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Ask About Islam as Hajj Is Approaching

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

 

We are glad to conclude this Live Session on Saturday, July 30, 2016, at 22:00 Makkah/19:00 GMT.

 

This session was dedicated to “Ask About Islam”; Br. Waleed Najmeddine replied to general questions about Islam including interfaith issues, misconceptions and misinterpretations of Islamic concepts.

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Please don’t hesitate to send us your additional questions through the following email address:

 

[email protected]

Saturday, Jul. 30, 2016 | 20:00 - 22:00 GMT

Session is over.
DISCLAIMER
Views expressed by hosts/guests on this program (live dialogue, Facebook sessions, etc.) are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent.  

What are the dangers of an inflated ego for a Muslim?



Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh Dear Brother,

 

Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.

 

Pride is double-edged sword. On one side, it promotes a healthy self-image, builds confidence, bravery. On the other side, when taken to extremes, pride can lead a person to become blind to the truth, blind to their own shortcomings, and prevent them from becoming a better person:

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“Your God is One God. As for those who do not believe in the Hereafter, their hearts are defiant and they are arrogant. (22) Invariably, God knows what they conceal and what they reveal. Surely, He does not love the arrogant.” [Chapter 16 (The Bee), verse 23]

 

“Indeed Qarun was from the people of Musa, then he rebelled against them. And We had given to him such treasures as their keys would weigh too heavy for a strong group of people. (Remember) when his people said to him, “Do not exult. Surely, God does not like the exultant. And seek the (betterment of) the Ultimate Abode with what God has given to you, and do not neglect your share from this world, and do good as God did good to you, and do not seek to make mischief in the land. Surely, God does not like the mischief-makers. (Qarun) answered: “This [wealth] has been given to me only by virtue of the knowledge that is in me!” Did he not know that God had destroyed [the arrogant of] many a generation that preceded him – people who were greater than he in power, and richer in what they had amassed? But such as are lost in sin may not be asked about, their sins.” [Chapter 28 (The Narration) verse 76-78]

 

In other religious traditions there is a saying, “Pride cometh before the fall” which describes how when a person becomes too immersed in pride and lets his or her ego get the better of them, they set themselves up for failure, or a great fall to awaken them.

 

It is, however, very common to see highly educated, decent, and skilled people fail in their efforts, yet uneducated, mean and ignorant people succeed in theirs. If everything in life depended on our abilities, the human race would not have survived long against the elements or against the millions of other competing creatures on this earth all struggling to survive:

 

“Read in the name of your Lord who created (everything). He created man from a (clinging) clot of blood. Read, and your Lord is the Most Gracious. Who imparted knowledge by means of the pen. (He) who taught man what he did not know.” [Quran Chapter 96 (Clinging), verse 1-5]

 

As Muslims we understand that humility is a great virtue. We recognize that if we have achieved any greatness, it is only because God has blessed us with certain abilities or wisdom, or He has opened doors to success despite our own weakness or ignorance, not because we are more intelligent or skilled than others. We also understand that if we fail, it is only because our actions are to blame, or because we have something more to learn.

 

“It is narrated on the authority of Abdullah b. Mas’ud that the Messenger of God (may peace be upon him), observed: He who has in his heart the weight of a mustard seed of pride shall not enter Paradise. A person (amongst his listeners) said:

 

Verily a person loves that his dress should be fine, and his shoes should be fine. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: Verily, God is Graceful and He loves Grace. Pride is disdaining the truth (out of self-conceit) and contempt for the people.  (Sahih Muslim, Book 1, Hadith 164)

 

So not only does excessive pride lead to difficulties in this life, but it prevents us from achieving our ultimate goal, eternal happiness in the next life. It is not our deeds and belief alone that grants us admission to God’s Paradise in the next life:

 

“Abu Huraira reported God’s Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: There is none whose deeds alone would entitle him to get into paradise. It was said to him: And, God’s Messenger, not even you? Thereupon he said: Not even I, but that my Lord wraps me in mercy.”  (Sahih Muslim, Book 39, Hadith 6761.)

 

I hope this has been beneficial to you.

 

Salam and please keep in touch.

 

 


I know of course that there are many Muslims that do not adhere to groups like ISIS and others like them.My question is why aren't there more efforts from Muslims who do not adhere to ISIS's idea of killing all that do not follow their ways?I struggle to come to terms with the idea that groups like ISIS are not following the Quran. I struggle to understand why all the killing was done in the name of God.Can you explain?



Salam (Peace),

 

Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.

 

There is no doubt that groups engaging in the killing of innocent people have seriously undermined the trust many non-Muslims have in the entire Muslim community. Many call for action by Muslims to condemn these acts or to at least speak out against them.

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Leaders of Muslim communities are looked to for guidance, and the incidents seem to be occurring on a daily basis somewhere in the world.

 

If we look at this problem on the global level, the vast majority of victims of these bombings, shootings, etc. are actually Muslims. When innocent people, including Muslims, are killed, people who have no ties with their
country’s military, no ties with any armed group, we see few (if any) public protests or condemnations in countries where non-Muslims are the majority.

 

Yet when an attack occurs in a majority non-Muslim country (France, Britain, U.S.A., etc) the public outcry, justifiably, is tremendous. If the perpetrator is of a Muslim, or middle eastern heritage, the primary factor
in motivating their actions is Islam. In these cases, his or her religious background is dragged into the picture, despite the fact that the attacker had very little knowledge of Islam, or put very little, if any, into practice in their daily lives.

 

If the attacker is determined to be a non-Muslim, the primary factor for consideration is usually some type of mental illness or instability. Their religious background is a secondary consideration, even if they profess to be members of a specific religion.

 

Muslims believe that every soul shall receive what it has earned, regardless of their claims to be doing good or doing God’s work. If a person intentionally practices evil, there is punishment in store for them in this life and in the next, unless they repent to God and try to make amends with those they have wronged.

 

If a person practices good, there are rewards for them in this life and the next. Islam teaches us to take people as individuals. Whether they are black, white, yellow, male, female, young, old, Jew, Christian, atheist, Muslim, Buddhist.so long as they treat others with dignity and respect, they are worthy of a Muslim’s respect, assistance, praise, friendship, and love.

 

There will always be people who see violence as a solution to their problems, but the vast majority of people in this world, Muslims included, seek peaceful resolution to disputes and ultimately agree to disagree if no resolution is found.

 

The role of worldwide corporate media in all of this cannot be overstated. 99.99% of the world’s Muslims, hundreds of millions of them of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds, live peaceful, productive lives with their non-Muslim friends, neighbors and coworkers. But this does not sell. It does not make headlines. It does not attract attention. It does not fit the agenda of war mongers.

 

Is it reasonable to expect 1.7 billion or so Muslims to constantly apologize for every action of every misguided Muslim who carries out an act of violence against others somewhere in the world?

 

Also, the amount of killing done in the name of God is not exclusive to Muslims. The Crusades of Europeans that were conducted at the behest of the Catholic Church (the originator of the term “Holy War”) over hundreds of
years resulted in the torture and death of millions of Muslims. Muslims do not constantly throw this into the faces of Europeans and Christians.

 

Palestinian Muslims have been on the receiving end of brutal occupation and repression for over 60 years at the hands of Israeli’s, but the vast majority of Muslims do not abuse Jews on the streets the way women in Hijab are commonly treated today.

 

When Muslims are attacked in different parts of the world today, merely because they are Muslim, is this not a religious motivation? Does it matter if the attackers are atheists when their targets are Muslims? Are non-Muslims filling the streets in protest at these occurrences?

 

We do not expect anyone other than the perpetrators of violent acts against innocent people, to pay for their crimes or to make amends somehow to their victims and their families. That is justice. That is what promotes lasting peace among people.

 

If there is doubt as to whether something is good or not, Muslims refer to the Quran and the life example of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.

 

If you believe that Islam really does promote the abuse of others, seeks the destruction of their societies, hates their freedoms, etc., then I suggest you read the Quran in it’s entirety, or read an objective biography of Prophet Muhammad’s life. Then you will be better able to come to a decision as to whether Islam promotes hatred and violence towards others.

 

I hope this helps answer your question.

 

Salam and please keep in touch.


I read that the best days of the year are the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, especially the Day of Arafah.Are there also special virtues for the upcoming month of Dhul-Qi'dah, one of the four sacred months in Islam?What should a Muslim do during this month?



Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh Dear Brother,

 

Thank you for your question and for contacting Ask About Islam.

 

Dhul Qa’dah is the 11th month of the Hijri or Islamic calendar, and along with Rajab (7), Dhul Hijjah (12), and Muharram (1), is one of the 4 sacred months in which no fighting or warfare may be undertaken:

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“Behold, the number of months, in the sight of God, is twelve months, (laid down) in God’s decree on the day when He created the heavens and the earth; (and) out of these, four are sacred: this is the ever-true law (of God). Do not, then, sin against yourselves with regard to these (months).

And fight against those who ascribe divinity to aught beside God, all together-just as they fight against you, (O believers) all together – and know that God is with those who are conscious of Him.

Nasi’ (postponement of months) is nothing but a further excess in infidelity, whereby the disbelievers are misguided. They allow it one year and disallow it another year, so that they may conform (only) to the number of what God has sanctified, and allow what God has disallowed.

The evil of their deeds has been beautified for them (by Satan). And God does not lead the disbelieving people to the right path.” [Chapter 9 (Tauba), verse 36-37]

 

In these verses we are informed as well that the practice of “Nasi’” or intercalation is forbidden.

 

Intercalation, with respect to calendars, is the practice of addition of days, or postponement of days or months to suit some need of the people to either keep the months coinciding with the seasons of the year (spring, summer, autumn, winter) or to exert religious or political influence over others.

 

A modern day example would be the addition of February 29 in leap years to compensate for the extra ¼ day that is part of the solar calendar.

 

Every 4 years the earth falls short of reaching the same point in its revolutions around the sun, and if left unchecked, would result in the 12 solar months slowly shifting through the seasons as do the months in the Islamic calendar.

 

So the result would be that December would eventually fall in the summer and June would fall in the winter over a long period of time. The desire to keep months in their seasonal place may be linked to pagan religious practices and the importance of months being associated with certain times of the year.

 

With respect to specific religious observances in Dhul Qa’dah, I am not aware of anything more religious than avoiding war and conflict. Dhul Qa’dah is a time when people are preparing for embarking on Hajj.

 

Many actually leave their homes at this time on their journeys to Makkah, so to engage in disputes, conflict or war would not be conducive to pious practices and preparing to visit the House of God.

 

Likewise the month of pilgrimage, Dhul Hijjah, and the month where people are traditionally returning to their
homes after the Hajj, Muharram are times of great reflection on one’s blessings from God and starting their lives with a clean slate.

 

I hope this helps answer your question.
Salam and please keep in touch.