Islam-Enlightenment?

[Southrn_Muslimah]

:salam2: Brothers and Sisters.

Lately I have been speaking with a few friends (not Muslim..agnostic)and they keep saying Islam needs an "enlightenment" period. I never know what to say because the last time I checked the records of people reverting are high..Alhamdullilah.

How would you answer people who keep saying we need an enlightenment?
I just want to hit my head on the desk because I hate to sound like the repeat button. I just don't understand where this world has come to where seeing is believing. I am like look around people at nature isn't that the most beautiful thing Allah (swt) has let humans have. Just because we cannot see "the higher power" as they would say doesn't mean it is not there. I am surprised I haven't lost my hair under my hijab. No wonder why people stick around other Muslims. I am about to give up on dawah. What to do....
Sorry about my rant I am just curious on how other Muslims/Muslimahs handle these situations.


The sister hitting her head on the computer.

 

[tabaria]

:salam2:

I hear this alot.

Europe under catholicsm was known as a dark age. Muslims living under a caliph was our golden age.

You should ask them what preceded the enlightenment. They will tell you the renaisance laid the ground work for it. For europeans it was the beginning of seperating church from state/science. It's important to note that renaisance philosophy actually originated in baghdad.

Watch the second part of "Empire of Faith" it explains it all, it will also explain it to them.

Enlightenment refers to a period were alot of ideas came up. Some include, ending slavery, Freemarkets, evolution, and greater freedom and less control from the state. If you were married and wanted to have a child you need to ask the permission of the king.

The word F*UCK orignates from this. It stands for "Fornification Under Consent of the King"

Another example of this enlightenment was Adam smith's wealth of nations. Which is the foundation for capatalism/freemarkets. Muslims were practicing this since the days of the prophet (pbuh). This main points of his paper "inquiry into the wealth of nations" were property rights and freedom from government. He objected to slavery as he saw it inefficient, and promoted practical education.

By the ways Oxfard and other Universities are actually based on the Universities built by the muslims in spain

During the enlightenment, ideas of the equality of men were also brought up, and if man was born free etc etc.

It's also important to note that even in the US women were not allowed to inherit property until about 1930.
Women in the British empire were not considered human until early 20th century. This was way after the enlightenment period.

 

[jabba]

:salam2:
Hmmmm lol what do they mean an enlightenment peroid? It's funny only because they must be saying that without knowledge, otherwuse they wouldn't be saying it at all. But sister all that aside, don't let them get to you. Your a new Muslim they probably want you to come back to your old religion, and are trying desperately to get you back. My non-Muslim friends are truly the best friends I have, they are accepting and understanding which is so important for me. Don''t give up on dawa, it's something that is incumbant on all Muslims. Just take a break inshAllah you'll feel renewed after a little breather

 

[Southrn_Muslimah]

.

:salam2:

Jazakallah khair...All the information you have given has helped. I try to explain some of these things it goes right over their head lol. For instance the whole womens' suffrage in North America that y'all have mentioned .I feel that they think sometimes that I am going to be "brainwashed". Who knew being modest was a crime! I just did not know that finding inner peace was a crime . It is always "Okay I understand but..." I am about to abolish the word "but" from the english language by the way.

It always come down to some slander when I know I have won a point. Some low blow to the Prophet (SAW) like how young his wife was. Or some book they read about a woman in Africa who unfortunately was caught into some cultural things.

You should see their faces when I say "Basically the Prophet (SAW) was the first feminist.." I.E. recognizing women are human too and deserve some R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

I always get chastised because they say I do not know enough Arabic to fully understand anything...Gah!!! If they only knew how much Arabic I knew

I see my friends points about an enlightenment because they recognize the suffering of innocent people by abusing the name of Allah for their purposes.

I see society today happy to be in chaos and just because I chose not to participate in this chaos I get shunned.

Again I want to thank y'all for listening to these frustrations.


Sarah

 

[Southrn_Muslimah]

.

:salam2:
I learn something new everyday. I remember learning about Adam Smith but never connected it to Islamic history.

I watched the first part of Empire of Faith. I guess it would of helped if I watched it all.

:salam2:

I hear this alot.

Europe under catholicsm was known as a dark age. Muslims living under a caliph was our golden age.

You should ask them what preceded the enlightenment. They will tell you the renaisance laid the ground work for it. For europeans it was the beginning of seperating church from state/science. It's important to note that renaisance philosophy actually originated in baghdad.

Watch the second part of "Empire of Faith" it explains it all, it will also explain it to them.

Enlightenment refers to a period were alot of ideas came up. Some include, ending slavery, Freemarkets, evolution, and greater freedom and less control from the state. If you were married and wanted to have a child you need to ask the permission of the king.

The word F*UCK orignates from this. It stands for "Fornification Under Consent of the King"

Another example of this enlightenment was Adam smith's wealth of nations. Which is the foundation for capatalism/freemarkets. Muslims were practicing this since the days of the prophet (pbuh). This main points of his paper "inquiry into the wealth of nations" were property rights and freedom from government. He objected to slavery as he saw it inefficient, and promoted practical education.

By the ways Oxfard and other Universities are actually based on the Universities built by the muslims in spain

During the enlightenment, ideas of the equality of men were also brought up, and if man was born free etc etc.

It's also important to note that even in the US women were not allowed to inherit property until about 1930.
Women in the British empire were not considered human until early 20th century. This was way after the enlightenment period.

 

[tabaria]

:salam2:

LOL
You should ask them how much Arabic they know and let them quiz you so you can show them. That actually comes off as arrogant to me.

And i guess they're talking about that Ali hirsi?
Ask them why she got her dutch citizenship revoked.
It's because she made the whole forced marriage thing up. She made everything up. That's why she lives in the U.S. now

About Mohammed's (pbuh) marriages. There is an excellent response to this on Islam online.

 

[tabaria]

:salam2:
I learn something new everyday. I remember learning about Adam Smith but never connected it to Islamic history.

I watched the first part of Empire of Faith. I guess it would of helped if I watched it all.

:salam2:

Another interesting tidbit. Tell them to look in the painting of great western thinkers. There they will see a muslim. It was his idea that laid the ground work for the renaisance. It has it all the second part of "empire of faith" LOL i forget his name.

 

[Southrn_Muslimah]

.

Lol yea I guess my arrogance got to me I guess they always forget I have been studying languages for quite a while. It is okay though at least they ask questions instead of sitting like a bump on the log.

That is exactly it about the woman who got the citizenship revoked. I mean they could read any book about Islam...they always go for the tearjerkers or the really negative ones instead of the Qur'an. Baffles me.

I will definitely go look up about the marriage ordeal to satisfy their quenshing thirst for this hot topic.

Salaam!

:salam2:

LOL
You should ask them how much Arabic they know and let them quiz you so you can show them. That actually comes off as arrogant to me.

And i guess they're talking about that Ali hirsi?
Ask them why she got her dutch citizenship revoked.
It's because she made the whole forced marriage thing up. She made everything up. That's why she lives in the U.S. now

About Mohammed's (pbuh) marriages. There is an excellent response to this on Islam online.

 

[Southrn_Muslimah]

.

:salam2:

Another interesting tidbit. Tell them to look in the painting of great western thinkers. There they will see a muslim. It was his idea that laid the ground work for the renaisance. It has it all the second part of "empire of faith" LOL i forget his name.

:salam2:

Now I am really intrigued to go watch it lol.

 

[Mohsin]

Subhan-Allah !

:salam2:

Masha-allah brother Ayman, you made me feel that I am not the only one who feel the way I do. Subhan-Allah, I agree with you completely.

The enlightenment period as understood by the West is the period when church started to be departed from the state and science and freedom of thought reigned. It was so called because the period of church domination was called the dark ages. The church had abused its power to a horrific extent, e.g., the Spanish Inquisition. Also, the church has always been at odds with science and reason and most churches today cannot reconcile faith with reason.

The history of Islam is exactly the opposite! Islam started out enlightened and faith and reason were hand in hand. The past few centuries however experienced a "darkening" if you will. It started with the neglect of analysis (Ijtihaad) coupled with dictatorship. It has now reached an extreme darkness where violence against innocent civilians is viewed by many as holy struggle! Your atheist friends may be right! Muslims, not Islam, need an enlightenment period, but of different kind from what happened in the West. It needs to go back to its solid foundations made by the prophet peace be upon him and our good ancestors (Salaf) may God have been pleased with them.