Demystifying Islam.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Demystifying Islam Your Guide to the Most Misunderstood Religion of the 21st. Century By Dr. Ali Shehata Edited by Julie Samia Mair. JD MPH 2019 Contents Author’s Introduction Important Terms Evidences for God Allah—His Very Name Means Love Monotheism—the Bedrock of Islam The Quran – the Spoken Word of God Modern Science and the Quran The Preservation of the Quran Hadith and the Sunnah of Muhammad —the Second Divine Revelation Can Hadith be Trusted as Authentic? A Sampling of Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad Muhammad —the Messenger of God The Character and Teachings of the Prophet Muhammad Was Muhammad Prophesied In Other Scriptures? Prophet or Liar? Looking Into the Matter of Prophecy Relevance of the Prophet Muhammad Today Jesus Christ—the Revered Son of Mary in the Islamic Scriptures Why Don't Muslims believe that Jesus is God? Why Don't Muslims believe that Jesus is the Son of God? How do Muslims view Salvation? Blind Faith? Jesus in Islam The Shariah of Islam—an Often Misunderstood Complete Way of Life Distinctive Features of Islamic Law The Islamic Criminal Punishment System The Issue of “Honor Killings” Islamic State or Muslim Country – Is there a Difference? The Islamic Stance on Terrorism and War - Direct from the Sources What are the Verses from the Quran that Mention Violence and War? Is Islam the Only Religion that Sanctions War and Fighting? Does Islam Condemn Terrorism Scripturally? Is Islam a Religion of Tolerance? A Brief Word on 9/11 Women in Islam: Hidden and Glorious Past, Uncertain Present Women in Modern Day Secular Societies The Predominantly Negative View of Women in the Judeo- Christian Texts The Islamic View of Women – Direct from the Sources Specific Women’s Issues: In-Depth Comparisons Education Polygyny Wife-Beating Divorce Covering the Hair – Just for Muslim Women? Controversial Women’s Issues Today – Q&A Why American Women Choose Islam The Islamic Belief in the Afterlife Excellent Manners—the Path to Paradise Author’s Introduction Fear Granted, it’s an unusual way to introduce a book about religion, but it is in fact one of the main factors that motivated me to put this book together. It is a well known fact that people fear that which they don’t understand. This fear can then lead to a host of negative responses that can be extremely destructive and lead, in some cases, to permanent hostility. This is the kind of fear that seems to be gripping many people now in the West as they try to come to terms with the appalling acts of terror committed against their nations by people who claim Islam as their religion, and who go even further to claim that Islam encourages their evil actions. Nothing could be further from the truth. And it is for this reason why this book is so important. There are those people in the world today who would love to see even more hatred created between Muslims and the West, driving them towards a confrontation where no one could come out a winner. You can recognize them through their speech and writings as they relentlessly work to give their listeners and readers reasons to be afraid and reasons to hate. You can find such hate-mongers everywhere—in Muslim countries as well as in Western countries. They are an equal opportunity group where you will find all languages, all ethnicities and all nationalities; the educated and uneducated, maled and female, young and old. Their ideology of hate is what unites them as they work towards their nightmarish objective of permanent war and division in this world. The only weapon the world has against such a poison is knowledge. It is only true knowledge that can lead to understanding and tolerance between our worlds and cultures, until we reach a state of mutual appreciation—knowing that what unites us is far more than what separates us. This book is written to help you understand more about Islam from its core texts—the Quran and the statements, or Hadith, of the Prophet Muhammad—from what Muslims believe is the written and 1 recorded words of God and His Messenger. This book is written with the certainty that we can, through coming to know each other, overcome the forces of hate and fear to realize a beautiful world of peace and friendship. World Peace No, it’s not just an empty slogan World Peace is our struggle A struggle to overcome our fear and prejudice of others By reaching out to learn, understand and appreciate To discover new friendships and ancient ways Only then can we change … Terror into Security Hate into Love And War into Peace Why This Book? Scanning through the shelves at your local library or bookstore, you will find a number of books on Islam filled with every perspective and opinion throughout the spectrum of Islamic ideas. Yet, the vast majority of these books share a number of flaws for the person who seeks to understand the world of Islam and Muslims. Many are authored by non-Muslims or non- practicing Muslims, espousing or representing minority views that are not representative of mainstream Islam, and more often that not, arguing points from the author’s point of view, rather than from the religious texts of Islam. Any Muslim or non- Muslim who claims to be a “scholar” should back up their statements and explanations of Islamic principles through clear references to authentic Islamic revelations, yet in many other books such references are often lacking or sparse. So this has presented a dilemma to many a new Muslim who seeks to understand Islam better—“What do I read?” This dilemma has been solved partially by some Mosques that offer a collection of books, each covering a specific subject, to the one seeking to understand Islam better. Of course, this idea is great if you own a bookstore, but it is overwhelming to the person who just wants to understand some of the core beliefs of Islam. 2 Furthermore, many converts to Islam have often complained that the books they find on basic Islamic issues and beliefs are often written by immigrants or by those living outside the West. Thus, the Western practitioner of Islam is at times confused or unable to understand how certain principles may apply to them in the West. This is unfortunate due to the very large number of Muslims who currently live in the West and where Islam currently represents the second largest religion in most of Europe1, with a considerable number of adherents in other nations like the United States2 and the United Kingdom. Muslims in these countries are a very heterogeneous group and comprise large numbers of converts, particularly in the US and Europe, as well as immigrants and the growing number of first generation Muslim citizens of such Western nations. Truly, Islam offers much to the world, but do not think that this book is intended to “covert you”. In Islam, the choice of religion belongs to the individual and no one can compel another to take one religion over another; for guidance comes only from God. Rather, this book is made available to help you understand more about this religion from its holiest texts and written from the perspective of those who not only have lived their whole lives in the West, but who also profess and practice Islam. Every attempt has been made to support any claim with the relevant and authentic reference, as opposed to the giving of personal opinions. It is this combination of features that make this book different than the vast majority of other books on Islam that you may come across in your search for understanding. May God guide us all to the truth and help us to come together in His Mercy and Grace, in peace and security – Amen. Dr. Ali Shehata — Central Florida 4/2007 1 https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/demographics-of-islam 2 Willingham, AJ. (2018, Jan 11). By 2040, Islam could be the second-largest religion in the US. Retrieved from: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/10/politics/muslim-population-growth- second-religious-group-trnd/index.html 3 Important Terminology Used in this Book In order to best understand the way of life known as Islam, it is helpful to understand some of the language of Islam. Throughout this book, a select number of essential terms will be used to facilitate a better understanding of the subjects discussed. Below you find these terms defined briefly, and later in the book some of them will be explained further. Allah – the Arabic word for One True God, found in both the Arabic Bible and in the Quran. The word Allah is unique for not being gender specific and not having any plural. It is fully interchangeable with the word “God” both in this book, and in general. Quran – the divine Book and revelation from Allah that was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad and represents, word for word, the speech of Allah in the Arabic language in which it was revealed without additions; also spelled Koran. When quoting the Quran in this book, the translation of the meanings will be presented in the English language followed by their location in the original book in the following format {chapter: verse}. Hadith – the second form of divine revelation from Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad that represents the sayings, approvals and actions of the Prophet Muhammad. When quoted in this book, the translation of their meanings will be followed by their location in the original collection in the following format [scholar who compiled particular Hadith collection].