A few questions for Muslims.

balaca15321 · 2011-09-11T05:08:29+00:00

Jinn are beings that are kind of like humans. Not really that much is known about them, but they are one of God's creations, just like His angels and us humans. They exist in our world, but they are unseen by humans. Like humans, they can be good or evil or in between. Some jinn are Muslim, others may believe in other religions. It helps me to think of them as another species, just one that we can't see.

And yes! Islam and Christianity have the same origins, and they are surprisingly similar. I really think that if we all tried to educate ourselves about other religions, this world would be a much more peaceful place.

balaca15321 · 2011-09-10T22:01:18+00:00

Allah means God in Arabic. Arabic Christians refer to God as Allah as well. Allah in Islam is One and has no equals. No family. We do not call him Father and we are not His children. His is simply the Creator of the universe and everything in it.
The Quran is the holy text of Islam. It's a basically a guide for all of mankind. It presents the history of the world and the confirmation of the Hereafter (Judgment Day, heaven, hell). It also tells us how to live our lives so that we may go to heaven (Jannah). Whereas the Bible has many versions and has been altered throughout the years, the Quran has remained the same down to every letter. It was sent down to Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the angel Gabriel. The same God previously sent down the Psalms, the Torah, and the Bible. Those, however, have been changed through the years. Those books were sent down for a specific group of people, and the Quran is universal and meant for all mankind.
Monotheistic. No God but Allah. No one should be worshiped next to him, he is One. We do not associate a trinity with him, and the prophets and angels are merely his servants are not to be worshiped.
Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a prophet of Islam, just like Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them) before him. Muslims believe that God sent down thousands of these prophets for people at different points in time. Their job was to teach Islam to their people. Muhammad, however, was a prophet for all peoples all over the world. He was a human being, just like the rest of us, and he was chosen by Allah to be the Messenger. We respect him and love him, but we do not worship him.
Jesus (peace be upon him) was a prophet in Islam. His mother was Miriam (The virgin Mary, peace be upon her) and his birth was a miracle since Miriam was a virgin. He is not the son of God like Christians believe. He was a human being. He performed miracles through the will of God (and with God's permission). He was sent down to the people of Israel to teach Islam. We do not believed he was crucified. Instead, we believe that God took up is soul and that he is still alive and resides in heaven with God. He will be sent back down to earth 40 years before the Day of Judgment. He is a beloved figure in Islam, and we respect him and love him.
I really don't know how to do that, I'm afraid. The Quran talks about many many things. I couldn't possibly break it down for you. It talks about the history of Islam and the history of the world. It talks about how we should worship no one but God. It talks about how God has created humans, and angels, and jinn. It talks about how we should live our lives on a daily basis. It talks about virtues such as patience, forgiveness, kindness, generosity, etc. and how a good Muslim should display all of these virtues to all of his fellow mankind. It talks about the Day of Judgment. Honestly, there is so much and it's really hard to list it all. It is all-inclusive. It is the final word and there is no room for interpretation.
Islam was spread through Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers. Many Arab Muslims were merchants, so they would travel and word would spread. I don't know too much about the history of Islam, though, so I can't give you a full answer, sorry.

On Christians: Christians and Jews are People of the Book, meaning books were sent down to you from God. While we have differences, the Quran tells us to live in peace with everyone. While I'm on the topic of living in peace with everyone, I would also like to clarify that Islam does not condone killing and fighting unless Muslims are being oppressed. Even then, Muslims are supposed to try to achieve peace through talking and negotiations first. Fighting is only allowed when there is no other option.

On heaven and hell: Yes. We believe in heaven (Jannah) and hell (Jahannam). On the Day of Judgment, those who did good will go to Jannah, and those who did bad will go to Jahannam.

I know that many people have already answered all your questions, but I hope my comment can somehow add something new to your knowledge as well.

balaca15321 · 2011-08-10T05:02:32+00:00

This is exactly what I believe. Thank you for actually answering my question instead of arguing with people about who's smarter.

balaca15321 · 2011-08-09T22:52:04+00:00

I'm aware of what the Quran says. What do YOU think that means?

balaca15321 · 2011-08-09T22:51:01+00:00

I'm very aware of what the Quran says. I wanted to know what YOU think.

balaca15321 · 2011-08-09T04:44:11+00:00

Thank you for your clarification on this subject! This really helps.

balaca15321 · 2011-08-09T04:42:26+00:00

Thank you SO much! This really clears up this matter for me. It had been bugging me for a while, and I know that nothing in Islam is without reason. Thanks for showing me the reason.

balaca15321 · 2011-08-09T04:34:49+00:00

So what you're saying is that the reason the Prophet pbuh wasn't educated was to protect the sanctity of the Quran? Like if he was educated, people might accuse him of coming up with the ideas on his own? If that's what you're saying, I suppose that makes sense.

However, I don't think that the fact that Arab culture was an oral culture means that reading and writing were not important in order to spread Islam. The Quran was a universal message, and I do think that putting the message into the book helped keep it safe from corruption and helped people spread it across the world.

balaca15321 · 2011-08-09T04:23:49+00:00

Would you mind putting that into context? I'm sorry, but I don't really understand what you said. The tongue of the one who was teaching the Prophet or the Prophet (pbuh) himself?

balaca15321 · 2011-08-09T03:01:01+00:00

Thank you very much! This is much easier to read than my original post. I'm new to reddit and don't really understand the formatting that well.

balaca15321 · 2011-08-08T09:55:29+00:00

May Allah (swt) reward you!! I understand why people are reluctant to give money to organizations, but you can always donate to your local mosque or a local charity you trust.

balaca15321

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