Women in Quran

March 31, 2007

“O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will.

Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may take away part of the dower [money given by the husband to the wife for the marriage contract] ye have given them, except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity.

If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and God brings about through it a great deal of good. (The Noble Quran, 4:19)”


New Magazines Reflect Muslims’ Diversity

March 24, 2007

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Holding an American flag and wearing a grin beneath her head scarf, Wardaw Chaudhary, a 16-year-old from Tulsa, radiated confidence and optimism, the perfect cover girl to grace the first issue of Muslim Girl magazine.

Launched in January with the tag line “Enlighten Celebrate Inspire,” the bimonthly magazine targets what Editor in Chief Ausma Khan says are 400,000 Muslim teenage girls in North America, who, like other teenagers, want a magazine that reflects their lifestyles and aspirations.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/23/AR2007032301438.html


Muslim exchange opens eyes, hearts

March 15, 2007

http://www.nwherald.com/content/articles/2007/03/11/news/local/doc45f392315af56884525374.jpg

Last year, Melissa and John Cummings lost their oldest son, Ryan, in Iraq.

This year, they found new appreciation for life in Waleed Nasir, a Muslim exchange student from Pakistan.

Waleed moved in with the Crystal Lake family in August, a little more than two months after Ryan was killed.

“We were in such a state of shock and mourning,” said Melissa Cummings, Waleed’s host parent. “I just didn’t think we were the best place for him.”

But the family’s worries subsided when she and her husband saw 16-year-old Waleed’s smiling face at the airport.

He was so excited about everything, Melissa Cummings said, that it made them all value how lucky they were.

“Especially after what happened last year to our son Ryan, it has been a blessing,” she said.

Waleed has become best friends with his host brother Jason, 14

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2007/03/11/news/local/doc45f392315af56884525374.txt


Former Christian Priests and Missionaries who have Embraced Islam

March 15, 2007

[Qur'an 5:82-83]

And thou wilt find the nearest of them in affection to those who believe (to be) those who say: Lo! We are Christians. That is because there are among them priests and monks, and because they are not proud. When they listen to that which hath been revealed unto the messengers, thou seest their eyes overflow with tears because of their recognition of the Truth.
They say: Our Lord, we believe. Inscribe us as among the witnesses

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You can find many converts from Christianity to Islam there, as well as Christians who are learning more about Islam.

* Dr. Jerald F. Dirks – Former minister (deacon) of the United Methodist Church. He holds a Master’s degree in Divinity from Harvard University and a Doctorate in Psychology from the University of Denver. Author of The Cross and the Crescent: An Interfaith Dialogue between Christianity and Islam (ISBN 1-59008-002-5 – Amana Publications, 2001).

* Abdullah al-Faruq – Formerly Kenneth L. Jenkins, minister and elder of the Pentecostal Church

* Viacheslav Polosin – Former Archpriest of the Russian Orthodox Church

* Anselm Tormeeda – 14th century CE scholar and priest

* Khadijah ‘Sue’ Watson – Former pastor, missionary, professor. Master’s degree in Divinity

* Ibrahim Khalil – Former Egyptian Coptic priest

* Anonymous Female Missionary – Former Catholic missionary

* Martin John Mwaipopo – Former Lutheran Archbishop

* Raphael – Former Jehovah’s Witness minister

* George Anthony – Former Catholic priest

* Dr. Gary Miller (Abdul-Ahad Omar) – Former missionary

Join the discussion board and share your views
http://www.missionislam.com/comprel/former.htm


Islam Got It First

March 11, 2007

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The tiling in medieval Islamic architecture turns out to embody a mathematical insight that Westerners thought they had discovered only 30 years ago.

March 19, 2007 issue – Ancient, closely held religious secrets; messages encoded on the walls of Middle Eastern shrines; the divine golden ratio—readers of a recent issue of the journal Science must have wondered if they’d mistakenly picked up “The Da Vinci Code” instead. In stretches of intricate tiling on several 500-year-old Islamic buildings, Peter Lu and Paul Steinhardt wrote, they’d spotted a large fragment of a mathematical pattern that was unknown to Western science until the 1970s. Islam gave the world algebra, from the Arabic al-jabr, a term referring to a basic equation. But this pattern is far from basic; it comes from much higher math. “The ridiculous thing is, this pattern has been staring Westerners in the face all this time,” says Keith Critchlow, author of the book “Islamic Patterns.” “We simply haven’t been able to read it.” Now that we can, though, it is serving as a startling indication of how accomplished medieval-era Muslims may have been.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17553752/site/newsweek/


Quran Quotes forbidding War

March 8, 2007

Quran ( 60:8)
In Surah (Chapter) Al-Mumtahina, Allah says: “Allah forbiddeth you not those who warred not against you on account of religion and drove you not out from your homes, that ye should show them kindness and deal justly with them. Lo! Allah loveth the just dealers. “(60:8)

Quran ( 4:90)
Therefore if they withdraw from you but fight you not, and (instead) send you (Guarantees of) peace, then Allah Hath opened no way for you (to war against them).”(4:90)


Most misunderstood quote used by Non-Muslims to spread disinformation about Islam

March 8, 2007

Quran:
Chapter 9 verse 5

But when the forbidden months are past, then fight the pagans wherever you find them, and seize them and beleaguer them and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war). But if they repent and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them, for Allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful.”

Some people – especially some contemporary non-Muslim critics of Islam – have tried to claim that this verse abrogates the verse “Let there be no compulsion in religion.” They argue that the generality of this statement implies that every unbeliever who refuses to accept Islam must be fought. They support their allegation by pointing out that this verse is one of the last verses to be revealed about fighting.

However, this verse in no way abrogates the principle in Islamic Law that there is no compulsion in religion. It may be general in wording, but its meaning is quite specific on account of other verses of the Quran that are connected with it as well as on account of a number of pertinent hadîth. We will be discussing these texts shortly.

The people being referred to by this verse are the pagan Arabs who had been waging war against the Prophet (peace be upon him) and who had broken their covenant and treaties with him. This verse is not speaking about the other pagan Arabs who did not break their treaties and take up arms against the Muslims. It is also most definitely not speaking about the Jews or Christians, or, for that matter, the pagans who were living outside of Arabia.

If we look at the verses in Surah al-Tawbah( Chap 9) immediately before and after the one under discussion, the context of the verse becomes clear.

A few verses before the one we are discussing, Allah says: “There is a declaration of immunity from Allah and His Messenger to those of the pagans with whom you have contracted mutual alliances. Go then, for four months, to and fro throughout the land. But know that you cannot frustrate Allah that Allah will cover with shame those who reject Him.” [Surah al-Tawbah: 1-2]

In these verses we see that the pagans were granted a four month amnesty with an indication that when the four months were over, fighting would resume. However, a following verse exempts some of them from the resumption of hostilities. It reads: “Except for those pagans with whom you have entered into a covenant and who then do not break their covenant at all nor aided anyone against you. So fulfill your engagements with them until the end of their term, for Allah loves the righteous.” [Surah al-Tawbah: 9:4]

So when Allah says: “But when the forbidden months are past, then fight the pagans wherever you find them, and seize them and beleaguer them and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)”, we must know that it is not general, since the verse above has qualified it to refer to the pagan Arabs who were actually at war with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and those who broke their covenants of peace.

This is further emphasized by a few verses later where Allah says: “Will you not fight people who broke their covenants and plotted to expel the Messenger and attacked you first?” [Surah al-Tawbah: 9:13]

Ibn al-Arabi, in his commentary on the Quran, writes: “It is clear from this that the meaning of this verse is to kill the pagans who are waging war against you.” [Ahkam al-Quran: (2/456)]

Allah also say right after the verse under discussion: “How can there be a covenant before Allah and His Messenger with the pagans except those with whom you have made a treaty near the Sacred Mosque? As long as they stand true to you, stand true to them, for Allah does love the righteous.” [Surah al-Tawbah: 9:7]

http://islamtomorrow.com/kill.asp


What Does Islam Say About “Forcing People in Religion?”

March 8, 2007

Allah says in His Quran: “Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error. Whoever rejects false worship and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things.” [Surah al-Baqarah: 256]

http://islamtomorrow.com/kill.asp


What Does Islam Say About “Forcing People in Religion?”

March 8, 2007

Allah says in His Quran: “Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error. Whoever rejects false worship and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things.” [Surah al-Baqarah: 256]

http://islamtomorrow.com/kill.asp


Do not slander chaste women

March 4, 2007

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Quran :
(24:23) Those who charge with slander those Believing women, who are chaste but simple souls, are accursed in this world and in the Hereafter: there is a great punishment for them.

Hadith :
The Holy Prophet has said: “To slander chaste women is one of the seven ‘deadly’ sins.” According to another Tradition cited by Tabarani from Hadrat Huzaifah, the Holy Prophet said: “To slander a pious woman suffiices to ruin the good deeds of a hundred years. “


The Immunity to Men and Women

March 4, 2007

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QURAN :

[9.71] And (as for) the believing men and the believing women, they are guardians of each other; they enjoin good and forbid evil and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, and obey Allah and His Apostle; (as for) these, Allah will show mercy to them; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise.


Russian Islam goes its own way

March 2, 2007

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One in five Russians may be Muslim by 2020

The country’s Muslim community is extremely diverse – from Volga Tatars and Bashkirs to the ethnic mishmash of the North Caucasus. But unlike Muslim minorities in Western Europe, most Russian Muslims represent native people of what is now Russia, who inhabited their land for over a millennium.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4341648.stm


Strong rise in number of Germans converting to Islam: study

March 2, 2007

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There has been a surge in the number of Germans converting to Islam, the weekly Der Spiegel on Saturday cited an Interior Ministry-sponsored study.

Around 4,000 Germans converted to Islam between July 2004 and June 2005 which is four times as many as in the prior space of time, said the study which was conducted by the Islam-Archive Central Institute, based in the western town of Soest.

The head of the German Islam think-tank, Salim Abdullah pointed out that that most of those who converted to Islam, have been women and well-educated.

http://english.webislam.com/?idn=950