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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Questions on the Koran from an American? |
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| Anonymous |
| 03/06/03 at 17:09:16 |
| i have no idea if iam on the right forum,but iam just a plain american wanting to know. question: is the koran only read and interpreted only one way? does the koran say to attack the usa? does the koran value human life? is usama bin ladan a true islamic? and is he reading the koran correctly? do real islamic people true to their religion beleive in what bin ladan has done to the usa? and do you think it has put a wall between you and all others as well as a black mark on the islamic faith. iam not a hater of anybody i just dont know enough about islam to make a logical desision about current events,iam not sure how to read responses to this post but you can email me a dekes1@yahoo.com |
| Re: Questions on the Koran from an American? |
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| haaris |
| 03/07/03 at 05:30:24 |
| Dear Anon, Peace to you. Thanks for coming to our board and asking your questions. I dare say that others will have sent you some responses by e-mail. I'm answering your questions here in the hope that it will tempt you to return to the board and ask and (God willing) learn more about our wonderful religion. [quote]question: is the koran only read and interpreted only one way?[/quote] This is a very difficult question to answer succinctly. All Muslims believe the Koran to be the pure, unadulterated word of God as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) by the Archangel Garbriel. The Koran therefore forms the basis of every aspect of human life in all times. However, the Koran is not the only source of Islamic law. There are others as well, which include: (a) the example set during his life by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), (b) the consensus and decisions of the Companions of the Prophet (may God be pleased with them all), (c) the consensus opinion of scholars, and (d)analogical reasoning of scholars. For the sake of simple explanation (and not because I am trying to liken the Islamic law - the Sharia - to US law) I will outline an analogy with the US legal system. You have a Constitution that forms the base of US law. You also have other sources of law such as individual State laws, legal precedent (from a plethora of courts, each with a slightly different "precential value") and academic opinion. The inter-relation between these sources enables US law to be flexible and to be applied to the circumstances of every US citizen. The fact that two lawyers can stand in front of a judge and, using the same methodology of interpretation of the law, argue different perspectives is a strength of US law. So it is with Islam. There are different opinions at which scholars arrive not because one of them has twisted the words of the Koran but because of the flexibility of Islamic law to apply to different situations. Having said that, Muslims are only human and are susceptible to the same maladies as the rest of humankind. As such, there may well be Muslims who are preaching an interpreation of Islam that they have deliberately created to suit their own needs, just as Politicians in the West will twist debates on the economy or immigration to suit their needs. God knows best what is in the hearts of men. [quote]does the koran say to attack the usa?[/quote] I feel quite confident, God willing, in stating categorically that nowhere in the Holy Koran does it say "attack the USA". [quote]does the koran value human life?[/quote] Like you wouldn't believe. It talks of protection for the weaker members of society (such as the poor, orphans, etc.). It gave a voice in the community to women that was sadly missing in pre-Islamic society. It even mentions that to kill one person unjustly is as if you were to kill all of humankind. Please, anon, get a copy of a good translation of the Holy Koran and have a read. The promises made by Allah of his mercy and kindness will really touch your heart. [quote]is usama bin ladan a true islamic? and is he reading the koran correctly[/quote] As for the first question: I cannot see into his heart and have never met him and so cannot praise nor condemn his faith. As for the second: I am no scholar (nor is anyone on this board) and so can offer you no answer on this one either. Quick correction on terminology: "true islamic" should be "true Muslim". Sorry to be so pedantic. [quote]do real islamic people true to their religion beleive in what bin ladan has done to the usa? and do you think it has put a wall between you and all others as well as a black mark on the islamic faith.[/quote] The events of 11 September 2001 were condemned from all quarters of the world-wide Islamic community. And sincerely so. This board carried links to statements issued by many Muslim bodies and scholars around the world, all condemning the attacks. The Friday after the attacks, the topic of the weekly sermon in many, many mosques was to speak out against the attacks. To find out for yourself, search around this site for a bit. Or perhaps someone here can put up some links for you. Better still, go into your local mosque and chat to some of the brothers/sisters in there. [quote]iam not a hater of anybody[/quote] Thank God. And thank you for coming here to ask your question. [quote]i just dont know enough about islam to make a logical desision about current events[/quote] Unfortunately, I know how you feel. There is a lot of misinformation out there and, unfortunately for the Muslim community, those Muslims who want to shout about death and killing, etc. are far more newsworthy than those who want to challenge the charge to war by debate and peaceful means. If you have any further questions on Islam please come back. There are, God be praised, many brothers and sisters on this board with a good, sound knowledge of Islam who would be only too pleased to help you. |
| Re: Questions on the Koran from an American? |
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| se7en |
| 03/07/03 at 14:52:43 |
| as salaamu alaykum / peace Haaris bro, great answers. Here are some links that you might want to check out anon: * [url=http://jannah.org/resources/statements.txt]Muhammad Ali, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Cat Stevens speak out about the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11th[/url] * [url=http://jannah.org/resources/hamza.html]Muslim scholar Hamza Yusuf discusses 9/11 terrorist attacks[/url] * [url=http://jannah.org/resources/qaradawi.html]Sheikh Qardawi (renown Muslim scholar from Egypt) condemns 9/11 terrorist attacks[/url] * [url=http://jannah.org/resources/muslimscondemn.html]American Muslim organizations categorically condemn 9/11 terror[/url] Hope these are of help.. please let us know if you have any other questions :) Take care, se7en ps -- if you want to check out a translation of the Quran on the web, check out this link: http://www.jannah.org/qurantrans |
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