Connected to Islam Community

[PBE]

Originally Posted by jahanara

Assalamu alaikum,
Just my thoughts about the wedding ring and a few things.

It wasn’t the Christians who came up with the idea of wearing a ring. This practice occurred way back before them. In fact, this practice also takes place in some Jewish Orthodox weddings. My maternal family are a native aboriginal tribe from Borneo and there is a practice of wearing rings – and this was before they even knew about Christianity! We also consider the point raised by sister Jalove that the practice existed since the time of the ancient Egyptians. To note, some Christians also denounce the practice of wearing wedding rings, asserting that the practice is not Biblical in nature, and has in fact, pagan Roman / secular origins. (Ref: http://www.bibleviews.com/wr.html)

Yes, the Prophet Muhammad saw did say that we should not follow the non-Muslims.This is understood in terms of belief and acts which can negatively affect our belief in God and our identity as Muslims. However, there are many things in which we can learn from them and we should not easily denounce them as kuffars, etc.

Thirdly, a practice which is “Western” does not mean it is bad. The Inter Net, modern technology, education, advances in the fields of medicine, etc. involve a lot of “Western” expertise. And what about noted inviduals from the West - Daniel Ellsberg, Helen Caldicott, Evo Morales, Lyndon Larouche, Thomas Paine, Mary Robinson, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Malcolm X even? Do we denounce them just because they are “Western”? And note that Malcolm X is a Muslim from USA! (The West!) He didn’t denounce the West, rather he denounced the oppressive regimes that existed everywhere! If we adopt the equation that West = bad, then it is akin to accepting that Islam = terrorism. Not true on both accounts (obviously) as the argument is flawed.

We should open our minds and take a purposive approach in applying Islam to our lives. The West, like the East and many Muslim nations are not innocent of wars, corruption, oppression of its people and others. Which nation on this earth is free from evil? We all have blood on our hands.

In as much as nations have their vices, they also have their virtues. We can learn so much from the West, just as we can learn from the East, Muslim nations, etc. Note also that there are some Eastern cultures that are not Islamic – the practice of sati in India, FGM (female genital mutilation) in some parts of Africa, the practice of foot-binding in China, etc. There’s NO such thing is Islamic v West / Islamic v East. It’s simply Islamic v non-Islamic and both can be either Eastern/ Western / whatever.

Allah does not judge us based on our nationality / origin / birthland, rather by our piety!

I guess what I’m trying to say in this point is that:-
Islam is a universal religion, it is a way of life. We shouldn’t fall into the trap of simply limiting our knowledge and practice of Islam to what is halal/ haram (allowed/forbidden), the do’s and don’ts…rather, we should understand, and I mean, really understand what Islam means in the context of our lives and experiences.

Jahanara ! Hello ! I have missed you , you are always so kind and sweet.
I wanted to post more about the response I received yesterday but it was so late I just had to go to bed.

I have to say I was a little hurt to be clumped into the group of kufars because I am Catholic and because I want to follow a tradition that dates so far back .

I already knew the origins of wearing your wedding ring on your left hand, and even though it is biologically untrue I still like the idea of wearing your ring closest to your heart. That is just my personal opinion.

My husband to be can wear his ring where he wishes but I wanted to understand his reason for it as even he was unsure because he is still learning.

He and I may check different religion boxes on offical forms but at the end of the day we are the same Soley God Worshipping and always God fearing.

Anyway I just felt like I had to say that because it was on my mind all day .

[2_getha_4_eva]

I have tried to become a member but I am having problems. Everytime I hit u guys up, I am never acknowledged....Help! Can I be a member?

[missvee1014]

Olenz- We've acknowledged you. We've written to you and I believe someone explained that we don't do numbers here so any and everyone can join. apologies from me if you felt left out in anyway. But I do recall u getting shouted about and wanting to learn more about Islam and that's the reason why you joined. I could be wrong. But here's your official welcome:

WELCOME OLENZ- Mashallah you want to become a Muslim and inshallah you will benefit from this group. WE want you to stay and share and absorb as much as you can.

Also If you check back there's TONS of information that's great for us New Shahadahs (New Muslims) and Older Muslims. May allah fill your heart with knowledge


PBE- Hey gurl Glad you're on here. Inshallah you'll stay and absorb as much as you can

Sherry- Salaams,

All my other sisters Assalamu Alaikum and Fi amanullah!!! Have a great day

[Umm Aby]

Assalamu alaykum sistahs!

less than two weeks to ramadhan! are u all excited????well i am....Jazakallah sistahs! this is a really good forum, it helps you grow in faith and we can all learn from one another!...You wouldnt believe it, i was up till about 1am last night, doing research on this wedding ring.........lol, i jus wanted to say, as a gift! its okay....very okay, but it shudnt be a necessity! ie no ring, no marriage!. Khalas......
Thanxz sis.....
Olenz.......u are in ere, so talk to us, hows everything be goin darlyn? the Quran reading and everything else, if u need any help, we are hear for u girlie!.
Miss vee, tell me it isnt 3 mnths? i mean that u got married? no way, its cant be, u got married less than a mnth ago! subhanallah, the days and mnths are goin by quickly! Al-Asr.
PBE dear, i am sorry if u was kinda hurt! Allah sees my heart, i didnt intend for that to happen! u are people of the book, and as muslims its an article of faith to belief in the books and the prophets ie Jesus(as) Moses(as) etc........its jus that, sometimes its good to Question something, dnt always follow ur forefathers blindly!. bless u hunny and forgive me?
Sherry dear,Sabr aye....be patient and all will be well!......
Jalove, how are u doin?
Tabitha..................i miss u! i always say i will call but never do! missveee...send my love to her...
Also, aint heard from Oneluv, i hope her and her family are doin okay?

I am so proud of u missvee....whoa...u have grown in this deen so much! thanx to this thread!, at least thats why i kinda come to prisontalk these days!.
ma salam

[missvee1014]

assalamu alaikum,
Mashallah Abby I have grown. I could see it and yes it's been 3 months and 2 days married. Of course he didn't notice. Men never really remember dates like us women. But yes It's going quickly, inshallah soon he'll coming home soon. Well Alhamdulilah you're doing okay and I hope you got some rest last night will all that research. SO have you decided on whatcha going to do with the journalist job? Inshallah you'll make the right decision. Well sis, Love you for the sake of allah (subhana wa ta 'ala). Oh and this past weekend I went to a MASJID for the first time (ALHAMDULILAH ALLAHU AKBAR) So nice. I was so happy to be there. Inshallah I can go more often.

Well I hope you are ALLL DOING fine!! Inshallah you'll be here to check in

[Umm Aby]

OlenZ.....Come on inn...we are here for you!........Missvee, mashallah, thats great! i am glad u went to the masjid!.....whoa...3mnths! stl dnt believe it, erm...i dnt remember dates funny enough! my Bunny sends me cards saying happy anniversary! i am thinking, what anniversary!lol....
I am glad,make sure u have fun whenever u go there!.
Oh yes, i took the job!, it aint a proper thing, it will jus be bringin me some money! little money indeed....so yes i took it....i need the extra cash!.

[missvee1014]

GOOD JOB. GLAD U ARE ABLE TO GET SOME MONIES. AND YES THE 3 MONTHS FLEW BY MOST OF THE TIMES. MASHALLAH!! INSHALLAH THE NEXT FEW YEARS WOULD FLY RIGHT ON THROUGH. IT'S TIME FOR HIM TO COME HOME

[2_getha_4_eva]

Hello sistah's! I hope everyone is well. I am trying to move closer to Olen soon! I am trying to find a website that will send him a Quran and prayer rug. I am also going to get a quran for myself and our son. Olen and I want to raise him right. I hope everyone is doing Great! Please, keep us in your prayers!

[Sherry1]

Hello,
Umm Abby good for you on bringing in the $$. Hello missvee1014. Welcome Olenzfiance. Salam jalove and jahanara. Me, myself, my man understands why I'm hurt and is trying to make up for it. Take care and have a good day.

[lindaj]

Salam everyone. Hope all are having a good week.

[jahanara]

Originally Posted by PBE

...I have to say I was a little hurt to be clumped into the group of kufars because I am Catholic and because I want to follow a tradition that dates so far back ..

Assalamu alaikum.
PBE and all my sisters, re: The issue of Kafir,
insya Allah the below will clarify matters for us.
Wassalam,J.
*****

1. Who is a Kaafir?
Prof. Shahul Hameed:
The word kaafir is one of the most misunderstood terms in the Arabic language. In fact, it need not have the stigma that is often associated with it. It can be used simply in the sense of ‘non-submissive’ to God.

The word kaafir comes from the root verb, kafara, which means ‘cover’. It was originally used before Islam, in the Arabic language, to describe farmers, when they bury a seed in the ground and cover it with soil in their planting process. Therefore, we may say that the word kaafir implies from its root meaning ‘a person who hides or covers the truth’. This is in opposition to a Muslim, who openly testifies to the truth and submits willfully and peacefully to it. In Islamic parlance, it is used to mean someone who deliberately rejects the true faith.

We should avoid calling anybody a kaafir, because only Allah knows who is truly a rejecter of truth and who is merely a misguided person. It is not up to us to "sentence" a person to the wrath of God! We must always maintain a spirit of tolerance and goodwill, along with our zeal to convey the message of truth to others, whatever be the odds!!


2. The concept of infidels/kafirs in Islam. Does it refer to all non-Muslims including People of the Book? Is it okay to call them kafirs/infidels?

Dr. Jasser Auda :
Regarding whether to call non-Muslims “kuffar” or not, the answer is that we should call people the names that the Qur’an gave them. In the Qur’an, you will not find a single “O disbelievers” (“Ya Kuffar”, “Ya ayuhalathina kafaru”, or “Ya ayuhal-kafirun”) other than in the following two places:

1. In Hellfire, we seek refuge in Allah from it. The Qur’an says what means:
*{[Then it will be said]: “O ye who disbelieve (Ya ayuhalathina kafaru)! Make no excuses for yourselves this day.}* (At-Tahrim 66:7)
So, it is something that is said to them by Allah Almighty or by the angels, not by us.

In today’s world, we should use the same term “People of the Book” with Christians and Jews, or call them Christians and Jews, if they wish to be called so, or simply call them “non-Muslims”.

It is fair enough before labeling any person as a “rejecter of faith” to make sure that he/she is clearly aware of that faith and what it entails. In my view, most people in today’s world did not reject the message because simply they are not aware of what Islam is. This is largely due to the biased international media and to Muslims themselves falling short to present their religion properly to the world. These uninformed people, again in my view, could only fall under the verse that says what means:
*{No laden soul can bear another's load, We never punish until we have sent a messenger.}* (Al-Israa’ 17:15)

3. Why does the Qur'an refer to Jews and Christians as kuffar or infidels? What kind of respect and tolerance is that?

Dr. Jamal Badawi:

Here is a big mistake with translation, one that is sometimes committed by Muslims, too. If you look at the English dictionary meaning of infidel, you would find that it means someone who does not have a faith or does not believe in Allah. Does the Qur'an say that the Jews and Christians do not believe in Allah? No. In Surat Al-`Ankabut (29:46), Allah says that the God of Christians, Jews, and Muslims is one and the same. The word infidel is an inaccurate translation of the word kafir in this case.

The term kafir, referring to a person, or kufr, referring to an act, is used in the Qur'an in a variety of contextual meanings. This is why I hesitate to use even the terms non-believer or disbeliever for the translation, as is it is not clear from these English terms what is the object of unbelief or disbelief, it is God, a particular prophet, or others?

I would prefer to use the term non-Muslim, as it applies to various categories of kufr, whether it refers to knowingly rejecting the message of Islam (disbelief) or being a non-Muslim due to the lack of awareness of the authentic message of Islam (unbelief). Following are examples of the varied contextual uses of the term kufr in the Qur'an as follows:

· Kufr is sometimes used in a positive sense. A good believer can also be a kafir. How so? The Qur'an says [Faman yakfur bil taghut wayu'mim billah] (Whoever rejects (yakfur) taghut (oppression) and believes in Allah) (Al-Baqarah 2:56). Anyone who believes in one thing is a kafir (rejecter) of its opposite.

· Kufr can be used in a neutral or benign sense, as the origin of kufr in the Arabic language means "to cover up." A farmer who puts a seed in the ground and covers it up is performing kufr. Spiritually, deliberate deviation from the true and authentic prophets is a form of "covering-up" the truth.

· The word kufr can also be applied to Muslims who do something wrong, although not necessarily something that would place them outside the state of belief in Islam. For example, a Muslim who is able to go for Hajj but does not go, without denying the need to go, would be committing an act of kufr in a sense of their being ungrateful to Allah (3:96-97).

· Kufr is used in the Qur'an as the opposite of shukr (to be grateful) (Luqman 31:12).

· Kafir is used in the Qur'an, not only to refer to Jews or Christians, but also those who rejected the prophets and denied the existence of God. It has been used to refer to the people of Noah and the people of Abraham. It has also been used to refer to those who denied prophethood and rejected the existence of Allah altogether, which obviously is not the case with Christians and Jews.

· Kafir can also be used in a more serious sense, but with a variety of meanings. It refers to the rejection of Islam. It describes one who knows the truth, but rejects it out of pride or vanity. It describes a person who knows the truth in his or her heart and deliberately rejects it.

Nonetheless, we cannot clearly assess this situation. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave Muslims very clear instructions after one incident when people assumed to know why someone had professed belief in Islam. He asked them whether they had opened up his heart, and if they knew whether what was in his heart was sincere or not. The bottom line is that we have to leave judging people's faith to Allah; only Allah knows the sincerity of a particular person's acceptance. Allah is All-Knowing, and He is the only Judge of all of us.

[2_getha_4_eva]

I would also like to be apart of your group. I have alot of questions about Islam. I am engaged to a Muslim and I would like to know of a good website I can go to and find the answers to my questions. Or just a good website that is informative to help me understand Islam. Thanks !

[missvee1014]

Olenz,
If you check the previous pages there's tons of information for you!!

[Umm Aby]

Assalamu alaykum
Olenz...............u are a part of the group already!......ask whatever u want, and a sistah ere will inshallah help u out with an answer! we are ere for u dear!.

[jahanara]

Salams and peace,
two very good websites are:-
http://islamonline.net

http://themodernreligion.com


Also, Islamic greeting cards :-
http://al-habib.tripod.com/kartupos.htm

[MrJustice]

<Home> <Encyclopedia of Islamic World> <The God of Islam>

Islamic Encyclopedia

The God of Islam

A. Islamic Monotheism D. Islamic Theology B. Humanity's Relationship to God C. Angels
Islamic doctrine emphasizes the oneness, uniqueness, transcendence, and utter otherness of God. As such, God is different from anything that the human senses can perceive or that the human mind can imagine. The God of Islam encompasses all creation, but no mind can fully encompass or grasp him. God, however, is manifest through his creation, and through reflection humankind can easily discern the wisdom and power behind the creation of the world. Because of God's oneness and his transcendence of human experience and knowledge, Islamic law forbids representations of God, the prophets, and among some Muslims, human beings in general. As a result of this belief, Islamic art came to excel in a variety of decorative patterns including leaf shapes later stylized as arabesques, and Arabic script. In modern times the restrictions on creating images of people have been considerably relaxed, but any attitude of worship toward images and icons is strictly forbidden in Islam.
A. Islamic Monotheism
Before Islam, many Arabs believed in a supreme, all-powerful God responsible for creation; however, they also believed in lesser gods. With the coming of Islam, the Arab concept of God was purged of elements of polytheism and turned into a qualitatively different concept of uncompromising belief in one God, or monotheism.
The status of the Arabs before Islam is considered to be one of ignorance of God, or jahiliyya, and Islamic sources insist that Islam brought about a complete break from Arab concepts of God and a radical transformation in Arab belief about God.
Islamic doctrine maintains that Islam's monotheism continues that of Judaism and Christianity. However, the Qur'an and Islamic traditions stress the distinctions between Islam and later forms of the two other monotheistic religions. According to Islamic belief, both Moses and Jesus, like others before them, were prophets commissioned by God to preach the essential and eternal message of Islam. The legal codes introduced by these two prophets, the Ten Commandments and the Christian Gospels, took different forms than the Qur'an, but according to Islamic understanding, at the level of doctrine they are the same teaching. The recipients of scriptures are called the people of the book or the "scriptured" people. Like the Jews and the Christians before them, the Muslims became scriptured when God revealed his word to them through a prophet: God revealed the Qur'an to the prophet Muhammad, commanding him to preach it to his people and later to all humanity.
Although Muslims believe that the original messages of Judaism and Christianity were given by God, they also believe that Jews and Christians eventually distorted them. The self-perceived mission of Islam, therefore, has been to restore what Muslims believe is the original monotheistic teaching and to supplant the older legal codes of the Hebrew and Christian traditions with a newer Islamic code of law that corresponds to the evolving conditions of human societies. Thus, for example, Islamic traditions maintain that Jesus was a prophet whose revealed book was the Christian New Testament, and that later Christians distorted the original scripture and inserted into it the claim that Jesus was the son of God. Or to take another example, Muslims maintain that the strict laws communicated by Moses in the Hebrew Bible were appropriate for their time. Later, however, Jesus introduced a code of behavior that stressed spirituality rather than ritual and law.

[2_getha_4_eva]

Asalaamu Alaikum sistahs! Today I had a phone call that changed my life for ever! I took the Shahada. I felt a joyous and peaceful feeling. I just wanted everyone to know. I have been doing alot of research on the internet the last month or so. I really appreciate all the guidence I have received from everyone and support! Esp. Umm Aby has helped alot too! Thanks so much! I know Olen will be happy for me. I hope everyone is good and will keep in touch with me.

[missvee1014]

MASHALLAH!!! MASHALLAH!!! :fb: :fb: :fb::fb: May allah (Subhana Wa Ta 'ala) guide you and keep you on the straight path. Also mark this day down. It's the Biggest Milestone in your life.

[jahanara]

Subhana Allah. Congratulations. May Allah bless you and those who played a role in your search for the Truth.

[TIA4TWO]

Salaams,

I know this isn't the place for this but I just had to Its been way too long since we've talked!!!!!! I have soooo much to tell you

Your Big Sis

Originally Posted by jahanara

Subhana Allah. Congratulations. May Allah bless you and those who played a role in your search for the Truth.

[jahanara]

Originally Posted by TIA4TWO

Salaams,

I know this isn't the place for this but I just had to Its been way too long since we've talked!!!!!! I have soooo much to tell you

Your Big Sis

I love you sis

(Guys, TIA4TWO is one of the most fantastic sisters I have ever known!)

[lindaj]

Originally Posted by Olenzfiance

Asalaamu Alaikum sistahs! Today I had a phone call that changed my life for ever! I took the Shahada. I felt a joyous and peaceful feeling. I just wanted everyone to know. I have been doing alot of research on the internet the last month or so. I really appreciate all the guidence I have received from everyone and support! Esp. Umm Aby has helped alot too! Thanks so much! I know Olen will be happy for me. I hope everyone is good and will keep in touch with me.

Salam sister, i am so happy for you. i am considering making shahada soon myself. i just feel i am not making salat as i should be and i want to be presentable before Allah before i make shahada.

Abby has helped me so much too.

[missvee1014]

subhanallah that you are all going for the goal.
Tia4Two- Salaams glad to see ya here

Well Today is one day closer to the weekend. Have a great day ya'll

[Sherry1]

Congrats Olenzfiance

[jalove]

Salam,

Congrats Olenz!!!!

I have been thinking about doing this as well. Just hearing a verse from that Qu'ran overwhelms me. I begin to cry or smile. It's amazing. I pray that i too will be taking my shahadah in the near future.


Hope everyone is doing well....