Question: How can I find "Loop-Holes" in Christianity to stop Christians from abusing Islam, Allah, Quran and prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him?

ANSWER: Share Islam the same way as our prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Here is a detailed article written by Sheik Yusuf Estes, former Christian and National Chaplain about "Successful Dawah to Non-Muslims" - even during attacks and abuse against Islam.

Thanks for your good question concerning the spreading of Islam. This indicates a strong commitment from you to share this message of worshipping Allah as One God, Alone and without any associates or partners. This is a basic duty for each of us as Muslims. We commend you on your endeavor for learning and search for correct knowledge in matters concerning Islam.

Our belief is, the best way to handle the problems of presenting Islam and putting an end to the abusive attitudes of people from other religions, is to follow the way of Muhammad, peace be upon him, and stop following the ways of the enemies of Islam.

Looking for 'loop-holes' in other religions and debating over them is not necessary and is actually a very poor approach toward helping others learn the beauty of Islam.

Here is something I wrote a few years ago on this topic:

"Successful Dawah to Non-Muslims -
Even While They Attack & Abuse"

First, study Islam and then consider different ways of presenting perfect arguments to properly share the message of Islam. By following the teachings of the prophet, peace be upon him, we have been able to help many people entering into Islam, by the permission of Allah. The very people who were attacking Islam listened and understood the message of worshipping only One God and they became callers to Islam themselves. This is true in my case and many of my friends and even some of my relatives. This does not come easy and it is not by accident.

Let us begin with the word "dawah" and what it means. Dawah is a word in Arabic that means to invite or call to something. This is a very important part of being a Muslim and yet, it can seem to be somewhat difficult at times. However, even in today's situation and with all the negativity against Islam, Allah, the Quran and our Prophet, peace be upon him, it is still simple. Just let them know two basic concepts from Islam:

1. Who is Allah
2. What is the proper relationship to Allah

Sound too easy?

The fact is we are only supposed to be calling to the correct understanding of "Laa elaha illallah, Muhammadan Rasoolullah." The meaning is clear in Arabic, but does take some explaning in English. Yet it is not impossible. The fact is that sharing Islam is a very simple concept. The difficulty comes in when you are trying to communicate the idea to others, especially when they have already been predisposed to believe in something else and to believe that Islam is something bad.

Keep in mind at all times that you are on a special mission to deliver a message of inviting people to worship Allah according to the way that He wants to be worshipped. You are to call them to know the truth and how to follow it. You do this with both your kind words and correct actions.

WORDS: Your words can come from teachers or speeches or in lectures, sermons, books, tapes and dialogs. These words help people to understand the truth of Islam.

ACTIONS: Your actions are observed by others through your behavior and manners. You become the role model for what Islam is all about.

EXAMPLE OF THE PROPHET: Both methods (dawah by words and actions) were used by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when delivering the message of Islam. He was the perfect example of what he was calling the people to do. Ayesah, may Allah be pleased with her, said that if you would like to see a living example of the Quran walking, then simply look to Muhammad, peace be upon him. His life was the best example of the noble teachings and principles set forth in the Quran.

WAY TO ALLAH: Muslims are supposed to advise everyone by using a gentle and simple approach to attract the hungry souls to the Way of Allah. For sure today more than ever, people need to know about Islam and be able to put it into practice. We all need an example to follow.

THE WAY OF DAWAH: Actually, the problem is not so much calling or inviting to people to the message of Islam, as it is the way that we go about it. The way that we present ourselves and the message is most important and unfortunately, something that many of the Muslims are not taking into consideration these days.

NEGATIVE DAWAH: Some have actually ruined the image of dawah due to the rigid methods, mistakes and misunderstandings they are applying. This gives a very negative impression about Islam and the Muslims in general. Considering all of the detraction and negative media against Islam and Muslims occuring in these days, it is vital that we approach our dawah with wisdom, kind invitation and logical discussions.

DEBATING: One example of negative dawah is the false concept that so many Muslims have today about debating the Christians about their Bible. This is very incorrect and not a part of the teachings of the Quran or the way of Muhammad, peace be upon him. While there are a number of things that we might be able to share with them about what we believe that is similar to what they might find in their Book, it is not correct to try to attack their Book, their beliefs nor their understandings. A wise man once said, Debates bring a lot of heat, but not very much light. Leave the idea of debating and do not attend any functions where these types of activities are taking place. Pray for the Muslims to wake up to the dangers of this as a tool for dawah before it is too late.

WEB PAGES FOR DAWAH: Using the internet to learn and share Islam can be very beneficial. But sometimes it has more problems than advantages. All too often we find websites attacking and abusing Islam and the teachings of Quran and our prophet, peace be upon him. The real problem is from Muslims themselves who either don't know the proper way of dawah or are very misguided and are saying all the wrong things. There are some very good websites on the internet.

Now let us suggest some of the webpages we have found most effective in helping people come to Islam. We have had many emails and personal contacts confirming the positive presentation and acceptance of Islam after reading them. [all links are clickable to our sites]

First let us begin with Basics Of Islam [click].

Here are some important "Tips & Points" to keep in mind:

Tips:

<> Muslims cannot lie about anything, especially about our religion. As simple as this sounds, it is something I have found to be important to mention to people in giving dawah. Islam insists on the truth even when it is against us.

<> Don't be shy or hesitant to bring the proofs of Islam. Our sources aer authentic and still available today in original Arabic language. This is most unique to Islam and not available in other ancient religions.

<> Listen closely to what the other person is saying and qualify it against what they really mean. Example: "son of god" may not mean the same to all Christians and may even be a good way to open up the dialog of the Unity of God and how He could not really have a "son" as this would imply many strange things.

<> Keep in mind sometimes questions contain statements that are false and should not be treated as questions until the falsehood is removed. Example: "Is your mother out of jail, yet?" This cannot be answered with "Yes" or "No" because either way it implies that your mother is or has been in jail and this is not true.

Points:

<> Introduce the logic of Aqeedah (correct belief in Allah as the Only One God, Creator, Sustainer and Owner and Ruler of the universe). Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, sent Mu'ath ibn Jabal to Yemen to be the govenor and instructed him to, "Teach them At-Tawheed (monotheism of Islam, there is no god to worship except One God and there are no gods beside him), and if they accept that, teach them the salat (regular ritualistic devotionals often called "prayers"), and if they accept that teach them Zakat (charity tax, 2.5% to the poor) and if they accept that teach them fasting (the month of Ramadhan)." So, even before we discuss the salat, the zakat or the fasting, we must introduce the correct belief of "No gods, beside Allah."

<> Islam has the proof for everything that it teaches. Authentic and original sources are still available today in the original Arabic language, both in written form and in the recitation and memorization just as it was 1,400 years ago.

<> Introduce Allahs Quran.com and explain, "It is preserved totally today just as it was 14 centuries ago, in the hearts and minds of over 10 million people walking on the earth today." Or, "It is the only book on earth, that if we lost all the books on earth, we could bring it back exactly, word for word, letter for letter and dot for dot, just as it was during the time of Muhammad, peace be upon him.

<> Bring up the subject of the hadeeth of the Prophet of Islam.com and tell them, "More has been accurately narrated and preserved from Muhammad, peace be upon him, than any other living human on earth." Or, "He has been selected as the number one of "The 100 Most Influencial Men in History" by Micheal H. Hart." Or, "Many famous people have learned the truth about Muhammad, peace be upon him, and have confirmed him to be a true prophet of God. 

<> Take special care in offer your answers. Keep your replies simple and to the point. Do not wander from subject to subject while answering a question.

<> Patience is an important part of the character of the Muslim and that you must not become angry or outraged at what people say to you or by the quesitons that they are asking. If you feel that it is too much for you to deal with, then simply walk away.

<> Don't try to be funny, cute or sarcastic. This is distracting and not appropriate.

<> Watch for positive feed back. Very often while giving the answer, we hear the person we are talking to saying something like, "I didn't know that." Or they might say, "This is actually something good."

<> Stay alert and when this occurs you can ask them, "Are you ready to rethink your position?" Or maybe something like, "Are you prepared to worship your God and your Lord without and partners?"

After all, isn't this what Islam is really all about? The most important subject is the worship of Almighty God, without any partners or associates or gods besides Almighty God.

Another thing to stay away from is the so called miracles about the Quran and Islam that are not mentioned in the Quran or in the Sunnah of the prophet, peace be upon him. One example of the idea of some trees in Germany that are twisted around to spell, Laa elaha illa lah, Muhammad rasoolulah. This is not true. The picture is a fake and anyone can easily prove this is not real. So where would you be if you had insisted that this was a proof that Islam is the right religion?

Other fake miracles include; a fish with Allah written on it; a tree bent toward Mekkah in prayer; a pumpkin with Bismillah Rahman Raheem on it. Please verify this by visiting our website page on these stories at:

http://www.IslamTomorrow.com/pumpkin.htm

Another area to avoid is the misconception about the miracle of numbers in the Quran. The stories are many and all of them are false. There is no miracle of 19 in the Quran; this not the occurance of the word day and night 365 times (the Muslim calendar is 354 days anyway); the words angel and devil do not occur the same number of times; and all of the mathematical equasions mentioned about the earth and the water are worthless to someone who is trying to understand about Allah and Islam. So please stop this propaganda and DO NOT FORWARD these messages to everyone on your list.

That is NOT dawah. That is a waste of time and energy. The fact is, that this will turn people away from the truth and destroy the pure message of Islam.

When we are going to talk with folks about Islam, we should first begin with the word itself. Let people know that there is a difference between the word Islam and what some people are doing. Visit our page on this subject of the explanation of words before you try to discuss Islam with anyone:

http://www.IslamTomorrow.com/word/

ISLAM - Explain to them that Islam can be understood both, as a verb and as a noun. As a noun, it is the religion that was completed by Allah for all human beings 1,400 years ago. The message came with Muhammad, peace be upon him, in the Arabic language.

As a verb, the word Islam means the surrender, submission, obedience and peace in sincerity with Allah.

Next, explain to them that the word Muslim comes from the word Islam itself. And the Arabic uses a prefix to the verb rather than a suffix to indicate the one who is preforming the verb or action. So instead of being an Islam-er we are Mu-islims (Muslim).

Remember: K.I.S.S. (Keep It So Simple)

Next you might logically break down the word Allah and let them know what it comes from and how it is the perfect word to describe and represent the Lord of the Worlds, The Only Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

Allah comes from the root elah and the plural is awliha. When the article the is placed in front of elah in Arabic, it becomes Al-lah. In this state the word can no longer be made plural, nor can it be associated with gender. That is to say, that Allah can actually be used to represent the meaning of One only to be worshipped, never plural, always singular and never man nor woman.

Quran is another word that you might explain to them. Let them understand that the Quran is not a book and that it is actually alive today in the hearts of over nine million (9,000,000) Muslims around the world. This is a real miracle. There is no other book like it. No book can compare to it and no other major religion today has their original preserved in the original language by so many followers of the religion.

For instance, you might ask the person a question like, "Did you know? - Over NINE MILLION Muslims Memorized the Entire Quran. 9,000,000 + Muslims living today have memorized the entire Quran in the original Arabic language." You could continue with, "But surprisingly over 75% of all Muslims are not Arab. In fact, the largest number of Muslims today are in Indonesia."
And did you know? "Every Muslim in the world - over 1.5 billion have all memorized some portion of the Quran and each of them desires to memorize it entirely? "

Prophethood in Islam is also an area that brings people to a better understanding of Muslims and what Islam is really about about. Let them know that as much as we love and honor and respect all of the prophets from Adam to Abraham and Moses and David, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them all, we never worship them. As a matter of fact, that is where people begin to go the wrong way, by over praising something or someone in the creation. All praise and worship is due to Allah, alone.

You might like to read and share the messages about Muhammad, peace be upon him, and Jesus, peace be upon him, from the Muslim perspective. You could print these pages out and share them or ask them to visit the links online if they can.

Human Rights is a favorite of mine to talk about. And then rights in general in Islam. Of course it is Allah, who has the first and most exclusive right, that of being worshipped alone without any partners.

Women's rights There are areas to discuss and in particular of great interest today, is the rights of women. Also, you could mention that today more than ever before, women are coming into Islam in greater numbers than men. This is a fact.

There are many areas to open up the dialog, but always keep in mind that the message is to call people to worship Allah, Alone without any partners.

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Make the clear distinction between what Islam teaches and what some Muslims do. Ask them to consider some of the bad people in history who were supposed to be Christians, yet what they did does not represent the Christians or Jesus.

Islam is not what some Muslims do. It is what all Muslims are supposed to do.

So all in all, you need to adopt gentleness and politeness in presenting your arguments. Allah Almighty addresses His Prophet, saying:

Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knows best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.(An-Nahl: 125)

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said: Indeed, gentleness adds more beauty to the atmosphere it reposes therein.

Actually, nothing is more needed now, in making dawah, than correct knowledge, gentleness and wisdom. The reason for this is to dispel all the superstitions and lies spread against Islam. All this needs wisdom, patience and perseverance, and such polite methods brings quick results and has rapid effect on the audience.

Consider the wife of Abu sufyan, Hind and her saying to Muhammad, peace be upon him, after she came to Islam; I never wanted to see anyone on the face of the earth to be put down more than you and your family. But now, I do not see anyone on the face of the earth more honored than you and your family.

This is a clear example of the prophet's effect on people's hearts and minds through his behavior and manners. Callers to Islam must follow this great example in their efforts to share the message of Islam instead of turning them away.

Always consider your audience and who it is that you are speaking to. If the people are not familiar with the Arabic language, then there is no real need to speak Arabic or make all of your quotes in Arabic and then try to translate everything to English. This is silly and could turn people away. Remember to keep everything on their level and not try to talk above them or talk down to them.

Allah is the All Knower.

Visit our page on this subject and then write back to me with more questions:

http://www.islamtomorrow.com/dawah/

Also visit:

WhatsIslam.com

More important links re: Islam - Research - Answers - Audio

Thanks again for your question. All good is from Allah & mistakes were from myself.
May Allah guide us in Truth, ameen.
Salam alaykum -

Yusuf Estes

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Fatwah? http://www.islam-qa.com