Basic Islamic Qs Answered

Posted: Wed Apr 18, 2007 3:47 pm Post subject: Re: Basic Islamic Qs Answered

Wala'aikum Salam

Barzakh - Life in the grave

Barzakh is the stage between the worldly life and Qiyaamah. A person enters into this temporary stage from the time the soul leaves the body, to the time of resurrection. Allah says: “ (In falsehood they will be) until, when death comes to one of them he says “oh my Lord send me back (to life), in order that I may work righteousness in the things I neglected” by no means! It is but a word he utters and before them is a partition (Barzakh) till the Day they are raised up”. (23:99-100)

The time spent in the grave or Barzakh stage will be with the body and the soul Allah will order that the soul be returned to the earth after the book has been recorded in either Illiyyeen or Sijjeen (places where the books of deeds of people are kept). The Prophet in a lengthy hadith describes this in the following words: ‘… Allah will say: “Register the book of My servant in Illiyyeen” (a register where the records of those closest to Allah are kept). So his book will be kept in Illiyyeen. Then Allah will say: “Take him back to the earth, from it (the earth) I have created them, and to it I will return them, and from it I will resurrect them once again”. Then he will be taken back to the earth and his soul will be returned to his body...”. (Ibnu Maajah).

Mental faculties will be restored to the dead in the graves. The deceased are also aware of the comforting presence of the righteous people around the grave at the time of burial. They also hear their footsteps when they leave them. The Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] once mentioned the tormenter of the grave and Umar [radhiallaahu anhu] asked: “Will our faculties be restored to us, Oh Messenger of Allah?” He [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said: “Yes, just as they are now”. The Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said: “When a person is laid in his grave and his companions leave his graveside, he will hear their footsteps going away”. (Bukhaari).

Every person will be questioned by the angels named Munkar and Nakeer. The questioning begins immediately after the burial. Allah will help and make the believer firm at this time. The righteous will remain unafraid whilst the Kaafir will be confused and unable to answer. After burial the Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] would stand by the grave and say: “Ask Allah to forgive your brother and make him firm for he is being asked right now”. (Tirmithi). The Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said : “When the deceased is buried, two black and blue coloured angels will come to him, one is called Munkar and the other Nakeer. They will ask: “What did you say about this man? He will say: “He is the servant of Allah and His messenger. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship besides Allah, and that Muhammed is the messenger of Allah”. (Tirmithi). The Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] also said: ‘When the believer is sat up in his grave he will bear witness that none is worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah, and that is the meaning of the verse: “Allah will fortify those who have accepted faith with a statement of finnness in th world and the hereafter”.

The grave of the believer will be widened as far as the eye can see and he will see his place in paradise. His good deeds will come to him in the form of a well dressed, handsome , finely perfumed man. The believer will also be shown the fire from which Allah has saved him. The grave will be well-lit and filled with greenery, he will long to tell his family of his good fortune. The believer will sleep peacefully in his grave. The grave of the disbeliever will be constructed, he will see his place in hell-fire. The graves of the disobedient will be filled with darkness. The Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said “When any of you dies, he is shown his place in paradise morning and evening. If he is from the people of paradise, then he is one of them, and if he is from the people of hell, then he is one of them. He is told: “This is your place until Allah raises you on the day of resurrection” (Bukhaari). The Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] also said; then he (the believer) will be told: “Look at your place in hell fire, which Allah has exchanged for a place in paradise. So he will look at them both. Then his grave will be widened for him to a distance of seventy cubits, and it will be filled with greenery until the Day of Resurrection”. (Agreed upon).

There will be physical torment and punishment in the grave for disbelievers and sinful believers. The living are not able to hear the punishment of the grave. Animals can hear the voices of those who are being punished in their graves. Ibn Masood narrates that the Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] said: “ The dead are being punished in their graves, and even the animals can hear their voices”. The Prophet [sallallaahu alayhi wasallam] also said: “This Ummah will be tried in their graves. If it were not for fear that you might not bury your dead, I would ask Allah to make you hear what I hear”. (Ahmed)

Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:32 pm Post subject: Re: Basic Islamic Qs Answered

I don't know about this, sorry.

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:42 pm Post subject: Re: Basic Islamic Qs Answered

Why is it that Muslims do not accept the doctrine of original sin?

The reason Muslims do not accept this doctrine is that the word of God, the Qur'an, does not agree with it. The Qur'an teaches that God is ever willing to forgive anyone who turns to him in sincere repentance. We find in the Qur'an that God taught Adam and Eve how to seek His forgiveness. When they did as God taught them, God forgave them (see Qur'an 20:122).

Adam and Eve were created with the potential to do either good or evil. They had a free choice either to obey God or disobey Him. They did not realize how deceptive the devil was, and so prompted by him, they made the wrong choice. Will God remain forever angry with them over that one mistake? No! Instead, God taught them how to repair their relationship with Him by praying for forgiveness. Muslims still often recite the same prayer, as follows:
Our Lord, we have wronged our souls. If you do not forgive us and have mercy on us, then surely we are lost (Qur'an 7:23).

What we obtain from that incident is not original sin, but original forgiveness, and an original lesson on how to seek that forgiveness. God set the precedent that He will forgive those who turn to Him in sincere repentance. We will all find ourselves in a similar situation as Adam and Eve. The prophet, on whom be peace, said that every child of Adam is a sinner, and the best of them are those who turn back to God in sincere repentance.

This shows that God does not demand absolute perfection from us humans. That would be an impossible demand, since God alone is absolutely perfect. To err is human. God wants us to know that he will accept us as we are, shortcomings and all, as long as we are trying our best to obey Him. Even in our human situations, it is well understood that absolute perfection is not to be demanded from anyone. Suppose teachers were to demand that all students must score 100% on all their tests, and that if they make even one mistake they will not pass. No one of sound mind will demand this, for it is clearly beyond human capacity. Similarly, God does not demand from people what is beyond their capacity (see Qur'an 2:226).

Some will say that Adam was created perfect and that when he sinned he ruined that perfection. This suggestion makes no sense. If perfection meant that Adam had no ability to choose between good and evil, then how did he exercise that choice which he supposedly did not have? And if he had the ability to choose, as Muslims believe, then why would God remain forever angry with him for his first mistake? Humankind was then in its infancy. We needed someone to pick us up when we fall, not someone to bulldoze us with a tremendous burden of sin and guilt.

Some will say that God could not forgive Adam even if He wanted to do so, since God is Just and He must exact justice. This is as if to say that justice is contrary to mercy, and that God is so fenced in by His own law that He has no freedom to do what He wants to do. How silly! The truth is that God warns us of His punishment, but He also promises forgiveness for those who sincerely repent. If He decides to save sinners, who is there to say He cannot do what He wishes?

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:46 pm Post subject: Re: Basic Islamic Qs Answered

What does Islam say about homosexuality?

Islam teaches that homosexual acts are sinful and punishable by God. This teaching comes not from human beings, but from the Creator of all humans. God tells us in His own words how He punished the people of Lot for their homosexual behavior. The story of the prophet Lot, on whom be peace, finds mention in several Qur'anic passages (see especially Qur'an 26:160-175). From these passages we learn that God saved Lot and the righteous ones of his family, and rained on the rest a shower of brimstones, so they were utterly destroyed. This is mentioned in the Qur'an not only for the sake of information, but mainly to serve as a warning to anyone who dares to repeat such acts.

Muslims believe that every human action leads to consequences. Good actions entail good results, and evil actions entail evil consequences. Some of these consequences may not become known for many years after a certain action. The consequences of some actions will become manifest only after death when one enters a new, everlasting life. To understand this point, consider the fact that often people contract a deadly disease which is diagnosed many years after the fact. A common mistake among humans is that if they do not see any negative consequences for their actions they consider their actions harmless. Human experience has taught us that a source of superior knowledge can be of tremendous benefit to humans. In the past, doctors unwittingly gave blood tainted with the AIDS virus to thousands of patients. If a source of superior knowledge had warned us beforehand, and we paid attention to that warning, we could have saved many people from this deadly disease.

God, the source of all knowledge, warns us of His punishment if people perpetrate homosexual acts. Let us pay attention and learn the easy way. Some will say that a person may be born with homosexual tendencies. We say that everyone is a free agent. God lays before us two paths and has given us knowledge of where these paths lead. One is the path to which the devil calls us. We must avoid that. Another is the path leading to paradise. We must stick to that one. Everyone experiences evil prompting from time to time. We must resist those with all our might. If one feels a tendency to do something that God prohibits, he or she should seek help from a community of loving, caring believers who would understand his or her difficulty and help him or her overcome it.

A common ploy of the devil is to convince people that they cannot avoid sin. Then they do not even try. But God promises that the devil can have no lasting power over those who sincerely seek God (see Qur'an 15:42). Finally, our bodies are given to us in trust from God. One should not use his or her body contrary to the user guide provided by its Maker. Consenting adults also need God's consent.

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:48 pm Post subject: Re: Basic Islamic Qs Answered

What does Jihad mean?

The word Jihad represents a concept which is much misunderstood in the West. The concept is explained nicely by the Christian scholar Ira 6. Zepp, Jr. in his book entitled A Muslim Primer on pages 133-135. We adapt from his answer the following:

The essential meaning of Jihad is the spiritual, psychological, and physical effort we exert to be close to God and thus achieve a just and harmonious society. Jihad literally means "striving" or "struggle" and is shorthand for Jihad fi Sabeel Allah (struggle for God's cause). In a sense, every Muslim is a Mujahid, one who strives for God and justice.

Al-Ghazali captured the essence of Jihad when he said: "The real Jihad is the warfare against (one's own) passions. Dr. Ibrahim Abu-Rabi calls Jihad "the execution of effort against evil in the self and every manifestation of evil in society." In a way, Jihad is the Muslim's purest sacrifice: a struggle to live a perfect life and completely submit to God.

Another form of Jihad is the striving to translate the Word of God into action. If one has experienced God and received guidance from the Qur'an, one struggles to apply that guidance in daily life. So the larger, more prevalent meaning of Jihad is the spiritual struggle of the soul. In this case, Jihad is always present for the believer whether there is an external enemy or not. We should never reduce Jihad to violence.

A third level of Jihad is popularly known as "holy war." The classic passage is found in the Qur'an:
Fight in the way of Allah those who fight against you, but transgress not the limits. Truly Allah likes not the transgressors (Qur'an 2:190).

It is crucial to note here that what is condoned is defensive warfare; Islam cannot justify aggressive war. Muhammad and the Tradition are also against killing non-combatants, torturing of prisoners, the destruction of crops, animals and homes. Adapted from Ira 6. Zepp, Jr., A Muslim Primer (1992, Wakefield Editions, US) pp.133-135.

Robert Ellwood of the University of Southern California has the following to say about the Muslim concept of Jihad:
Out of the community ideal of Islam comes the concept of jihad, or holy war, which is designed to defend Islam and allow its social practice, though not to force individual conversions, which is forbidden. Since Islam in principle is a community as well as a religion, presumably only an absolute pacifist would be able to reject the theory of jihad out of hand, since other communities also fight to defend or expand their ways of life. (Many Peoples, Many Faiths by Robert S. Ellwood, 4th edition, Simon & Schuster, US, 1982, p.346).

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject: Re: Basic Islamic Qs Answered

What does Islam say about abortion? Are there any circumstances when abortion is allowed in Islam? What if pregnancy results from rape or incest?

Islam values human life. This is clearly expressed in the Qur'an where we are told that in the sight of God killing a human is a very serious matter (see Qur'an 5:32). The Qur'an teaches that on the Day of Judgement parents who killed their children will be under trial for that crime, and their children will be witnesses against them (see Qur'an 81:8-9).

People often fear that having more children will make them poor. In reply to that, the Qur'an says:
Do not slay your children for fear of poverty. We shall provide for them and for you (Qur'an 17:31).
Even in a case where one is already poor, the Qur'an insists that Allah will provide sustenance for us and for our children, and furthermore that Allah has made human life sacred (see Qur'an 6:151).

The right to life is God-given. No human should take away that right. The general rule, therefore, is that abortion is not permitted in Islam. However, Islam is a very practical religion. It includes principles to deal with exceptional cases. One such principle is that when a pregnancy threatens the life of the mother, an abortion may be performed. Although the lives of both mother and child are sacred, in this case it is better to save the principal life, the life of the mother. Even in this case, it would be better if the abortion is done before the foetus is 120 days old, for that is when the soul is breathed into the foetus. Islam does not permit abortion in other cases.

Women who have been victims of rape or incest naturally deserve sympathy and help. But a child conceived in this unfortunate manner still has a right to live. Of course this places an unwanted burden on the mother, but killing the child is not the right solution. To understand this point better, suppose someone sees the poorer sections of society as an unwanted burden on the rich. Would it be right then to kill off all the poor? Of course not. Why then should anyone decide that a child should be killed just because they are an unwanted burden? Society as a whole should help such a mother and relieve her as far as possible. But the child should not be killed.

Furthermore, the fact that such cases occur is an indication that people desperately need spiritual food. They need the pure teachings that will help them turn their minds away from adultery, rape, and incest. People need God. Can you help someone to turn to God?