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good is from Allah & the mistakes were from myself.
May Allah guide all of us to His Truth, ameen.
Salam alaykum - Yusuf Estes
Muslim Institutional Chaplain
Salam alaykum:
I have good news and bad news.
Good News - Another new shahadah! Al Hamdulilah.
The good news is that I just received another new shahadah that
said he learned Islam from our website, understood the message
and then contacted the local Masjid, made shahadah and is now
trying to share Islam with his very Christian family members.
Al Hamdulilah.
Bad News?
Born Muslims are straying away from Islam and their responsibilities.
More Bad News? Islam under heavy attack from Shayton himself.
Now, more than ever before the Muslims must and can be prepared
to answer the harsh attacks against them and everything for
which Islam stands. Every aspect of Islam is falling under attack;
Allah, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, the Quran and all
that Islam means is being presented by enemies of Islam in twisted
and corrupted views on every front. Muslim children are turning
away from Islam. Ignorant Muslims in starving countries are
being persuaded to abandon their faith for other teachings.
Others are openly attacking and even killing Muslims due to
their lack of knowledge.
More good news:
There is a clear and effective solution for this problem. Actually
this is a great opportunity for us to present Islam in the correct
way to these people. One that works, inshallah, and it is all
based on the very simple and beautiful teachings of the Quran
and the Sunnah, inshallah. We can all do something to make a
difference. We MUST all work together to present Islam in the
proper menhaj (methodology or way) of Islam and implement it
in our daily lives, before it is too late.
Successful dawah (call to Islam) experience has shown us hundreds
of cases of new Muslims who, like myself, were once enemies
to Islam and then realized the beauty and truth and then became
Muslims ourselves. Not just Muslims, but actually committed
servants to Allah, ready to endure any sacrifice in order to
bring correct understanding, love, truth and justice in submission
to the Will of Allah. In other words, "callers to Islam."
I would like to offer to share the technique that we have used
over and over again to help so many thousands of people come
to correct understanding of Islam, inshallah. Keep in mind of
course, that the guidance is only from Allah and all we are
doing is presenting the message to the people with our best
efforts.
It does not really matter what question a person asks about
Islam. It could be about anything. The idea is that they are
asking. That is what is important and it means that we have
a chance to get this message of worship to Allah, Alone without
any partners. That is what it is all about.
Please read this real example of how I presented Islam to someone
trying to attack it, according to the basics of Islam and then
share it with others as much as you can; through the Internet,
chatrooms, discussion boards, emails and websites. Print it
out, share it with Muslims everywhere as one example of dealing
with the many harsh attacks against Islam.
(I ask Allah to accept from you and from and from all those
who are sacrificing so much for the cause of truth, justice
and freedom, for the sake of Almighty Allah, ameen.)
__
Question #03-07-31 00:06 AM
re: Shiite's in Iraq protesting the appointment
of a woman judge.
"How do you explain the horrible way Shiites
in Iraq are opposing the appointment of a woman judge, to someone
considering Islam?"
__
Bismillah Rahman Raheem
Answer #03-07-31 1:50 AM
Thank you for your question. Before we begin to provide answers,
here are some important points to keep in mind:
1. As Muslims we cannot lie about anything, especially about
our religion.
2. We have original recorded sources of our religion (This is
a very unique part of Islam, not available in any other ancient
religions):
A) The Quran
B) Teachings of Muhammad.
3. We must qualify what it is that someone is saying against
what they are implying. Sometimes the "questions" contain misinformation.
4. If you find the answer to your question makes you say, "I
didn't know that" or "This is good" are you ready to worship
your God and your Lord without and partners?
This what Islam is really all about. The most important subject
is the worship of Almighty God, without any partners or associates
or "gods" besides Almighty God.
As regards providing a rather simple and straightforward answer
in these and similar matters when making dawah or just sharing
the basics of Islam, we do recommend the following steps:
Remember that the people asking such questions usually are not
really trying to attack Islam nor are they intentionally trying
to provoke ire or anger on your part. They have been programmed
by the media and enemies of Islam to have preconceived notions
of hatred and animosity against Islam. So, do not take offense
at the coarse and crude approach that they might take in offering
their concerns.
Keep in mind that most of the people that come to Islam these
days, like myself, were once those who attacked Islam while
they were still in a state of ignorance, just as were the early
companions of Muhammad, peace be upon him. So, stay loose and
keep your cool. Be patient with them.
1. Thank then for their interest in your religion and for taking
their time to educate themselves by asking a Muslim rather than
going to the non-Muslims. Tell them that this does show a decided
note of sincerity on their part (and it does, by the way).
2. Explain to them that we as Muslims are commanded to tell
the truth in all situations and we are not permitted to lie
either about our religion or about others. Truth is an essential
part of Islam and whether they know it or not, you must keep
in mind that you cannot lie. If you don't know the exact answer
or you are not sure how to prove it, you are not allowed to
guess.
3. A very important subject in Islam is the fact that we do
have so much factual proof for all matters. Consider the Quran
and the hadeeth are all preserved and attested to by the most
righteous and upright people who have ever walked on this earth.
Time and again it has been proven that the Quran and hadeeths
have weathered the allegations and insinuations of the very
worst of those who disbelieve in Allah and the Message of Islam.
4. Remind the person that there are certain prejudices and biases
against Islam in the media, politics and within certain religious
groups. Also you should mention the fact that there really are
some people doing things in the name of Islam, and they are
not really acting as Muslims. This is important for all of us
to keep in mind.
5. Go over the fact with them that some of the questions that
are being asked are simply not questions, they are statements
with question marks after them instead of periods or exclamation
points. One example I give is the one where someone asks you;
"Is your mother out of jail yet?" While you know that your mother
is not in jail, nor has she ever been in jail, you are faced
with a problem of dealing with a question that is phrased in
such a way as to make listeners believe that your mother is
or has been in jail at some time.
6. Another thing that I always like to point out to people when
they come to me with an attitude of attacking Islam, is that
if while we are going over the answers to their questions, they
might just find that the answers are something that they actually
like and they might see things in a different light. I like
to ask them if this occurs; "Are you willing to reconsider your
position and considering worshipping your Lord Alone, without
any partners?" This is a very important part of giving the answer.
7. Present the real basics first. Break down the words:
A) "Allah" means: (The Only One to Worship; never plural; never
male, nor female; used by Jews & Christians for centuries)
B) "Islam" actually mean: (Surrender, submission, obey, sincerity
and peace - To Allah)
C) "Muslim" mean: (a person who does "Islam" i.e., he or she
surrenders, submits, obeys, in sincerity and peace to Allah)
D) "Quran" mean: (Recitation or Speech of Allah to His creation
of Mankind, preserved in over 9,000,000 Muslims hearts)
E) "Muhammad" peace be upon him, only came to redeliver the
same message of all the previous messengers:
* Worship Almighty God, Alone and without making any partners
with Him at any time in worship.
* He believed in Almighty God as the One and Only God, Creator
and Sustainer of the whole universe.
* He believed in the original Old Testament; New Testament;
Psalms of David; and Final Testament (Quran).
* He believed in all the prophets of Almighty God: Noah; Abraham;
Moses; David; Solomon; Jesus the Christ.
* He believed in Jesus, peace be upon him, as the Messiah (Christ
in Koine Greek).
* He believed the Antichrist would come in the Last Days and
mislead many.
* He believed that Jesus is with Almighty God and will return
in the Last Days and lead true believers to victory over Satan.
* He taught that no one would be saved by their deeds, but that
"Salvation is only through the Grace of Almighty God."
F) "Jihad" means: "Struggle against oppression; Fight against
wrongdoing; War against terrorism."
(for more on this, visit our website at: www.IslamTomorrow.com/word/
)
Present your answers only after establishing the above 7 steps.
This is all very important. And then finally:
Offer to answer the question, after you straighten out the mistakes
in it and present the correct way the question should be and
do so:
A. Briefly
B. Concisely
C. Nicely
That's all there is to it.
Now let us answer the question used in the above example, inshallah.
Example:
The question above about: "How do you reply to the fact that
Shiites in Iraq are opposing the appointment of a woman judge?"
Thank you for asking about my religion.
True Muslims cannot lie; neither about Islam or anything else
for that matter.
We do have 1,400 years of complied evidence in written and memorized
form all over the earth to verify whatever we might offer about
Islam, the Quran, Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his teachings.
Sometimes we hear questions that are twisted in such a way as
to give a wrong meaning and we must set them straight before
trying to give an answer.
While you are listening to the answers to your questions, if
you discover that you like what you are hearing and you think
that it is something good, are you then prepared to consider
worshipping your Lord, Alone without any partners?"
Now begin the "words": Allah; Islam; Muslims; Quran; Muhammad,
peace be upon him; Jihad
(refer to: www.islamtomorrow.com/word )
Let's begin with what these words actually mean so that we can
be sure of proper understandings, shall we?
The most important word to Muslims, is not Islam -- it is "Allah."
"Allah" comes from the root "elah" meaning something or anything
to worship. "Aleeha" is the plural but when you add the "AL"
in front of "elah" it changes and becomes very unique. It means:
(The Only One to Worship; never plural; never male, nor female;
used by Jews & Christians for centuries, long before Muhammad,
peace be upon him, was ever born).
Now after the belief in Allah, comes the word "Islam." "Islam"
actually means: (Surrender, submission, obey, sincerity and
peace - To Allah).
Next, we can easily find our next word, "Muslim." The word "Muslim"
means: (a person who does "Islam" i.e., he or she surrenders,
submits, obeys, in sincerity and peace to Allah).
Let us turn to the center focus of each and every Muslim in
the way they understand how to be Muslims in the submission
of Islam to Allah. That is based on two sources, The "Quran"
and the "Sunnah" or life of Muhammad, peace be upon him.
"Quran" means "that which is recited." Quran can be thought
of as reading more so than a book. To the Muslim, it is the
actual Recitation or Speech of Allah to His creation of Mankind.
Linguistic Miracle
The Quran is more than a book of religion. It is at once a miracle
of poetry and linguistic and literary prose, yet it is not a
book of poetry nor prose.
Miracle of Prophecies and Predictions
It is a miracle of prophesies and predictions, many that have
already come true and still others coming to light on a regular
basis.
Scientific Miracles
The miracles of science in the Quran can hardly be overlooked,
in as much as many of the scientific marvels that we hold high
in technology today can trace their very roots back 1,400 years
ago to this amazing "recitation." Embryology, oceanography,
astronomy, mathematics (zero came from Muslims in India), algebra,
meteorology, hydrology and many more sciences draw on references
from the Quran.
Foundation for Much Technology Today
The scientific disciplines of Europe are preempted by the discoveries
of Muslim scholars 500 to 800 years earlier in Muslim Spain,
Iraq and Egypt. For instance Cairo University in Egypt had a
globe with a crude outline of the Americas, five hundred years
before Christopher Columbus ever sailed to the Caribbean.
Miracle of Preservation
Another miracle of the Quran is the preservation of itself in
the hearts of Muslims everywhere. Exactly word for word in the
Arabic language, the Quran was memorized by Muhammad, peace
be upon him, from the angel Gabriel who taught it to him over
a 23 year period. It came piece by piece and was not known to
Muhammad, peace be upon him, what it would be like until it
was finished. Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught it then to
his companions who memorized it entirely and then they taught
it to the next generations who did exactly the same thing. The
Quran has always been preserved by the art of memorization.
All Muslims have memorized at least some portion of the Quran
in the original Arabic language. First hundreds, then thousands
and then hundreds of thousands and even millions and millions
of Muslims have completely memorized and preserved it in their
minds and hearts over the last fourteen centuries. The Quran
is preserved even today in exactly the same way, in the hearts
and minds of over 9,000,000 Muslims.
Challenges in Quran
Allah asks that if any have a doubt in it being from Him, wouldn't
it have many contradictions in it? And if you are still in doubt
about it (Quran) bring a book like it; or 10 chapters like it;
or even one chapter like it. And to this date after 1,400 years,
none have been able to do so. Many have lied and tried to deceive
the public with their words and books but none have ever been
able to bring something like it.
"Muhammad" peace be upon him, only came to redeliver the same
message of all the previous messengers:
* Worship Almighty God, Alone and without making any partners
with Him at any time in worship.
* He believed in Almighty God as the One and Only God, Creator
and Sustainer of the whole universe.
* He believed in the original Old Testament; New Testament;
Psalms of David; and Final Testament (Quran).
* He believed in all the prophets of Almighty God: Noah; Abraham;
Moses; David; Solomon; Jesus the Christ.
* He believed in Jesus, peace be upon him, as the Messiah (Christ
in Koine Greek).
* He believed the Antichrist would come in the Last Days and
mislead many.
* He believed that Jesus is with Almighty God and will return
in the Last Days and lead true believers to victory over Satan.
* He taught that no one would be saved by their deeds, but that
"Salvation is only through the Grace of Almighty God."
By the way, I would like to clear up any misconception that
you might have with regard to the position that Islam holds
on "terrorism" and fight in the way of Allah or what is called
in Arabic, "jihad." "Jihad" means: "A difficult struggle against
wrong doing, evil and oppression; it is the fight whether internal
or external against all evils and in particular it was declared
over 1,400 years ago as the War against terrorism."
And finally the answer to your question:
Finally, we should keep in mind that Shiites of Iraq or Iran
do not have the authority to alter or change Islamic law. Shiites
do not represent the main body of Muslims in the world. In fact,
even Arabs do not represent the main body of Muslims in the
world today. We have the most concentration of Muslims in Indonesia
and then India and Pakistan; China has over 150 million Muslims;
former Soviet Union has many millions; Turkey; Northern Africa;
Malaysia; Bangladesh and even Europe and the Balkans. Yet, any
and all true Muslims still believe in the very same book, the
Quran, and they believe in the teachings of Muhammad, peace
be upon him.
As such all Muslims whether they claim to be Shiites, or Sunnis,
or Sufis, or any other order, all of them are still obliged
to honor the role of the woman in Islam and in society according
to very clear and open teachings preserved for over 1,400 years.
The treatment of the women in Islam has been a very hot topic
for the people of the western mentality, simply because it is
very different from their standards. This must be immediately
acknowledged. However, women in Islam have already been honored
and exalted in many wonderful ways by Islam over 1,400 years
ago. The don't have to prove themselves to be equal to men.
In Islamic law, they already are guaranteed equity, respect,
dignity, honor and fair treatment in all dealings regardless
of their family status, race, color, physical appearance, or
financial conditions. They have the right to own property by
themselves or in joint ownership with others (not a popular
concept in the west even in the early part of the last century);
they have had the right to vote since the inception of Islam,
1,400 years ago (check out women's suffrage for the right to
vote 80 years ago in USA); they have had the right to accept
or reject marriage proposals and even to divorce (compare to
Catholic church, Protestant, etc.); women in Islam do not have
to expose their beauty to the world in order to achieve recognition
or status amongst others in society.
Islam is not against women working in the work place nor does
it stop them from using their minds. Muslim countries have had
many women in the very highest of positions: Pakistan; Turkey;
Bangladesh; Indonesia, all in the past decade.
Islam does recognize that women are sometimes more emotional
that other times and certainly gives them excuse for any misjudgment
during their monthly cycles. It is established beyond doubt
that women do have times when they are less stressed and less
emotional than at others.
So, if a country desires to have men in the position of judge
rather than worry about some possibility of unjust proceedings
or wrongdoing due to emotional decisions, certainly that country
should have the right to decide for themselves what they prefer,
just as we do here in the USA.
Now recommend to them to read the Quran for themselves and see
what the treatment of women really is. ( mailto:[email protected]
)
Tell them to keep in mind that when the Quran came 1,400 years
ago, women were treated as property or livestock and were often
bought, sold or traded for other things. Their property was
consumed by their husbands and until even the last century the
West did not allow women in some states to own real-estate in
their own names. Women were given the right to vote as soon
as Islam came. Women in the USA had to fight for it less than
one hundred years ago. A woman in the state of Texas during
the 1950s could not take out a life insurance policy without
the acknowledgment and permission of her husband.
Islam made restrictions and limitations on how men could treat
their wives, or marry them or even divorce them. Prior to Islam
there were no such provisions on a large scale basis. Quran
forbid men to deal unjustly with orphan girls as had been the
practice in the "Days of Ignorance" (before Islam). Quran limited
men in number of wives and Muslim men had to go out and divorce
some of them and then provide for them as well. Treatment of
women is guaranteed both in the Quran and in the teachings of
Muhammad, peace be upon him (called hadeeth).
Any good is from Allah & the mistakes were from myself.
May Allah guide all of us to His Truth, ameen.
Salam alaykum - Yusuf Estes
Muslim Institutional Chaplain
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