Understanding Muslims

Call to Prayer: "God is most great. God is most great. God is most great. God is most great. I testify that there is no god except God. I testify that there is no god except God. Come to prayer! Come to prayer! Come to success (in this life and the Hereafter)! Come to success! God is most great. God is most great. There is no god except God."

 

The Quran is the word of Allah. Muhammad and the Quran teach that Allah is the God who is to be served. The Quran rejects Jesus as the Son of God (Quran 4:171), and states that Jesus is not the sacrifice of God (Quran 4:157). 

The Quran is the revelation of Allah's Will for humans. Quran 112:1-4 "Proclaim, 'He is the One and only GOD. The Absolute GOD. Never did He beget. Nor was He begotten. None equals Him." Morality is even subordinated to God's power. Justice is subordinated to God's power. Remember the Quran reveals the will of God and not the character of God. 

The Quran clearly states that the Bible is clearly God's word.

Muslim Wedding Ceremony Rituals

Marriage in Islam is viewed as a religious obligation, a contract between the couple and Allah.

The only requirement for Muslim weddings is the signing of a marriage contract. Marriage traditions differ depending on culture, Islamic sect, and observance of gender separation rules. If you are having your wedding in a mosque, many have marriage officers, called qazi, who can oversee the marriage.

The marriage contract includes a meher -- a formal statement specifying the monetary amount the groom will give the bride, is considered the bride's security and guarantee of freedom within the marriage.

The marriage contract is signed in a nikah ceremony, in which the groom proposes to the bride in front of at least two witnesses, stating the details of the meher. If men and women are separated for the ceremony, a male representative called a wali acts in the bride's behalf during the nikah.

Adultery

In the traditional English common law, adultery was a felony. Legal definitions of adultery vary. 

In common-law countries, adultery was also known as criminal conversation. The Hebrew Bible prohibits adultery in the Seventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:12). Leviticus 20:10 prescribes capital punishment for adultery between a man and married woman:

And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

Adultery in Judaism is prohibited by the Seventh Commandment, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." The Book of Mormon also prohibits adultery. Various conditions and punishments have been attributed to adultery.

Qur'anic verses prohibiting adultery include:

"Do not go near to adultery. Surely it is a shameful deed and evil, opening roads (to other evils)."

"Say, 'Verily, my Lord has prohibited the shameful deeds, be it open or secret, sins and trespasses against the truth and reason."

Adultery is a crime in Taiwan and the Philippines. It was a crime in Japan until 1947 and until 2015 in South Korea. In 2015 South Korea's Constitutional Court overturned that country's law against adultery because the court found that adultery is a private matter which should not be intervened by the state. Adultery is no longer a crime in any European country and in most Communist countries. In Turkey, adultery laws were held to be invalid in 1996 because the law was deemed discriminatory as it differentiated between women and men. In 2004, there were proposals to introduce a gender-neutral adultery law. Before the 20th century, adultery was often punished harshly. Until the 1990s, most Latin American countries had laws against adultery. Australian states and territories had previously repealed their respective adultery criminal laws. Pennsylvania abolished its fornication and adultery laws in 1973.

In the U.S. Military, adultery is a potential court-martial offense. 

The Qur`Anic Penalty For Zina` (Adultery)

1.        The Qur`anic punishment of 100 lashes is for the case of an unmarried person.

2.        For married persons, the Sunnah abrogated the Qur`anic penalty of 100 lashes and instead prescribed death by stoning.

3.        For married persons, the Sunnah prescribed rajm as a second penalty which is to be combined with the Qur`anic penalty of 100 lashes.

4.        The stoning penalty is found in the Qur`an but it is known only to scholars of great erudition capable of diving deep into the meanings of the Book of God.

5.        The Qur`an did prescribe stoning for adultery but the verse in which the law was stated was not included in the Qur`an.

Islamization of Syria

The Islamization of Syria occurred as a result of the Muslim conquest of Syria in 637 CE/AD. Until then, Syria was the main center of Eastern Christianity. The resulting mass conversions from Christianity to Islam gradually took place over the course of several centuries, such that Syria had become predominantly Muslim by 1000. 

Conversion to Islam had scarcely begun, apart from Arab tribes already settled in Syria; except for the tribe of Ghassan, these all became Muslim.

Surah Al-Jinn, Chapter 72

The blessed Chapter, revealed in Mecca, has 28 Verses. 

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

1.        Say: "It has been revealed unto me that a group [of jinn] listened to me. Then, they said: 'We have heard a wondrous Qur’an,

2.        'That guides to the Straight Path. Thus, we have believed in it and we shall never associate anything with our Lord [in worship].

3.        'And that He, exalted is the Majesty of our Lord, has taken neither a wife nor a child.

4.        'And that the foolish amongst us uttered against Allah unworthy words.

5.        'And we thought that men and jinn would not utter a lie against Allah.

6.        'And there were men amongst mankind who took shelter with the males amongst the jinn, but they increased them in their error and disobedience.

7.        'And they thought as you thought that Allah would not send any Messenger.

8.        'And we have sought to reach the heaven, but found it filled with stern guards and blazing arrows.

9.        'And we used to sit there in stations to eavesdrop, but any who intends to eavesdrop now will find a shooting star watching him in ambush.

10.    '[Having said that] we know not whether evil is intended for the inhabitants of the earth or whether their Lord wills to Guide them.

11.    'And there are amongst us some that are righteous and some impious; we are groups having different ways.

12.    'And we are certain that we cannot overcome Allah’s Will on the earth nor can we flee His Omnipotence.

13.    'And when we heard the Guidance of the Holy Qur’an, we believed therein and whoever believes in his Lord shall have no fear, either of a decrease or injustice.

14.    'And that some amongst us are Muslims and some are disobedient.' And whoever embraces Islam has opted for the Straight Path.

15.    And as for the disobedient, they shall be firewood for Hell.

16.    If they [the jinn and mankind] persevere on the path [of faith], We shall surely bestow upon them water in abundance.

17.    It is intended that We try them thereby. And whoever turns away from the Reminder of his Lord, He will afflict him with an increasing and severe torment.

18.    The mosques are for Allah [Alone]. Therefore, invoke not anyone along with Allah.

19.    And when the servant of Allah [i.e. Muhammad (S)] stood up invoking Him in prayer, a group made round him a dense crowd.

20.    Say: "I invoke only my Lord and I associate none as partners along with Him."

21.    Say: "It is not in my power to cause you harm nor to bring you to the Straight Path."

22.    Say: "None can protect me from Allah’s chastisement [if I disobey Him], nor can I find refuge except in Him.

23.    [Mine is] but imparting Allah’s Messages and whoever disobeys Allah and His Messenger, Hellfire shall be in store for him where he shall dwell forever.

24.    The disbelievers’ disobedience will continue until they see that which they are promised. Then they shall know whose helpers shall be more feeble and of less in terms of number.

25.    Say: "I know not whether what is promised to you is near or whether my Lord will appoint for it a term.

26.    "He is the Omniscient of the unseen and He reveals to none His unseen secrets."

27.    Except to a Messenger whom He has chosen and then He makes a band of watching guards to march before him and behind him.

28.    [Allah] protects them till He sees that they have imparted the Messages of their Lord. And He surrounds all that which is with them and He keeps a record of all things.