When we talk about religions, we have a tendency to forget to include the atheists, who are a very growing factor in the world today.
I say to include the athiests because in fact, they do believe something. When they say that there is no God, they deny Allah, but yet when you ask them, "Where did everything come from" they will begin to explain the Big Bang THEORY, Evolution THEORY, and Darwin's THEORY. So when you ask them, "Is this what you believe?" They will say, "Yes!"
You ask them, "Have you any proof or is it a THEORY?" That means they do believe something and they have no proof. Therefore, it should be considered a religion according to Islamic terms.
What we find today is a large number of people entering Islam all over the world (Side Note: The majority are women are coming first). However, at the same time, we neglect a very serious statistic. For every one person entering into Islam, there are an untold number of people leaving all the religions, including Islam for secularism or absolute disbelief (Kufr).
Name
Abu Ismail
- United States
Profession
Question
As-Salaamu Alaikum,
From your experiences, why would you say that people become athiest?
Answer
Wa Alaikum Salaam,
As you probably already know, many of the people today are becoming more and more educated to science, technology and are in a better position to understand the real history of our earth and the creations on it.
So, when they try to rely on religions outside of Islam by going to the various texts, such as the Sandscrit of the Hindu's, the writings of Buddha and Confucious along with various versions of the Torah and Talmud, they find stark contradictions with proven facts. This is especially in regard to the origins and formations and evolution of this and other planets in our solar system.
Logically, when they approach any belief or religious system and compare it to established fact and find it lacking and wanting, they would reject it. Blind faith is one thing, but holding to a faith in contradiction to established fact is illogical.
So, we as Muslims, should be aware that although many people are entering Islam on a daily basis, there are still those of us who are "Born Muslims" that have never taken the time to prove for themselves that Islam is in perfect harmony with science, technology and established evidences, and so they begin to become "secular" in belief. That is to say that they will stay say they are "Muslims" but they will begin to think as those who have given up hope in religion all together.
The cure of this is of course, to be found in the study of the true Islam with the good scholars who have researched these various sciences in today's world and have offered works on these subjects.
Name
K
- United States
Profession
Question
As an American Muslim I have seen astonishing growth of Islam in our state, But I am also seeing a growth of somthing more then Islam called "Sufism" and "Secular" "Modern" Muslims, Why do think that this growth has also been steady, Is due to the outside forces or is it just Islam, with many groups like the christans. Please explain.
Answer
May Allah reward you and guide you toward all truth, ameen. Your question is a good one and one that is most important to take into consideration especially during these times of bickering and arguing amongst those who claim to be following Islam, the faith of the Muslims.
I would like to answer this in three parts, which incidentally we are taking right off a page on our web site at "Islam Today.com" (http://www.islamtoday.com/whichgroups.htm)
First of all, other faith groups must depend for the most part, on blind faith or hunches and notions derived from their own feelings and those of the adherents to their faith. The names of the various groups and their beliefs are not actually mentioned as such in their books or scriptures. Some examples might be the term "Trinity" or the word "Christian" or even the word "Bible", none of which are actually mentioned in the Bible.
While on the other hand, Islam has verifiable answers from the actual revelation itself.
As a Muslim yourself, you already know that, one of the most important beauties of Islam is the preservation of scripture, The Holy Quran [which is still being memorized and recited in the exact form and language {Arabic} as it was over 1400 years ago) and authenticity of references known as Hadeeth [verified teachings of Muhammad, peace be upon him]. We can with a certainty offer explanations from the two Holy Sources [i.e.; Quran and Hadeeth] which will provide answers to any questions regarding Islam.
Think for a moment and then ask yourself:
Question: "Do the words; 'Islam' and 'Muslim' appear in the scripture of Islam [Quran]?"
Answer: YES
We as Muslims, have been instructed in the Quran itself to resolve any of our differences according to these two sources or otherwise to be considered as non-believers, by our Lord. As He has mentioned in the Quran:
"But no, by your Lord, they can have no faith until they make you [Muhammad] as a judge between them in all their disputes, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept with full submission [Islam]." [4:65]
Incidentally, the word for 'submission' in Arabic is 'taslima' which is one of the 5 meanings of the word 'Islam'.
Secondly, let us begin by mentioning what Allah mentioned.
In His Holy Book, The Quran, Allah has called those who follow His Straight Path (Al Mustaqeem) of Islam: "Muslims".
He also says that we should not die except as "Muslims."
"O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be feared. and do not die except as Muslims." (state of Islam, i.e.; complete submission to Allah) [3:102]
3:19 "Truly the only religion acceptable to Allah is Islam."
3:85 "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of them."
6:125 "And whoever Allah wills to guide, He opens his breast to Islam; and whoever Allah wills to misguide, He makes his breast constricted as though he is climbing up in the sky. Thus Allah puts the wrath on those who believe not."
39:22 "Is he whose breast Allah has opened to Islam, so that he is in the light from His Lord (like the one who does not believe)? So woe to those whose hearts are hardened against the remembrance of Allah! They are in plain error!"
61:7 "And who does more wrong than the one who invents a lie against Allah, when he is being called to Islam?"
6:162 "Verily, my Salat, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord of the Alamin."
6:163 "He has no partner. And of this I have been commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims."
9:100 "And the foremost to embrace Islam of the Muhajirun and the Ansar and also those who followed them exactly (in faith). Allah is well pleased with them and they are well pleased with Him. He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success."
39:12 "And I am commanded in order that I may be the first of those who submit themselves to Allah as Muslims."
22:78 "And strive hard in Allah's Cause as you ought to strive. He has chosen you and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship: it is the religion of your father Ibrahim. It is He Who has named you Muslims both before and in this (Quran), that the Messenger (Muhammad, peace be upon him) may be a witness over you and you be witnesses over mankind! ...."
33:35: "Verily, the Muslims, men and women, the believers men and women, the men and the women who are obedient (to Allah), the men and women who are truthful, the men and the women who are patient, the men and the women who give Sadaqah, the men and the women who fast, the men and the women who guard their chastity and the men and the women who remember Allah much with their hearts and tongues Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward."
Additionally, the prophet, peace be upon him, said that as the Jews and the Christians divided into 71 or 72 sects, that you (meaning the Muslims) would divide into 73 groups and all of them would be in HELL, except for ONE.
And the "saved sect" would be those who remained on what he and his companions were on: "Quran and Sunnah."
We see clearly from the above that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala has named us as "Muslims" alone.
Additionally, when we consider that the deviant groups always have to have a name of some kind in order to distinguish themselves from the others, we begin to see the pattern. If someone feels that it is necessary to describe himself as a certain kind of "Muslim" then this is his or her problem.
Now of course one could say that: "I am a tall Muslim." or "He is a fat Muslim." and then this type of description is for the purpose of identifying physical characteristics.
Additionally, a person might use someone's country or nationality to describe a Muslim for the purpose of determining their heritage such as a "Pakistani Muslim" or an "Arab Muslim."
These types of descriptions do not put a person out of the fold of Islam.
Thirdly, where the problem comes in is when the adjective related to the word "Muslim" or the word "Islam" has to do with FAITH or BELIEF.
We must understand that Allah Subhannah wa Ta'ala has made it perfectly clear both in the Quran and in the sayings of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, that the religion of Islam was perfected and completed during the lifetime of the Prophet, peace be upon him, and that no new religion would come until the Last Day and that those who followed Islam were called by Allah, MUSLIMS.
In one hadeeth of the Prophet, peace be upon him, drew a straight line in the dirt with a stick. He said, "This is the straight path to Allah [meaning the Way of Islam]." Then he drew angles right and left off of the straight line and said, "These are the deviant groups (or sects of Islam) and each one has a devil calling to it."
He mentioned that there would always be a main body of Muslims who would be on the straight path until the Last Day.
Each of the "faith groups" that you mentioned have been labeled by the main stream scholars of Islam as deviant groups in degrees from border line to completely out of Islam.
Let us ask the question, "What does the term ISLAM actually mean, anyway?"
Before we begin trying to gain an understanding of who is right or wrong on this issue it might be quite advantageous to spend a moment in reviewing the meanings of the actual words which will be using in our discussion.
First of all the words "Islam" and "Muslim" are Arabic, not English. They do not easily translate into one word.
The word "MUSLIM" is derived from the Arabic word ISLAM. So, let us begin by asking the question what does "Islam" mean anyway?
Good question. Islam comes from the root "slm" or "salama"
The word "ISLAM" in reference to the faith is understood in Arabic as the:
1) Surrender
2) Submission
3) Obedience
4) Sincerity
5) Peace
All of which come about only by giving up the Free Will of the nafs (self or ego) in favor of the Will of the Creator and Sustainer of All That Exists (ALLAH).
Now we should ask the logical question,
"What does the word MUSLIM mean?"
Again, we must keep in mind that it is an Arabic word and is of course subject to the rules of the Arabic language. Actually, it is derived from the word ISLAM. Whereas, you might think of ISLAM as the verb or action and MUSLIM as the noun, or the one performing the action.
In English whenever we have a noun performing a verb, we add the two suffix letters; ER. But in the Arabic language many times you will find that the prefix letters of MU are used for the same purpose.
A few examples may help to better understand:
English Verb English Performer Arabic Verb Arabic Performer
Travel = Travel ER
Safar = MUsafar
Call = Call ER
Adhan = MU adhan
Pray = Pray ER
Salah = MU salee
Submit = SubmitER
Islam = MU slim
"Muslim" is one who follows or practices the action of "Islam."
In English we might say that any one who "Islams" is an "Islam-ER." Right?
So as we see in the chart above, in Arabic the "mu" preceding a verb indicates the same thing.
Therefore, we would understand that the one who is actively doing the verb of "Islam" [submission to God] is a "Mu"-Islam or "Muslim."
Make sense?
Next, we must ask when is it that person actually becomes a "Muslim"?
Only when a person gives up his or her free will in order to obey Allah completely on Allah's terms does he/she become a "Muslim."
Following along the orders of Jesus in the Bible when he tells his disciples to "Pray thus.... Thy Will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven."
Also, Allah has told us in His Book that all of the creation is in submission to Him (Muslims).
So, how would it be if the sun asked the moon, "Hey moon! What kind of Muslim are you? A Shia' or a Sufi?"
That just doesn't make any sense.
Let us take our religion from the original sources: the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
There is a story associated with this answer on our web site about "The Color of the Dog." I invite you to take the time to visit and read it for yourself, inshallah.
http://www.islamtoday.com/whichgroups.htm
So, now let us consider the concept of dividing up into groups based on unimportant and miniscule trivia and apply it to the various groups, which come along claiming to be the “saved sect.” If it was not revealed during the time of the prophet, peace be upon him, and it was not something done by his companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, then why would we want to incorporate it into our deen [way of life in Islam]? While Allah has already made it clear in His Book:
{Inna deenah innda lahi, Islam.} (3:19)
“Certainly, the only way [deen] acceptable to Allah is the submission to Him in Islam.”
And again in Chapter Mayadah (5:3), when Allah Subhannah wa Ta’ala says:
{Al yawmal akmal tu lakum deenakum wa atmumtu alaykum ni'mati wa raditu lakum al Islam adeena}
“On this day have I perfected your way of life [religion] for you, completed My Favor upon you and have chosen for you ISLAM as your way of life.
(sometimes translated as [religion].”
And may Allah make us avoid at all costs, the dividing and the separating of the real "Muslims." Ameen.
If you would like more information on this subject, please do not hesitate to write me. If I have made any errors then please advise me and ask Allah to guide me to do better.
Jazakalah khair wa salam alaykum wa Rahmatulah
Sheik Yusuf
