Somali millitants destroy Churches, graves.

format_quote Originally Posted by Follower

Who are you?! LOL!! to say the "idols" must be destroyed!!

Gees, I thought Muslims were worshipping a black stone. There may be some illiterate Muslims that still do!!

this is a common misperception, here's an Hadeeth about Omar ibn Al Kitaab [the 2nd Kalipha]:

Book 007, Number 2914:

Abdullah b. Sarjis reported: I saw the bald one, i. e. 'Umar b. Khattib (Allah be pleased with him). kissing the Stone and saying: By Allah. I am kissing with full consciousness of the fact that you are a stone and that you can neither do any harm nor good; and if I had not seen Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) kissing you. I would not have kissed you. The rest of the hadith is the same.

source:
http://www.usc.edu/schools/college/c...m/007.smt.html

additional info:

Thank you for your question.


Your main point is that Islam encourages idolatry. Nothing could be farther from the truth; because no other religion opposes idolatry as vehemently as Islam.

As for the Black Stone in the Kabah, it is not an idol; and nobody worships it. It is simply 'a black stone' and its chief use in the Kabah during pilgrimage is as a marking stone.


Do Christians worship the picture of Mary or the Cross behind the Altar? These are but symbols. Yet, the Black Stone does not even have that status.

Muslims honor the ten commandments just like Christians. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never claimed that he came to teach a new religion. He taught that his mission was to restore the religion of all prophets of God, including Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them all) to its pristine purity.


This basically means that we humans must not worship any god other than the One and Only Creator of the universe. You know the first of all commandments, according to Jesus is:


"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.." (Mark 12: 29)


Here he was actually reiterating the First Commandment of the Torah as revealed to Moses:

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.." (Deuteronomy 6:4)


The Quran repeatedly and most emphatically states that God is One and Only. You can read this concrete Islamic concept in the Quran:


*{Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.}* (Al-Ikhlas 112:1-4)


Before I explain at length how Muslims view the Black Stone, let me say that it can never be considered as an idol, as it is not the likeness of anything living, and no worship is rendered to it.


First of all, the Black Stone is not mentioned in the Quran. It is only a marker at which point the tawaf (the circumambulation of the Kabah) starts and ends. The traditions speak about kissing or touching the Stone during tawaf; but this is not compulsory. Our scholars are unanimous that waving in that direction is enough.


It is reported that Umar ibn al-Khattab drew near the Black Stone and kissed it, saying:

"No doubt, I know that you are only a stone and can neither benefit nor harm anyone. If I had not seen Allah's Apostle kissing you I would not have kissed you." (Al-Bukhari)


No Muslim has any doubt about the fact that the Black Stone is not to be worshipped or regarded as anything but a marker. At Hajj time, the whole area around the Kabah is so crowded that most pilgrims cannot even see it. And many pilgrims perform tawaf not on the ground floor of the Kabah, but on the floors above.


This means that they cannot see the Black Stone at all. They start tawaf and end it at the place where there is a marking line on the floor. And, nobody can ever say that their Hajj is incomplete for that reason.


Many critics of Islam make much of this stone, trying to find some sort of justification for their own polytheistic practices. But the founding principle of Islam is the concept of the Oneness of God: la ilaha illa Allah; there is no one that deserves worship or obeisance except the One and Only God.


So, Muslims do not worship anybody--or anything--other than Allah, Almighty. This was the teaching of all prophets of God from Adam to the Last Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon them all).

source:
http://www.readingislam.com/servlet/...AskAboutIslamE

That is one fault I find with many Muslims. They seem so concerned with outward actions and appearances and not what is in people hearts.

actually, unlike Christians who allow themselves to practice pagan polytheism, Muslims are required to obey Allah Ta' Aala in outward from AS WELL AS inward form!

They are also very concerned about punishing people that they think are at fault. Are you a better judge then GOD? Judge not!! Show some tolerance!!

John 8
3The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." 8Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

9At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

11"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

GOD's Blessings to all of you!! Praise GOD for sending Jesus as a gift of grace to each and everyone of us!!

Peace be upon those who follow the guidance,

we clearly see from the Hadeeth on Omar[May Allah be pleased with him], that the black stone is nothing but "a stone and that [it] can neither do any harm nor good." there MAY BE some "illiterate Muslims" who do worship the stone, however, we know that they are in error. Islam isn't like the "Christianity" of today where followers can worship crosses and statues and make anyone they want to a god!

i LOVE the example that you used about Jesus[May the Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon him]! in fact it one of my FAVORITE stories from the "New Testament1" HOWEVER, as you may or may not know, IT ISN'T REALLY FROM THE BIBLE!!! imagine that, just like Christians have no authentic sources from Jesus, the son of Mary [May the Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon him], for their acts of worship, and despite the FACT that there are no contemporary sources for what they call the New Testament, EVEN "CHRISTIAN SCHOLARS PLACE THIS PASSAGE FROM A MUCH LATER TIME PERIOD!"

Jesus Forgives a Woman Taken in Adultery

This story, beloved for its revelation of God's mercy toward sinners, is found only in John. It was almost certainly not part of John's original Gospel. The NIV separates this passage off from the rest of the Gospel with the note, "The earliest and most reliable manuscripts and other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53--8:11." That is, the earliest Greek manuscripts, the earliest translations and the earliest church fathers all lack reference to this story. Furthermore, some manuscripts place it at other points within John (after 7:36, 7:44 or 21:25), others include it in the Gospel of Luke (placing it after Luke 21:38), and many manuscripts have marks that indicate the scribes "were aware that it lacked satisfactory credentials" (Metzger 1994:189). Furthermore, it contains many expressions that are more like those in the Synoptic Gospels than those in John.

it's STILL a nice story, though!