Hijab? Jihad?
Allah? Islam? Why?
Answers Prove Islam
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Bismillah Rahman Raheem
Salam alaykum brother,
And thank you for letting us share in the rewards of helping your answer questions to non-Muslims.
But before we go futher, there is something our scholars are telling us to watch out for while we are trying to answer questions being thrown at Islam today.
From the submitted 'questions' we are able to determine the source of the interrogations coming at the religion of Islam.
This is not something 'normal' for people to ask about when considering a new faith nor is it something for those casually interested in writing a thesis or perhaps writing a historic novel, etc. Most likely these exact questions phrased in this manner do not represent seekers of truth. Consider the references to verses in Quran or sayings in hadeeth, along with the transliteration of the Arabic words and phrases. The likelihood is these questions originate with very clever Arabs who are not Muslims and have their own personal axe to grind against the teachings of Islam.Another very important point, the ones bringing such questions to you are doing something very illegal in the work place. It is not permitted to attack or put down someone's faith or to promote your own faith for that matter, in the work place. A number of court cases in various states have been ruled in favor of victims who have suffered in different ways because of such violations.Let us also consider the aspect of giving dawah to people who offer such offensive and suggestive materials, accompanied by questions presented under such conditions. If it were under ordinary circumstances, not in the work place, and in an environment conducive to open dialog, and someone asked ONE of these questions this would be an excellent opportunity to show them the misconceptions many people have about Islam and what it really teaches. However, when someone is coming with a long list of very pointed attacks disguised as inquiries, what is there to really say to someone of such low caliber? Allah tells us in the Quran regarding such people; "Whether you warn them or warn them not, they won't believe."For these kinds of encounters we developed a response based on the way our prophet, peace be upon him, replied back to people under similar circumstances over 1,400 years ago. I call it - "Thank you for asking me about my religion" THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME ABOUT MY RELIGION.
Islam offers us two very essential ingredients to formulate a clear and concise understanding of what it is all about and how we can know for sure what it really offers.1. Proof 2. Truth First - Proof: The Quran still exists today just as it did when it was revealed to our prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Quran (recitation) came over a period of 23 years in a very pure and concise manner, and it today the most revered of all Arabic compositions. It is the number one key reference and example of what the language of Arabic actually is. It is memorized today in the hearts and minds of over one billion human beings, in Arabic, although almost 90% of these people are not Arabs and do not normally speak Arabic. The Quran is totally memorized and recited without looking at anything written from cover to cover by over 20 million people living today and again, almost 90% are non-Arabs. It can truthfully be said, "If all the books on earth were destroyed, it is the only book on earth that could be brought back: page-for-page; line-for-line; word-for-word; letter-for-letter; dot-for-dot - without a single error. So it still exists exactly as it came. Ahadeeth (plural of hadeeth) are narrations or stories of from our prophet peace be upon him, and these are also authenticated and verified by many scholars throughout history and it is well established what was said and done - to the letter.Second - Truth: According to the Quran, speaking the truth is an essential characteristic of a true believer. Someone is not really a believer if he or she is not honest. As the Quran states clearly, "O you who believe, speak a word of truth, even if it is against yourself or your family" and "O you who believe, guard yourself against Allah's punishment and always say the truth" Regarding a liar, the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, "He is not of us". All of this provides us the platform to answer such accusations and misconceptions. Islam cannot be changed because it is too clear what it really is and what it isn't. Today we find many challenges coming against Islam being presented in the form of so-called 'questions'. We immediately realize these are not questions for the sake of answers. Rather, these are nothing more than open attacks disguised as questions. More than any religion in history, Islam has fallen prey to such devious endeavors being committed by those who have already formed their opinions and are using the platform for dialog as their opportunity to confuse, cause doubt and scare others away from Islam. Consider the following dialog and you will better understand what we are faced with in these types questions: Someone says, "Please answer the following question with 'yes' or 'no': "Is your mother out of jail yet?"
Now how could anyone answer such a question with either 'yes' or 'no'? This is a very simplified way to demonstrate the problem many of us suffer from in trying to offer the correct information about Islam.Reply, "My mother has never been in..." Questioner: "NO. You have to answer with 'yes' or 'no'! Is your mother out of jail yet?" Reply, "But my mother has never..." Questioner: "Wrong! You must answer with either a 'yes' or 'no'! IS YOUR MOTHER OUT OF JAIL YET?" Reply, "But I tell you, my mother has never.." Questioner: "You must answer with either "YES" or "NO" - Now again, Is Your Mother Out of Jail Yet?" Reply, "...yes?" Questioner: "Good. I am glad she got out!" We should ask someone the following question before going any further: "If you hear something in my answer that you like, and you find it to be better than what you have in your beliefs, are you prepared to consider what Islam has over what you have and make the choice for what is better?" If the person replies positively, then this is an honest person seeking the truth and perhaps Allah will guide them. However, if they say they are not interested in what Islam has or they would never leave what they have, this is not someone seeking truth, only looking for arguments and we should recognize that before becoming too upset over what they have to say. Now after what we have presented so far, if you have carefully read and understood the direction we are taking - Maybe you are ready to consider the real answers to real questions related to what you have emailed me, inshallah. “And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance” [al-Ahzaab 33:33] - Kindly elaborate: Are women not supposed to come out of the houses completely without their husbands or mehrams? Even in exceptional times of emergency or to attend to some chores which the husbands or mehrams cannot attend to due to their commitments at the workplace? Can you also put some light on sharia rules regarding allowing our women (wife & daughters) in our homes to work in a corporate environment?
Women at the time of ignorance used to go around anywhere and openly display their breasts and even go naked when going around the kabaah, in the belief it was holy.
(It should not be perfumed with bakhoor or fragrance) - Are women supposed to completely avoid wearing perfumes? Or is it required that our women must refrain from applying perfumes outside our homes? Are there any restrictions on men regarding the usage of perfumes?Emergencies are always taken into consideration in Islam. Any first year student of knowledge has learned about the word "darurah" (necessity) and the answer from Islam, "ruqsa" (concession) given by Almighty Allah. Examples are many, but most often quoted is the example of not having any food except pork. If you were to die of starvation or eat the pork, what does Islam say? (eat the pork - just don't PIG OUT) (LOL sorry for the silly joke) This is clear. A woman should not do anything to attract the affection of men who are not married to them. Perfume, jewelry and beautiful clothes are encouraged and even praised as good things for ladies in this life to enjoy - in the privacy of their homes
(It should not resemble the clothing of men) - Does it also apply to other garments men wear, such as trousers/ shirts/ T-shirts, which women have started wearing lately? Are these garments allowed to be worn by women at homes? Are these also permissible if worn under an abaya?And this is simple to answer as well, inshallah. If you saw the person coming from a distance and by the look of the clothing you thought it was a man, or if you thought it was a woman but then when they came close you were surprised to see it was in fact the opposite and the person was imitating the opposite sex by doing so, this is clearly haram. Think how someone feels when they suddenly find out the person they thought was a man turned out to be a woman
(It is stated in sharee’ah that Muslims, men and women alike, should not resemble or imitate the kuffaar) - Could you lay more light on the Islamic dress code for men? Are we allowed to wear western clothes? Is “Kandoora” (long Arabic robe) the prescribed dress code for men?We are not allowed to copy the WAY some of the non-believers act, and that includes the way they show off and act arrogant in their dress. This has nothing to do with just wearing a suit or pants or tie. This is more about arrogance and showing off with clothes in such a way as to exhibit yourself to be better than others.
Just look to the hadeeth closely and see for yourself what it actually says: Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 'Whoever wears a garment of fame and vanity in this world, Allaah will clothe him in a garment of humiliation on the Day of Resurrection, then He will cause Fire to flame up around him'."(Hijaab al-Mar’ah al-Muslimah, p. 54-67).
It is only Allah Who has all Knowledge and I have nothing except what Allah gives me, and even then I make mistakes. So, if you find anything in Quran or ahadeeth which is against what I said, disregard my sayings and make dua for me to be rightly guided. and for future questions, please use our search engine on www.SearchForIslam.com and type in the keywords you are looking for. |