Misconceptions or Questions about Islam and Muslims?

[Insaanistan]

Hello everyone! Peace be with you:

This is meant to be independent from the Islamic Discussion thread. Here is specifically for people, Muslim or not, who have any questions about Islam. If I don't know the answer, I'll do anything I can to find it. Just be respectful. My primary purpose is not to convert your, but to clarify any misconceptions and answer any questions.

Note: If you want to convert to Islam, say this (better to do it at your local mosque/masjid):

Ash-hadu anla ilaha il Allah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammada rasul Allah.

I bear witness that there is no god but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is his prophet.

[Nuroblav]

Hi!

I've heard about the 'jihad' concept. If I remember correctly it's about fighting the evil within yourself or something like that. Is that correct?

Also, from an onlooker's perspective the religion seems pretty authoritarian. I might be wrong but what are your thoughts?

Thanks!

[The Alma Mater]

Can you share some positive things muslims contributed to mankind in the last 100 years ? Like e,g, cures for diseases, inventions everybody enjoys etc

Because we get showered with the misery muslims cause, but never hear anything positive.

[Red Roja]

Hi!

I've heard about the 'jihad' concept. If I remember correctly it's about fighting the evil within yourself or something like that. Is that correct?

Also, from an onlooker's perspective the religion seems pretty authoritarian. I might be wrong but what are your thoughts?

Thanks!

Just read the Quran and Hadith and you will see that it is very authoritarian. Especially against women and non-Muslims who are said to be worth only half as much as much as men. Sura 4 commands men to beat disobedient wives and women are not allowed to say no when a man wants sex. Homosexuals, apostates, adulterers, and idol worshipers are executed in accordance with Islamic law. Sura 9 outright commands to Muslims to "kills the infidels where ever they may be".

Lewd women are to be confined to their houses until death. 4:15

Men are in charge of women, because Allah made men to be better than women. Women must obey men, and if they refuse they must be punished. Refuse to have sex with them and beat them into submission. 4:34

Don't bother trying to treat your wives fairly. It's not possible. 4:129

"Unto a male is equivalent share of two females." 4:176

Slay the idolaters wherever you find them. 9:5

Fight the disbelievers and hypocrites. Be harsh with them. They are all going to hell anyway. 9:73

You don't have to be modest around your wives or your slave girls "that your right hand possess." 23:6

Women must cover themselves when in public. 33:59

You don't have to be chaste around your wives or your slave girls. 70:29-30

[Rojava Free State]

What do Muslims think of ireland?

[Insaanistan]

Hi!

I've heard about the 'jihad' concept. If I remember correctly it's about fighting the evil within yourself or something like that. Is that correct?

Also, from an onlooker's perspective the religion seems pretty authoritarian. I might be wrong but what are your thoughts?

Thanks!

Hello,
Jihad literally means “exerted effort” or “struggle”, not “war”. There is the jihad to be a better Muslim, and the jihad of the sword. Jihad of the sword must be declared by a religious leader, and be for the defense or bettering of the Muslim Ummah, or community. It cannot be for territorial or economic gain. Innocents must not be hurt. Women must not be raped. Wounded and captured soldiers must be treated as one’s own. The war must stop once the enemy desists. You cannot do unnecessary damage. You cannot poison drinking wells (the modern version being chemical or biological warfare).
And I don’t see Islam as authoritarian in any way. It’s a very free religion. You have rules, but that doesn’t make it authoritarian.

[Insaanistan]

What do Muslims think of ireland?

Hello,
LOL. The Irish ones love Ireland. Most couldn’t care either way.

[Insaanistan]

Can you share some positive things muslims contributed to mankind in the last 100 years ? Like e,g, cures for diseases, inventions everybody enjoys etc

Because we get showered with the misery muslims cause, but never hear anything positive.

Hello,
The following things are Muslim inventions:
Algebra
Coffee
Cameras
Many Surgical Instruments
Universities
Way better maps
Better Astolabes
The idea there are two other Continents across the ocean from Africa
An almost exact diameter of the Earth
Flying Machines
Clocks
Glasses
An advanced book about medicine
Paper Mills
Computer/Mathematical Algorithms
Soap
Chess Manuals
Ethanol
The idea of food chains
Glass manufacturing

And much, MUCH more.

[Jolthig]

Salaam brother. You should've asked this in IDT, and this thread may get moved to IDT soon as it's impossible to make a thread about Islam and muslims outside of IDT.

[Insaanistan]

Salaam brother. You should've asked this in IDT, and this thread may get moved to IDT soon as it's impossible to make a thread about Islam and muslims outside of IDT.

Wa alaykum salam,
I understand why that might happen, which is why I put in the OP that this is meant to be independent from IDT. IDT Islamic stuff in general, but this one is specifically to clear up any misconceptions, and I hope the moderators understand that.

[Genivaria]

Can you share some positive things muslims contributed to mankind in the last 100 years ? Like e,g, cures for diseases, inventions everybody enjoys etc

Because we get showered with the misery muslims cause, but never hear anything positive.

Wasn't the Scientific Method put together by an Arab philosopher in Baghdad?
Ibn al-Haytham I believe, he essentially finished and codified what Aristotle began.

[Red Roja]

Can you share some positive things muslims contributed to mankind in the last 100 years ? Like e,g, cures for diseases, inventions everybody enjoys etc

Because we get showered with the misery muslims cause, but never hear anything positive.

Hello,
The following things are Muslim inventions:
Algebra
Coffee
Cameras
Many Surgical Instruments
Universities
Way better maps
Better Astolabes
The idea there are two other Continents across the ocean from Africa
An almost exact diameter of the Earth
Flying Machines
Clocks
Glasses
An advanced book about medicine
Paper Mills
Computer/Mathematical Algorithms
Soap
Chess Manuals
Ethanol
The idea of food chains
Glass manufacturing

And much, MUCH more.

The Greeks invented algebra, the Italians invented glasses, glass making was invented in ancient Rome around the time of Christianity, and the first flying machines were invented by the Chinese. Just because Muslims stole the credit for something or added their own spin on something doesn't mean they invented it.

Islam itself is made up of stolen elements from Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and local Arab pagan religions.

[Insaanistan]

Can you share some positive things muslims contributed to mankind in the last 100 years ? Like e,g, cures for diseases, inventions everybody enjoys etc

Because we get showered with the misery muslims cause, but never hear anything positive.

Wasn't the Scientific Method put together by an Arab philosopher in Baghdad?
Ibn al-Haytham I believe, he essentially finished and codified what Aristotle began.

Yes. I decided that what I had put was enough, and that the person could research more themselves. The Scientific Method is rather innate in humans, but was not implemented as an official practice until the Islamic Golden Age.

[Jolthig]

Salaam brother. You should've asked this in IDT, and this thread may get moved to IDT soon as it's impossible to make a thread about Islam and muslims outside of IDT.

Wa alaykum salam,
I understand why that might happen, which is why I put in the OP that this is meant to be independent from IDT. IDT Islamic stuff in general, but this one is specifically to clear up any misconceptions, and I hope the moderators understand that.

IDT is already made for that, brother. In answered allegations and questions myself many times in IDT. Although, this is a good way to get IDT active again, nonetheless.

[Jolthig]

What do Muslims think of ireland?

Imam Ibrahim Noonan of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is from there. A great imam and he is a convert, like me. I admire his passion. I pray, Ireland may become converted to Ahmadiyya Islam in the future, inshallah. The white birds of the Promised Messiah's (as) prophecy, will inshallah, come true.

[Insaanistan]

Hello,
The following things are Muslim inventions:
Algebra
Coffee
Cameras
Many Surgical Instruments
Universities
Way better maps
Better Astolabes
The idea there are two other Continents across the ocean from Africa
An almost exact diameter of the Earth
Flying Machines
Clocks
Glasses
An advanced book about medicine
Paper Mills
Computer/Mathematical Algorithms
Soap
Chess Manuals
Ethanol
The idea of food chains
Glass manufacturing

And much, MUCH more.

The Greeks invented algebra, the Italians invented glasses, glass making was invented in ancient Rome around the time of Christianity, and the first flying machines were invented by the Chinese. Just because Muslims stole the credit for something or added their own spin on something doesn't mean they invented it.

Islam itself is made up of stolen elements from Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, and local Arab pagan religions.

Firstly, the Greeks made some foundations for algebra, but it is definitely a Muslim invention. The glass I would need to see some research on, and the Chinese flying machine one is hardly believable. And just because a religion has similarities with others, doesn’t mean it’s borrowed. In Islam, we believe all previous religions are the products of change to what God’d Prophets said (There were thousands of prophets before Muhammad p.b.u.h., and they were sent to every nation) so it’s quite possible that some of what was originally there didn’t change.

[Red Roja]

What do Muslims think of ireland?

Imam Ibrahim Noonan of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is from there. A great imam and he is a convert, like me. I admire his passion. I pray, Ireland may become converted to Ahmadiyya Islam in the future, inshallah. The white birds of the Promised Messiah's (as) prophecy, will inshallah, come true.

The Irish respect democracy and basic human rights too much to embrace Islam.

[Insaanistan]

Wa alaykum salam,
I understand why that might happen, which is why I put in the OP that this is meant to be independent from IDT. IDT Islamic stuff in general, but this one is specifically to clear up any misconceptions, and I hope the moderators understand that.

IDT is already made for that, brother. In answered allegations and questions myself many times in IDT. Although, this is a good way to get IDT active again, nonetheless.

However, it definitely doesn’t seem as if that was its intended or primary purpose.

[Jolthig]

Imam Ibrahim Noonan of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is from there. A great imam and he is a convert, like me. I admire his passion. I pray, Ireland may become converted to Ahmadiyya Islam in the future, inshallah. The white birds of the Promised Messiah's (as) prophecy, will inshallah, come true.

The Irish respect democracy and basic human rights too much to embrace Islam.

What basic human rights and tenants of democracy does Islam reject? Human rights is a huge thing in Islam.

[Insaanistan]

Imam Ibrahim Noonan of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is from there. A great imam and he is a convert, like me. I admire his passion. I pray, Ireland may become converted to Ahmadiyya Islam in the future, inshallah. The white birds of the Promised Messiah's (as) prophecy, will inshallah, come true.

The Irish respect democracy and basic human rights too much to embrace Islam.

Not sure how a religion that’s says you should even cut down trees unnecessarily in war is against human rights. Please explain.

[Jolthig]

IDT is already made for that, brother. In answered allegations and questions myself many times in IDT. Although, this is a good way to get IDT active again, nonetheless.

However, it definitely doesn’t seem as if that was its intended or primary purpose.

It's intended for a variety of things related to Islam and Muslims. Anything that is mentioned about the two, should go in IDT.

[Red Roja]

The Irish respect democracy and basic human rights too much to embrace Islam.

What basic human rights and tenants of democracy does Islam reject? Human rights is a huge thing in Islam.

Violating human rights is a big thing in Islam. Treating women as property, spousal rape, slavery, raping slave girls, killing apostates, targeting civilians in war, woman are only half as valuable as men, a woman's testimony is worth half as much as a man's in court, killing homosexuals, I can go on.

[Insaanistan]

What basic human rights and tenants of democracy does Islam reject? Human rights is a huge thing in Islam.

Violating human rights is a big thing in Islam. Treating women as property, spousal rape, slavery, raping slave girls, killing apostates, targeting civilians in war, woman are only half as valuable as men, a woman's testimony is worth half as much as a man's in court, killing homosexuals, I can go on.

What? Why would you... what? Women have an equal status in Islam, rape is definitely prohibited, slavery is looked down upon, attacking civilians is a HUGE no no, a woman’s testimony is only half because she might go through pregnancy between the trial and incident, which could ruin her memory (many scholars say if you know she is reliable, only one is needed) and as for the gay, I’d need to see a Hadith or verse saying that.

[Jolthig]

What basic human rights and tenants of democracy does Islam reject? Human rights is a huge thing in Islam.

Violating human rights is a big thing in Islam. Treating women as property

Women aren't treated as Property in Islam. There is no quranic verse or hadith that alludes to this.

spousal rape

Spousal rape is not a thing in Islam as it would contradict the Islamic concepts of chastity.

slavery

raping slave girls

Although there was definitely slaves in Muhammad's time, he intended to abolish that practice slowly.

There is no verse or hadith that mention raping slave girls either.

killing apostates

There is no Quranic verse that supports this. If you bring up the hadith of "Ibn Abbas", that hadith is false because one of the narrators, Ikrima, was a slave of Ibn Abbas who later converted to the Khawarij, a hostile sect that brought chaos and disorder to Arabia, especially towards some of the first khalifas.

, targeting civilians in war

There is no such thing.

Quranic verse 60:8: Allah forbids you not, respecting those who have not fought against you on account of your religion, and who have not driven you forth from your homes, that you be kind to them and act equitably towards them; surely Allah loves those who are equitable.

woman are only half as valuable as men

Men and women are equal in Islam.

Quranic verse 16:98: Whoso acts righteously, whether male or female, and is a believer, We will surely grant him a pure life; and We will surely bestow on such their reward according to the best of their works.

a woman's testimony is worth half as much as a man's in court

Incorrect. As a matter of fact, in Surah al-Noor 24:6-8, a women's (which in this case is the wife of a husband) testimony is more than enough to prove their case. In al-Nisa 4:15, the testimony of 4 witnesses can be both male and female. There is no genders mentioned other than the fact it's gender neutral.

Now, let's go to the root of your allegation: The allegation this stems from is al-Baqarah 2:282:

And call two witnesses from among your men; and if two men be not available, then a man and two women, of such as you like as witnesses, so that if either of two women should err in memory,

In this case, this is regarding financial matters when a product is brought and sold or any other transaction: https://www.alislam.org/quran/2:283

The purpose of a second female witness is to assist the other female, who is the party involved in a financial matter, in helping to remember how the transaction was made whereas for a man, his own testimony is sufficient.

For more information: https://www.alislam.org/articles/2-fema ... e-witness/

, killing homosexuals, I can go on.

Nope. Islam does not prescribe killing homosexuals either. Although yes, homosexuality is no doubt, a grave sin in Islam, there is no death penalty for it.

If these do not satisfy you, let us both go straight to the sources that we cite our arguments from, and let us put one another's knowledge of Islam to the test, shall we? Let's make this a good historical and political academic discussion for our audience to benefit from as I enjoy good discussions.

[Insaanistan]

Violating human rights is a big thing in Islam. Treating women as property

Women aren't treated as Property in Islam. There is no quranic verse or hadith that alludes to this.

spousal rape

Spousal rape is not a thing in Islam as it would contradict the Islamic concepts of chastity.

slavery

raping slave girls

Although there was definitely slaves in Muhammad's time, he intended to abolish that practice slowly.

There is no verse or hadith that mention raping slave girls either.

killing apostates

There is no Quranic verse that supports this. If you bring up the hadith of "Ibn Abbas", that hadith is false because one of the narrators, Ikrima, was a slave of Ibn Abbas who later converted to the Khawarij, a hostile sect that brought chaos and disorder to Arabia, especially towards some of the first khalifas.

, targeting civilians in war

There is no such thing.

Quranic verse 60:8: Allah forbids you not, respecting those who have not fought against you on account of your religion, and who have not driven you forth from your homes, that you be kind to them and act equitably towards them; surely Allah loves those who are equitable.

woman are only half as valuable as men

Men and women are equal in Islam.

Quranic verse 16:98: Whoso acts righteously, whether male or female, and is a believer, We will surely grant him a pure life; and We will surely bestow on such their reward according to the best of their works.

a woman's testimony is worth half as much as a man's in court

Incorrect. As a matter of fact, in Surah al-Noor 24:6-8, a women's (which in this case is the wife of a husband) testimony is more than enough to prove their case. In al-Nisa 4:15, the testimony of 4 witnesses can be both male and female. There is no genders mentioned other than the fact it's gender neutral.

Now, let's go to the root of your allegation: The allegation this stems from is al-Baqarah 2:282:

And call two witnesses from among your men; and if two men be not available, then a man and two women, of such as you like as witnesses, so that if either of two women should err in memory,

In this case, this is regarding financial matters when a product is brought and sold or any other transaction: https://www.alislam.org/quran/2:283

The purpose of a second female witness is to assist the other female, who is the party involved in a financial matter, in helping to remember how the transaction was made whereas for a man, his own testimony is sufficient.

For more information: https://www.alislam.org/articles/2-fema ... e-witness/

, killing homosexuals, I can go on.

Nope. Islam does not prescribe killing homosexuals either. Although yes, homosexuality is no doubt, a grave sin in Islam, there is no death penalty for it.

If these do not satisfy you, let us both go straight to the sources that we cite our arguments from, and let us put one another's knowledge of Islam to the test, shall we? Let's make this a good historical and political academic discussion for our audience to benefit from as I enjoy good discussions.

LOL. I’m not even Ahmadiyya and I use alislam sometimes.