[BuffedGuy]

Peace be unto the one who seeks righteous guidance.

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Why do Muslims not like dogs? Dogs make some of the most loving and loyal companions.

It is largely a cultural thing. Japanese people eat animals that many Americans are scared to even look at. In Arab and South Asian cultures, people are generally deathly scared of dogs. I don't know why that is. (This is one of the reasons that Guantanamo Bay used dogs to interrogate Muslim prisoners.)

Muslims are permitted to keep dogs for hunting, herding livestock, guide dogs, bomb and drug sniffing dogs, guard dogs, etc.

We are not however allowed to keep them as pets. The reason is that dogs in Islam are considered by us to be spiritually impure (najas). As for why that is, only God Almighty knows. We simply hear and obey His Command. It should be noted that calling someone a "dog" in Islam is one of the worst insults. That is why the shoe thrower in Iraq called President George Bush that.

We are, however, allowed to keep cats, and Muslims do that a lot. One of Prophet Muhammad's disciples was known as "The Father of Cats" for this very reason.

In the Care of God,
-Saladin.

[BuffedGuy]

Peace be unto you, youngNhungry.

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

I think that what you are doing is very commendable Buffedguy. I believe that it is through the understanding of and compassion towards others beliefs, that we can live together and grow as a society. So much of the worlds hate is drawn on by blind ignorance, which is totally unacceptable. No matter if you are an aetheist, satanist, hindu, buddist, muslim, jew, christian, it is important that we respect the beliefs of others and not force our beliefs on others as well. I am a Christian but repect all others faiths. We can learn so much from what other people believe, if we do not try to judge, convert, or hate.

Thank you so much for your very kind words. I agree with you: we need to build bridges instead of blowing them up. So far, I am impressed by the people on this forum a lot. I had expected this thread to dissolve into hater-ation. I'd like to thank everyone for being so courteous.

I also agree with you that we need to learn more about each other. Oftentimes people have misconceptions that cause great divides.

Once again, thanks!

In the Care of the Lord,
-Saladin.

[Doc M]

Great post! Very informative and straight to the point without coming across as pushing your own personal religious agenda. Having spent a great deal of time in the Middle East, I was happy to see a post that had so much valuable information.

Doc M

[run_n_fool]

do you now or have you ever used any gear? regardless, what would the muslim reaction to said use be?

[BuffedGuy]

Peace be unto you all.

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Great post! Very informative and straight to the point without coming across as pushing your own personal religious agenda. Having spent a great deal of time in the Middle East, I was happy to see a post that had so much valuable information.

Doc M

Thank you so much for your kind words!

do you now or have you ever used any gear? regardless, what would the muslim reaction to said use be?

Can you please explain what "gear" is? Some British slang word or something?

Thanks!

[run_n_fool]

it is reported that several of the 9/11 hijackers were at a strip club the night before the attack (see link).

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/...in311268.shtml

i don't know much about Muslims or Islam, but this seems to me to be hypocritical. Sort of like Jimmy Swaggert being with a prostitute, except Swaggert never killed anyone in the name of the Lord or Allah.

[run_n_fool]

Can you please explain what "gear" is? Some British slang word or something?

Sorry, steroids.

[BuffedGuy]

Peace be unto the one who seeks righteous guidance.

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

it is reported that several of the 9/11 hijackers were at a strip club the night before the attack (see link).

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/...in311268.shtml

i don't know much about Muslims or Islam, but this seems to me to be hypocritical.

You hit the nail on its head, sir. They were irreligious fools. This is how most extremist terrorist scumbags are. People think that to track terrorists you should look into American mosques, but what is well-known to Muslims (extremist or otherwise) is that extremists flee from the mosque. In America, extremists are shunned from mosques, cursed and rejected as khawaarij (dogs of hell).

And the terrorist types are NOT religious. In fact, they are known for flouting Islamic Law. For example, Islam is EXTREMELY opposed to targeting non-combatants. Prophet Muhammad [s] said the one who does this will not even smell Paradise and will be from the people of hell-fire. Furthermore, there is the issue of honoring one's visa (which is considered a sacred part of Islam), and yet the terrorists ignore this! Whenever Islam's laws get in their way, they ignore it and make excuses. And then to top it off, they drape all their actions with the same Islam they so flout. It's absurd.

Not only do they flout these laws, but they are also irreligious in general. Like you said, going to strip clubs, drinking alcohol, etc.

So yeah, I agree with you 100%. I could write pages and pages refuting these extremists, but I already think my posts are too long.

In the Care of the Lord,
-Saladin.

[BuffedGuy]

Sorry, steroids.

I've never done them myself. I happened upon this forum searching for "keto diet", which I am on currently. I've lost 21 pounds so far, and 6 of those are from the keto diet I just started.

As for the ruling on drugs, mind-altering drugs like marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, etc. are all categorically forbidden in Islam. As for steroids, there is no absolute prohibition on them, although we are warned in general terms not to harm our bodies. So I guess it would be a subjective matter, i.e. do steroids harm the human body? And I'm sure that is a hotly debated topic on this forum.

Hope that helps!

[run_n_fool]

very interesting indeed. thanks for your thoughtful replies.

[BuffedGuy]

very interesting indeed. thanks for your thoughtful replies.

Thanks. Appreciate it.

[sizerp]

Did you see the movie Traitor?

[BuffedGuy]

Did you see the movie Traitor?

Nope. Sorry.

[Prada]

BG, if these terrorists are "perverted" Muslims why are they not shunned upon? Why do you think there are so many followers and supporters. Of course I know they are a minority but the media seems to portray them as a majority. Why aren't there any Muslims strongly condemning their actions, not only by words but tangible action. It seems action is only taken when western govt have to coerce them. i.e: Paksitan seems to only care when pressure is applied. Then again being somewhat of an independent student of South Asian politics, I understand that there is political equity that is used. I understand that the situation is far more complex that most in the west don't comprehend.

Do you think, oppressive regimes, poverty, illiteracy plays a significant role? Personally I think so and in fighting terrorism at the root, these issues must be addressed.

[almostgone]

I can honestly say this is one of the most informative, intelligent and respectful threads that I have seen in ages. I wish the dialogue between the various faith and peoples were as civilized.

AG

[almostgone]

With that being said, I guess it's like all nations. There are good and bad people everywhere.

AG

[MuscleScience]

I can honestly say this is one of the most informative, intelligent and respectful threads that I have seen in ages. I wish the dialogue between the various faith and peoples were as civilized.

AG

X2.... I am learning a lot from this thread.

[BuffedGuy]

Peace be unto you, Prada.

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

BG, if these terrorists are "perverted" Muslims why are they not shunned upon? Why do you think there are so many followers and supporters. Of course I know they are a minority but the media seems to portray them as a majority. Why aren't there any Muslims strongly condemning their actions, not only by words but tangible action.

First, I want to say thank you for asking the question. I am glad you were straightforward with your question.

What I will say is this: I always get asked by (sincere) Non-Muslims, "why don't more Muslims speak out against these terrorists?" And the answer to that is: if we spoke out any more, our tongues would shrivel up from dryness, our voices would be lost from hoarseness, and our lungs would collapse from the effort. What I mean to say is that we've been yelling at the top of our lungs, condemning these guys left right and center. I don't think Muslims could possibly be more vocal about this.

In the Muslim world, the greatest thing you can do to condemn someone is pass a fatwa (religious edict). You have no idea how many fatawa that our orthodox Muslim scholars pass on these guys. To just get a look at some of them from our TOP MOST Ulema (clergy), just read this site here:

www.answering-extremism.com

And this is not something that we do to please the Non-Muslims. No! We consider these extremists to be heretics of the worst sort. We have more beef with them than Non-Muslims do. Yeah sure, these terrorists kill Non-Muslims, but they kill WAY more Muslims. If you look at the bombings, there are wayyyy more of them in the Muslim lands than in the West. So we have a greater hatred for them, and the Ulema have issued SO many fatawa (religious edicts) against these guys that they (the extremists) just roll their eyes and say "same ole, same ole" or "broken record". (I know because I refute extremists on an extremist forum.)

If you look at the American Muslim organizations, there is an almost obsession with refuting these terrorists and extremists. It has gotten to the point where people are asking "isn't there something else we can talk about ever?" Every conference we have is about this topic, every newsletter has something about it, etc.

So I strongly disagree with the idea that nobody is condemning these terrorist scumbags.

The problem is the American media. The American media is a joke. Even the British media is TEN TIMES better than the American one. Have you ever noticed how little international news that CNN gives? Compare it to BBC. BBC covers the world, and because of this, British people are much more educated on international affairs than Americans (generally speaking).

Is it not absurd that we have so many hundreds of terrorist experts that come on American news channels, but almost never any Muslims? Even the handful of Muslims they choose are usually people hated by the Muslim masses. The people who represent us--like Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Ustadh Yasir Qadhi, Imam Zaid Shakir--are ignored by the media.

Why in the world doesn't the media allow Muslims to speak? I know for a FACT that Americans want to hear what the heck is going on in Muslim brains. But the media refuses to do this. And then of course you have Fox news which is just ridiculous.

It seems action is only taken when western govt have to coerce them. i.e: Paksitan seems to only care when pressure is applied.

The Pakistani government (even though I consider it illegitimate) hates terrorists, and works against them. But because of the War on Afghanistan, there is spillage of extremists into Pakistan. If the Americans cannot contain the extremists in Afghanistan, what hope does a small country like Pakistan have?

As for your feeling that nothing happens unless pressure is exerted, people feel this way because when America applies pressure, then the cowardly Pakistani government just starts jailing random innocent people and doing actions that on the outside make the Americans feel better about themselves but in reality are useless measures.

Pakistanis are bitter towards America's foreign policy towards it. Pakistan has tried wooing America for years, being a loyal lapdog for a long, long time. And then the Cold War ended, and suddenly America dumped Pakistan for India, Pakistan's arch-rival.

Do you think, oppressive regimes, poverty, illiteracy plays a significant role? Personally I think so and in fighting terrorism at the root, these issues must be addressed.

The single most important factor is America's foreign policy and Israel. Solve these two problems and the problem would disappear. But the American media wants to hide this most obvious fact because that would mean America's imperial war would come into question.

That is why we Muslims hope that America can return to its origins. The Founding Fathers wanted America to be a neutral peace-loving country that did NOT interfere in the affairs of other countries. Yet, those in government now have turned America into an imperialistic war machine, which is exactly what the Founding Fathers were fleeing.

I want to comment on Pakistan shortly: Gallup Poll did a survey in Pakistan recently, and found that if the Taliban were on the ballot, only 3% of Pakistanis would vote for them. And if Al-Qaeda were on the ballot, <1% of Pakistanis would vote for them. So this should give you an idea of how small this extremist group is.

I hope I answered your question. Please feel free to ask any follow-up questions.

In the Care of the Lord,
-Saladin.

[BuffedGuy]

I want to clarify something in my last post: someone might ask "if it's America's foreign policy and Israel, then why are these extremists bombing fellow Muslims?" It is because these extremists accuse everyone of being in cahoots with the Americans. For example, Pakistan allowed its airspace to be used by America in the War on Afghanistan, so the extremists declared war on Pakistan for that. The extremists demand that all of the Muslim countries fight against America and Israel, and because the governments refuse to do that, they (the extremists) have waged a rebellion against the Muslim governments, killing all who join the government, even police officers and the like.

[Edgar]

assalamu alaikum

[Matt]

Where do you stand when it comes to the bible (old testament and new) and its teachings??

[smokethedays]

Where do you stand when it comes to the bible (old testament and new) and its teachings??

In Quran it says, for one to be a true Muslim believer you must believe in God's books, such as Quran, Torah, Bible, and any other books decended to prophets. And believe in ALL of his prophets, beginning with Adam and ending with Mohammed (PBUH), including, Jesus, Moses, Ibraham, Ismaeel, Noah,...etc.

However, Islam says that Quran is the final "version" of these books, and that explains the large similarities between these books.

[gst528i]

Why do muslims hate Hinduism and Buddhism which are closely related to each other?
Is it just due to the Kashmir dispute? or more

[PT]

i have a question. how come every single time a suicide bomb goes off or everytime a plane is hijacked the people are muslim? and why do muslims belive they will go to heaven if they blow up a bus full of inocent people on there way to school and work? i mean no disrespect just curious.. oh yea one more thing, have you ever lived in the middle east?

[smokethedays]

Why do muslims hate Hinduism and Buddhism which are closely related to each other?
Is it just due to the Kashmir dispute? or more

There are no religious roots to that, I believe it is a political/social dispute that turned to "Us vs Them" type of dispute, Muslims vs Hindus/Buddhists.

[T_Own]

The BEST gift you can give is to pray to God for him. Ask God for his well-being and success in this life and the next.

i'm really not religious at all, but wouldn't it be offensive for someone who is not muslim to pray to the muslim god for anything? and if the same man prayed to his own god for the muslim man, wouldn't he find that offensive or worthless to pray to a different god?

very good thread too