For Muslims: Our attitudes towards Kuffars

[TrueStranger]

I thought It was the Prophets uncle, who explained to Mohammed that the "visitation" in the cave was Gabrial?

His uncle Abu Lahab

In The Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

1. May the hands of Abu Lahab perish, may he (himself) perish.

2. His wealth avails him not, neither what he had earned.

3. Soon will he roast in a flaming fire,

4. And his wife, the bearer of the firewood,

5. Upon her neck a rope of twisted palm-fibre.
Commentary :
​

Perish the Hands of Abu Lahab!

As it was said in the 'Occasion of Revelation Of the Sura', this Sura is, indeed, an answer to the disgraceful words of Abu Lahab; the Prophet's uncle and the son of Abdul Muttalib. Among those people he was one of the strongest enemies of Islam. When he heard the clear, general invitation of the holy Messenger of Allah (p.b.u.h.) and his warning of the punishment of Allah, he said: Perdition to thee! Was it for this that thou assembled us? Then, the Holy Qur'an answers him: May the hands of Abu Lahab perish, may he (himself) perish.

terms /tab/ and /tabab/, as Raqib cites in Mufradat, mean 'the constant loss', but Tabarsi cites in Majma'-al-Bayan' that 'the meaning is a loss which leads to perdition'.

Some of the philologists have rendered it to mean 'to cut' which, perhaps, is for the reason that a constant loss naturally leads to a stop. However, from all these meanings it is concluded that it is the same meaning that was said in the verse.

Of course, this perdition may refer to this world or to the spiritual world or both of them.

Why does the Holy Qur'an, inspite of its common style, mention Abu Lahab, so strongly scorned, by name?

To make the answer of this question clear, Abu Lahab should be introduced.

Abu Lahab, i.e. the Father of the Flames, whose name was 'Abdul-'Uzza and means the servant of the idol 'Uzza, was a man of fiery temperament with a reddish face. This nickname, perhaps, was chosen for him, because, 'lahab', in Arabic, means 'a flame of fire'.

Read more

http://www.balagh.net/english/quran/light/111/111_1-5.htm

 

[crayon]

Abu Talib is the one I was referring to.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Talib_ibn_%E2%80%98Abd_al-Muttalib

 

[Eric H]

Greetings and peace be with you Woodrow and your wife,

I personally feel that if a non-Muslim I know does not accept Islam, it is because I have failed to live it fully.

I think it is always far better to try and change oneself, rather than to try and change other people.

In the spirit of searching for a lasting married peace and harmony,

Eric

 

[IbnAbdulHakim]

I personally feel that if a non-Muslim I know does not accept Islam, it is because I have failed to live it fully.

abu talib refused islaam, the prophet sallallahi alaihi wasallaam lived islaam fully.



also non-muslims might know God but to love him is to follow and obey him. They dont do that hence they follow iblis, he set their trend.

 

[YusufNoor]

I thought It was the Prophets uncle, who explained to Mohammed that the "visitation" in the cave was Gabrial?

are you referring to:

Waraqa bin Nawfal bin Asad bin ‘Abd Al-‘Uzza, it was Khadija's [his wife] cousin

At length, unexpectedly, the Truth (the angel) came to him and said, "Recite." "I cannot recite," he (Muhammad [pbuh]) said. The Prophet [pbuh] described: "Then he took me and squeezed me vehemently and then let me go and repeated the order ‘Recite.’ ‘I cannot recite’ said I, and once again he squeezed me and let me till I was exhausted. Then he said: ‘Recite.’ I said ‘I cannot recite.’ He squeezed me for a third time and then let me go and said:

"Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists), has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! and your Lord is the Most Generous.’" [Al-Qur'an 96:1-3]

The Prophet [pbuh] repeated these verses. He was trembling with fear. At this stage, he came back to his wife Khadijah, and said, "Cover me, ... cover me." They covered him until he restored security. He apprised Khadijah of the incident of the cave and added that he was horrified. His wife tried to soothe him and reassured him saying, "Allâh will never disgrace you. You unite uterine relations; you bear the burden of the weak; you help the poor and the needy, you entertain the guests and endure hardships in the path of truthfulness."

She set out with the Prophet [pbuh] to her cousin Waraqa bin Nawfal bin Asad bin ‘Abd Al-‘Uzza, who had embraced Christianity in the pre-Islamic period, and used to write the Bible in Hebrew. He was a blind old man. Khadijah said: "My cousin! Listen to your nephew!" Waraqa said: "O my nephew! What did you see?" The Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] told him what had happened to him. Waraqa replied: "This is ‘Namus’ i.e. (the angel who is entrusted with Divine Secrets) that Allâh sent to Moses. I wish I were younger. I wish I could live up to the time when your people would turn you out." Muhammad [pbuh] asked: "Will they drive me out?" Waraqa answered in the affirmative and said: "Anyone who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should be alive till that day, then I would support you strongly." A few days later Waraqa died and the revelation also subsided.

http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch1s7.html#Gabriel brings down the Revelation

 

[coddles76]

Bro no disrespect, but the Prophet Mohamed (Peace Be Upon Him) lived Islam fully, and there were people who didn't accept Islam, including his uncle.

You could live Islam fully, and still there will be people who won't accept Islam. It is not your fault.

I see yourpoint truestranger and Allah SWT confirms this

Whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide him; and He lets them wander blindly in their transgressions. (Al-A'raf 7:186)

Its Only Allah SWT whom guides onto the straight and even if you work day and night to guide someone its only by the acceptance and mercy of Allah SWT that they will be guided.

 

[coddles76]

Please people don't make this into a debate again and as Keltoi and Eric H have specified that debating will get nowhere. Its better to state the truth and facts and not allow politics to take over. Truth will always prevail over falsehood. Allah SWT has specifically informed us that no other way of life accept Islam(submission) will be accepted on the day of judegment so there is no room for debate. Don't debate the words of Allah SWT and make it a political issue. Accept the words as Allah SWT has spoken and then work towards fulfilling those goals that will please him in which will give you salvation on the day of judgement.

O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. [Obey Him, be thankful to Him, and remember Him always], and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allah. (Aali Imran 3:102)

And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers. (Aali Imran 3:85)

Simple as that....

 

[aamirsaab]

...
To assume that Kuffar have the same levels of active practicement of their religion as Muslims is a mistake.
So whats the attitude to such Kuffar?

A lot of my friends fit this description - I simply just do not talk about Islam to them. If they ask (which a couple have done) then I speak about it. Otherwise, religion is never mentioned - it's something I practice daily but if noone asks, I ain't gonna tell them. Like, noone asks what colour pants I wear, so I wouldn't tell them unless they did. In simplest terms; it doesn't matter really - Islam has never been a direct problem with any of my friends (well, not to my face atleast !) You go your way, I go mine sort of deal.

Secondly, to preach or teach religion requires you yourself to actually have learnt it fully. I know enough to follow it and converse with it amongst fellow muslims, but not enough to preach/teach effectively. So until I do, the only form of dawa (preaching) I can do is call them to God - but again, provided they ask. I don't particularly like preaching to someone who couldn't care less!

 

[Germanrose20]

AamirSaab,

I agree with you on this. I try to live my life according to the Quran, but there is much improvement room for me which I am working on. Some co-workers and most of my friends know I am a muslim now, and for the most part it has brought about questions. I have some friends who chose to break off contact with me, but that is how this life is. I will not force them to talk to me since I believe that is un-islamic.
I do not preach Islam since I am not a scholar. I awnser questions to the best of my abilities, and Insha'Allah, the people I talk to will accept Islam, but I do not force them, nor do I look down upon anyone who is not a muslim.
As a convert/revert my whole family is Catholic except for a few baptists. None of the really understand my desicion to accept Islam even though I have tried to explain it. I can only hope that they see the change in my behavior and lifestyle for the better and can at least accept that.

My behavior to the "Kuffars" is one of politeness and respect. That is how I was brought up, you always treat someone with respect and politeness, no matter what their views/beliefs are.

 

[Fazl Ahmad]

If one wishes to undertake a journey to a particular city, he must follow a certain route, he cannot just get on the road and start driving with the mere intention of reaching a destination, he must also possess certain amount of knowledge that which route will effectively and efficiently take him where he needs to get to. The same is true for achieving nearness to Allah holy and exalted is He, simply desiring nearness to Him is not enough, you have to embark upon the path of devotion (Islam) which is leading straight to Him. There is no other path other than the path of devotion which is going towards Allah, and like the sacred Quran says: The correct religion in the sight of Allah is Islam (aali Imran 3:19)

All actions must possess a true and sincere purpose, and the only purpose which Allah will accept is devotion to Him, otherwise doing good deeds is a futile effort. The difference between Hitler and mother Theresa is the difference between the heavens and the earth, but if neither of these people lived their life in the devotion of Allah, than in reality there is no difference in their status in His Sight.

 

[AntiKarateKid]

AamirSaab,

I agree with you on this. I try to live my life according to the Quran, but there is much improvement room for me which I am working on. Some co-workers and most of my friends know I am a muslim now, and for the most part it has brought about questions. I have some friends who chose to break off contact with me, but that is how this life is. I will not force them to talk to me since I believe that is un-islamic.
I do not preach Islam since I am not a scholar. I awnser questions to the best of my abilities, and Insha'Allah, the people I talk to will accept Islam, but I do not force them, nor do I look down upon anyone who is not a muslim.
As a convert/revert my whole family is Catholic except for a few baptists. None of the really understand my desicion to accept Islam even though I have tried to explain it. I can only hope that they see the change in my behavior and lifestyle for the better and can at least accept that.

My behavior to the "Kuffars" is one of politeness and respect. That is how I was brought up, you always treat someone with respect and politeness, no matter what their views/beliefs are.

I will treat them with politeness sure. But I will only respect their right to choose a belief. NOT the belief itself. What would have happened if the Prophets just let the polytheists go their own merry way? Abraham smashed his father's idols. Moses showed the Pharoh he was a fool. The Prophet smashed the idols in the Kaaba.

The people were free to choose if the wanted to listen to them but by NO MEANS did we "respect their faith" in the idols. I wills till treat them with politeness but will never hold their beliefs in high regard.


It is kinda annoying that Muslims these days are too timid to tell people like polytheists that they are wrong ( in a polite manner if they choose to listen). I will not stand by and let them blunder on while using " I respect their faith" as my excuse for laxity.

 

[Pygoscelis]

A lot of my friends fit this description - I simply just do not talk about Islam to them. If they ask (which a couple have done) then I speak about it. Otherwise, religion is never mentioned - it's something I practice daily but if noone asks, I ain't gonna tell them. Like, noone asks what colour pants I wear, so I wouldn't tell them unless they did. In simplest terms; it doesn't matter really - Islam has never been a direct problem with any of my friends (well, not to my face atleast !) You go your way, I go mine sort of deal.

This is very refreshing to hear. I wish all muslims, christians, and other religious people felt the same way you do. I wouldn't be anti-religious if that was the case.

 

[Uthman]

Greetings Pygoscelis,

This is very refreshing to hear. I wish all muslims, christians, and other religious people felt the same way you do. I wouldn't be anti-religious if that was the case.

Why are you anti-religious? Instead, shouldn't you be anti-people-who-claim-to-follow-the-teachings-of-their-religion-but-in-actual-fact-don't?

 

[AhlaamBella]

This is very refreshing to hear. I wish all muslims, christians, and other religious people felt the same way you do. I wouldn't be anti-religious if that was the case.

Judge a religion by the religion itself... not by it's followers

 

[Grace Seeker]

And I do agree with you, that even some Muslims go against the teaching of the Qur’an by their traditional practices, in which we also point out their faults and try hard to educate them.

Some? As best as I can tell, all Muslims I know admit to being imperfect in their practice of righteousness as defined by Islam. All Christians are imperfect too, I don't mean to imply that one group is unique in this. And that is really my point. As you said that Christians don't practice their traditions, really no one does. But, I think to claim, as you do, that "90% of [Christian] practices are based on traditional beliefs" needs more substantiation than just an allegation.

In my comments, I pointed out that a lot of an individual's daily practices are not religious practices at all. Hence they often aren't mentioned in sacred scriptures at all. Recognizing that, what would be wrong with "traditional" practices? I also tried to point out that many "traditional" practices are in fact originally rooted in scripture. Hence a practice could qualify as being both "traditional" and based on God's instructions at the same time. This would make it highly unlikely that your 90% figure is even close to the mark.

But you did clarify that you were talking only about religious practices. This is quite a different thing than what you actually first wrote. But still, I think your estimation is considerably inflated. It isn't that people don't err as you described. But that such errs aren't the dominate practice. Indeed, I think it is their uniqueness that draws attention to them when encountered by those who come from other traditions. My own estimation, that I can't substantiate any better than you did, is that such practices are even less than 10%. Not that they should exist at all, but human beings tend to create traditions and the majority of them are innocuous in character. My daughter's family has one of gathering at the end of Seker Bayrami for a big family party. Such a practice isn't spelled out in the sacred texts of Islam, I suppose some might even call it an innovation, but I don't think it is wrong to do. Do you?

 

[Grace Seeker]

This is very refreshing to hear. I wish all muslims, christians, and other religious people felt the same way you do. I wouldn't be anti-religious if that was the case.

It is refreshing to hear. There are all types in all faiths. Some are in your face. And some never speak up at all, even when asked. May you find that the people of faith who you meet and know in life fall some place inbetween those extremes.

 

[aamirsaab]

This is very refreshing to hear. I wish all muslims, christians, and other religious people felt the same way you do. I wouldn't be anti-religious if that was the case.

Lol. I should clarify my view point (just in case): The reason I take the approach I have told you guys is for the following reasons:

1) I don't know enough about Islam to properly preach (like how the scholars and imaams are able to)
2) I'm a busy man.
3) The only time I gave any explanation of Islam (to my peers) was over some chicken wings (on two seperate occasions!).

So basically, until those 3 criteria (especially number 3!) are met, I ain't saying jack!

 

[Grace Seeker]

Lol. I should clarify my view point (just in case): So basically, until those 3 criteria (especially number 3!) are met, I ain't saying jack!

I'm free for lunch most of the month of September. :bump:

 

[SixTen]

Although, aamirsaab has shown somewhat admirable tolerance, his network analogy is probably not representative of Islam. Allah, according to the Qur'an, does not accept any religion other than Islam - he has made Islam your religion to follow. So, I can't say you can call it a connection with Allah - if you follow say Hinduism. Yes, you will be making some sort of mental connection, but Islamically, it is seen as void, null, you would be worshipping a false God. Today, it is actually a common progressionists viewpoint, that their are X religions, all leading to the same path, but fundamentally, this is deviated to the teachings of Islam.

Also, IbnAbdulHakim has made a very good point, no one can blame another person for his disbelief - I do understand your point Woodrow, that muslims should draw people onto Islam by their actions, but even if you don't, do good deeds etc, its not a reason for people to disbelief the message - as your example is not editing the message.

 

[AntiKarateKid]

Although, aamirsaab has shown somewhat admirable tolerance, his network analogy is probably not representative of Islam. Allah, according to the Qur'an, does not accept any religion other than Islam - he has made Islam your religion to follow. So, I can't say you can call it a connection with Allah - if you follow say Hinduism. Yes, you will be making some sort of mental connection, but Islamically, it is seen as void, null, you would be worshipping a false God. Today, it is actually a common progressionists viewpoint, that their are X religions, all leading to the same path, but fundamentally, this is deviated to the teachings of Islam.

Also, IbnAbdulHakim has made a very good point, no one can blame another person for his disbelief - I do understand your point Woodrow, that muslims should draw people onto Islam by their actions, but even if you don't, do good deeds etc, its not a reason for people to disbelief the message - as your example is not editing the message.

A perfect summary of what I think. Frankly, this progessivist attitude has beguiled many of our brothers and sisters here.