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Name
Babu
- Bangladesh
Profession
Question
The Pope said Islam spread by sword. Is it true? Sorry for the question.
Answer
Salam, Babu.
Thank you for the question.
There is no need to be apologetic about the question. You are welcome to ask any question on Islam.
You know the Pope has expressed his regret about using a quote from the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologu criticizing Islam, which contained the idea that Islam was spread by the sword.
You may know that the Pope had also quoted the Qur'anic verse prohibiting the use of force in religion. In fact, no Muslim can continue to be a Muslim while disobeying the command of God given in the Holy Qur'an:
*(Let there be no compulsion in religion.}* (Al-Baqarah 2:256).
This means that there was no question of any Muslim trying to propagate Islam by force.
But if any Muslim fighters of the past had tried to impose their religion on the conquered people, it was obviously against the teachings of the Noble Qur'an and the Prophet (peace be upon him).
In fact, any objective student of history can see that all the battles fought by Prophet Muhammad were in self-defense or for defending the freedom of believing and practicing one's religion. Certainly Islam does allow fighting; but this fighting should be the last option resorted to, when all other avenues are closed; and necessarily the fighting MUST BE to uphold justice and truth; and NEVER for forcing Islam on others or for robbing other people's natural resources etc, motivated by colonialist, imperialist objectives.
Then how did Islam spread? The following ideas are worth consideration:
Prophet Muhammad under Divine Guidance, taught the following fundamental concepts:
Tawhid: the Concept that God is One and One only: The ramifications of the Concept of tawhid in Islam are:
* God is One Creator, Sustainer, and Sovereign Ruler;
* the universe is one (as exemplified by the basic unity in the laws of nature);
the humankind is one (irrespective of race, nationality, language etc);
* and Religion is one (the natural and fundamental Religion of God taught by all the prophets of God is the same – namely, Islam or Submission to the One and Only God of the universe)
Risalah: the Concept of Prophethood: that God sent His prophets to various peoples in different parts of the world at different stages of history, to lead them to the Guidance of God. This differs from the Jewish idea of prophets coming only to the Children of Israel; and also from the Christian idea of prophets coming to foretell the Coming of 'the Son of God'.
And it was Muhammad who under Divine Guidance completed and perfected the Religion of God, preached by all the prophets. This also underscores the fact that Islam recognizes all the previous prophets and their genuine teachings as originating from God.
Akhira: the Concept of the Hereafter: that all humans, irrespective of their race, tribe, nationality or status and position in this world will be brought before God on the Day of Judgment, and then God will judge them on the basis of their faith and actions: This also is at variance with the Jewish concept of the hereafter as well as the Christian concept of 'salvation'.
One can clearly see that the above teachings among others have contributed greatly to the spread of Islam throughout the world. And remember that no faith or ideology can be thrust down someone’s throat, under the point of a sword.
One may outwardly claim to have accepted some faith under compulsion; but note that no religion can survive (over fourteen centuries!) unless its followers willingly and wholeheartedly embrace that religion and are ready to live by it, and if necessary to die by it.
My question is: how can we lead our lives according to the teachings of Islam?
Answer
Salam, Farah.
Thank you for your question.
Islam is actually a way of life and its teachings clearly show us how to lead a good life on earth.
The basic principles are given by the Noble Qur'an and the practical method of translating those principles into actual life is clearly spelled out by the example of the Prophet.
For instance, Islam teaches that only Allah must be worshipped as the Creator and Sustainer and Law-Giver of the whole of universe. That is the fundamental tenet. The Prayers, the fasting during the month of Ramadan, the giving of a specific share of one’s income towards charity and the annual pilgrimage are the forms of worship – which are really practical and external aspects of the basic creed of tawhid taught by the Prophet (peace be upon him). And the details of these are well-known to all Muslims.
Apart from this, all Muslims are taught to be truthful, just, kind and generous in their dealings with fellow humans. Any work that Muslims do becomes ‘worship’, if they take care to abide by the laws of God in all matters, out of a sincere devotion to Allah Almighty.
I repeat: The guidelines for a good life are given by the Glorious Qur'an, the hadiths as well as the books of jurisprudence; and our duty is simply to utilize these sources for our day-to-day life.
Is Buddha a god and why most of the Buddhists refuse the concept of God?
Thanks
Answer
Salam, Sawmeer.
Thank you for your question.
Buddha was not God, nor did he claim to be God. Neither do the Buddhists consider him a prophet in the Islamic sense. When asked, Buddha was silent about the existence or non-existence of God. But he did not deny the existence of God.
Here is the explanation given by a Buddhist scholar:
“The Buddha is not thought of as a god in Buddhism and is not prayed to. He is looked up to and respected as a great teacher, in the same way we respect Abraham Lincoln as a great president. He was a human being who found his perfection in Nirvana. Because of his Nirvana, the Buddha was perfectly moral, perfectly ethical, and ended his suffering forever.” (Kusala Bhikshu, www.urbandharma.org)
Does that mean that every Buddhist in the world is an atheist? No. There are many Buddhists who believe in God; and there are many who don’t believe in God. And a number of them do not know or care. It doesn’t go against the teachings of Buddha to believe in God or to disbelieve in Him. Buddha’s focus was on suffering and how to end it “through wisdom and acts of compassion”.
The confusion about the existence or non-existence of God drove many Buddhists to polytheism too. One may attribute this to the influence of Hinduism.
We would like to apologize for not answering your question as this page is not dedicated to these types of questions. Please re-submit your question on the following page Ask the Scholar.
Name
m
- Canada
Profession
student
Question
As-salaamu `alaykum I have two short questions:
1) I work at a printing-service business, and my boss told me that if a client uses a machine and sucks up his/her money by accident AND if the client doesn't ask for compensation, remain silent?! From my boss's business perspective, this would save him/her $, but what about the ethics of business conduct? shouldn't we as workers volunteers to offer compensation to the client even if he/she doesn't say it? I feel we're ripping off the client in this situation.
2) some mosques have two mu'azins calling for prayers: 1st one makes the noon-time prayer call, and the 2nd one makes the iqama prayer call...is this scenario found in the Sunnah? because if it isn't, then it's an act of fabrication (bid`aa)..right?
Jazakum Allahu khayran for everything and for your reply in advance.
Answer
Editor:
Salam, M.
We would like to apologize for not answering your questions as this page is not dedicated to these types of questions. Please re-submit your question on the following page Ask the Scholar.
Name
sheikhu
- Pakistan
Profession
student
Question
As-salaamu `alaykum
Sir I want to ask a question which is as follows:
Q)What is Al-Ghayb? Which things are included in ghayb? Is it all about five things which are mentioned the Qur'an?
Is imagination ghayb? If not, then what should be the limits of imaginations?
Thanks
Answer
Salam, Sheikhu.
Thank you for your question.
Only Allah Almighty has knowledge of the Unseen World. It is exclusive to Him alone; but He may disclose it to His chosen servants:
*{(He is) the Knower of the Unseen, and He revealeth unto none His secret, save unto every messenger whom He hath chosen.}* (Al-Jinn 72-26-72)
The five things you have mentioned in your question, I believe, are these mentioned in the Hadith:
• Knowledge of what is in the wombs
• Knowledge of when the Hour will come
• Knowledge of what one will gain tomorrow
• Knowledge of the land in which one will die
• Knowledge of the time Allah will send rain (Al-Bukhari.)
We know that this world is a world of visible or perceptible things as contrasted with ghayb, which is Unseen and not accessible to humans. We may say: whatever that is perceptible to our five senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch) belongs to the perceptible world while everything that is metaphysical or transcendental belongs to the World of the Unseen.
Science can deal only with the perceptible world and not with the Unseen. Therefore, materialists scorn the Unseen and Believers know from the Qur’an and the Hadith that the Unseen exists and it is true.
Imagination is a mental faculty that helps humans to ‘see’ or visualize something that does not exist or is not physically present before them. Artists in general and poets in particular use this faculty for their creative work. Believers can use their imagination to visualize the kind of delights that await them in Paradise for example. Apart from this, imagination as such has little relevance with regard to the Unseen.
Name
colleen
- United States
Profession
Question
As-salamu `alaykum
My question is concerning prayer. I converted or rather reverted about 3 months ago and I am still learning how to make the Prayers. I have found several websites that give detailed instruction, the only problem is each site has a slightly different way of Prayer. Some include saying the tashahhud and some do not. Can you please tell me where I can go to properly learn how to pray. Thank you
Answer
Salam Colleen,
Thank you for your question.
You may visit either of the following sites for a study of the Prayer. Just stick to one instruction. In sha' Allah everything will be well:
May Allah the All-Merciful bless you, guide you and reward you in this world and the next!
Name
X
- India
Profession
Question
Is everyone born Muslim?
Answer
Salam, X.
The word 'Muslim' means one who obeys the laws of God. Since a baby that is born has to necessarily obey the laws of nature, (which are in fact GOD'S NATURAL LAWS) that baby is Muslim. But when the baby becomes a mature human with knowledge of right and wrong, he/she has the power of discretion we say. Then they have to willingly accept the MORAL LAWS OF GOD and obey God in those matters. Then such a person becomes a Muslim by choice.
Name
A
-
Profession
Question
As-salamu `alaykum
I am worried that my two Christian friends may die not knowing Islam is the true religion and that Muhammad is a prophet and Jesus is only a prophet. They pray, and help the poor and they do not know they are in the wrong path. Should I keep silent or should I tell them?
Answer
Salam, A.
Thank you for your question.
It is our duty to invite others in the most diplomatic way towards the Truth of Islam. Particularly so in the case of our friends. Sometimes they may resent our advice or invitation in a matter that is so sensitive as touching their dear faith. But we MUST tell them in the best possible manner, rather than keep silent.
You may give them a book or a CD, i.e. if you cannot directly address them and get into a proper interfaith dialogue. You may refer them to our website too.
May Allah help and guide us all in our efforts in His Way!
Name
laila
-
Profession
Question
As-salamu `alaykum
Is it allowed in Islam to believe in signs from God? I mean signs from Him in your own personal life which can guide you making decisions, etc. I hope my question is clear.
Answer
Salam, Laila.
Thank you for your question.
By "signs from God", do you mean what one may call "indications" that a person believes to be God-sent signals personally God directs to him or her?
I do not think that there is any validity for a person's belief that such and such a signal is sent to him or her personally by God. Of course, one can make a difficult decision after praying two rak`ahs of istikhara prayer. Apart from it, there seems to be no authority for any one to believe that God directly signals to him or her.
Well, you may direct this question to the Ask the Scholar section for further elucidation.
Thank you.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank our guest for speaking to Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session. We request our readers to join us in the upcoming sessions.
