i need some clarification on my current perception of Islam

[Excelsior]

No one has to answer all of them, because it would be extremely arduous. But here are some issues i have with Islam, i shall attempt to ask questions politely and appropriately but, i'm not sure if what i have posted qualifies as breaking any rules.

1. Adam and Eve, How is this story compatible with modern science? Do some Muslims treat it as a mere allegory, or do they actually believe it to be a historical event? If Adam and Eve somehow were real, then how did the world become populated? Adam and Eve's children would not be able to take any wives or husbands, except for themselves. Does that mean we are all the descendants of Incest?

2. Polygamy. I asked my Afghan Muslim friend about this, and he claimed that Islam says there are more women than men on the Earth, so polygamy is necessary. I don't believe this because i took a high school biology class, and the textbook says percentage wise, Males are born 51% of the time whereas females are 49% of the time due to the presence of Flagellum on male sperm giving a slight speed advantage to male birth rates

3. Divine intervention/action. Religious people seem to believe that their God actively participates in shaping events. Some believe that God aids them. This seems flawed to me, because if he helps others, he must also ignore others. This seems arbitrary because the innocent people who require assistance the most are often forsaken to die (assuming that God exists)

4. Dates/Location. Why send prophets to the Middle East, but not the Americas or else where? I would accept Islam if somehow every isolated community on earth somehow all received prophets who told the exact same message as the Islamic prophets, or if a prophet arrived in 2015 AD, the age of instant communication so that the whole world would be capable of seeing proof that God exists.

5. Hell. On the introduction page, someone linked an article which was addressed towards non-muslims. According to this article, those who die rejecting Islam are doomed to hell. That seems a bit harsh, especially since non-believers simply never have encountered sufficient proof and could still be benevolent citizens regardless of religious association.

6. other. What is the muslim attitude towards the LGBT community? Do muslims believe being Gay or Lesbian is just a choice of some sort? or genetic? etc.

That should be the bulk of my thoughts, if anyone wants to comment i'd welcome feedback. once again, sorry if i somehow violated a forum rule.

[Muslim Woman]

Hello


Welcome here .


U will find all the answers in various threads . It's better if u browse the forum first , then ask .


About sending Prophets , 2 related verses are given below :




And for every Ummah (a community or a nation), there is a Messenger; when their Messenger comes, the matter will be judged between them with justice, and they will not be wronged. (Qur'ân 10:47)


And verily, We have sent among every Ummah (community, nation) a Messenger (proclaiming): "Worship Allah (Alone), and avoid (or keep away from) Taghut (all false deities, etc. i.e., do not worship Taghut besides Allah)." Then of them were some whom Allah guided and of them were some upon whom the straying was justified. So travel through the land and see what was the end of those who denied (the truth). (Qur'ân 16:36)

[greenhill]

Hi Excelsior..... the user id is very familiar and I thought that you've been a member for longer than what is stated... I must be mistaken.

Anyway here are my layman's thoughts on the matter you brought up.

1. Adam and Eve, How is this story compatible with modern science? Do some Muslims treat it as a mere allegory, or do they actually believe it to be a historical event? If Adam and Eve somehow were real, then how did the world become populated? Adam and Eve's children would not be able to take any wives or husbands, except for themselves. Does that mean we are all the descendants of Incest?

I don't believe it is mere allegory. Things must be created before they come to existence. It is not by mere chance. The term incest did not exist until Allah made it law that we could not marry our close relatives.

2. Polygamy. I asked my Afghan Muslim friend about this, and he claimed that Islam says there are more women than men on the Earth, so polygamy is necessary. I don't believe this because i took a high school biology class, and the textbook says percentage wise, Males are born 51% of the time whereas females are 49% of the time due to the presence of Flagellum on male sperm giving a slight speed advantage to male birth rates

Well, on this matter, there are many reasons, one of which is to provide a 'patriach' to an otherwise fatherless families. But a recent finding in Malaysia was that those people working in the field in the telecommunications sector had only daughters. It is believed that the radiowaves has an effect on the sperm that the offsprings are only female. In this day an age where mobile phones are pretty much an extension to the human body, it won't be long before the effects of it become apparent when the birth rates show predominant females being brought into the world. If that is the case what will happen? Women will be stealing husbands from other females...

3. Divine intervention/action. Religious people seem to believe that their God actively participates in shaping events. Some believe that God aids them. This seems flawed to me, because if he helps others, he must also ignore others. This seems arbitrary because the innocent people who require assistance the most are often forsaken to die (assuming that God exists)

Rather than say He shapes events, (which He does) I'd rather say that nothing happens without His permission. So the thing is we do not know the consequences of those actions on our own fate. We may gain now only to lose it later or we suffer now (possibility until death) but have eternal rewards. It is a hard choice. To be King of the world and a pauper in the hereafter or a pauper in the world and a king in the hereafter?

4. Dates/Location. Why send prophets to the Middle East, but not the Americas or else where? I would accept Islam if somehow every isolated community on earth somehow all received prophets who told the exact same message as the Islamic prophets, or if a prophet arrived in 2015 AD, the age of instant communication so that the whole world would be capable of seeing proof that God exists.

The Middle East areas were the cradle of civilisation. That's where the guidelines needed to be sent because corruption due to advancement in human society made them go astray in creating their gods and sacrifices. But if we were to look at the Books, we found that the Books had incremental stages of learning. Not all can be taught in one go. It took thousands of years for humanity to learn collectively.

5. Hell. On the introduction page, someone linked an article which was addressed towards non-muslims. According to this article, those who die rejecting Islam are doomed to hell. That seems a bit harsh, especially since non-believers simply never have encountered sufficient proof and could still be benevolent citizens regardless of religious association.

In the Quran, it divides people into 2 distinct categories, the believers and those who disbelieve. You either believe or don't. The point is not about encountering, but to search. I cannot say anymore about this as this (the judgment of it) belongs entirely on Allah.

6. other. What is the muslim attitude towards the LGBT community? Do muslims believe being Gay or Lesbian is just a choice of some sort? or genetic? etc.

I cannot comment on this scientifically, but I believe it is a choice. If a person has tendencies and that person knows it is wrong and that person strives very hard to follow the 'right' path for the sake of Allah, I strongly believe that the rewards for that sacrifice is far greater than a normal person doing the same thing.

Allah knows everything, the choice is our own to make.

I'm being as brief as I can...

[Excelsior]

What category of Islam is your interpretation? Because i know there are different sects, like Sunni's, Shi'ites ( idk if i spelled that right lol), Wahhabists, Salafists, and others. im trying to identify the "most liberal" sect.

[Lisa921]

What category of Islam is your interpretation? Because i know there are different sects, like Sunni's, Shi'ites ( idk if i spelled that right lol), Wahhabists, Salafists, and others. im trying to identify the "most liberal" sect.

Hey there excelsior, and welcome to the board.
I think you have an incorrect way of seeking knowledge first. You method is more like shopping for the easiest way to practise islam and not seeking the truth no matter how it is commanded to us to follow it.
I do not mean to propose to be an expert or anything but I feel the best way to learn Islam with sincerity is to read the translation of the Quran followed by a good book of hadiths like Riyadh us saliheen (excerpts only as its an extremely long book), and a story of the Prophet Muhammads life. Only that way can you start to appreciate the full value of Islam and understand some key principles that ALL Muslims no matter what sect they are believe and follow, and in doing this you get the full value of this beautiful faith without short changing yourself by "shopping" for a faith that pleases you in this moment or state you currently in.
Those key things that I think we all have in common are
Belief in one god with no partners
Belief Quran is unchanged and unedited since it was revealed (okay, a small minority actually think it was changed, but this is a very small minority in the shia faith if I'm not mistaken).
Belief that Muhammad's way of life is the correct way to aim to follow to please Allah

Those are just some of the beliefs we all have in common and enough to focus on right now as they are major things to study and take time.
You will not find all your answers at once that's why its important to have the right intention first then start studying. With a intention to find truth, not just an easy way to live, then you are sure to find what you are looking for. May Allah guide you and help you in your journey. Ameen.
Lisa

[M.I.A.]

Wow, how horrible a thing to think the world was made on incest..

As a biologist do you know how dangerous that is over several generations...

The implications are horrifying... Or not.

[SFatima]

No one has to answer all of them, because it would be extremely arduous. But here are some issues i have with Islam, i shall attempt to ask questions politely and appropriately but, i'm not sure if what i have posted qualifies as breaking any rules.

1. Adam and Eve, How is this story compatible with modern science? Do some Muslims treat it as a mere allegory, or do they actually believe it to be a historical event? If Adam and Eve somehow were real, then how did the world become populated? Adam and Eve's children would not be able to take any wives or husbands, except for themselves. Does that mean we are all the descendants of Incest?

It is a true story given in the Quran. You have to understand the concept of God before delving further into understanding anything about the possibility of creation

. It is narrated in a hadith narration that Hawa(EVE. A.S, pbuh) had multiple pregnancies at one time, and her placenta were different for each set of twins that were born to her. The twins were born in pairs of male and females, and each twin could only marry the twin of the different placenta, the sibling born with the twin was designated a sibling. Ofcourse, applying that physiology to this day would not seem so possible, if you have read biology. WHat we dont know is the fact, that how it could've happened, but since we beleive that ALlaah swt is all just and the Creator, He knows how to create without a parent; i.e Adam, AS and He knows how to create without a father. i.e Eesa AS. The Quran starts with the surah Albaqara (after the opening chapter Al- fatihah), in which it has been claimed that this book is guidance for those believe in the seen and the unseen. Unseen; as confirmed and detailed by the Creator, as He is only one who knows everything.

Whatever details that have been given to us by the Creator are indeed enough to understand, as He knows the human mind. ANd He has claimed in the Quran, that even if more specific details were given, or more miracles were shown to the disobedient disbeliever, they would STILL Not believe. Hence Allaah knows that explaining details is NOT what makes believe, it is sincerity to seek guidance that is the hallmark of believers.

For the Creator , it is possible to disseminate all sets of different nations and genes through different placentas, and keep the rules of marital pairing strict to the laws as given to Adam (A.S, pbuh). Ofcourse , Adam and eve were the first human beings and ALlaah had created them with enough size ( as has been suggested that ancient man has been believed to be quite big in size a compared to now), and all the genotypes which were to be released in this world, without affecting the survival /health and hereditory genealogy of any of the race/ nation. The races that we know today are each distinctively distinguished from the other, and have been documented to exist in the same phenotype, even thousands of years ago. Sizes may have changed, but phenotype has not.

2. Polygamy. I asked my Afghan Muslim friend about this, and he claimed that Islam says there are more women than men on the Earth, so polygamy is necessary. I don't believe this because i took a high school biology class, and the textbook says percentage wise, Males are born 51% of the time whereas females are 49% of the time due to the presence of Flagellum on male sperm giving a slight speed advantage to male birth rates

Your friend may be right, but the fact is, that female children stand a better survival in the world than their male counterparts. Relating the birth ratio of men to women, more boys die at birth, than females. That is a natural phenomenon, boys at infancy are more susceptible to infection and mortality. More men die because they are prone to activities of physical work load, wars, armies, accidents and what not.. Hence , the ratios have to be measured according to males surviving, Only Alaah knows best the reality behind that. But if that is the reason behind disparity in ratio, it can be counted. However, polygamy is not an obligation in ISlam, it is a choice. Allaah has clearly recommended in Quran that one wife is better for the man, as he would be unable to do justice to more than one, and has aloowed more women on the condition that justice of provision, sustenance, maintainance,love affection and care are equally divided among all wives. It is not like the men using women like a tissue paper for experience in the west, and only get married to one for whatever reasons. Islam does not aloow men and women to play around with each other's emotions with no consequences, fornication and adultery are punishable crimes.

3. Divine intervention/action. Religious people seem to believe that their God actively participates in shaping events. Some believe that God aids them. This seems flawed to me, because if he helps others, he must also ignore others. This seems arbitrary because the innocent people who require assistance the most are often forsaken to die (assuming that God exists)

How is that flawed? God is the supreme Judge, while He is honoring one at one time, he is testing the other at that time. We have been sent on this planet as a TEST, we have to achieve God conciousness and work on our faith and believe in divine justice, as it is duly served to those who await and meted out to those who need to be punished. In ISlam a difficulty is to be taken as trial, as a means of purification, as a means of learning from one's previous mistakes and seeking forgiveness. Everyone has his own life and time to learn and apply the changes, All is being seen by God. SOme people are bad and turn into good people after some bac vevent, some people are good initially, but when they are tested with soemthing bad, some fall into the bait, some remain patient.

Secondly, humans are placed on Earth to help deliver that justice to each other, it is the test of our character to make sure justice is served. However, if we are unable to improve justice given out by courts, and some innocent person suffers because of that; that suffering for him is temporary and if he dies, that person is relieved from the suffering and his grave is like a garden of heaven for him, he will taste heaven long before he can reach it on the judgment day. However, the cruel unjust person, might be enjoying riches in this world , thinking that he is worthy of all those luxuries, but in reality, he will made to taste a horrible afterlife if he does not repent..

4. Dates/Location. Why send prophets to the Middle East, but not the Americas or else where? I would accept Islam if somehow every isolated community on earth somehow all received prophets who told the exact same message as the Islamic prophets, or if a prophet arrived in 2015 AD, the age of instant communication so that the whole world would be capable of seeing proof that God exists.

That is not true, Prophets in numbers of 1 lac 24 thousands have been sent to the Earth, and Messengers with special value and honor were fewer yet more well known among them. Allah has said that guidance is sent to everybody, it is the person who waits and resists to accept it, for ALlaah does not reject a sincere prayer to be guided. Prophets have been sent to all nations, and some nations have been cruel enough to kill them.. Jesus was prepared to be crucified, Allaah lifted him, but many Prophets were killed. The PRophet Muhammad is the last messenger to this Humanity; because Allaah knows that the best example has already been sent, and if anyone had to believe, they would believe. Allaah knows the minds of his creation, he knows what needs to be done. It is the creation who has to raise their understanding and intellect to understand things better.

5. Hell. On the introduction page, someone linked an article which was addressed towards non-muslims. According to this article, those who die rejecting Islam are doomed to hell. That seems a bit harsh, especially since non-believers simply never have encountered sufficient proof and could still be benevolent citizens regardless of religious association.

The article says those who reject; rejectors of truth are defines in the Quran as those who know the truth fully well, yet deny it. People who dont know of the truth, ofcourse will be dealt accordingly. But since Allaah guides everyone, it is wrong to assume that there are people on this Earth who are outside of His power to influence

6. other. What is the muslim attitude towards the LGBT community? Do muslims believe being Gay or Lesbian is just a choice of some sort? or genetic? etc

.
The Quran clearly says that Homosexuality is a sin. However, Islam does not encourage to publicize one's sins to the society and what happens behind closed doors is all known to Allah. A person who feels homosexual tendencies, might have suffered from some emotional or spiritual trauma , and satan ,as he is, enemy of mankind, is always on the prowl to misuse the weakness of man against him.

Islam does not prescribe any punishment for feeling sinful tendencies, but it warns against falling into them as they are essentially fueled by the devil; mankind's arch enemy, and it tells us of protection to prevent ourselves from the negative tendencies. Now, a person with that understanding , if feels any such tendency, would know how to seek protection against the whispers of devil, and do necessary prayers of protection to get rid of those feelings, ; however a person gone astray, will be obsessed and consumed with his negative tendency, and will seek approval of others..

I know of several muslims who were not living the appropriate muslim lifestyles, and got prone to homosexual tendencies, but when they sought protection against them, realizing that it is taking a form of an unhealthy ,un-natural obsession; they made the prayers and they were successfully able to get rid of the obsessions. ALmost all of these people suffered from parental issues, from either a missing or abusive dad or mom, or were orphans who had no good role models/support system in their lives..

You will find that most homosexual people as teens are tormented by their own tendencies, and feel suicidal and ashamed. They are always trying to announce and gain support from others; why are they initially all ashamed of this behaviour?why do they have such low self esteem?

It is natural to be ashamed of an un-natural behaviour. It is against the laws of nature to be homosexual, and this is what the devil wants; for humans to go against the laws of nature and Laws of God; restrict his replication and to make man go to hell. Why let devil succeed at the hands of our own life?

We are not asserting that people with such tendencies are essentially bad people, we are saying that these people genuinely need help at spiritual level, and at every level of their lives, to prevent them from severe emotional traumas, that propel them to do things against nature; indulging in the act, or committing suicide under such negative pressures.