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As Apelike says, trying to promote a religion through science references is, at least, tenuous and problematic in today's scientific world. I do believe that there are many more appropriate aspects of the religion which can be appealing to enquirers.

 

Despite all these "facts" (even if true), they have never been a source of consultation by later scientists in their quests for knowledge and discoveries; that has been accomplished from other sources. Belief in a religion in itself though has given inspiration to enquiring minds.

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carosio,

 

I welcome your comments. Ultimately, I agree Islam is about belief, but I hope we can broadly agree, partially based on the evidence-based debate that we have undertaken in the last few days, that Islam is certainly not about 'blind-belief'.

 

I have indeed set up this topic to inspire enquirers, and I hope to return now to providing information on the pillars and concepts of Islam.

 

How about yourself? What is your understanding of the concept of God and do you belive in God?  I was thinking of doing a post on 'Who is Allah?' because I imagine that most members on here are probably unaware/misinformed about the concept of God in Islam. Do you think that would be a good place to start?  

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6 hours ago, Friendly Muslim said:

 

How about yourself? What is your understanding of the concept of God and do you belive in God?  I was thinking of doing a post on 'Who is Allah?' because I imagine that most members on here are probably unaware/misinformed about the concept of God in Islam. Do you think that would be a good place to start?  

No, I don't believe in God or gods as depicted in the major religions.

 

We have always wondered what is the origin of life, matter and the universe and what becomes of us after death; perhaps one day it will be discovered but until then (for many of us), a God will fill the gap. In other words, if we believe  everything was created by a higher intelligence, problem solved!

 

As for your proposed new post on Allah please proceed, but be prepared to be subjected to awkward questioning as post about religion attract more sceptics than potential recruits, so to speak!

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I don’t think FM is trying to recruit anyone carosio.  People find their own way to things. I think he or she is just here to discuss and hopefully shed some light and in the process blow away some of the silly prejudices. 

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Hello Everybody,

 

As promised, in today's post I want to introduce you all to the concept of God in Islam. In simple terms, I want to tell you about Allah Most High.

 

Who is Allah?

 

Allah is the one and only God that Muslims believe in. He has no partners, parents or children. He has no conceivable shape or form. He is the Creator and Sustainer of his entire creation, which is essentially everything that exists. Allah Most High is gracious, merciful, just and forgiving.

 

Allah's Names

 

To understand Allah more deeply, we refer to His ‘Names’, which help define His Qualities and Attributes. His two most prominent Names are Allah, of course, and Rahman The meaning of these Names are as follows:

  • 'Allah' can literally be translated to mean ‘the God’.
  • 'Rahman' has a very rich meaning; it is derived from the root word ‘mercy’ (‘rahmah’) and can be translated to mean ‘the Gracious’, ‘the Merciful’ and ‘the Bountiful’. I personally translate 'Rahman' into English as ‘the One who gives out of His mercy and the One who forgives out of His mercy’.

Allah has other Names too; very brief translations of a few of them would be 'The Most-Forgiving', 'The King', 'The Holy', 'The Creator', 'The Loving', 'Peace/Security' and 'The Just'. Together these Names help us develop an understanding of who Allah is.

 

How Did the Messengers of Allah (Alaihim us-Salaam – Peace be Upon Them) Describe Allah?

 

The Holy Quran quotes the previous Messengers (Alaihim us-Salaam – Peace be Upon Them) and how they described Allah Most High. These are very interesting verses and demonstrate the love and reverence they had for Allah.

 

The Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (Alaihis Salaam – Peace be Upon Him), who was a very soft and obedient Messenger of Allah, described Allah to his people in the following beautiful, humble words:

 

“(It is He) Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me. And it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink. And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me. And Who will cause me to die, and then will bring me to life. And Who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Recompense.”

 

When the Prophet Musa (Moses) (Alaihis Salaam – Peace be Upon Him) invited Pharoah to believe in Allah, Pharoah asked him who Allah was. Prophet Musa (Moses) (Alaihis Salaam – Peace be Upon Him) replied:

 

"Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright…. My Lord neither errs nor forgets. Who has made the earth for you like a bed; and has opened ways for you therein, and has sent down water (rain) from the sky…”

 

The Prophet Isa (Jesus) (Alaihi Salaam – Peace be Upon Him) spoke to the Children of Israel from the cradle as a baby, amazingly, and said:

 

…”Verily, I am a servant of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I be, and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, as long as I live. And to be dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblessed...And verily, Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him. That is the straight path.''

 

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalam - Salutations and Peace be Upon Him) obviously came to confirm the messages above.

 

Our Relationship with Allah

 

In the final quote above, Prophet Isa (Jesus) (Alaihi Salaam – Peace be Upon Him) cites the commands of Allah and our duty to Him. This indicates that our duty to Allah is to obey Him and worship Him. His commandments, such as the commands to pray and give charity, are essentially for the benefit of mankind, and help us become better people.

Edited by Friendly Muslim

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13 hours ago, Friendly Muslim said:

 

Hello Everybody,

 

As promised, in today's post I want to introduce you all to the concept of God in Islam. In simple terms, I want to tell you about Allah Most High.

 

Who is Allah?

 

Allah is the one and only God that Muslims believe in. He has no partners, parents or children. He has no conceivable shape or form. He is the Creator and Sustainer of his entire creation, which is essentially everything that exists. Allah Most High is gracious, merciful, just and forgiving.

 

Allah's Names

 

To understand Allah more deeply, we refer to His ‘Names’, which help define His Qualities and Attributes. His two most prominent Names are Allah, of course, and Rahman The meaning of these Names are as follows:

  • 'Allah' can literally be translated to mean ‘the God’.
  • 'Rahman' has a very rich meaning; it is derived from the root word ‘mercy’ (‘rahmah’) and can be translated to mean ‘the Gracious’, ‘the Merciful’ and ‘the Bountiful’. I personally translate 'Rahman' into English as ‘the One who gives out of His mercy and the One who forgives out of His mercy’.

Allah has other Names too; very brief translations of a few of them would be 'The Most-Forgiving', 'The King', 'The Holy', 'The Creator', 'The Loving', 'Peace/Security' and 'The Just'. Together these Names help us develop an understanding of who Allah is.

 

How Did the Messengers of Allah (Alaihim us-Salaam – Peace be Upon Them) Describe Allah?

 

The Holy Quran quotes the previous Messengers (Alaihim us-Salaam – Peace be Upon Them) and how they described Allah Most High. These are very interesting verses and demonstrate the love and reverence they had for Allah.

 

The Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) (Alaihis Salaam – Peace be Upon Him), who was a very soft and obedient Messenger of Allah, described Allah to his people in the following beautiful, humble words:

 

“(It is He) Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me. And it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink. And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me. And Who will cause me to die, and then will bring me to life. And Who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Recompense.”

 

When the Prophet Musa (Moses) (Alaihis Salaam – Peace be Upon Him) invited Pharoah to believe in Allah, Pharoah asked him who Allah was. Prophet Musa (Moses) (Alaihis Salaam – Peace be Upon Him) replied:

 

"Our Lord is He Who gave to each thing its form and nature, then guided it aright…. My Lord neither errs nor forgets. Who has made the earth for you like a bed; and has opened ways for you therein, and has sent down water (rain) from the sky…”

 

The Prophet Isa (Jesus) (Alaihi Salaam – Peace be Upon Him) spoke to the Children of Israel from the cradle as a baby, amazingly, and said:

 

…”Verily, I am a servant of Allah, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet. And He has made me blessed wherever I be, and has enjoined on me prayer and charity, as long as I live. And to be dutiful to my mother, and made me not arrogant, unblessed...And verily, Allah is my Lord and your Lord. So worship Him. That is the straight path.''

 

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu Alaihi Wassalam - Salutations and Peace be Upon Him) obviously came to confirm the messages above.

 

Our Relationship with Allah

 

In the final quote above, Prophet Isa (Jesus) (Alaihi Salaam – Peace be Upon Him) cites the commands of Allah and our duty to Him. This indicates that our duty to Allah is to obey Him and worship Him. His commandments, such as the commands to pray and give charity, are essentially for the benefit of mankind, and help us become better people.

"Allah is the one and only God that Muslims believe in. He has no partners, parents or children. He has no conceivable shape or form." 

 

How do you know 'He', IS a he then? 

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I believe it's to do with translation from Arabic to English, different pronoun use etc.

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On 21/05/2020 at 16:24, bendix said:

I don’t think FM is trying to recruit anyone carosio.  People find their own way to things. I think he or she is just here to discuss and hopefully shed some light and in the process blow away some of the silly prejudices. 

Really?  Isn't it his religious duty to convert and recruit?

"Muslims around the world agree that Islam is the one true faith that leads to salvation. Many Muslims also say it is their religious duty to convert others to Islam."

pew research centre

p.s note my avatar for my beliefs 😉

Edited by blackydog

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Hello blackydog,

 

'Recruit' is not the right term, and sounds like it would add to local and global divisions. 'Convert' is fine (although people who convert to Islam prefer the term 'revert' because Muslims believe each new born child is actually inherently a believer). I would, of course, be ecstatic and flattered if anybody on here read my posts and decided to learn more about Islam.

 

Also, if I genuinely believe that Islam is our salvation, which I do (particularly with regards to the after-life), then is it not an act of humanity for me to advise my fellow human beings towards that which I think will benefit them?

 

As far as my 'duties' go, then the Holy Quran tells us "It is not (obligatory) upon on us, except to teach," and that "There is no compulsion in religion (ie. no-one is allowed to compel anyone else to believe/follow/do anything that they dislike)."  

 

Thanks for reading this thread.

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Eid Mubarak, Friendly Muslim.

 

Please could you tell me what is the difference between the two types of Eid?    And what do they both signify?

 

For example, in Christianity, the two main festivals are Christmas - signifying the birth of Christ, and Easter - signifying the Resurrection of Christ.  

 

Also, does Ramadan only come before one of the two types of Eid, or both?

 

Also, why do different Muslims have Eid on different days sometimes?

 

Thank you in advance.

Edited by Lex Luthor

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19 hours ago, Friendly Muslim said:

Hello blackydog,

 

'Recruit' is not the right term, and sounds like it would add to local and global divisions. 'Convert' is fine (although people who convert to Islam prefer the term 'revert' because Muslims believe each new born child is actually inherently a believer). I would, of course, be ecstatic and flattered if anybody on here read my posts and decided to learn more about Islam.

 

Also, if I genuinely believe that Islam is our salvation, which I do (particularly with regards to the after-life), then is it not an act of humanity for me to advise my fellow human beings towards that which I think will benefit them?

 

As far as my 'duties' go, then the Holy Quran tells us "It is not (obligatory) upon on us, except to teach," and that "There is no compulsion in religion (ie. no-one is allowed to compel anyone else to believe/follow/do anything that they dislike)."  

 

Thanks for reading this thread.

And thank you for answering. I have another question if you don't mind.

I believe there is distinct disagreement, in fact even the cause of death and war due to the succession of power following the prophets death. A dispute questioning whether family or friend of Muhammed should become the rightful successor. Hundreds of years on this is still lethally splitting a religion supposedly followed by peaceful and forgiving believers.   

How are these fellow followers permitted to kill each other within the teachings of the Quran?

Can this EVER be resolved?

**Not trying to **** stir**

Edited by blackydog

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13 hours ago, Lex Luthor said:

Eid Mubarak, Friendly Muslim.

 

Please could you tell me what is the difference between the two types of Eid?    And what do they both signify?

 

For example, in Christianity, the two main festivals are Christmas - signifying the birth of Christ, and Easter - signifying the Resurrection of Christ.  

 

Also, does Ramadan only come before one of the two types of Eid, or both?

 

Also, why do different Muslims have Eid on different days sometimes?

 

Thank you in advance.

Hi again Lex Luthor – many, many thanks for your kind wishes and even more thanks for asking such good questions.

 

We’ll start with a historical account of the what the Holy Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ - salutations and peace be upon him) said about  the two Eids:

 

“When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ - salutations and peace be upon him) came to Medina, the people had two days on which they engaged in games. He asked: What are these two days (what is the significance)? They said: We used to engage ourselves on them in the pre-Islamic period. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ- salutations and peace be upon him) said: Allah has substituted for them something better than them, the day of sacrifice and the day of the breaking of the fast.”

 

The above account defines that Muslims have two days of celebration:

  • The ‘day of sacrifice’ is referred to as Eid-ul-Adha. This is when Muslims remember the ultimate, monumental sacrifice Prophet Ibrahim (alaihis salaam – upon him be peace) was willing to make when he offered to sacrifice his beloved son, the Prophet Ismail (alaihis salaam – upon him be peace), following receipt of the command through successive divinely-inspired dreams. After he and his son had both proven their intent to comply, Allah stopped them from actually carrying out the sacrificing (or killing) and ordered Prophet Ibrahim (alaihis salaam – upon him be peace) to sacrifice a ram as a celebration for passing this extreme test of obedience. This Eid coincides with the days of Hajj, which is a larger celebration of the efforts and obedience of Prophet Ibrahim (alaihis salaam – upon him be peace) and his family. This topic probably justifies a post in itself.
  • The ‘day of the breaking of the fast’ is referred to as Eid-ul-Fitr (this is the one that has just passed). This succeeds the month of fasting (Ramadhan) and is basically the 1st date of the lunar month that follows Ramadhan.

Although the two days occur in different contexts, the activities undertaken on the days themselves are quite similar; a morning prayer and then general festivities and dining. There is special emphasis on sacrificing livestock on Eid-ul-Adha and sharing some of the meat with the poor.

 

Your final question was about why Muslims celebrate the Eid on different days. In reality, this is all down to the phasing of the moon and when the new moon is sighted (since the Islamic months are lunar, and a new month starts with each new moon). On this basis, the new month can potentially commence in different parts of the world on different days, although probably not in the same country, which is what you have obviously observed.

 

This year, Eid-ul-Fitr has been celebrated on the same day throughout in the UK, and almost everywhere in the whole world, which is a very rare occurence. I see this as a special gift for us this year; while coronavirus has separated us physically, Allah has brought us together spiritually.

 

I hope this answers your queries. Thanks again for your time and questions.

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