Assalamu Alaykum,
many of your questions have already been asked:
please see here:
http://www.turntoislam.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5893
How many different forms of Islam are there?
There is only One form of Islam. The Book of Allah, the Quran has never changed since it was revealed. The words of the Prophet Muhammad
are also preserved in the authentic hadith collections. It is totally possible for Muslims to follow Islam according to these sources.
And be not as those who divided and differed among themselves after the clear proofs had come to them. It is they for whom there is an awful torment. - Quran 3:105
There are people who do not follow these correct sources, and so have formed their own groups.
However, Islam is perfect and even though there may be some groups that are not good, the original teachings are always present
and Allah has promised that there will always remain a group upon the Truth.
Everything in Islam can be traced back to the Quran and to the hadith.
Do Muslims believe everything in the Quran as true factual word of God?
Yes, the Quran is the True word of Allah. Revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
by the Angel Gabriel. The Prophet Muhammad was a shepherd, he was unlettered, meaning he could not read or write. In his society, poetry and use of eloquent language was highly prized. Kings and Leaders would compete with each other by gaining the best of the best in poetry and they would hang these (al Mu'laqat) in their cities, for example on the Ka'ba in Makkah.
Allah gave the Prophet Muhammad
a miracle, the miracle was the Quran, which is perfect in all sense and is written in the most perfect form. Many people became Muslim simply by hearing it. I recommend that you read the Quran.
Are all non-Muslims infidels?
Yes. well, non-Muslims are non-Muslims. lol. A Muslim is someone who believes in and submits to Allah alone and who believes in the Prophet Muhammad
. So what is wrong in considering people who do not believe this as "Kufaar" or disbelievers? This does not mean that disbelievers such as yourself are not to be treated with respect and kindness. You have the right to follow what you wish to follow, it is not for me to say bad things to you or to harm you in anyway. This is a misconception pushed in the Western Media and by politicians for their own agenda.
If there are people who do bad things in the name of Islam, you must know that there are good and bad in all walks of life and in every society. But, I tell you
that you would be respected and even taken in as a guest and given much hopsitality if you were to visit a Muslim country. Fox News will have you believe they will torture or kidnap you,lol.. This is nowhere near the truth.
Keep in mind, many of us on this website (including myself) are born and bought up in the West. A lot of the people here are former Christians, Jews and from other faiths such as Hinduism. We are all one and united upon Islam. We do not care what race you are, what sex you are or what job you have.
Religious aspects aside, a Muslim knows that everyone is the same, i.e. we are all the Children of Adam. We are all one race, the human race. In this matter we can all err. Non-Muslims can have good character and good be great neighbours, in this case there is nothing wrong with living alongside non-Muslims. The Prophet
himself had good relations with non-Muslims and also made peace treaties with them. Such as the peace with the Jews of Madinah. He would buy meat from the Kosher butchers, he would even visit his sick Jewish neighbours. Even then, this is an issue in Palestine and not all Palestinians hate Jews, rather they hate the zionist occupiers. But, is this not to be expected when lands are usurped and people terrorised by the Jewish State?
The Vast majority of Muslims are infact non Arabs. Arabs only make up about 15-20% of total Muslim population. Muslims come from all over the world from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the sunny and beautiful beaches of the Seychelles, the high mountains of Kashmir, the valleys and hills of Somalia. Also from USA, UK, Europe, South America, Australia. We are all one family, one Ummah - Muslims who submit to Allah and worship him alone.
There is a misconception that Muslims hate Jews or are antisemitic. Firstly, one must remember that this is due to the Palestine issue. Palestinians were driven off their land, often in the most humiliating ways and often whole villages were ransacked and their inhabitants massacred, such as in Deir Yassin and other villages.
What do Muslims believe about Jesus?
Muslims love Jesus, he was our Prophet. He is mentioned in the Quran and in the Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad
). Jesus (Isa), Abraham, Moses, David, Soloman, Joseph, Adam and all Prophets sent to mankind had the exact same message that the Prophet Muhammad
had. This was the message of Islam.
Islam (the word literally means peace) Islam is to submit to Allah and to believe in him and worship him alone without associating any partners with him.
Unfortunately, those people who came before, changed the message and corrupted the message that the Prophets had originally came with. For example, the Jews started taking their Rabbis words rather than that of the Torah, subsequently indulging in the forbidden matters and associating partners in God in that way. Allah sent Jesus to guide the people, and later the followers of Jesus went astray by exaggerating their love for Jesus by worshipping him, worshipping Mary and even worshipping various Saints. There is no need to ask Jesus for help or say the "Hail Marys" when you can ask God directly. The people changed the Bible too by adding, subtracting and completely disregarding whole pieces of scripture. For example, the New Testament is made of 4 gospels when originally there were almost three times the number. Indeed, it was Rome that decided to keep these four and not accept the scriptures which clearly stated that Jesus was not God, and that which contradicted their own views (i.e. the Trinity). As well as these truths, they decided to get rid of corrupted scriptures which had gone on another tangent such as the Gospels that were read by Christians in Egypt which claimed that the Sun was a God as well.
Muslims believe in Jesus as a great Prophet, he was not a God, he did not come into Jesus's body, we do not believe in the resurrection.
We do not believe in Original Sin (Every child is born Equal).
we also believe that he will return to earth to rule with justice.
And my last question, after reading what I write below, am I an enemy of Islam?
No you are not an enemy of Islam. An enemy of Islam is someone who disregards all laws, who wishes to shed blood, who lies and behaves unjustly against Islam and Muslim people. There are vast communities of Christians and even Jews who live in the Muslim countries. They have done so for hundreds of years without problems. I used to live in a village in Lebanon where both Christians and Muslims lived side by side. Those who say that Muslims go around forcing people to convert or say bad things about us are either ignorant or do not want to acknowledge these facts. There are Churches and Synagogues built by Muslims in Spain, in Sicily and in the Middle East. Infact, after the crusades the Muslims rebuilt many Synagogues and Churches that were destroyed by the invading Crusaders. (they also attacked and killed ARab Christians, some of the Arab Christian groups used to fight alongside the Muslims)
You are our guest and you are welcome here. There is no need to feel afraid or cautious. As long as you are respectful and sincere, you will always be welcome here.
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Please read the following articles :
Who deserves to be Worshipped Alone?
Muslim Belief and the Declaration Of Faith
The Oneness of Allaah
The following Sections are very helpful in understanding Islam and Muslim's beliefs:
Fundamental Beliefs in Islam Tawheed and Aqeedah
Introductory Articles About Islam
With Regards misconceptions, what makes people do terrorism? Does Islam condone violence? What is Terrorism?? See the following Link for more information.
Why Angry Protests? Islam Does Not Condone Violence and Calls for Patience!
You can see more articles from that section here:
Terrorism Not From Islam
and more here:www.TurnToIslam.Com - Reply to Topic
Misconceptions About Islam
Some Cool Videos:
Muslim History in Europe Learn About Islam Full Video Covering Many Topics
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All the sects except Sunni (which is mainstream) are not correct because they do not follow the Quran and the Sunnah properly.
"And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it, and whatever he forbids you, leave it. And fear Allah: truly Allah is severe in punishment. " [Quran 59:7]
Say: "Obey Allah and obey the Messenger, but if you turn away, he (Messenger Muhammad saaws) is only responsible for the duty placed on him (i.e. to convey Allah's Message) and you for that placed on you. If you obey him, you shall be on the right guidance. The Messenger's duty is only to convey (the message) in a clear way (i.e. to preach in a plain way)." (Quran 24:54):
Allaah's Messenger gave us an admonition which caused the eyes to shed tears and the hearts to fear, so we said, "O Messenger of Allaah, this is as if it were a farewell sermon, so with what do you counsel us?" So he said: "I have left you upon clear proof , its night is like its day, no one deviates from it except one who is destroyed, and whoever lives long from amongst you will see great controversy. So stick to what you know from my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the orthodox, rightly-guided caliphs - cling to that with your molar teeth, and stick to obedience even if it is to an Abyssinian slave, since the believer is like a submissive camel, wherever he is led, he follows" [Ahmad (4/126), Ibn Maajah (no. 43), al-Haakim (1/96) and others - Hasan]
What Are the Quran And Sunnah? Why Do Muslims Have To Follow This?
The Messenger of Allaah SAWS has informed us that the ummah (of Muslims) will divide into groups and sects, and that it will follow the ways of those nations that came before it in a close and identical manner, as he SAWS said:
"You will surely follow the ways of those who came before, inch by inch and hand-span by hand-span, such that if they were to enter into the hole of a lizard, you would follow them (in it)." They (the Companions) said: "(Do you mean) the Jews and the Christians?" He SAWS said: "Who else?" [Agreed upon]
Following the right way
Islam is easy to follow:
Islam, the Religion of Ease and Moderation
Please do not be confused by all these sects, just ignore that, concentrate on learning about Tawheed (The Unity of Allah in Lordship, worship, names and attributes) and other important aspects of Islam that we mentioned earlier on. This will help you understand much more and make things clearer for you.
