Reading other Religious Texts besides Al-Qur'an & Hadiths...

[Stasis_Lock]

Would this be considered shirk? I am alluding to religious texts such as The Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Dhammapada, or the Bhagavad Gita as it is because i don't believe these are in the list of "books of Allah", though I may be wrong. Should I throw away these books and devote myself wholeheartedly to my Qur'an studies, or is it okay to read other religious texts just as long as I don't believe in their deities? Maybe I am just confusing myself with information overload? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank Youz XD

[aamirsaab]

:sl:
It's not haram to read it if that is what you are asking. Read em if you want to.

[Stasis_Lock]

Thank you for the reply Aamirsaab.

[Woodrow]

Much will depend upon your intent in reading them and what you hope to gain. If your purpose is simply curiosity or as a diversion or for entertainment I would suggest reading alternate books that would benefit you or serve a purpose.

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[alcurad]

for muslims, these religious texts have been subsumed by the Qur'an, the prophet once saw Omar ibn Al Khattab reading a paper that contained some of the Torah in it, so he was angered and said:
((are you in doubt oh Ibn Al Khattab, did I need come forth with it, white and pure?-referring to Islam- if my brother Moses had been alive, he couldn't have done but followed me)).
the point is, if you can read it and not be affected by any beliefs that contradict the Qur'an then sure you can read them, otherwise no.

[Trumble]

Much will depend upon your intent in reading them and what you hope to gain. If your purpose is simply curiosity or as a diversion or for entertainment I would suggest reading alternate books that would benefit you or serve a purpose.

Very strange advice for the comparative religion forum, Woodrow!

Reading some of the most profound spiritual works in the history of mankind, even if they are associated with the 'wrong' region, will benefit you more than most things I can think of. You will never understand other religions based on what muslims write about them, any more than I could understand Islam by only reading what Buddhist and Christian scholars have to say about it!

[Qingu]

If your faith in Islam is in danger of being eroded simply by reading another religion's holy text, your faith in Islam must be pretty weak.

I'm an atheist and I've read many religious texts. Never have I thought twice about doing this because "I might be tempted to abandon my atheism." And if if I ever am tempted, then maybe that means there's something to the text I'm reading, and I should reconsider my beliefs. But if you're confident that what you believe is right then this shouldn't worry you at all.

[alcurad]

not the point generally Qingu, it's rather about finishing the Qur'an and associated studies first- doable butnot an easy feat, then dabble in as you want, otherwise it could lead to confusion. and who said faith cannot increase or decrease..

[Qingu]

not the point generally Qingu, it's rather about finishing the Qur'an and associated studies first- doable butnot an easy feat, then dabble in as you want, otherwise it could lead to confusion. and who said faith cannot increase or decrease..

Why are you so worried about "confusion" when the truth of Islam is supposed to be so obvious and unassailable?

[alcurad]

I'm not worried about myself at that, but Islam has been 'out of practice' to some extent these last two centuries with the exception of the last two or three decades, few can truly grasp the implications by themselves let alone with all the 'noise' from other philosophies & ways of life. true, humanity does share much, that's why realizing the differences is even more important.
the way I see it is, both the way it-Islam- has been understood and the other philosophies are human achievements/efforts that need to be taken seriously, but there is no such thing as neutrality or 'truth'. thus, one reads the Qur'an and associated studies first, then proceeds to study/deconstruct other books/philosophies accordingly, given of course that one is Muslim..

[Stasis_Lock]

Thank you guys for your guidance on this issue.