Why are so many Christian religious groups against alcohol, sorry it is a hot debate in my town? I mean, didn't Jesus turn water into wine, not non-alcoholic grape juice? Why don't Jehova's witnesses celebrate holidays and birthdays? Why do Baptists consider men head of the household and what privlidges or rights are given to men in Baptists households who are head of the family?
because drunkenness leads to a lot of negative things... ...and, though i am skeptical myself, many believe that it was non-alcoholic grapejuice, but i doubt it. i personally am not against alcohol itself - but i think that there is a huge difference between drinking and getting drunk and am well aware that many simply can't control themselves to the point of only having one or two drinks.
http://63.175.194.25/index.php?ds=qa&lv=browse&QR=2532&ln=eng Question : Have I heard correctly that your rules of modesty require men to crouch or squat to urinate?? I am wondering if it would be more polite not to use the urinal in a men's room if someone who I believe is Moslem is nearby at the wash basin. I know that for women the modesty laws are a lot stricter than for most Western women, and I respect Islamic women very much for that. I also don't want to offend Moslems if there is some way I may be acting in an immodest way, unknowingly, around them. Thank you in advance for your answer and may the blessings of health and peace attend you. Answer : Praise be to Allaah. First of all, we must thank you for you concern about the feelings of Muslims and your efforts to find out what may offend them so that you may avoid it. We are happy to provide you with a detailed answer to your question and more, in the hope that it may open the way to great good for you. Among the signs of the greatness of the blessed Islamic sharee’ah is the fact that there is no good thing, major or minor, that it has not commanded us to do or pointed the way to it, and there is no bad thing, major or minor, that it has not warned us against or forbidden. It is perfect and complete in all aspects, a fact which has often greatly astonished non-Muslims and earned their admiration. (At the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)), one of the mushrikeen (polytheists) said to (the Prophet’s Companion) Salmaan al-Farsi (may Allaah be pleased with him): “Your Prophet has taught you everything, even how to defecate!” Salmaan said: “Yes, he forbade us to face the qiblah when urinating or defecating…” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, no. 16; he said it is a saheeh hasan hadeeth; also reported in Saheeh Muslim and elsewhere). Islamic sharee’ah includes a number of rules and manners to be followed when answering the call of nature, including the following: Not to face the qiblah (direction of prayer, i.e. the Ka’bah which was built in Makkah by Ibrahim, upon whom be peace, as commanded by Allaah) when urinating or defecating. This is out of respect for the Qiblah and for the symbols and rituals of Allaah. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you sits down to answer the call of nature, he should not face the qiblah or turn his back towards it.” (Reported by Muslim, 389). He should not touch his penis with his right hand when urinating, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you urinates, he should not hold his penis in his right hand or clean it with his right hand; and (when drinking), he should not breathe into the vessel.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 150). He should not remove najaasah (impurity) with his right hand; the left hand should be used for this purpose, because of the hadeeth quoted above, and because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you wipes himself, he should not use his right hand.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 5199). The Prophet’s wife Hafsah (may Allaah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to use his right hand for eating, drinking, making wudoo’, getting dressed, and giving and taking things, and he used to use his left hand for other things. (Reported by Imaam Ahmad; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4912). Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When any one of you cleans himself, he should not use his right hand, he should use his left hand.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, 308; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 322). The Sunnah is to answer the call of nature sitting, making oneself close to the ground, because this is more concealing, and makes it less likely that spray from one's urine will come back on one’s body or clothes, making them dirty. If a person can be sure of avoiding this, then it is permissible to urinate standing up. A person should be concealed from the sight of others when answering the call of nature. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to prefer to go behind a rise in the ground or a garden of date palms. (Reported by Muslim, 517). If a person is out in an open space and cannot find anything to conceal him when he needs to answer the call of nature, he should move far away from the other people around him, because al-Mugheerah ibn Shu’bah said: “I was with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) on a journey, when he felt the need to answer the call of nature, so he went far away.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 20; he said it is a saheeh hasan hadeeth). ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Abi Quraad said: “I went out with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to an open space, and when he needed to answer the call of nature, he moved away.” (Reported by al-Nisaa’i, 16; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4651) A person should not uncover his ‘awrah (private parts) until after he has squatted close to the ground, because this is more concealing, as Anas (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported: “When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) wanted to answer the call of nature, he would not lift his garment until he had squatted close to the ground.” (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 14; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4652). If a person is in a (modern) toilet, he should not lift his garment until he has closed the door and is out of sight of other people. With regard to this point and the one before, it is worth noting that the habit of many people in the West and elsewhere, of urinating in a standing position in front of other people in public toilets (using urinals) is something which goes against good manners, modesty and decency, and is repulsive to anyone who possesses sound common sense and wisdom. How can anybody uncover in front of other people the ‘awrah (private parts) which Allaah has placed between his legs to conceal it and commanded him to cover it? The idea that it should be covered is well established among all wise and decent people of all races. It is wrong in principle to build restrooms of this shameful type, where the users can see one another, thus making them worse than some kinds of animals whose habit is to conceal themselves from one another when urinating or defecating. It is also good manners according to Sharee’ah to recite certain adhkaar (supplications) when entering or leaving the toilet, which are quite appropriate to the situation and place. Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us that when entering the toilet, we should say: “Allaahumma innee a’oodhi bika min al-khubthi wa’l-khabaa’ith (O Allah, I seek refuge with You from male and female devils).” When leaving the toilet, he should say: “Ghufraanak (I seek Your forgiveness).” He should be careful to remove all impurity after answering the call of nature, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) warned against being careless in cleaning oneself after urinating: “Most of the punishment of the grave will be because of urine.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, 342; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 1202). Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with them both) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by two graves, and said: “They are being punished, but they are not being punished for any major sin. One of them used not to protect himself (i.e. keep himself clean from) his urine, and the other used to walk about spreading malicious gossip.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 5592). Any impurity should be washed or wiped three times or an odd number of times greater than three, according to whatever is needed to cleanse it, because ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to wash his posterior three times. Ibn ‘Umar said: “We did this too and found it to be healing and cleansing.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, 350; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 4993). Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When anyone of you cleans himself (with stones or similar material) let him use an odd number.” (Reported by Imaam Ahmad; classed as hasan in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 375). He should not use bones or dung to clean himself or wipe away the impurity, rather, he should use tissue, stones, and the like. Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that he used to carry a vessel for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to do wudoo’ and clean himself after answering the call of nature. Whilst he was following him, he (the Prophet) asked, “Who is that?” He said: “I am Abu Hurayrah.” He said: “Get me some stones I can use to clean myself, but do not bring me any bones or dung.” So I brought him some stones, carrying them in the hem of my garment, and placed them by his side, then I went away. When he had finished, I came back and asked him, “What is wrong with bones and dung?” He said: “They are the food of the jinn.” (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 3571). A person should not urinate into stagnant water, because Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) forbade anyone to urinate into stagnant water (reported by Muslim, 423), and because this makes the water impure and harms those who use it. A person should not urinate by the roadside or in places where people seek shade, because this is offensive to them. Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Fear the two things that bring curses.” They asked, “What are the two things that bring curses, O Messenger of Allaah?” He said: “When a person relieves himself in the road where people walk or in the place where they seek shade.” (Reported by Abu Dawud, 23; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 110). One should not greet a person who is answering the call of nature, or return a greeting whilst one is answering the call of nature, out of respect to Allaah by not mentioning His name in a dirty place. [Translator’s note: the Islamic greeting is “al-salaam ‘alaykum (peace be upon you)”; one of the names of Allaah is al-Salaam (the Peace)]. Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah reported that a man passed by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) whilst he was urinating, and greeted him. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to him: “If you see me in this state, do not greet me, because if you do, I will not respond.” (Reported by Ibn Maajah, 346; see also Saheeh al-Jaami’, 575). The majority of scholars say that it is makrooh (disliked) to speak in the restroom unnecessarily. These are some of the rules and manners prescribed by the sharee’ah of Islam in this matter which is repeated many times a day by every person. If the sharee’ah has paid such minute attention to the details of such a mundane matter, what do you think it has to say about more important issues? Do you know of any other religion or system in the world that has brought laws like this? This is enough, by Allaah, to prove its perfection and beauty, and the necessity of following it. We ask Allaah to give us and you strength and to guide us all to the truth. May Allaah bless our Prophet Muhammad. Islam Q&A Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
Let's not forget Pork.... Both Muslims and Jews are against this wonderful food. I guess it ain't kosher. And don't leave out Hindus and their sacred cows. DD
It's not a rule though, it's a understanding about killing. And monks begging for food will eat meat if it is given to them determining how it was prepared etc.
I just want to point out that not using the right hand when, "doing your business," is a common custom among many cultures. It's not something that the Prophet figured out from getting a message from On High (in my opinion). Considering that good hygiene is good common sense, giving that suggestion the force of being a religious belief (like other customs in Islam, and other religions) helped to reduce desease. Go to India, for example, and Hindu's do the same thing. As for his modesty, perhaps he was just shy. Considering who he was, anything he did that might have seemed rather ordinary to the casual observer, would be seen by his followers as yet another practice that must be followed. I wouldn't be surprised if the Prophet found that amusing, but we'll never know.
None, just more responsibilities. Kam, I've criticized Mormons in a thread Clutch was actively participating in (long ago), and he didn't bring the hammer down on me, make a chart or photochop to ridicule me or anything. Even so, this thread seems to be on dangerous ground. But, I'll join in. From 1st Corinthians 11: I went to a church in Chicago and a middle-aged black lady called me on this, even though she knew I wasn't a Christian anyway. I neglected to take off my baseball cap, so she told me take it off. She always wore a hat to church too, as she's apparently supposed to. But, you don't see many women actually observing this propriety (the men mostly have it down, but their job is easier).
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/...h-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503545312 Title of Fatwa Pork Is Forbidden: But Why? Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger. Dear brother in Islam, thank you very much for having confidence in us and we implore Allah to guide us all to the best and to direct you to that which pleases Him, Amen. As regards your question, we’d like to make it clear that every committed Muslim should accept Allah’s Commands willingly, even without realizing the wisdom behind the Divine rule in question. If man manages to realize the wisdom behind certain prohibited things, it is well and good. If his mind lacks comprehending that Divine Wisdom, then he should accept the truth as it is, keeping in mind that Allah Almighty is the Omniscient of that which is beneficial to His Creatures. When Allah Almighty prohibits something for His servants, He does so certainly out of His overflowing mercy on them, to save them from all what may bring them harm; He is indeed Ever-Kind and Most Glorious! As regards the reason why eating pork is prohibited, we’d like to cite for the words of Dr. Zakir Naik, the president of Islamic Research Foundation, Mumbai. He states the following: “The fact that consumption of pork is prohibited in Islam is well known. The following points explain various aspects of this prohibition: 1. Pork prohibited in the Qur’an: The Qur’an prohibits the consumption of pork in no less than 4 different places. It’s prohibited in 2:173, 5:3, 6:145 and 16:115. For instance, Allah says: “Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked a name other than that of Allah.” (Al-Ma’idah: 3) The above verses of the Glorious Qur’an are sufficient to satisfy a Muslim as to why pork is forbidden. 2. Pork prohibited in the Bible: Addressing the Christian who is likely to be convinced by his religious scriptures, the Bible prohibits the consumption of pork, in the book of Leviticus: “…and the swine, as he divideth the hoof, and be cloven footed, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you. Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch, they are unclean to you.” (Leviticus chapter 11 verse 7 and 8) Pork is also prohibited in the book of Deuteronomy: “And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you. Ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass.” (Deuteronomy chapter 14 verse 8) A similar prohibition is repeated in the book of Isaiah chapter 65 verse 2-5. 3. Consumption of pork causes several diseases: The other non-Muslims and atheists will agree only if convinced through reason, logic and science. Eating of pork can cause no less than seventy different types of diseases. A person can have various helminthes, like roundworm, pinworm, hookworm, etc. One of the most dangerous is Taenia Solium, which in a layman’s terminology is called tapeworm. It harbors in the intestine and is very long. Its ova, i.e. eggs, enter the blood stream and can reach almost all the organs of the body. If it enters the brain it can cause memory loss. If it enters the heart it can cause heart attack and if it enters the eye it can cause blindness. If it enters the liver it can cause liver damage. It can damage almost all the organs of the body. Another dangerous helminthes is Taenia Trichuriasis. A common misconception about pork is that if it is cooked well, these ova die. In a research project undertaken in America, it was found that out of twenty-four people suffering from Taenia tichurasis, twenty two had cooked the pork very well. This indicates that the ovas present in the pork do not die under normal cooking temperature. 4. Pork has fat building material: Pork has very little muscle building material and contains excess of fat. This fat gets deposited in the vessels and can cause hypertension and heart attack. 5. The pig is one of the filthiest animals on earth: The pig is one of the filthiest animals on earth. It lives and thrives on muck, filth and dirt. In the villages they don’t have modern toilets and the villagers excrete in the open air. Very often excreta are cleared by pigs. Some may argue that in advanced countries like Australia, pigs are bred in very clean and hygienic conditions. Even in these hygienic conditions the pigs are kept together in sties. No matter how hard you try to keep them clean they are filthy by nature. They eat and enjoy their own as well as their neighbor’s excreta. ” The above answer is excerpted with slight modifications from http://www.islamicvoice.com
also, correct me if I am wrong, but the Pig is also very close to human in genetical make-up it also does not have a main vein (not sure if its the jugular?) that the blood flows from when it is slaughtered, hence the blood is still stored in it's flesh and is unhealthy to eat
