Intersting... So, you're saying that muslims generally give Mohammed more focus because God gave him the Qur'an, but in actuality, he, Jesus, Moses, and Abraham are all at about the same level (all are equal prophets under God)? Do muslims believe that those prophets are/were more divine than us? (Catholics believe that their religious leaders are divinely inspired and are thus somewhat "holier" than us. I don't think I'm really stating that accurately, but that's the general gist of it). Do muslims believe that their religious leaders are divine (meaning, they're somewhat holier than the common person)? Are women permitted to be religious leaders?
Cleverly disguised HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH POSTS:<table><tr><td> </td><td> </td></tr></table> :grin: ¡¡¡VIVA MEXICO!!!!
Nice thread! I don't think it matters what hairstyle you wear, but correct me if I'm wrong it is forbidden to shave your head to the skin.
Intersting... So, you're saying that muslims generally give Mohammed more focus because God gave him the Qur'an, but in actuality, he, Jesus, Moses, and Abraham are all at about the same level (all are equal prophets under God)? I would say so, yes. Do muslims believe that those prophets are/were more divine than us? Some do, but speaking once again from the Quran, they are not encouraged too. Doing so attributes the "holier then thou" quality, and can lead to worship of the actual leader rather then God. God repeatedly speaks of prophets being equal to regular non-prophets, and the prophets themselves also reiterate this claim. As for religious leaders? I would imagine you mean the clerics/imams etc of the world...similar to the preachers.....and I don't think muslims consider them "more divine" but do consider them closer to God (generally) and more "faithful". If that makes sense. Doesn't mean they can't be wrong. Are women permitted to be religious leaders? There's nothing stopping them. The Hadith speaks of the Prophet's wife taking over and leading the prayer at a time when the prophet was sick. However the cultural influences over the past hundreds of years along with the themes of keeping women down have led to the belief that women cannot be equal or be leaders. One point to note though is that another legitimate reason some cite for women not being religious leaders is their inability to fulfill the obligation of being at the mosque and leading prayers whenever available. This obligation is hindered by the monthly periods of uncleanliness that women go through. Islam preaches cleanliness as a high priority, and the Quran tells followers to be clean when entering the mosque, and for women to stay home if they are unable to do so due to biological restrictions.
Never ever heard of that. Don't believe I've read that in the Quran neither. Could possibly be (once again) gross misinterpretation or "extra"pretation....extrapolating something flexible to something rigid, and impregnating certain verses with meanings that weren't intended....or perhaps it could be sunnah/hadith once again. I plead ignorance.
What old-testament stories are also taught in Islam? (garden of Eden? Cain and Abel? Noah and the flood? Moses and Egypt? Parting the red sea? others?) Specifically, what it taught about Abram/Abraham, Sarai/Sarah, and Hagar? (this is crucial because this is where islam branched away from judaism)
But didn't Mohammed live in the Middle East, and, according to the "Sunnah", people have to follow him? How far does this go? What about things in his life that would nowadays be regarded as not to be followed (but might have been culturally accepted at his time)? Then if there are such things, does that not make the whole Sunnah concept obsolete (i.e., if one should not marry minors, why should one wear a beard)?
Must muslims give a certain percentage of their earnings to the church? Not to the church, to charity... Poor people. Are you required to do a certain amount of community service? We are encouraged to do good deeds, community service is very much encouraged. The early Muslims built their Mosques and helped their neighbours "free of charge" Do you have to go to distant places to do missionary work? Nope. I live in America, my missionary work is here on the BBS. I am preaching my beliefs to you and letting you know about my religion. Is there any sort of baptism ceremony? Not really, all a person needs to do in order to become muslim is testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his last and final messenger. In the Houston community, they generally do this in front of the community on Friday so that the community can meet the new Muslim. What about circumcision? Recomended, Converts are not required to get circumcised. Do you find that your parents follow the religion more strictly than you do?Not necessarily, Many of the older generations have culture intertwined in their interpretation of Islam. The benefit of being in America is that you get all sorts of flavors of Islam and you can best choose the one that is most correct based off of the Quran and the Prophetic traditions. Do muslims believe that God punishes? Yes, Hellfire = ultimate punishment Christians generally believe in "judgement day". Do muslims believe in anything like that? Yes. Your good deeds will be weighed against your sins. God's mercy will then enable you to enter heaven.
Is there a church "service" and when does it occur? how long does it last? This also depends on the different mosques. Besides the weekly friday prayers, many mosques have services over the weekend. They also have sunday schools etc etc The 5 Prayers are highly recommended to be done in congregation at the mosque daily. how often do you attend? Try to go daily for the 5 prayers. Many Muslims do attend the mosque 5 times a day Are there any rituals that are performed during church? (eating bread, drinking wine, incense, holy water, etc.) 5 daily prayers, and the weekly Friday service (followed by a prayer) What other books besides the Qur'an and Hadith are followed? There are many books of Hadith because the hadith were gathered after the life of the prophet. And this is where the sects start to form and the different interpretations are derived from. Is there anything in muslim religion against the use of profanity? Cursing/swearing is not allwed In your modern, American belief in Islam, are women equal to men? Yes, but, Men have their role, and women theirs. Women can do whatever they choose, they can worship and gather the same rewards as a man, but a male is given the task of HAVING to provide for his family. It his is duty. He HAS to provide for his wife/family financially. The woman does not have any such financial obligation.
We could start another thread on just this topic... Prophet Muhammad mainly fought wars with Pagan Arab tribes, some of the most fierce and main battles were with his own tribe. As for the Christians, he had a great rapport with Negus, King of Abyssinia... Abyssinia is where the very first group of Muslims were sent by Muhammad in order to avoid Arab persecution in Makkah.
And thus you have sects. Prophet Mohammed was given certain commands specific to his time period, and he enforced them. Others were given to be general frame of life reference for following generations of Muslims. The problem is many people take the "following the Prophet's actions/deeds" to the literal extent and thus live their lives literally enforcing every thing he did in his time period specific to his situation. It is this conflict that currently divides many muslim sects. I don't know that it makes the Sunnah/hadith completely obsolete; Muslims are told to go to the Quran as the primary source and use hadith as reference. However, if there are things in the hadith that contradict the Quran, then disregard them. Nothing supercede's the Quran's authority. The Quran also contains verses that tell people to NOT follow any other hadith and rely on the Quran completely 100%. This also would probably lead to a D&D discussion, not just with muslims and non-muslims, but between muslims as well. So with that being said, I'll leave it at that.
Intersting... So, you're saying that muslims generally give Mohammed more focus because God gave him the Qur'an, but in actuality, he, Jesus, Moses, and Abraham are all at about the same level (all are equal prophets under God)? Prety much. Think of it like your grandparents, while you respect and love them like your own parents, your parents still the ones that lay down the law. Do muslims believe that their religious leaders are divine (meaning, they're somewhat holier than the common person)? No religious leaders are divine. Are women permitted to be religious leaders? Women are allowed to be leaders in the sense they can become scholars and teachers. Aisha (wife of the prophet) was one of the greatest scholars of Islam, she has narrated many of the hadith. However, a woman is not allowed to lead prayers (unless they are amongst themselves) or lead the Friday sermons.
You HAVE to shave your head to the skin after Hajj :grin: There is no such rule forbidding the shaving of your head to the skin.
There is a difference in a cultural Sunnah and a religious one. We are not rewarded for wearing a turban or wearing a robe or living in Arabia. However, we are rewarded for following sunnahs that are tied to worship, ie sunnah prayers, sunnah fasts, etc etc... Beard is as I mentioned controversial amongst Muslims because many believe it to be mandatory based on the fact that it was commanded by the Prophet, and not just something he did.
What old-testament stories are also taught in Islam? (garden of Eden? Cain and Abel? Noah and the flood? Moses and Egypt? Parting the red sea? others?) Almost all of them, The prophets of Islam and Christianity that are similar have similar stories. One major difference that shocked me and that I noticed was the story of Lot/Lut... In Christianty it is said he was a victim of incestuous relationships by his daughters. Islam views all Prophets as pure, and hence no such immoral acts occured. Specifically, what it taught about Abram/Abraham, Sarai/Sarah, and Hagar? (this is crucial because this is where islam branched away from judaism) What exactly are you alluding to?
I want to thank droxford for starting a great thread. I've learned a lot. I have a couple of questions: Who are all of the Prophets of Islam? Are they just Abraham, Jesus, and Mohammed? Or do you honor others as Prophets like Ishmael, Samuel, Elijah, Jeremiah, or anyone else? I often see on the BBS, but rarely elsewhere, the acronym PBUH after Mohammed's or Jesus' name. I assume that is for "Praise be upon Him", right? Why isn't that considered a form of worship?
There are supposed to be 124,000 prophets. It's uncertain who they all are. In other words, Buddha could've been a prophet. The 5 major prophets are Abraham (Ibrahim), Noah (Nooh), Moses (Moosa), Jesus (Isa), and Muhammad.
and 25 are mentioned by name in the Quran. ARABIC NAME BIBLICAL NAME 1.ADAM - ADAM 2. IDRIS - ENOCH 3. NUH -NOAH 4.HUD - EBER 5.SALEH - SHALOH 6.IBRAHIM -ABRAHAM 7.LUT - LOT 8.ISMAIL -ISHMAEL 9.ISHAQ -ISAAC 10.YAQUB -JACOB 11.YUSUF -JOSEPH 12.AYUB - JOB 13.SHOAIB -JETHRO 14.MUSHA -MOSES 15.HARUN -AARON 16.DHUL-KIFL -EZEKIEL 17.DAWOOD - DAV ID 18.SULAIMAN -SOLOMAN 19.ILYAS -ELIJAH 20.AL-YASA -ELISHA 21.YUNUS - JONAH 22.ZAKARIYA -ZACHARIAS 23.YAHYA -JOHN THE BAPTIST 24.ISA - JESUS 25. MUHAMMAD
