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Caraj
12/20/01 at 01:31:55
Hello everyone. I have a few questions. 1) The 5 prayer times a day? Does each time period have a specific thing you pray about or do you pray as you wish? I mean do you focus on a specific thing at each different pray or pray as you feel you need to? 2) Are there different groups of Muslims? As with Christains. (i.e. Protisant/ Catholic ( I know I didn't spell those right sorry) 3) If one studys about Islam but choses not to convert is it ok for their Muslim friends to still stay friends? 4) I noticed music is discussed as not a good thing. Why is that? 5) Same question as above but with tv?  I always monitor what I watch and when my kids were growing up what they would watch. 6) What goes on in Mosque's? Pray? Singing? A lesson or sermon? 7)  Are there any other Muslims celebrations besides Ramadan? 8) Are there any other readings or teachings besides the Quran? 9) What do Muslims believe will get them into Heaven/Paradise? Acts? Works? Faith? ??? I have more but will not overwelm this thread. Thank You for your answers.

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Anik
12/20/01 at 03:01:41
asalaamu alaikum, ok I'm gonna try a stab at this... 1) 5 times a day is the compulsory prayers for a muslim.  This is dealing with fard (required) prayers and sunnah (way of the Prophet SAW) which occur at each prayer time.  Essentially at each time there are roughly two sub-types of prayers (each which are performed exactly the same yet differ by intention)- the fard and the sunnah. When you pray each different time, its still the same prayer, its the same motions and movements, even words, perhaps the supplication will be different, otherwise it is a standardized prayer to God.  The prayers operate in units of rakaat, or cycles of movement, and depending on the prayer, a different number of rakaats (cycles) are undertaken for fard (obligatory) and sunnah (recommended) prayers.  The focus is solely on God and no personal flavour until a time is given to make personal prayers. Many a times muslims pray outside of these 5 times as well. asalamu aalikum. abdullah,.

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Caraj
12/20/01 at 03:18:52
Thank you for explaining. When a Muslim prays then I see what you're saying, but if there is a certain thing one says, do Muslims pray at times asking forgiveness for certain things? Asking for help with certain problems? Specific requests? When is this thing you call personal prayers done?

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abc
12/20/01 at 04:18:12
Cara, just for a quickie reply, There are two kinds of "prayers" in Islam- the salaat (prnounced as Sa-laa-uh) and dua. The salaat are the "formal" prayers, the kinds you must've seen muslims doing with the bowing and prostrating actions. The five salaat are obligatory on *every* muslim and are *the* most important thing after the shahadah (the belief in God and His messenger). These five salat are specific in terms of time and their way of performance. They have to be performed in the manner taught to us by prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Aside from these obligatory salaat a muslim can pray any amount of nafl (voluntary) salaat. The dua is what most non-muslims mean by prayer. Literally it means supplication. It does not have any set rules to be followed although it's highly recommended to praise God and send blessings on our prophet (pbuh) in them as well. In the dua, a person can ask for literally *anything* (all the good and permissible things that is). Making dua is not restricted to any time, place or state of the person (meaning s/he doesn't have to make the ablution as is required in salaat). I hope all this is not too confusing. :) I'm not the best when it comes to explaining things. Take care :)

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Merimda
12/21/01 at 02:15:26
[quote]Hello everyone. I have a few questions. 1) The 5 prayer times a day? Does each time period have a specific thing you pray about or do you pray as you wish? I mean do you focus on a specific thing at each different pray or pray as you feel you need to?[/quote] I wrote something but deleted it..I'll get back to this question insha-Allah if no one replies..Too tired right now to make a decent response. [quote]2) Are there different groups of Muslims? As with Christains. (i.e. Protisant/ Catholic ( I know I didn't spell those right sorry)[/quote]: We have many different sects and methodologies. According to a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (saw). Islam will have more sects than Judiasm and Christianity. It's trial to see who will follow the right path. [quote] 3) If one studys about Islam but choses not to convert is it ok for their Muslim friends to still stay friends? [/quote] Yes, I see no reason why they should not remain friends. The prophet Muhammad (saw) had an uncle, Abu Talib, who a was faithful friend to the Prophet (pbuh) for 40yrs and supported him during his most difficult times. Abu Talib was close to becoming Muslim but in the end did not. [quote]4) I noticed music is discussed as not a good thing. Why is that?[/quote] Long topic. There are differences of opinion on this issue.  But I believe many scholars hold the opinion that the only music that is permissible is the duff (a certain hand drum) which only may be used by women for the occasions of Eid and weddings. [quote]5) Same question as above but with tv?  I always monitor what I watch and when my kids were growing up what they would watch.[/quote] I beleive it was Hasan Al Banna (May Allah have Mercy upon Him)) that was asked about the cinema..if it is halal or haram.. And he replied: al cinema halal, halal wa al cinema haram, haram. Many scholars are of the opinon that T.V in itself is not forbidden in Islam. It is just like the internet. If you use it for good and it does not make you neglect any of your obligations to Allah as a Muslim then there is no harm in T.V or the internet. 6) What goes on in Mosque's? Pray? Singing? A lesson or sermon? Many things go on in Mosques other than the five daily prayers and the Friday prayers in which a Khutba (sermon) is given. Many Mosques hold Arabic classes, Islamic study circles, daycares, karate classes and many other things. Many mosques also hold regular schools. 7)  Are there any other Muslims celebrations besides Ramadan? We have two celebrations..Eid Al Fitr which was this Sunday to celebrate the end of Ramadan and Eid Al Adha to commemorate the sacrifices of Prophet Ibrahim (as) and his family. 8) Are there any other readings or teachings besides the Quran? Yes the Sunnah (sayings/traditions/teachings) of the Prophet Muhammad (saw). 9) What do Muslims believe will get them into Heaven/Paradise? Acts? Works? Faith? ??? Anyone who professes that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger..and fulfills these 7 conditions of the profession of faith will, insha-Allah, go to Jannah: 1.Knowledge of Allah 2.Certainty 3.Sincerity 4.Truthfullness 5.Love 6.Submission 7.Acceptance If you have fulfilled all these 7..then faith in word, heart and action should come naturally..including the six pillars of faith(Iman) and five pillars of Islam.. Which are described in the following hadith: On the authority of Omar, who said : One day while we were sitting with the messenger of Allah there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journeying were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down by the prophet. Resting his knees against his and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs, he said:"O Muhammed, tell me about Islam". The messenger of Allah said: "Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammed is the messenger of Allah, to perform the prayers, to pay the zakat, to fast in Ramadhan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so." He said:"You have spoken rightly", and we were amazed at him asking him and saying that he had spoken rightly. He said: "Then tell me about eman."He said:"It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny, both the good and the evil thereof." He said:"You have spoken rightly". He said: " Then tell me about ehsan." He said: "It is to worship Allah as though you are seeing Him, and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you". He said: "Then tell me about the Hour". He said: "The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner." He said: "Then tell me about its signs." He said: "That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and that you will see the barefooted, naked, destitute herdsman competing in constructing lofty buildings." Then he took himself off and I stayed for a time. Then he said: "O Omar, do you know who the questioner was?" I said: "Allah and His messenger know best". He said: "He was Jebreel (Gabriel), who came to you to teach you your religion." narrated by Muslim There are different ranks of heaven depending on your deeds but even the one with mustard seed of faith will eventually go into heaven. Haven't had any sleep and it is past 4 am..I would go into detail and look up some verses of the Quran, hadith and fatwas to support my statements but I'm too tired right now..If there is anything that I have said that is wrong then it is due to my ignorance and please correct me and forgive me insha-Allah. I'm hoping someone else will do a better job. post modified: added hadith..

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M.F.
12/20/01 at 06:45:24
I think Merimda answered all the questions quite thoroughly, I just have one thing to add about the last question: Muslims believe that it is Allah's mercy that will get us into heaven.  The Prophet (S) told his companions that we don't get into heaven by our actions, only by Allah's mercy.  They asked him: Even you???? he said: even me.   There's a story of a man who lived for 500 years (or a very long time, maybe it was 100 years) and spent every waking moment of his life praying to Allah.  On the day of Judgement, Allah says to him: Enter Jannah by my mercy. The man says: Oh Allah, not by your mercy, but by my prayers. Allah said to bring forth the scales.  He put the man's actions on one side, and the blessing of eyesight in the other.  The blessing of eyesight outweighed the man's lifetime of prayers.  Allah said: Put him in hellfire!  And the man said: No Allah, put me in heaven by your mercy. And He did.

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ABD
12/20/01 at 06:45:30
Assalamu Alaikum, I'm gonna take a stab at this too. If i have any mistakes, plz fix them. Jaza Kumullahu Khayran. 1.) there are different time periods when we have to pray. For each prayer, there are a different number of rakaat's (like Abdullah said, cycles of movements). When in prayer, we focus only on God (SWT). It is very important to try to do so b/c prayer is the most essential form of worship in Islam and we have to try our best to focus in prayer. 2.) There are different schools of thought. There are four major scholars who have different opinions on some of the issues in Islam. The Prophet did some things in different ways and one scholar adopted one way and another scholar adopted another way. They're both the right way, but the scholars chose to adopt one instead of the other. The four major scholars are Imam Shafi'i, Imam Hanafi, Imam Maliki, Imam Hambali. 3.) I would say yes it's ok to remain friends, although I'm not too sure, b/c I don't know much about that. If anyone knows more, feel free to elaborate. 4.) Yes, music is not a good thing. It distracts us from making supplications of God and the Prophet 5.) On islam-qa.com, I found this on rulings of TV: With regard to television, it is a dangerous device and its harmful effects are very great, like those of the cinema, or even worse. We know from the research that has been written about it and from the words of experts in Arab countries and elsewhere enough to indicate that it is dangerous and very harmful to Islamic beliefs (‘aqeedah), morals and the state of society. This is because it includes the presentation of bad morals, tempting scenes, immoral pictures, semi-nakedness, destructive speech, and Kufr. It encourages imitation of their conduct and ways of dressing, respect for their leaders, neglect of Islamic conduct and ways of dressing, and looking down on the scholars and heroes of Islam. It damages their image by portraying them in an off-putting manner that makes people despise them and ignore them. It shows people how to cheat, steal, hatch plots and commit acts of violence against others. Undoubtedly anything that produces so many bad results should be stopped and shunned, and we have to close all the doors that could lead to it. If some of our brothers denounce it and speak out against it, we cannot blame them, because this is a part of sincerity towards Allaah and towards other people. Whoever thinks that this device (TV) can be free of these evils and can be used only for good purposes if it is censored properly is exaggerating and is making a big mistake, because the censor may miss things and most people nowadays want to imitate the foreigners. It is very rare to find censors who are doing their job properly, especially nowadays when most people are only interested in time-wasting entertainment and things that turn people away from true guidance. Reality bears witness to that. 6.) During the time of prayer, the Imam (leader) of the mosque, leads the prayer in congregation. Sometimes, small lectures will be given. On friday's and Sunday's, from 6:30-9:00 and 11:00-2:00 respectively, classes are given to those who want to learn. This semester, they're doing the life of the Prophet (SAWS), and grammar of reading the Qur'an. 7.) Besides the Qur'an, there are teachings of the Prophet (SAWS) called Sunnah. The teachings and sayings are collected in authentic books, and besides the Qur'an, the Sunnah is the most important reference.   8.) Th other Muslim celebration is called Eid-ul Adha when we sacrifice a sheep, goat, cow, what else? for the sake of God and we slaughter the animal. We offer the meat to needy families or cook it and invite over a lot of friends. 9.) Muslims believe that by submitting yourself to God, by devoting your life to serving just Him, doing whatever we do in the righteous way, trying to live our life by taking the life of the Prophet (SAWS) as our role model, trying to be the best Muslims we can, having reliance on God, being God conscious and God fearing throughout the day, praising Him and offering supplications to the Prophet (SAWS) are acts of worship we do to cleanse our souls, to purify our hearts. If we go to Him with a "qalbis saliim" (i dunno the english) (i think pure heart), then Insha'Allah we will go to Heaven. I hope this has helped. If i have said any wrong info, plz correct me, again Jaza Kumullahu Khayran.   Plz feel free to email me any questions. My email is dinca@rpi.edu, I will try to answer to the best of my ability and knowledge, Insha'Allah. Wassalamu Alaikum, Betul

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amatullah
12/22/01 at 09:28:56
Bismillah and salam, WELCOME BAAAACK CARA!! I just want to add a few things to what my brothers and sister here mentioned, may Allah reward them all, and guide us the straight path. Our prayers have a blueprint. All the muslims who do them it will be in a similar manner, sometimes the only difference being in the choice of what verses from the quran they choose to recite at a particular time that we all have to recite in. And also there are certain periods where you can make what they told you is called dua (supplication) and that may differ as well. However if you feel the need to "pray" for whatever reason then we do extra prayers, for example ones to ask guidance (istikhara)etc. Dua is considered very powerful when it is done right. It is the only thing that can change what has already been written. I have a story to share the non-muslim lady who used to clean the masjid well she just didn't have a job for years and years and then someone suggested her to help her really. and she said when she went to the womens area she faced the side we face and she put her hands up and she said something like oh Allah i know many come here and pray for you and their requests are answered and I ask that you help me find a job to help my family. She swears to me that the offers didn't stop since then. She quit the job at the masjid and now working in the high paying hospital masha'Allah. She is close to Islam please make dua for her. The word prayer (salat) comes from the root sila which is connection. It is a time to get reconnected and remember the reason we are on this Earth. To clear our head of worldy matters, to ask forgiveness, ask for help, humble ourselves, feel brotherhood with others as we pray beside them regardless of differences, etc Another point I wanted to add about the Muslim prayer is that it is a blessing from Allah not only on these levels of mental well-being and the community but it is a physical excerise as well. Also it is supposed to teach punctuality and self-decipline The other question i want to add to is the music one. There is a saying by the prophet which says that it breeds hyppocricy in the soul like water grows plants (3ushb). I can think of a few situations where music did effect me on such a deep level of something that I did not in fact truely was feeling or experiencing. I guess this is a waste of time. In our mosque we have a ladies deen circle, ladies arabic circle, an islamic sunday school, men's quran memorization i think. They hold the executive election & meetings. On occasion there will be more, like in eid the kids will dress up all ncie and they will sing nasheed, or in Ramdan once a week there is the breaking of the fast together. Sometimes we collect donations for causes, we used to have years ago kids camp where they stay overnight and do activities and a guest. We have BBQ's once in awhile in the parking lot when the cyclist came this summer, sometimes we host a group from the christian university to come for their classes about Islam. It is really alot of intersting different things depending on the time of year. I hope for next summer, we do another youth activities and parking lot sale and giving out the brochures,etc

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Saleema
12/20/01 at 19:59:53
[slm] One thing that needs to be cleared up is that unlike in Judiasim and Christianity, there is no dispute amongst the Muslims on basic things. And those that dispute the basic things are not Muslims, even if they call themselves that, for instance the followers of Farrah Khan who call themselves the Nation of Islam. Another example would be the Ahmdiyyas or the Qadiyanis. There are two sects in Islam, Sunnis--the largest sect and Shias, the smaller sect. Iran has the most Shia population. The rest of the hadith (the one where the Prophet (S) said that the Muslims will split into more groups than the Christians and Jews), was that from amongst the sects only one will be following the true path. The rest will be deluding themselves. [wlm]

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*sofia*
12/20/01 at 23:59:26
Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah Hello, Cara- You're a good questioner.  Just today, a co-worker was telling us about her nephew, who asked her at church, "Was Jesus still God in Mary's belly?"  I think kids like that should get 2 lollipops. Anyways, you're questions are insightful on a completely different level...some good answers already given, and I'm sure a lot more to come, God willing.  I'll just take a crack at 1-2, in the meantime. About praying 5 times.  The scholars have written books and books on the requirements of prayer, the timings, the actions, the level of khushoo' (fear/awareness of God) one should have while in prayer, how much clothing to wear, etc.   The basic concepts of the prayer are a) the direct communication with God, in which we ask for His guidance, and are between hope (for our good deeds to be accepted and our bad deeds forgiven by God) and fear (of disappointing God), and b) the universality of the act, itself.  Every Muslim on this planet who prays, says the exact same opening prayer/supplication (the first chapter of the Qur'aan, The Opening), all facing Mecca, all eventually moving into bowing to God, then going into prostration to God.  The prayer was taught by the last messenger of God, Muhammad (pbuh), as was taught to him by Angel Gabriel, through revelation.  Old and/or New Testaments describe the way some Prophets, including Jesus, upon him be peace, prayed by bowing or prostrating to God.  Same concept.  Because the timings of the five prayers are according to the time of day, the prayer is literally being done by someone(s) every day, every second.  "There is no God by God, and Muhammad is His (last) messenger"; this is said by Muslims in every prayer, and is the basic raquirement for belief within Islam. In addition to the Qur'aan (as revealed to Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, in installments via Angel Gabriel from God), Muslims also rely on (authentic) narrations (ahadith) from the Prophet, pbuh, to derive Islamic law/rules/regulations.  These narrations vary in content from descriptions of the Prophet's actions or person, to direct narrations from him on what to do and what not to do.  Strong/authentic narrations comply with Qu'raanic teachings, while weak narrations contradict it (there are various other factors involved in assigning authenticity, such as the chain of narrators, etc).  Collecting and assigning authenticity to various narrations is a science, in and of itself, which cannot be compared to anything else that I know of today (ie, CNN headline news would not be considered authentic unless sources were vigorously verified, as an idea of how heavy the implications of authenticity are in Islam).   Muslims believe that the Qur'aan is protected from ever being altered (in its pure Arabic form), while ahadith/narrations can come in varying levels of authenticity.  Again, it's a science that's waaay beyond my head, but without the narrations/ahadith, the specifics of prayer or wudu'/ablution, for ex, would be left for us to fight over.  And btw, had the Qur'aan not been protected by God (as mentioned in the Qu'raan in at least 2 places), Muslims throughout time would definitely have already altered it by now, guaranteed.  Human nature to mess with things, I guess, as exemplified by other religious books.  But the fact remains, that the Arabic Qur'aan I have in my house, is the same Qu'raan memorized and taught in western Africa or or China or Pakistan or Indonesia or Saudi, word for word, generation after generation.  There are no other versions (translations into other languages, yes, but versions, no).  That is why Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), when asked what his miracle was (in order to prove the message of God was authentic), always answered, the Qur'aan.  This, even though he, along with the other Prophets, had other miracles given to them by God to show the people (for ex/ healing the sick, providing enough food/water to feed hundreds, etc).   Anyhow, the following is a narration/hadith: Saheeh Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 48, Number 843: Narrated Talha bin 'Ubaidullah: A man came to Allah's Apostle asking him about Islam, Allah's Apostle said, "You have to offer five compulsory prayers in a day and a night (24 hours)." The man asked, "Is there any more compulsory prayers for me?" Allah's Apostle said, "No, unless you like to offer Nawafil (i.e. optional prayers)." Allah's Apostle then added, "You have to observe fasts during the month of Ramadan." The man said, "Am I to fast any other days?' Allah's Apostle said, "No, unless you wish to observe the optional fast voluntarily." Then Allah's Apostle told him about the compulsory Zakat. The man asked, "Do I have to give anything besides?" Allah's Apostle said, "No, unless you wish to give in charity voluntarily." So, the man departed saying, "By Allah I will neither do more nor less than that." Allah's Apostle said, "If he has said the truth he will be successful."

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se7en
12/21/01 at 01:53:41
Hey Cara, this is a post I had written earlier, so I apologize if it repeats some things already said: [quote]1) The 5 prayer times a day? Does each time period have a specific thing you pray about or do you pray as you wish? I mean do you focus on a specific thing at each different pray or pray as you feel you need to? [/quote] I think we talked about this a little before [url=http://www.jannah.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl/YaBB.pl?board=madrasa&action=display&num=5656]here[/url].  :) [quote]2) Are there different groups of Muslims? As with Christains. (i.e. Protisant/ Catholic ( I know I didn't spell those right sorry) [/quote] Well, I would say the biggest distinction between the sects of Christianity and those of Islam is that in Islam, there are really no differences in terms of creed, in terms of the actual relationship with God.  All Muslims share the belief that [i]la ilaha illa Allah[/i] - There is nothing worthy of worship (be it an idol, money, status, ourselves, etc) but God, and God alone.  All Muslims believe that the purpose of our lives is [i]ubudiyyah[/i] - worship of God, and striving to live our lives in accordance to what He has prescribed for us.  All Muslim turn to God in prayer directly, with no intermediary.  All Muslims believe in fate - that yes, we do have free will, but that God has knowledge of everything, and that everything happens with His permission.  All Muslims believe in an afterlife, in a Day of Judgement on which we are held accountable for our deeds and judged accordingly.  All Muslim believe in Angels, these winged creatures, that unlike us do not have free will, and are in constant worship of God.  All Muslims believe in the same line of prophethood - starting with Adam, and including Noah, Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Job, etc and ending with the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon them all - and that all taught the same message of worshipping God alone.  And all Muslims believe in the holy books - that there were divine books revealed to Abraham, Moses, other prophets, and that revelation concluded with the Qur'an. Whew, ok :)  So where do the differences come in?  Human nature, time, politics, ignorance, etc all cause differences to develop.  There are no words in the Qur'an used to distinguish between different sects or groups in Islam.  In fact the Qur'an puts an emphasis on unity and community, but unfortunately we've moved away from that.   [quote]4) I noticed music is discussed as not a good thing. Why is that? [/quote] Traditionally some scholars disliked music because it occupies a persons time and memory with something other than contemplation of God, worship, etc.  I think we have a hard time understanding this because there is just *so much* out there now that occupies our time in this way - internet, tv, video games, etc etc.. When we talk about music in our time, I think part of the reason it's looked down upon is the content of some of the lyrics.  There's just so much trash in a lot of it.    And a Muslim, someone who's constantly striving to keep themselves pure (their heart pure by constantly being focused on remembrance of God, their body pure by not stealing, harming someone with their hands, their tongue pure by not lying, insulting, cursing etc) also struggles to keep their ears pure from hearing vulgar stuff. Along with that comes support of an industry that is founded on the exploitation of women as sexual objects as well as these songs just taking up *so much* of your memory.  I must know 100 times more songs than verses from the Quran. That's pretty sad, eh?  In this case it goes back to that whole 'it diverts you from what's more important' concept. So I think these are some of the reasons there are some who look down upon it.  And the same goes with television, for the most part.  It's something that occupies your time, memory, etc. [quote]6) What goes on in Mosque's? Pray? Singing? A lesson or sermon?[/quote] Well traditionally the mosque was not just a place of worship but a center location for everything that occurs in a persons life - a community center, a place for social gathering, a school, a library, a place to make political decisions, etc.  This goes back to the very anti-secular nature of Islam - this notion that everything is rooted in faith. Every Friday during the day there is the congregational prayer - it includes a short sermon and prayer.   Usually most are very open to having guests. :) [quote]7)  Are there any other Muslims celebrations besides Ramadan?[/quote] Yep.. Eid ul Fitr is a celebration of the completion of the month of Ramadan.  There is a special prayer performed on it, and it's usually a day people dress up, chill, exchange gifts, visit peoples houses, etc. Another celebration is called Eid al Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice.  It's in commemoration of the prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for the sake of God.  I think there is a similar story in the Christian tradition.  On that day we sacrifice an animal as well.  One thing I want to emphasize though is that, it's not.. like an offering to God, or anything like that.  The Qur'an says: [color=black]It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah, it is your piety that reaches Him: He has thus made them [the animals] subject to you, that you may glorify Allah for His Guidance to you and proclaim the good news to all who do good. --22:37[/color] It's also a day for us to think about what it is *we'd* be willing to sacrifice for God. (ie, time, energy, money, sleep) [quote] 8- Are there any other readings or teachings besides the Quran?[/quote] Uh huh.  Along with the Qur'an a key source of Islam is the [i]sunnah[/i] - the collection of texts that describe things the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, did, or tacitly approved of.  He is our example, someone we strive to imitate because he lived his life in devotion to God. We believe that the Quran tells us *what* to do - like pray, perform the pilgrimage, be good to our families, etc - and that the sunnah allows us to see *how* to do them - by describing the way the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, went about doing these things. Hope that makes sense :) [quote]9) What do Muslims believe will get them into Heaven/Paradise? Acts? Works? Faith?[/quote] I want to be very careful when answering this question because missionaries tend to use it a lot in their debates with Muslims. A big thing in Islam is this notion of faith as a verb.  Faith is not a static thing - it's not something you profess with your tongue, or feel in your heart, but that has no affect on your life.  In almost every place in the Qur'an where it describes "those who believe", it also mention "...and do good deeds".  A *big* part of Islam is performing good action - not just praying, but being good to our families, giving in charity, standing up for justice, caring for the environment, etc.   A beautiful verse from the Qur'an that I like a lot: [color=black]It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards East or West; but it is righteousness to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and give regular charity; to fulfill the contracts which you have made; and to be firm and patient, in suffering and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic.  Such are the people of truth, the God fearing.[/color] So that right there ^ , this combination of the correct belief along with good actions, is what we're all striving for :)   But this is not what we believe "gets" us into Paradise.  Because no matter what we do, are any of us really worthy of paradise?  *Eternal* happiness, *eternal* bliss, with happiness that no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, or heart has ever perceived?  In truth, none of us are really "worthy" of this, and that's why we rely on God's mercy. We do our best.. and then rely on God's mercy. That's not a very clear answer :-/  I think I remember a thread about this before.. if I find it I'll post it up. Hope all this is of help.. let us know your thoughts :) peace

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BrKhalid
12/21/01 at 04:14:35
Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) [quote]4) I noticed music is discussed as not a good thing. Why is that? 5) Same question as above but with tv?  I always monitor what I watch and when my kids were growing up what they would watch. [/quote] As for TV, we had a good discussion on the topic [url=http://www.jannah.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl/YaBB.pl?board=brothers&action=display&num=1591]here[/url]

Re: Question :)  Questions :) and more Questions
Anik
12/21/01 at 19:11:04
asalamau alaikum, as I understand, the music issue is generally debated but it is generally also agreed that it is not favourable, because for years, when we sin, we do it to music. It can control our emotions for positive and negative, but the opportunity of it controlling us for lustful desire, bad messages, violence, and disresepct makes it something that is not advisable. I know many muslims who say it is haraam, forbidden, and others say it is makrooh, or strongly recommended against but not sinful itself.  We had that thread a few times on music here, but generally people don't venture into an issue with so much personal opinion- best to ask someone to ask an imam for you. asalamu alaikum. abdullah,.
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