DOCSLIB.ORG

Happy Islamic New Year !! Quran 22:65

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

PRAYER TIMINGS Effective 08/22 MCA NOOR Fajr 5:40 5:50 Dhuhr 1:30 1:30 Asr 5:15 6:15 Maghrib Sunset Sunset Isha 9:20 9:20 Juma 1 1:30 1:30 Juma 2 2:00 2:00 Newsletter Juma 3 2:30 2:30 Published Weekly by the Muslim Community Association of San Francisco Bay Area www.mcabayarea.org Moharram 2, 1442 AH Friday, Aug 21, 2020 Zahir Mosque – Kedah, Malaysia AL-QURAN Do you not see that Allah has subjected to you whatever is on the earth and the ships which run through the sea For questions please email [email protected]. by His command? And He restrains the sky from falling upon the earth, unless by His permission. Indeed Allah, to the people, is Kind and Merciful. Happy Islamic New Year !! Quran 22:65 HADITH Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying: You would find people like those of mine, the good amongst you in the Days of Ignorance would be good amongst you in the days of Islam, provided they have an understanding of it and you will find good amongst people the persons who would be averse to position of authority until it is thrust upon them, and you will find the worst amongst persons one who has double face. He comes with one face to them and with the other face to the others. Sahih Muslim, Book 44, Hadith 283 1442 Hijri (2020-2021) MCA Elections Announcement NOMINATION DEADLINE: due at [email protected] by 10pm, Tuesday, August 18th July 29, 2020 Assalamu-Alaikum Dear MCA Member, InshaAllah, the MCA Elections for 1442H will be held on Sep 11-13, 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting county regulations, the procedure for this year’s elections, including absentee ballots, is still being determined. Please stay tuned for updates. We invite you to participate in the democracy of the MCA by nominating candidates for open positions and by voting. OPEN POSITIONS: 4 Executive Board (EB), including President, and 2 Board of Trustees Positions: The following Executive Board (EB) members are ending their 2-year terms this year: - Fouad Khatib (President) - Wael Ashmawy - Naeem Ansari - Raziuddin Mohammed The following Board of Trustees (BoT) members are ending their 3-year terms this year: - Abdur Rahman - Junaid Shaikh ELIGIBILITY FOR CANDIDACY: 1. President: Must have been a member 3 years out of the last 5 years in addition to current year membership. 2. Executive Board (EB): Must have been a member 2 years out of the last 5 years in addition to current year membership. 3. Board of Trustees (BoT): Must have been member for 3 years out of the last 5 years in addition to current year membership. NOMINATIONS: Nomination Deadline: The attached nomination form must be emailed to [email protected] by Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020 at 10PM To be a Nominee, you must have been a member on or before June 18, 2020. To Nominate, you must have been a member on or before June 18, 2020. CANDIDATES FORUM A virtual candidate forum will tentatively be held on Sunday, August 30 2020 from 8:00pm-10:00pm. The date and time is subject to change. Further details will be communicated as soon as possible. ELECTIONS The elections will tentatively be held on Friday September 11, Saturday September 12 & Sunday September 13, 2020. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting county regulations, the procedure for this year’s elections, including absentee ballots, is still being determined. Please stay tuned for updates. VOTING To vote, you must have been a member on or before July 12, 2020. A valid photo ID showing your name and address is required. (Examples are State of California Driver’s license, California ID, Green Card, Passport or any other reasonable photo ID) Please contact MCA General Secretary at [email protected] for membership related questions and concerns. The MCA Election Committee can be reached via email for any questions or concerns: [email protected] May Allah (SWT) make this election process continue to be a source of unity, strength, and harmony among the members of our community, Ameen. The Election Committee Sajid A. Khan (Chair) Altaf Khan Marwa Ahmed Christy Chase Khandaker Azad 2 Post 21. Al-BAASIT your Ad The Extender The Englarger, The One who constricts the sustenance by His wisdom and expands and widens it with His Generosity and online Mercy. mca.inhood.me “And to Allah belong the best names, so invoke Him by them.” [Quran 7:180] 3 The Beginning of Hijri calendar In AD 638, six years after the death of the the fact that the true length of the solar year use, though it is not known to have had an Prophet Muhammad, Islam’s second caliph is not 365 but 365.2422 days. epoch other than memorable local events. Umar recognized the necessity of a calendar In pre-Islamic Arabia, various other systems There were two other reasons Umar rejected to govern the affairs of the Muslims. This was of measuring time had been used. In South existing solar calendars. The Quran, in first of all a practical matter. Correspondence Arabia, some calendars apparently were Chapter 10, Verse 5, states that time should with military and civilian officials in the lunar, while others were lunisolar, using be reckoned by the moon. Not only that, newly conquered lands had to be dated. months based on the phases of the moon calendars used by the Persians, Syrians But Persia used a different calendar from but intercalating days outside the lunar and Egyptians were identified with other Syria, where the caliphate was based; Egypt cycle to synchronize the calendar with the religions and cultures. He therefore decided used yet another. Each of these calendars seasons. On the eve of Islam, the Himyarites to create a calendar specifically for the had a different starting point, or epoch. The appear to have used a calendar based on Muslim community. It would be lunar, and it Sasanids, the ruling dynasty of Persia, used the Julian form, but with an epoch of 110 would have 12 months, each with 29 or 30 June 16, AD 632, the date of the accession BC. In central Arabia, the course of the year days. of the last Sasanid monarch, Yazdagird III. was charted by the position of the stars Syria, which until the Muslim conquest was This gives the lunar year 354 days, 11 days relative to the horizon at sunset or sunrise, part of the Byzantine Empire, used a form of fewer than the solar year. Umar chose as dividing the ecliptic into 28 equal parts the Roman “Julian” calendar, with an epoch the epoch for the new Muslim calendar corresponding to the location of the moon of October 1, 312 BC . Egypt used the Coptic the hijrah, the emigration of the Prophet on each successive night of the month. The calendar, with an epoch of August 29, AD Muhammad and 70 Muslims from Makkah names of the months in that calendar have 284. Although all were solar, and hence to Madinah, where Muslims first attained continued in the Islamic calendar to this geared to the seasons and containing 365 religious and political autonomy. The hijrah day and would seem to indicate that, before days, each also had a different system for thus occurred on 1 Muharram 1 according to Islam, some sort of lunisolar calendar was in periodically adding days to compensate for the Islamic calendar, which was named “hijri” 4 after its epoch. (This date corresponds to July 16, AD 622 on the Gregorian calendar.) Today in the West, it is customary, when writing hijri dates, to use the abbreviation ah, which stands for the Latin anno hegirae, “year of the hijrah.” Because the Islamic lunar calendar is 11 days shorter than the solar, itis therefore not synchronized to the seasons. Its festivals, which fall on the same days of the same lunar months each year, make the round of the seasons every 33 solar years. This 11-day difference between the lunar and the solar year accounts for the difficulty of converting dates from one system to the other. The Gregorian Calendar The early calendar of the Roman Empire was lunisolar, containing 355 days divided into In the Middle Ages, the Christian liturgical spring equinox was falling on March 11 12 months beginning on January 1. To keep calendar was grafted onto the Julian one, rather than where it should, on March 21. it more or less in accord with the actual solar and the computation of lunar festivals Copernicus, Christophorus Clavius and year, a month was added every two years. like Easter, which falls on the first Sunday the physician Aloysius Lilius provided the The system for doing so was complex, and after the first full moon after the spring calculations, and in 1582 Pope Gregory XIII cumulative errors gradually misaligned it equinox, exercised some of the best minds ordered that Thursday, October 4, 1582 with the seasons. By 46 BC , it was some in Christendom. The use of the epoch AD would be followed by Friday, October 15, three months out of alignment, and Julius 1 dates from the sixth century, but did not 1582. Most Catholic countries accepted Caesar oversaw its reform. Consulting Greek become common until the 10th. Because the new “Gregorian” calendar, but it was astronomers in Alexandria, he created a the zero had not yet reached the West from not adopted in England and the Americas solar calendar in which one day was added Islamic lands, a year was lost between 1 BC until the 18th century.
Recommended publications
  • Christians and Jews in the Muslim World

    Christians and Jews in the Muslim World

    Proceedings of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand 30, Open Papers presented to the 30th Annual Conference of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, July 2-5, 2013. http://www.griffith.edu.au/conference/sahanz-2013/ Mohammed Gharipour and Stephen Caffey, “Christians and Jews in the Muslim World: The Dilemma of Religious Space” in Proceedings of the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand: 30, Open, edited by Alexandra Brown and Andrew Leach (Gold Coast, Qld: SAHANZ, 2013), vol. 1, p 315-326. ISBN-10: 0-9876055-0-X ISBN-13: 978-0-9876055-0-4 Christians and Jews in the Muslim World The Dilemma of Religious Space Mohammed Gharipour, Morgan State University Stephen Caffey, Texas A&M University The long history of relations between Muslims and non- Muslims is a history of physical, metaphorical and idealogical proximities and distances. From among the myriad expressions of Muslim and non-Muslim identities, churches and synagogues provide unique insight into the complex interactions between Islam and other religious and spiritual traditions. The design and construction processes undertaken by various inhabitants of those communities often reflect the competitive tensions and reconciliations within and between member groups. Whether constructed by non-Muslims in a predominantly Muslim society or preserved in their original froms and/or functions after the arrival of Islam, it is in such sites, structures and spaces that one may find some of the most potent applications of architecture to the articulation of cultural identity. This paper aims to make a foundation for the study of churches and synagogues in Muslim societies.
  • The Dhimmi Narrative a Comparison Between the Historical and the Actual in the Context of Christian-Muslim Relations in Egypt Today

    The Dhimmi Narrative a Comparison Between the Historical and the Actual in the Context of Christian-Muslim Relations in Egypt Today

    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Calhoun, Institutional Archive of the Naval Postgraduate School Calhoun: The NPS Institutional Archive Theses and Dissertations Thesis Collection 2009-12 The Dhimmi narrative a comparison between the historical and the actual in the context of Christian-Muslim relations in Egypt today Martin, Gianstefano C. Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School http://hdl.handle.net/10945/4488 NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA THESIS THE DHIMMI NARRATIVE: A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE HISTORICAL AND THE ACTUAL IN THE CONTEXT OF CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONS IN MODERN EGYPT by Gianstefano C. Martin December 2009 Thesis Advisor: Mohammed Hafez Thesis Co-Advisor: Abbas Kadhim Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited i THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK ii REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instruction, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188) Washington DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED December 2009 Master’s Thesis 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5. FUNDING NUMBERS The Dhimmi Narrative: A Comparison Between the Historical and the Actual in the Context of Christian-Muslim Relations in Modern Egypt 6.
  • Non-Muslim Integration Into the Early Islamic Caliphate Through the Use of Surrender Agreements

    Non-Muslim Integration Into the Early Islamic Caliphate Through the Use of Surrender Agreements

    University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK History Undergraduate Honors Theses History 5-2020 Non-Muslim Integration Into the Early Islamic Caliphate Through the Use of Surrender Agreements Rachel Hutchings Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/histuht Part of the History of Religion Commons, Islamic World and Near East History Commons, and the Medieval History Commons Citation Hutchings, R. (2020). Non-Muslim Integration Into the Early Islamic Caliphate Through the Use of Surrender Agreements. History Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/histuht/6 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the History at ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Non-Muslim Integration Into the Early Islamic Caliphate Through the Use of Surrender Agreements An Honors Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of Honors Studies in History By Rachel Hutchings Spring 2020 History J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences The University of Arkansas 1 Acknowledgments: For my family and the University of Arkansas Honors College 2 Table of Content Introduction…………………………………….………………………………...3 Historiography……………………………………….…………………………...6 Surrender Agreements…………………………………….…………….………10 The Evolution of Surrender Agreements………………………………….…….29 Conclusion……………………………………………………….….….…...…..35 Bibliography…………………………………………………………...………..40 3 Introduction Beginning with Muhammad’s forceful consolidation of Arabia in 631 CE, the Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates completed a series of conquests that would later become a hallmark of the early Islamic empire. Following the Prophet’s death, the Rashidun Caliphate (632-661) engulfed the Levant in the north, North Africa from Egypt to Tunisia in the west, and the Iranian plateau in the east.
  • Christian Apologetics and the Gradual Restriction of Dhimmi Social Religious Liberties from the Arab-Muslim Conquests to the Abbasid Era Michael J

    Christian Apologetics and the Gradual Restriction of Dhimmi Social Religious Liberties from the Arab-Muslim Conquests to the Abbasid Era Michael J

    Eastern Michigan University DigitalCommons@EMU Master's Theses, and Doctoral Dissertations, and Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations Graduate Capstone Projects 2017 Shifting landscapes: Christian apologetics and the gradual restriction of dhimmi social religious liberties from the Arab-Muslim conquests to the Abbasid era Michael J. Rozek Follow this and additional works at: http://commons.emich.edu/theses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Rozek, Michael J., "Shifting landscapes: Christian apologetics and the gradual restriction of dhimmi social religious liberties from the Arab-Muslim conquests to the Abbasid era" (2017). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 863. http://commons.emich.edu/theses/863 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Master's Theses, and Doctoral Dissertations, and Graduate Capstone Projects at DigitalCommons@EMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@EMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Shifting Landscapes: Christian Apologetics and the Gradual Restriction of Dhimmī Social-Religious Liberties from the Arab-Muslim Conquests to the Abbasid Era by Michael J. Rozek Thesis Submitted to the Department of History Eastern Michigan University in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER of History in History Thesis Committee: Philip C. Schmitz, Ph.D, Chair John L. Knight, Ph.D April 21, 2017 Ypsilanti, Michigan Abstract This historical research study explores the changes of conquered Christians’ social-religious liberties from the first interactions between Christians and Arab-Muslims during the conquests c. A.D. 630 through the the ‘Abbasid era c.
  • Whoever Harms a Dhimm¯I I Shall Be His Foe on the Day of Judgment

    Whoever Harms a Dhimm¯I I Shall Be His Foe on the Day of Judgment

    religions Article Article “Whoever“Whoever HarmsHarms aa DhimmDhimmı¯ī II ShallShall BeBe HisHis FoeFoe onon thethe DayDay of of Judgment”: Judgment”: An An Investigation Investigation into into an an Authentic Prophetic Tradition andand ItsIts OriginsOrigins fromfrom thethe Covenants Covenants Ahmed El-Wakil Ahmed El-Wakil College of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 34110 Doha, Qatar; [email protected] of Islamic Studies, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, P.O. Box 34110 Doha, Qatar; [email protected] Received: 6 June 2019; Accepted: 9 August 2019; Published: 5 September 2019 Received: 6 June 2019; Accepted: 9 August 2019; Published: 5 September 2019 Abstract: The ḥadīth, “whoever harms a dhimmī I shall be his foe on the Day of Judgment’, can be foundAbstract: as anThe endh. adclause¯ıth, “whoeverto covenants harms which a dhimmthe Prophet¯ı I shall Muḥ beammad his foe issued on the to Day Christian, of Judgment’, Jewish, and can Magianbe found communities. as an end clause As it tois covenantshighly unlikely which for the different Prophet non-Muslim Muh. ammad communities issued to Christian, to have Jewish,forged thisand Prophetic Magian communities. statement at As the it isend highly of their unlikely respective for di ffdocuments,erent non-Muslim this paper communities argues that to havethis utteranceforged this is Propheticauthentic statementand can be at confidently the end of their traced respective back to documents,the Prophet. this This paper paper argues examines that thisthe occurrenceutterance is of authentic this statement and can as bea ḥ confidentlyadīth in the tracedIslamic back literature to the and Prophet.
  • Space, Religious Difference and Aḥkām Ahl Al-Dhimma

    Space, Religious Difference and Aḥkām Ahl Al-Dhimma

    Conclusion Space, Religious Difference and Aḥkām ahl al-dhimma How does Ibn al-Qayyim conceive of the place of dhimmis in Muslim society and how does he use space to convey religious truth? What roles do the con- cepts of inclusion and exclusion play in his portrayal of religious difference and how do they relate to the construction of power between the religions? This chapter brings the findings of this study together to answer these ques- tions about Aḥkām ahl al-dhimma. It will begin by drawing together observations about the relevance of space as an analytical and ideational category in Aḥkām ahl al-dhimma, followed by an overview of Ibn al-Qayyim’s construction of Muslim and non-Muslim identity in the book. The focus will then move to his argument, made through- out his text, about the place of dhimmis in the Abode of Islam. Does the non- Muslim have a place at all and if so, how does Ibn al-Qayyim’s transmission of rulings define it? After reviewing this question, the chapter will address Ibn al- Qayyim’s treatment of concepts of identity, power and space in Aḥkām ahl al- dhimma and his use of them to demonstrate the truth of Islam. The sixth and last section will review the text as a whole. Building on conclusions reached in Parts 1 and 2 of this study, it will answer the questions of how best to define Aḥkām ahl al-dhimma, how to relate Ibn al-Qayyim’s argument to the literary and socio-historical context in which it was formulated, and the meaning of the text as a whole.
  • What Catholics Should Know About Islam

    What Catholics Should Know About Islam

    V VERITAS What Catholics Should Know About Islam Sandra Toenies Keating The Veritas Series is dedicated to Blessed Michael McGivney (1852-1890), priest of Jesus Christ and founder of the Knights of Columbus. The Knights of Columbus presents The Veritas Series “Proclaiming the Faith in the Third Millennium” What Catholics Should Know About Islam by Sandra Toenies Keating General Editor Father Juan-Diego Brunetta, O.P. Catholic Information Service Knights of Columbus Supreme Council Copyright © 2008-2021 by Knights of Columbus Supreme Council. All rights reserved. Cover: Designed by Gail E. Williams © Knights of Columbus Supreme Office 2008. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Write: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council Catholic Information Service PO Box 1971 New Haven, CT 06521 www.kofc.org/cis [email protected] 203-752-4267 800-735-4605 Fax Printed in the United States of America CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................4 INTRODUCTION...................................................................................5 THE ORIGINS OF ISLAM AND ITS ENVIRONMENT ..................................8 THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD ...................................................................9 CHRISTIANITY AND THE BASIC TEACHINGS OF ISLAM..........................14 MAJOR THEMES OF
  • The Coptic Christians of Egypt

    The Coptic Christians of Egypt

    Seton Hall University eRepository @ Seton Hall Law School Student Scholarship Seton Hall Law 5-1-2014 The optC ic Christians of Egypt: Dhimmitude and Discrimination Patrick Alexander Younan Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/student_scholarship Recommended Citation Younan, Patrick Alexander, "The optC ic Christians of Egypt: Dhimmitude and Discrimination" (2014). Law School Student Scholarship. 608. https://scholarship.shu.edu/student_scholarship/608 I. Who are the Copts? In August of 2013, after the ouster of democratically elected Egyptian president, Muhammed Morsi, supporters of the ousted president set fire to dozens of churches across Egypt in a series of mob attacks. 1 It was the latest vivid reminder of a continuous assault on non-Muslim minorities in the country. It was the latest chapter in a conflict that dates back to the first millennium that still plays out today. The Coptic Christians of Egypt are a minority group that identifies itself as one of the earliest sects of Christianity in the world.2 The Copts have lived and survived in Egypt through the centuries, under the rule of various conquerors, and from a place of political power to their current position of powerlessness. As a minority the Copts have had to adapt to survive. A casual tourist in Egypt would be hard-pressed to differentiate Copts from Muslims with respect to language, physical characteristics, or mannerisms. Indeed, for more than one thousand years, Copts, in many ways, have been socially, economically, and culturally integrated within an Egypt ruled under Islam. Despite such acculturation, fundamental religious divisions between Copts and Muslims remain that have dramatically shaped their respective laws governing marriage and family relations in different ways.
  • International Journal of Theology and Reformed Tradition Vol.8

    International Journal of Theology and Reformed Tradition Vol.8

    International Journal of Theology and Reformed Tradition Vol.8 DHIMMI UNDER ISLAMIC STATE: POLITICAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES Muhammad Dahiru Shuni & Muhammad Sani Abdullahi Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto Abstract This article discusses the political and social responsibilities of a non-Muslim (Dhimmi) under Islamic state. It defines Islamic and Secular states and explains their features. It evaluates the position, rights and the responsibilities of Dhimmi under Islamic law. Their fundamental rights, which include protection from all external threat, internal tyranny and persecution, freedom of religion, general welfare, equality before the law, freedom of trade, right to participate in government work have all been delineated. Similarly, the article highlights the duties and responsibilities of Dhimmi- this consists of respect of the religion of Islam, payment of poll tax (Jizya), and land tax (Kharaj) among others. It then wraps up with conclusion. The analysis was made within the framework of northern Nigerian states, this with a view to proffering possible solutions to the multi-religious violence in the region. The objective of the paper is therefore, to serve as important mechanism and spiritual safeguard against executive lawlessness and disrespect for citizens‟ rights no matter what religion they profess. The paper uses analytical phenomenological methodology. Keywords: Dhimmi , Islamic State, Muslim State Introduction Religious crisis in Nigeria is fast becoming epidemic, unbearable and uncontrollable. It is also becoming a lifestyle, especially in the Muslim dominated Northern parts of Nigeria. So much life has been wasted in the past ten years and property worth billions of dollars has destroyed. Development is now at the lowest level due to religious unrest.
  • Religious Freedom Under Islam

    Religious Freedom Under Islam

    FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway http://www.forum18.org/ The right to believe, to worship and witness The right to change one's belief or religion The right to join together and express one's belief This article was published by F18News on: 13 January 2004 COMMENTARY: Religious freedom under Islam By Henrik Ertner Rasmussen, General Secretary, Danish European Mission <http://www.daneu.dk> In this personal commentary for Forum 18 News Service <http://www.forum18.org>, Henrik Ertner Rasmussen, General Secretary of the Danish European Mission <http://www.daneu.dk>, draws on his experience of living and studying in the Muslim world to examine how Islam understands religious freedom. He believes Muslims' attitudes to religious freedom have been shaped by the concept of Dhimmitude, under which proselytism by non-Muslims was banned, and Jews and Christians have become second-class citizens with only limited rights. He notes that a "religious supermarket" with a free choice of different products and brands has not been introduced in the Muslim world, but sees signs of hope that intellectuals and religious officials in the Muslim world are discussing new ideas openly and are suggesting reforms which could lead to greater religious liberty. At a conference on Christian-Muslim dialogue, the question of religious freedom came up. "In our country, the Christians have more religious freedom than the Muslims," one Muslim leader declared, "because they have the right to convert, while Muslims haven't." At another conference, where the topic was aired, the Muslims in one working group agreed with the Christians that of course, there should be religious freedom.
  • Islam: a Primer

    Islam: a Primer

    Order Code RS21432 February 19, 2003 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Islam: A Primer Clyde Mark Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division Summary There are about one billion Muslims in the world, concentrated primarily in North Africa, the Middle East, and South and Southeast Asia. Islam teaches that Allah selected Muhammad, a merchant from Mecca, as the last of the prophets following Adam, Moses, Jesus, and others, to deliver God’s message to mankind. The report includes short descriptions of the historical background, the tenets of Islam, jihad, the status of women in Islam, and other aspects of Islam. The report will not be updated. Historical Background According to Islamic belief, in 610 A.D., Muhammad, a 40-year-old merchant of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca, in the Arabian desert (now eastern Saudi Arabia), was commanded by the angel Gabriel to “recite” the message of Allah (Arabic for God). Gabriel said mankind had lost sight of Allah’s previous messages to earlier prophets, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Solomon, and Jesus, among others, and that Muhammad was to spread Allah’s message to all people so that mankind would know how to live, how to show respect for Allah, and how to prepare for the judgement day. The message to Muhammad was to be God’s last; Muhammad was the “seal of the prophets.” Muhammad won some converts to Islam, but his monotheist preaching threatened to undermine the profitable polytheist pilgrim traffic supporting many Meccan merchants. In 622 A.D., the merchants drove Muhammad and his followers out of Mecca to the city of Yathrib (later renamed Medina, or city - as in the city of the prophet).
  • Should Christians Pray the Muslim Salat? How to Avoid Syncretism When Applying Contextualization to Real Situations Is Critical for Successful Church Planting

    Should Christians Pray the Muslim Salat? How to Avoid Syncretism When Applying Contextualization to Real Situations Is Critical for Successful Church Planting

    Should Christians Pray the Muslim Salat? How to avoid syncretism when applying contextualization to real situations is critical for successful church planting. A key factor is worship and prayer. Here are15 reasons for rejecting praying the Muslim prayer salat. by Warren C. Chastain ome Muslims are puzzled by Chris- Islam, and are not strictly prayers. A.J. the Name of the Son, and it is not evoked Stians who are trying to adopt Wensinck in E. J. Brill’s First Ency- by the Holy Spirit (who is merely an Muslim practices and rituals. How do clopaedia of Islam says of salat, that the angel in Islam theology). Rather, the du’a Muslims interpret this behavior which translation ‘prayer’ simply is not requires certain sacred phrases invok- they themselves might consider to be accurate; the Arabic du’a corresponds ing blessing on Muhammad as, Cyril compromising: i.e., to practice alien closer to our idea of prayer. Cyril Glasse, a Muslim scholar confirms: religious forms which they consider false Glasse in The Concise Encyclopedia of “The du’a, which follows the salah or obsolete? Some, perhaps, are Islam agrees, defines salat as “a rit- [salat], is always introduced with a secretly gratified that the superiority of ual, liturgy, or an act of worship” rather prayer on the prophet” (ibid. p. 317). Our Islam is admitted when non-Muslims than the supplication usually asso- conclusion therefore is that neither take on Muslim practices. Others may see ciated with the word “prayer” in the West. salat nor du’a is a proper substitute for, this as a step toward conversion and E.