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jas84173
11-18-2015, 03:39 AM
I am a Christian, more specifically a Catholic, but this isn't about that. I have always looked at the similarities of world religions and enjoy learning about them. I have friends of Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist beliefs. I however hear this stuff on t.v. that Islam wants to basically "Come to America and implement Sharia Law on us", and that Islam hates Christians and Jews, some reference from the Qur'an that says "Do not take Jews and Christians as friends"? I was just wondering what the main census is, as after the events in Paris a lot of Americans seem to be paranoid about letting refugees from Syria in ( When I find it ironic seeing as about 20% of Syria is Christian anyways. I feel as though the media in America has an anti- Islam tone to it. I don't know if it is just me. I really am just interested to know what mainstream Muslims feel toward Jews and Christians?
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Futuwwa
11-18-2015, 07:20 AM
A quarter of the world's population are Muslims, and we are spread out all around the world. There isn't anything like an "average Muslim" any more than there's a "typical average Christian".
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eesa the kiwi
11-18-2015, 07:42 AM
have a look at this site, alhamdulilah it has some really beneficial articles, inshaallah you'll find the answers you seek
www.islamreligion.com
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BlueOwl358
11-18-2015, 10:44 AM
What does mainstream Islam believe? What the Quran and Hadith say of course!

Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes - from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly. (Quran 60:8)

Allah only forbids you from those who fight you because of religion and expel you from your homes and aid in your expulsion - [forbids] that you make allies of them. And whoever makes allies of them, then it is those who are the wrongdoers. (Quran 60:9)


These two verses give us two types of non-Muslims and two separate answers as to what our relationship with them has to be, which is to be friendly to those who do not fight you, and to not ally those that do fight against you. In a peaceful situation, it is an obligation upon Muslims to deal with everyone else in a just and right manner. However the Quran also tells us not to ally political enemies of ours.

The following verse gives some insight into the rights that non-Muslims must be given under a Muslim government:

Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him, said: “If anyone wrongs a man with whom a covenant has been made, or curtails any right of his, or imposes on him more than he can bear, or takes anything from him without his ready agreement, I shall be his adversary on the day of resurrection.” (Sunan Abu Dawud, Hadith 3052.)

What covenant is this quotation of the Prophet (pbuh) talking about? It is the covenant of peace and friendship between the two nations. Under a Muslim government, non-Muslims have complete rights to their religion, to their places of worship, to their holy symbols, to their laws, to their rights. Muslims also have a duty to defend them and their rights from foreign aggressors. All of this is given in exchange for a tax called Jizya, which is very low, about 5 percent I think. No other tax can be imposed on such non-Muslims, while Muslims themselves must pay the Zakat and Land tax. Also, the poor and weak are removed from this.

This is the covenant of Umar with the Christians and Jews of Jerusalem.

“In the name of Allah, the most Gracious, most Beneficent. This is covenant of peace granted by the slave of Allah, the commander of the faithful ‘Umar to the people of Jerusalem. They are granted protection for their lives, their property, their churches, and their Crosses, in whatever condition they are. All of them are granted the same protection. No one will dwell in their churches, nor will they be destroyed and nothing will be reduced of their belongings. Nothing shall be taken from their Crosses or their property. There will be no compulsion on them regarding their religion, nor will any one of them be troubled.” (Tarikh al-Tabari 2/308)

And all of this is referring to the political implications. There is a ton of religious references that refer to good relations between two simple individuals, which hold the same connotations.

They are not [all] the same; among the People of the Scripture is a community standing [in obedience], reciting the verses of Allah during periods of the night and prostrating [in prayer]. They believe in Allah and the Last Day, and they enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and hasten to good deeds. And those are among the righteous. And whatever good they do - never will it be removed from them. And Allah is Knowing of the righteous. (Quran 3:113-115)

If you do a general search on the internet, you will surely find more references saying the exact same thing, because it is there in Islam, and not something that we just conjure up. Muslims have had tremendously good relations with other peoples throughout history, which is the major reason for such a rapid presence of Islam on the global map.
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greenhill
11-18-2015, 11:22 AM
I believe the statement about not taking Jews and Christians as friends has a 'precondition' to it. It is not talking about your ordinary folks off the street, so to speak, but for the ruling class, not to enter into any arrangements with Jews and Christians who already have an alliance between them.. eg America and Israel currently. .. and pretty much every other world organisations (NATO, IMF etc etc).

Makes sense?

:peace:
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ardianto
11-18-2015, 12:21 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by jas84173
some reference from the Qur'an that says "Do not take Jews and Christians as friends"?
That verse refer to specific case that happend in the time when Qur'an revealed, and the word that used in that verse is "awliya" which cannot be translated into "friends" because it has different meaning.

Awliya (singular: wali) means people who are trusted for specific matter, or guardian. It's different than friend in usual meaning. So, there's no prohibition for Muslims to be friend with Jews or Christians in usual friendship. I myself have Christian friends.
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greenhill
11-18-2015, 03:03 PM
Referring to the title thread regarding the media and islam.. it starts with the vow of Satan against the children of Adam.

Allah Said he would send reminders. Not a singular reminder but numerous. Each Book brought a new purpose until it was completed with the Quran.

It would follow that when the Books came, carrying the Words and Commands of Allah, Satan would do his best to make sure that the message is not followed.

He has managed to distort previous messages but unable to change the Quran due Allah's Own Promise to preserve it. But Satan has infiltrated the ranks of Muslims too and has caused to split the ummah. But I digress..

Yes, Satan wants islam buried and wants, more than anything, for people to be lead astray.

The only "whole" truth that is left is in the Quran and the best way to keep the general public from it is to discredit it. It has worked. The vast majority of critics of islam never even looked at the Quran and base their understanding almost entirely from the media. It's not encouraging. Islam will never be portrayed in a good light. it is not in the interest of Satan.

As believers in retribution, we are limited in options but to be patient and strive. Those without restriction or fear of retribution, have no limits as to what they can do. They usually win.

Hence Satan and his unscrupulous ways has corrupted man to want power, richness and now learnt to maintain it, establishing dynasties, manipulating history for an agenda, coupled with clever propaganda etc. Bit by bit Satan convinces man to sideline God and he managed it with the other Books.. but he cannot with the Quran.

Hence the role of the media...

Hope it's not too long winded.


:peace :
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Search
11-18-2015, 08:04 PM
:bism: :sl:

Hey, Jas! Nice to see you!

Welcome! I'm a newbie to these parts! So, hopefully, you find your stay beneficial and awesome!

As to "Islam wants to come to America and Implement Shariah Law on us:" That's funny to me because it is not even 1% true. Seriously. It's your basic fear-mongering from classic cable television channels like Fox News that seem to spout that stuff on a regular basis and want to create this illusion of "us versus them." Additionally, Muslims nations are generally poor apart from a few Middle Eastern nations that are in a position to export oil or have other resources. So, no, I cannot even imagine any Muslim wanting to implement shariah law simply because shariah law doesn't even exist in most (99%) Muslim-majority nations; the closest adherent to shariah law I can even think off the top of my head is probably Saudi Arabia, and even that country has jurisprudence in many legal areas that follows Western or Saudi-based cultural precepts.

Also, while some news channels make it seem that Muslims are one monolithic entity, the "truth is so far off the cuff" so-to-speak: Muslims globally are so impossibly and hopelessly divided by ethnic lines, sectarian lines, racial lines, tribal lines, national lines, and so on and so forth that the Islamophobic memes of "implement shariah law" has about as much basis as the Loch Ness Monster.

By the way, I have non-Muslim friends, and I haven't had any conflict with my faith in being friends with them; in fact, I respect them, and they respect me.

The prohibition of taking non-Muslim friends in the Quran is not interpreted as per the literal words as Quran has exegesis, which comprises of understanding of the Quran as per the ahadith and then what Islamic scholars have interpreted. The Quran ayat (verse) to which you refer is better understood as a warning to Muslims to not make political type alliances with non-Muslim nation-states. For example, the Arabs made a political alliance with the British to topple the Ottoman Empire out of envy of Turks ruling, and though parties, in this case, the Arabs and Turks were Muslim, and the un-Islamic alliance led to the downfall of the Ottoman Empire, which has directly impacted how we came to the status quo in the world comprising of turmoil in Iraq and Syria. Therefore, it is this kind of alliance which the Quran had warned Muslims against making, and it is this type of alliance that led to the downfall of the Caliphate.

Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, for example, former president of Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), had been asked the same question, and this is how he had answered in his fatwa (Islamic ruling):

“The Qur'an does not say that non-Muslims cannot be Muslims' friends, nor does it forbid Muslims to be friendly to non-Muslims. There are many non-Muslims who are good friends of Muslim individuals and the Muslim community. There are also many good Muslims who truly and sincerely observe their faith and are very friendly to many non-Muslims at the same time.

Islam teaches us that we should be friendly to all people. Islam teaches us that we should deal even with our enemies with justice and fairness. Allah says in the Qur'an in the beginning of the same Surat Al-Ma’dah: “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for Allah as witnesses to fair dealings and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just, that is next to piety. Fear Allah, indeed Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do.” (Al-Ma’dah :8)

In another place in the Qur'an, Allah Almighty says:

“Allah forbids you not with regard to those who fight you not for your faith, nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them. For Allah loves those who are just. Allah only forbids you with regard to those who fight you for your faith, and drive you out of your homes and support others in driving you out, from turning to them for protection (or taking them as wali). Those who seek their protection they are indeed wrong- doers.” (Al-Mumtahinah: 8-9)

Moreover, Allah Almighty has described Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as "a mercy" to the worlds. He was a sign of Allah's Mercy to all, Muslims as well as non-Muslims. In his kindness and fair treatment he did not make any difference between the believers and non-believers. He was kind to the pagans of Makkah and fought them only when they fought him. He made treaties with the Jews of Madinah and honored the treaties until they broke them.

He, peace and blessings be upon him, is reported to have received the Christians of Najran with kindness in his Masjid in Madinah. They argued with him about Islam, but he returned them with honor and respect. There are many examples from his life that show that he was the friendliest person to all people.

In the verse you quoted, the word "Awliya" is used. It is a plural and its singular is "wali". The correct translation of the word ""wali"" is not "friend" but it is someone who is very close and intimate. It is also used to mean "guardian, protector, patron, lord and master".

In the Qur'an this word is used for God, such as “Allah is the Protector (or Lord and Master) of those who believe. He takes them out from the depths of darkness to light…” (Al- Baqarah: 257)

There are many other references in the Qur'an that give this meaning. The same word is also sometimes used in the Qur'an for human beings, such as “And whosoever is killed unjustly, We have granted his next kin "wali" the authority (to seek judgement or punishment in this case)…”(Al-‘Isra' :33)

The correct translation of the verse in Surat Al-Ma’idah is: “O you who believe! Do not take Jews and Christians as your patrons. They are patrons of their own people. He among you who will turn to them for patronage is one of them. Verily Allah guides not a people unjust.” (Al-Ma'dah :51)

It is obvious that Jews patronize the Jews and Christians patronize the Christians, so why not Muslims patronize Muslims and support their own people. This verse is not telling us to be against Jews or Christians, but it is telling us that we should take care of our own people and we must support each other.

In his Tafsir, (Qur’an exegesis) Imam Ibn Kathir has mentioned that some scholars say that this verse (i.e. the one you referred to) was revealed after the Battle of Uhud when Muslims had a set back. At that time, a Muslim from Madinah said, "I am going to live with Jews so I shall be safe in case another attack comes on Madinah." And another person said, "I am going to live with Christians so I shall be safe in case another attack comes on Madinah." So Allah revealed this verse reminding the believers that they should not seek the protection from others, but should protect each other. (See Ibn Kathir, Al-Tafsir, vol. 2, p. 68)

Muslims are allowed to have non-Muslims as friends as long as they keep their own faith and commitment to Islam pure and strong. You are correct in pointing out that a Muslim man is also allowed to marry a Jewish or Christian woman. It is obvious that one marries someone for love and friendship. If friendship between Muslims and Jews or Christians was forbidden, then why would Islam allow a Muslim man to marry a Jew or Christian woman? It is the duty of Muslims to patronize Muslims. They should not patronize any one who is against their faith or who fights their faith, even if they were their fathers and brothers. Allah says: “O you who believe! Take not for protectors (awliya') your fathers and your brothers if they love unbelief above faith. If any of you do so, they are indeed wrong-doers.” (Al-Tawbah : 23)

In a similar way, the Qur'an also tells Muslims that they should never patronize the non-Muslims against other Muslims. However, if some Muslims do wrong to some non-Muslims, it is Muslims duty to help the non-Muslims and save them from oppression . The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said that he himself will defend a Dhimmi living among Muslims to whom injustice is done by Muslims. But Islam also teaches that Muslims should not seek the patronage of non-Muslims against other Muslims. They should try to solve their problems among themselves. Allah Almighty says, “Let not the Believers take the unbelievers as their patrons over against the Believers…” (Aal-'Imran :28)

He Almighty also says: “O you who believe! Take not for patrons unbelievers rather than Believers. Do you wish to offer Allah an open proof against yourselves?” (An-Nisaa’:144)

May Allah guide you to the straight path, and guide you to that which pleases Him, Amen.

Allah Almighty knows best.
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