Muslims

Muslims (Arabic: مُسلِم‎) are people who follow or practice Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion. Muslims consider the Quran, their holy book, to be the verbatim word of God as revealed to the Islamic prophet and messenger Muhammad, may peace be upon him and his family. Muslims also generally follow the teachings and practices of Muhammad (sunnah). Those who obtain these teachings primarily from his Companions (sahaba) are called Sunni, and those who take them from his family (ahl al-bayt) are called the Shi'a.

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Muslims . Non-Muslims

Why are some people born Muslim while others are not? What is the Divine reasoning behind this?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 1 month ago

Allah (SWT) knows the future of every one, and He has The Absolute Wisdom and Absolute Mercy. He ordains (when and how and where should be) the birth of every human being . No one will face any injustice because of others. Allah's Mercy is on and for all and every one will enjoy Allah's Mercy and Justice. Those who were born in Non Muslim families will never be punished because of that, but will be given plenty of chances to know the truth and full ability to decide and follow.

Wassalam.

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Christians . Muslims . Prophet Jesus

Why do Christians believe differently about Hazrat Esa (AS) when we Muslims believe that he is a messenger of Allah?

Abbas Di Palma, Shaykh Abbas Di Palma holds a BA and an MA degree in Islamic Studies, and certifications from the Language Institute of Damascus University. He has also studied traditional Islamic sciences in... Answer updated 2 months ago

as salam alaikum

Muslims believe that 'Isa Ibn Maryam, peace be upon him, was a humble servant of Allah, the Messiah, and one of His prophets and messengers. This is confirmed by the Qur'an who explicitly denies the notions of trinity and incarnation present in mainstream Christian doctrine.

The Qur'an says: "Indeed they have disbelieved those who say:- Allah is the Messiah son of Maryam-" (5:72) and "Indeed they have disbelieved those who say:- Allah is the third of the three-" (5:73). In fact "the Messiah son of Maryam was only a Messenger" (5:75).

Mainstream Christianity believe that Allah was incarnated in a human being, 'Isa Ibn Maryam, who they think to be "God made flesh" but such notion is not only rejected by the Qur'an and Muslims, it also cannot be proven by the Scriptures themselves as no "Gospel of Jesus" reached us in its original form.

With prayers for your success.

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Islam . Muslims . Karma

Does the concept of karma have some basis in Islam? If not, can Muslims still believe in it?

as salam alaikum

Islam does not agree with the belief in reincarnation. Therefore if karma is used in that sense, it is refused according to Islamic perspective.

If the doctrine of karma is used to simply indicate the relation of cause and effect among some actions and reactions, or similar issues, it may have some similarities with an Islamic point of view but we should consider also that it may not apply to all cases. For example Allah may increase His blessings to a person at His will: "...bestowed from your Lord by way of gift by reckoning" (78:36).

With prayers for your success.

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Muslims . Qur'an

What are the benefits to Muslims of having the Quran in a complete book form?

Knowledge needs to be recorded and Quran is the Word of Allah and must be recorded in a complete book to :

1. Preserve Quran from any change which some people may try to cause for political or other reasons. No doubt, Quran is preserved by Allah and no power can change Quran.

2. Make it easy for Muslims to recite, study, memorize and follow the teachings of Quran.

3. Make it easy for those who want to know about Islam to read Quran.

Quran is available in the form of book, as well as in the internet and digital forms.

If you feel that your question has not been answered because you meant something else, please write your question more clearly.

Wassalam.

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Law . Muslims . Salah (Prayers)

Is there any international rule or law that guarantees Muslims the freedom to offer prayers anywhere in the world?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 4 months ago

One could refer to Article 18 of the Declaration of Human Rights as stating that all people have the right to practice their religion publicly or privately. However, this doesn't encompass all spaces (for instance, I can't go to my neighbour's house uninvited and just start praying); it can be construed as a general idea that people should have the overall right to observe their religion in their country.

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Muslims . Islam

What are some important things that young Muslims ought to know about Islam?

Young Muslims need to know the reality of Islam from it’s pure source,
away from the propaganda of the media and political groups and the
misleading so-called Islamic groups. It is very important to focus on
the source of the knowledge about Islam.

All the differences between Muslims since 1400 years till today are
based on the differences in the source and from whom to take the real
meanings of the Holy Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah of the Holy
Prophet (SAWA). The Holy Prophet (SAWA) did not leave the Ummah
without clearly informing them about the source of the Islamic
knowledge after him. He orderd all Muslims to keep on following the Thaqalain. the two most important leaders that must be
followed, the Holy Quran and the Ahlul Bayt (AS) and he
stated that these 2 will never be apart from one and another.

Not only Muslim youth but also every human being who wants to know the real
Islam has no choice but to take it from the most authentic and the
most knowledgeable source of teachings of the Holy Prophet (SAWA) who
are the Ahlul Bayt (AS) who have the knowledge from the Holy Prophet
(SAWA) and the real meaning (Tafseer) of the Holy Qur’an.

After establishing this fact of the most authentic source of
knowledge, young Muslims need to know about the basics of the faith
which can be found in many books and websites like www.al-islam.org
and http://www.islamicmobility.com/

Also it is very important to know the details of the day to day
Islamic life which can be found on websites like www.
http://www.islamic-laws.com/ and http://www.sistani.org.

and www.wabil.com

It is also required to know about the Islamic morals and spiritual
elevation which can be found in books like Jaami’ al-Sa’adaat. It is
also very important to read the Holy Qur’an and the life and sayings
of the Holy Prophet (SAWA) and Ahlul Bayt (AS).

It is very useful to recite the supplications of the Holy Prophet
(SAWA) and Ahlul Bayt (AS) e.g. dua Kumayl and Saheefa al-Sajjadiyah
al-Kamelah.

A brief knowledge about the history of Muslims is very useful e.g.
Kitab al-Irshad by al-Shaykh al-Mufeed.

These are the starting points which can lead to further steps in
gaining more useful knowledge.

Wassalaam.

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Muslims . Valentine's Day

Can Muslims celebrate Valentines Day?

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Muslims . Paradise . Death . Qiyama

Will Muslims who die at a very young age also be held accountable on the Day of Judgement? Or do they go to paradise right away?

A Muslim child who dies in a young age i.e. childhood before puberty
(Buloogh) will not be accountable for any of the obligatory worships and duties because obligatories start only after Buloogh. Allah SWT will grant all the
Muslim children the Paradise and also grant them to intercede
(Shafa’at) for their parents. The Hadeeth says : When Muslim children
die, they will be looked after near the Paradise by Lady Sarah, the
wife of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and when the Angels tell them to enter
Paradise, they will say: We wait for our parents to enter with us.

Children of non Muslim parents will not be punished in the Day of Judgment but will be given full chance to know the true faith and chose.

Wassalaam.

Muslims . Paradise . Death . Qiyama

Will Muslims who die at a very young age also be held accountable on the Day of Judgement? Or do they go to paradise right away?

It doesn't matter whether they are Muslim or not Muslim.

All children, regardless of their families' religions or what religion they identify as, are closer to the pure/uncorrupted/sinless nature known as the fitrah that recognizes and acknowledges the truth, the unseen, and good and evil. (Perhaps this is why children are often quite wise!)

At the same time, all children are still developing the psychological capabilities that are necessary to make solid moral judgments and act on them (for instance, empathy, the ability to put the good of the group above the good of the individual, self-restraint, an understanding of cause and effect, an understanding of the permanency of death, etc).

This is not to say that children cannot make good and bad ethical decisions, or that children do not have authentic religious experiences and beliefs or even conversions. All of that happens; it depends on the child and the age. However, they are not held responsible in the same way that mature people are.

So, children go to barzakh (the intermediary realm after death before the final judgment) and then to paradise. It is said that they skip some things that they are not mature enough for, such as some of the questioning.

The experience of children in the afterlife will likely be different from that of mature adults since part of our job in this life is to learn more about spiritual and other realities. So, they may have some catching up to do, or maybe their experience will just be different, just as different adults will also have different experiences.

On the other hand, we should not underestimate children's souls (in the same way that people often underestimate children and confine them to things that are "childish"). The soul is a noble and honourable creation of Allah and this is the same for children or adults.

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Dhikr . Muslims . Qur'an . Radd-e-Mazalim

Is it allowed to offer the rewards (Thawab) of Quran recitation, Dhikr or other forms of good deeds with the intention of "Radd-e-Mazalim" to Muslims and non Muslims who are alive?

It is useful to do so to ease ourselves from the responsibilities which we have for others who were been wronged by us. It is mentioned in Hadeeths that if you can not gain the pardon of people whom you have wronged, then pray for them and seek forgiveness for them and gift them the reward of good deeds.

But this is not Radd-e-Mazalim, as Radd-e-Mazalim is an estimated amount paid on behalf of people who have rights on us and the amount must be given to the poor people.

Wassalam.

62863

Islam . Muslims

Is it true that Islam was spread by the sword? If yes, who forced people to become Muslims?

This is largely not true.

The question of how Islam spread after the time fo the Prophet (S) is complex because there were many factors involved.

It is also complicated by the fact that the early Arab-Muslim empire (the caliphates) did spread by conquest. However, in general, they were focused on conquering land and did not force people to convert to Islam. Sometimes, they even discouraged it because non-Muslims would pay the jizyah tax. Also, in some remote regions, the presence of the caliphate was really in name only.

On the other hand, it can be said that having a ruling elite who was Muslim created social conditions that were favorable for people living in this empire to become Muslim because Islam was seen as the religion of the educated and powerful and the cultural elite. (How times have changed!) Still, when you look at the well-known institutions in Baghdad, Andalusia, etc, there is clear evidence of Muslims and people of other faiths working together or interacting.

In any case, after the Arab-Muslim conquests, conversion was not instant, and it took a few hundred years for North Africa and the Middle East to become a majority Muslim region. A similar thing happened later with the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into parts of Eastern Europe.

Of course, empires were common in the pre-modern era, and the Arab-Muslim empire was not different structurally from other empires which also had their own religious tendencies.

Beyond that, it seems that people's reasons for converting to Islam in the past were varied and not dissimilar to the reasons that people have today. For instance, some people favoured the Islamic view of monotheism as simpler than that of other faiths. Some people liked the idea of social equity that, in theory, Islam promises. Some people were affected by the Qur'an. Some people converted due to marriage or for other social reasons, and so on.

The spread of Islam outside of the early Arab-Muslim Empire (such as into India, China, Indonesia, and sub-Saharan Africa) occurred largely through contact with Muslim traders and Sufis as well as exiles, expatriates, etc. This also occurred over time and was not instantaneous.

I am not saying that no one was ever forced to convert, since in over a thousand years of history and along vast geographical regions, virtually anything and everything that can happen does happen, but just that, in general, there is no evidence that the masses were forced to convert to Islam at the point of a sword.

Unfortunately this has become a very politicized subject today, both in the West and in some other regions, and there are a lot of falsehoods circulated to try to inflame sentiments against Muslims in areas of sectarian tension. I hope and pray that as human beings we can resolve these differences and move forward in more peace!

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Muslims . Worship

Is it permissible for us to use a plant if it is used by non Muslims as an object of worship?

We are allowed to use any plant in the proper way, no matter what non Muslims do as far as we do not support their wrong.

Wassalam.