Islam most common Question & Answers:

( click on for an answer! )

1. Why belong to some particular, organized religion, such as Islam or any other with all that it involves? I try to lead a decent life and help my neighbours, is not that all that matters?

2. It is said that we all are Allah's creatures, then what about those who don't believe in Him?

3. In Islam the Sharia is the highroad.
   Is it not possible to reach our destination without following such a road?

4. Why is there no historical criticism of the Quran - (as there is of the Bible)?

5. Why don't Muslims adapt the Quran to the needs of the modern age?

6. Why should it be necessary for these divine revelations [from different world-religions] - each perfect and adequate in its way - to have been repeated again and again down the years?

7. It seems that Islam is a new religion?

8. Is Islam a mixture of Judaism and/or Christianity?

9. Why is it impossible just to take out something from the Quran and leave the rest?
   Or even have a religion made up by ourselves?

10. If Allah is good why does He allow evil ?

11. If Allah loves man, why then does he punish him?

12. If Allah is the creator of everything, why then did He not create only righteous beings and why then does he not destroy Satan?

13. Allah is independant of us. Then why does He want us to pray to Him?

14. Shall we pray five times a day, or is it enough if we just live a life of ordinary good people?

15. Is it true in Islam that women are subordinate to men?

16. What is one of the simplest ways to identify the sickness of the age?

17. Why should it be necessary to confine oneself to one particular teaching and one particular set of injunctions? Mightn't it be better to leave all ethical inspiration to one's inner voice?

Do you really have that much trust in your subjective wisdom and and personal morality?
Are your intentions so pure, is your will so detached from self-interest ? * that you can be sure of your own righteousness? Do you never deceive yourself - not to mention others?

If the answer is yes - then this is some extraordinary claim and seems to ignore all that we can learn from the wisdom of the past, and all that we might learn from history regarding human wickedness.

So to reject help when it is offered seldom makes sense. The Quran is mercy to mankind; divine guidance is a gift, not the smallest child rejects a gift without examining it, can adults have less sense than children?

[The point is that people suppose they know already what divine guidance and its message is all about, so they feel they don't need to examine it] H..
For a related question, see below. * For self-interest / ego / nafs see: nafs
* For self-deception see: WARNING

2. It is said that we all are Allah's creatures, then what about those who don't believe in Him?

We are all Allah's creatures including those who think they don't believe in Him. The Quran was revealed to all men and women of good will and the Quran is a reminder.
Man has a vicereagal status in this world: He has got speech, intellect and free will.H..

Yes, because with God all things are possible, and we cannot set limits to His Mercy.
But to insist on finding your own way through the forests and the mountains, accompanied by your worse enemy, your own selfwill,
hacking out a path with your penknife, rather than following the road opened up by God's Mercy, which leads surely to where you must go, is - to say the least - a risky choice.

*That destination is before us from the moment we are born, call it what you will: paradise, salvation, liberation or simply peace. Seen or unseen it is the magnet that draws us through our lives.

H..

There is a misunderstanding:
The Bible is made up of many different parts, compiled over many centuries and it is possible to cast doubt upon one part without impuning the rest,

whereas the Quran is a single revelation, received by just one man, either you accept it for what it claims to be, in which case you are a muslim or you reject this claim, and so place yourself outside the fold of Islam. H..

a.
The Quran states: there is no changing the words of God. (1)

The fact that it was sent down in the seventh century of the Christian aera, not the 20th, is irrelevant. We don't wear down a diamond by constant handling. And the passage of the centuries cannot erode the words of God.
The act - the revelation - is located in time, but it is in itself timeless.
(In islamic theology: The Quran is uncreated, therefore eternal)

b.
As Muslims we ask, not how the book can be adapted to our lives in the world of today, but how our daily lives can be adapted to the Quran - that is the real problem. H..

The priciple reason for this (apart from other reasons concerned with the nature of time and local differences ) is human forgetfulness, (link)
combined with our tendency - as soon as we get our gubby hands on any truth - to bend it, to suit our convenience. The crystal clear stream is polluted in its downward course.

This is what has happened - to a greater or lesser extent - to the previous divine messages.

Islam is final and it is the message of peace.

The inherent saving and transforming power of the Quran is the best proof. H..

No, on the contrary, it presents itself as a restauration and restatement of the diin-ul fitrah, the perennial religion of mankind, the eternal truth of which our ancesters [and we even more]İhad to be reminded again and again. It started already with Adam (s). H..

Islam is an original tradition:
Just as milk is made of water, kasein and lactose, and becomes something distinct and valuable of its own, equally does Islam have 'ingredients' from different cultural and religious backgrounds.

Islam did not originate in a vacuum, but it is the end-product as molded in its divine form by the Prophet of Islam, the Messenger of Allah (2) and as such it became the vehicle on earth for man's purification (10), spiritual guidance and salvation.

Islam is not to be conceived as something completely new or alien, as it encompasses the essences of all the previous divine traditions since the appearance of the species of man on earth, thus preserving continuity of the eternal tradition, which cristallized in the last of the revealed religions, and is the best proof of authenticity and truth of Islam.

So when finding in Islam some word, concept or rite etc. reminiscent of an earlier tradition, the question is not, whether or not Islam 'borrowed' this from somewhere else or not, but to discover the meaning of it and where and how Islamic worship employs this word, concept or rite etc. and with what spiritual consequences. And if you wish to go further then try to find out if you can do anything to give life its meaning.

Allah says in the Quran:

And if your Lord had pleased He would certainly have made people a single nation, but they shall continue to differ.

Sura Hud (11) verse 118

This is why, you cannot take the best parts of each religion and combine them in some sort of super-faith. Moral laws differ, though less than many people suppose, between the religions, but these laws always make perfect sense in the context of the basic doctrines, the theology and cosmology of the faith to which they relate.

God wills variety, because His infinite richness cannot be fully reflected in any earthly pattern. - How could it be, given His infinity and our limitations?

We don't need to ask how these differences can be reconciled, we are finite beings and there is a boundary set for our understanding. So the Quran commands us to be patient, we will know the answers at last. Meanwhile we seek enlightenment in the Origin of all light, we seek help from the Source of all help and we put our trust where it belongs, not in the cod-man within us, but in God beyond us, not in me with a capital "M" , but in the book, given for our guidance and as a mercy for mankind.H...TOP

Allah does NOT allow evil. Instead He forbids evil in all its forms, hidden and manifest! (1)
The problem is that man does not care enough to distinguish between good and evil;
obviously what seems 'good' to someone, may be evil for another; is it really good then? (2)
Which shows that these attributes are very relative and due to change.

Muslims do have a criterion for good and evil: the divine revelation of the Quran (3)
and the prophetic example.
Where human reason is not sufficient to determine this question, we are informed about what is good and pleasant in the sight of Allah or what is evil, although it may seem good at first sight.(4)

Now - whereas all good comes from Allah, evil deeds are the sole responsibility of man (5). His conscience, if he still has one, alarms him in a silent manner when he is about to commit an evil deed and punishes him with complaints and remorse afterwards (6), so then - why did he do it anyway? What 'reasonable' arguments did he come up with, in order to defend his evil action? (7)

In fact many prophets were sent to each and every nation on earth to show us the way to righteousness and bliss (8). The last of the prophets, the Messenger of God (9), Muhammad , - teaches us the religion of Islam by which we can discover the shortcomings of human reason, which alone is incapable of understanding reality.(10)

see also: For what reason would Allah create evil?

1. At first, in Islam we say:
Allah is our Lord, man is the viceregent (khalifa) on earth (1) and
Allah is the All-Merciful (ar-raHmaan), man is the servant of Allah ('abd) (2),
the seldom thankful servant (3).

So, instead of love towards man, we speak of Allah's Mercy and Great Bounty (4).

2. Secondly, when punishment ('adhaab) is due,
it is because the harmony and balance of things has been upset (5):
a) The purpose of punishment in this world (dunyaa):
to rescue man from the chain of his evil thoughts, words and actions and
to lead him back to the right path (6)
b) The purpose of punishment in the coming life (aakhira):
to purify the soul of man from the consequences of his evil and godless thoughts, words and actions, and finally to prepare him for unending peace (7).

3. Concerning the obstinate unbelievers (kaafiruun) however, Allah will not make them grow nor increase them in anything (la yuzakkiihim) (8).

Indeed, Allah is the Creator and Originator of everything (1).
Angels always obey their Lord and never do any wrong (2),
and Satan temps man to forget God (3) and to do wrong

Whereas man's destiny is known only to Allah (4),
he was, however, created with a free will (5),
and can therefore, in principle, choose which action to take (6),
for Allah inspired him with the understanding of good and evil (7).

Man has to prove what he is worth in the sight of Allah (8),
as he was created to worship Him (9),
by such thoughts, words and actions which gain Allah's approval.(10)

Even so man was not created as a mere robot, but he was honoured (12)
as a thinking being with the possibility to understand the Divine Will (13),
much as our cosmos is not a closed mechanism, but open and dynamic (11)

Allah is indeed in no need whatsoever of His creation. (1) (h1).

However He wants us to pray and worship Him, to praise and remember Him (2),
because prayer is for our own good (3),
it is a divine blessing (barakah) and strength
it protects us from negative influences (4)
and constitutes part of the islamic method of gaining spirituality and proximity (5)
to our Lord (rabbinaa) (h2) hadith: B1-10-506)

This question has been dealt with above. (x),
To become "human", normal people in our definition of the term (x),
we need to pray, to fast, to give alms etc. (2)

This depends on what function or circumstances and from what perspective.
First of all, we - men as women - are all subordinate to Allah (1),
who is the sole Master of our lives and station (2).

On a certain level, men and women are alike (3),
on another men have some greater responsibility (4)

It is to observe how certain important words have lost their true meaning.
For example 'the awful', the real meaning is inspiring respect,
or the 'hip' way to change good and bad, which gives the impression that - in order to be someone, to be respected, ...to be good - you have to be bad, f.ex. 'Bad Boys'.
Or 'normal' and 'normality'
- this tells us something about modern man and the loss of religious faith.
Now, let us look into the notion 'normal' more deeply:

What do we usally mean by 'normal' and what is its original meaning, especially in the context of tradition and religion?

What you are really asking, my young brother, is why should there be any institutional religion. The answer is simple.
Only very few people - only prophets - are really able to understand the inner voice that speaks in them. Most of us are trammelled [inhibited] by our personal interests and desires - and if everyone were to follow only what his own heart dictates, we would have complete moral chaos and could never agree on any mode of behaviour.

You could ask, of course, whether there are no exceptions to the general rule - enlightened people who feel they have no need to be "guided" in what they consider to be right or wrong;
but then, I ask you, would not many, very many people claim that exceptional right for themselves? And what would be the result?

Shaykh Mustafa Al-Maraghi, quoted in RM-193/4

1

Those who believe and guarded (against evil): They shall have good news in this world's life and in the hereafter; there is no changing the words of Allah; that is the mighty achievement.

Sura Yunus (10) verses 63/64

2

...This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion; but whoever is compelled by hunger, not inclining willfully to sin, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Sura The Table Spread (5) verse 3

1

Surely Allah enjoins the doing of justice and the doing of good (to others) and the giving to the kindred, and He forbids indecency and evil and rebellion; He admonishes you that you may be mindful.

Sura The Bee (16) verse 90

2

And those who disbelieve say concerning those who believe: If it had been (any) good, they would not have gone ahead of us in attaining it. And as they do not seek to be rightly directed thereby, they say: It is an old lie.

Sura The Wind-Curved Sandhills (46) verse 11

3

Blessed is He Who sent down the Furqan (Criterion Of Right And Wrong) upon His servant that he may be a warner to the nations.

Sura The Criterion (25) verse 1

4

... Rather, their plans are made to appear fair-seeming to those who disbelieve, and they are kept back from the path; and whom Allah makes err, he shall have no guide.

Sura The Thunder (13) verse 33

5

Whatever benefit comes to you (O man!), it is from Allah, and whatever misfortune befalls you, it is from yourself, and We have sent you (O Prophet!), to mankind as an apostle; and Allah is sufficient as a witness.

Sura Women (4) verse 79

6

Nay, I swear by the accusing soul.

Sura The Rising Of The Dead (75) verse 2

7

Have they not travelled in the earth and seen how was the end of those who were before them? Mightier than these were they in strength - and in fortifications in the land, but Allah destroyed them for their sins; and there was not for them any defender against Allah.

Sura The Believer (40) verse 21

8

... so ALLAH raised Prophets as bearers of good tidings and as warners ...

Sura The Cow (2) verse 213

9

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Apostle of Allah and the Last of the prophets; and Allah is cognizant of all things.

Sura The Allies (33) verse 40

10

Even as WE have sent to you a Messenger from among yourselves who recites OUR Signs to you, and purifies you, and teaches you the Book and Wisdom, and teaches you that which you knew not.

Sura The Cow (2) verse 151

1

And when thy Lord said to the angels,'I am about to place a viceregent in the earth, they said: Wilt Thou place therein one who will do harm therein and shed blood, while we, we hymn Thy praise and sanctify Thee? He said: Surely I know that which you know not.

Sura The Cow (2) verse 30

2

Inform My servants that I am the Forgiving, the Merciful,
And that My punishment - that is the painful punishment.

Sura Al-Hijr (15) verses 49/50

3

...Give thanks, O family of Dawood! and very few of My servants are grateful.

Sura Saba (34) verse 13

4

...ALLAH chooses for HIS mercy whomsoever HE pleases; and ALLAH is Lord of exceeding bounty.

Sura The Cow (2) verse 105

5

But if they give you the lie, then say: Your Lord is the Lord of All-encompassing mercy; and His punishment cannot be averted from the guilty people.

Sura Cattle (6) verse 147

6

And most certainly We will make them taste of the nearer chastisement before the greater chastisement that haply they may turn.

Sura The Prostration (32) verse 21

7

And Allah invites to the abode of peace and guides whom He pleases into the right path.

Sura Jonah (10) verse 25

8a

Those who hide that which ALLAH has sent down of the Book and take in exchange for it a paltry price, they fill their bellies with nothing but fire. ALLAH will not speak to them on the Day of Resurrection, nor will HE purify them (C1). And for them is a grievous punishment.

Sura The Cow (2) verse 174

8b

.... Those are they for whom Allah does not desire that He should purify their hearts (C2); they shall have disgrace in this world, and they shall have a grievous chastisement in the hereafter.

Sura The Table Spread (5) verse 41

1

Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth! How could He have a son when He has no consort, and He (Himself) created everything, and He is the Knower of all things.

Sura Cattle (6) verse 101

2

The Messiah does by no means disdain that he should be a servant of Allah, nor do the angels who are near to Him ...

Sura Women (4) verse 172

3

O you men ! eat of what is lawful and good in the earth; and follow not the footsteps of Satan, surely he is to you an open enemy.

Sura The Cow (2) verse 168

4

And those before them did indeed make plans, but all planning is Allah's; He knows what every soul earns, and the unbelievers shall come to know for whom is the (better) issue of the abode.

Sura The Thunder (13) verse 42

5

Surely We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains,but they refused to bear it and shrank from it, and man has turned unfaithful to it; surely he is unjust, ignorant;

Sura The Allies (33) verse 72

6

Say: O my people! act according to your ability; I too am acting; so you will soon come to know, for whom (of us) will be the (good) end of the abode; surely the unjust shall not be successful.

Sura Cattle (6) verse 135

7

Then He inspired it to understand what is right and wrong for it;

Sura The Sun (91) verse 8

8

...That ALLAH might fulfill HIS decree and that HE might test what is in your breasts and that HE might purge what was in your hearts. And ALLAH knows well what is in your breasts;

Sura The Family of Imran (3) verse 154

9

'Surely, ALLAH is my Lord and your Lord, so worship him this is the right path.'

Sura The Family of Imran (3) verse 51

10

And of men there is he who would sell himself to seek the pleasure of ALLAH; and ALLAH is Compassionate to HIS servants.

Sura The Cow (2) verse 207

11

Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were closed up, but We have opened them; and We have made of water everything living, will they not then believe?

Sura The Prophets (21) verse 30

12

And surely We have honored the children of Adam, and We carry them in the land and the sea, and We have given them of the good things, and We have made them to excel by an appropriate excellence over most of those whom We have created.

Sura The Isrealites (17) verse 70

13

And certainly We have left a clear sign of it for a people who understand.

Sura The Spider (29) verse 35

1

O men! you are they who stand in need of Allah, and Allah is He Who is the Self-sufficient, the Praised One.

Sura The Originator (35) verse 15

2

Then when you have finished the prayer, remember Allah standing and sitting and reclining; but when you are secure (from danger) keep up prayer; surely prayer is a timed ordinance for the believers.

Sura Women (4) verse 103

3

...and keep up prayer; and whoever purifies himself, he purifies himself only for (the good of) his own soul; and to Allah is the eventual coming.

Sura The Originator (35) verse 18

4

Recite that which has been revealed to you of the Book and keep up prayer; surely prayer keeps (one) away from indecency and evil, and certainly the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do.

Sura The Spider (29) verse 45

5

And when MY servants ask thee about ME, say `I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to ME. So they should hearken to ME and believe in ME that they may follow the right way.

Sura The Cow (2) verse 186

1

When his Lord said to Him,'Submit ', he said,'I have already submitted to the Lord of the worlds.

Sura The Cow (2) verse 131

2

ALLAH is HE besides Whom there is none worthy of worship, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining.

Sura The Family of Imran (3) verse 2

3

Surely the men who submit and the women who submit, and the believing men and the believing women, and the obeying men and the obeying women, and the truthful men and the truthful women, and the patient men and the patient women and the humble men and the humble women, and the almsgiving men and the almsgiving women, and the fasting men and the fasting women, and the men who guard their private parts and the women who guard, and the men who remember Allah much and the women who remember Allah has prepared for them forgiveness and a mighty reward.

Sura The Allies (33) verse 35

4

Men are the maintainers of women because Allah has made some of them to excel others and because they spend out of their property; the good women are therefore obedient, guarding the unseen as Allah has guarded...

Sura Women (4) verse 34

Comments on:
C1: 2-174 [nor will HE purify them: by forgiving their sins];
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C2: 5-41 [that He should purify their hearts: since they themselves do not will to be cleansed])

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h1

Hadith Qudsi 17:

On the authority of Abu Dharr al-Ghifari (may Allah be pleased with him) from the Prophet is that among the sayings he relates from his Lord (may He be glorified) is that He said:

O My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden amongst you, so do not oppress one another. O My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance of Me and I shall guide you, O My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food of Me and I shall feed you. O My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you O My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. O My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and will not attain benefitting Me so as to benefit Me. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to be as wicked as the most wicked heart of any one man of you, that would not decrease My kingdom in anything. O My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise up in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more that a needle decreases the sea if put into it. O My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then recompense you for, so let him finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other that blame no one but himself.

h2

Narrated Abu Huraira:

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "If there was a river at the door of anyone of you and he took a bath in it five times a day would you notice any dirt on him?" They said, "Not a trace of dirt would be left." The Prophet added, "That is the example of the five prayers with which Allah blots out (annuls) evil deeds."

Other referenses:

H: Hasan Le Gai Eaton; in a broadcast 1989'Living By The Book'
RM: Muhammad Asad; The Road to Makkah, Delhi, India 1992; page 193/4

Article taken from Living Islam