For Now,there are 10 Misconception about islam that being headline in our life.We must know if its wrong concept and we must delete it from our mine.
1.Misconception : Muslims are violent, terrorists and/or extremists.
This is the biggest misconception in Islam, no doubt resulting from
the constant stereotyping and bashing the media gives Islam. When a
gunman attacks a mosque in the name of Judaism, a Catholic IRA guerrilla
sets off a bomb in an urban area, or Serbian Orthodox militiamen rape
and kill innocent Muslim civilians, these acts are not used to
stereotype an entire faith. Never are these acts attributed to the
religion of the perpetrators. Yet how many times have we heard the words
‘Islamic, Muslim fundamentalist. etc.’ linked with violence.
Politics in so called “Muslim countries” may or may not have any
Islamic basis. Often dictators and politicians will use the name of
Islam for their own purposes. One should remember to go to the source of
Islam and separate what the true religion of Islam says from what is
portrayed in the media. Islam literally means ‘submission to God’ and is
derived from a root word meaning ‘peace’.
Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps
this is because religion doesn’t dominate everyday life in the West,
whereas Islam is considered a ‘way of life’ for Muslims and they make no
division between secular and sacred in their lives. Like Christianity,
Islam permits fighting in self-defense, in defense of religion, or on
the part of those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes. It
lays down strict rules of combat which include prohibitions against
harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock.
NOWHERE DOES ISLAM ENJOIN THE KILLING OF INNOCENTS.. The Quran says:
War, therefore, is the last resort, and is subject to the rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law. The term ‘jihad’ literally means ‘struggle’. Muslims believe that there are two kinds of jihad. The other ‘jihad’ is the inner struggle of the soul which everyone wages against egotistic desires for the sake of attaining inner peace.
NOWHERE DOES ISLAM ENJOIN THE KILLING OF INNOCENTS.. The Quran says:
“Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors.” (Quran 2:190) “If they seek peace, then seek you peace. And trust in God for He is the One that heareth and knoweth all things.” (Quran 8:61)
War, therefore, is the last resort, and is subject to the rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law. The term ‘jihad’ literally means ‘struggle’. Muslims believe that there are two kinds of jihad. The other ‘jihad’ is the inner struggle of the soul which everyone wages against egotistic desires for the sake of attaining inner peace.
2.Misconception:Islam oppresses women.
Islam on the other hand gives men and women different roles and
equity between the two is laid down in the Quran and the example of the
Prophet (peace be upon him). Islam sees a woman, whether single or
married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and
dispose of her property and earnings. A marriage gift is given by the
groom to the bride for her own personal use, and she keeps her own
family name rather than taking her husband’s. Both men and women are
expected to dress in a way that is modest and dignified. The Messenger
of God (peace be upon him) said: “The most perfect in faith amongst
believers is he who is best in manner and kindest to his wife.”
Violence of any kind towards women and forcing them against their
will for anything is not allowed. A Muslim marriage is a simple, legal
agreement in which either partner is free to include conditions.
Marriage customs thus vary widely from country to country. Divorce is
not common, although it is acceptable as a last resort. According to
Islam, a Muslim girl cannot be forced to marry against her will: her
parents simply suggest young men they think may be suitable.
3.Misconception :Muslims worship a different God.
Allah is simply the Arabic word for God. Allah for Muslims is the
greatest and most inclusive of the Names of God, it is an Arabic word of
rich meaning, denoting the one and only God and ascribing no partners
to Him. It is exactly the same word which the Jews, in Hebrew, use for
God (eloh), the word which Jesus Christ used in Aramaic when he prayed
to God. God has an identical name in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam;
Allah is the same God worshiped by Muslims, Christians and Jews. Muslims
believe that Allah’s sovereignty is to be acknowledged in worship and
in the pledge to obey His teaching and commandments, conveyed through
His messengers and prophets who were sent at various times and in many
places throughout history. However, it should be noted that God in Islam
is One and Only. He, the Exalted, does not get tired, does not have a
son ie Jesus or have associates, nor does He have human-like
attributions as found in other faiths.
4.Islam was spread by the sword and intolerant of other faiths.
Many social studies textbooks for students show the image of an Arab
horseman carrying a sword in one hand and the Quran in the other
conquering and forcibly converting. This, though, is not a correct
portrayal of history. Islam has always given respect and freedom of
religion to all faiths. The Quran says:
“God forbids you not, with regards to those who fight you not for [your] faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loveth those who are just.( 60:8)
Freedom of religion is laid down in the Quran itself: “There is no
compulsion (or coercion) in the religion (Islam). The right direction is
distinctly clear from error”. (2:256) Christian missionary, T.W. Arnold
had this opinion on his study of the question of the spread of Islam:
“.. of any organized attempt to force the acceptance of Islam on the
non-Muslim population, or of any systematic persecution intended to
stamp out the Christian religion, we hear nothing. Had the caliphs
chosen to adopt either course of action, they might have swept away
Christianity as easily as Ferdinand and Isabella drove Islam out of
Spain, or Louis XIV made Protestanism …”
It is a function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of
minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished
all over the Islamic world. History provides many examples of Muslim
tolerance towards other faiths: when the caliph Omar entered Jerusalem
in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship to all religious
communities in the city. Proclaiming to the inhabitants that their
lives, and property were safe, and that their places of worship would
never be taken from them, he asked the Christian patriarch Sophronius to
accompany him on a visit to all the holy places. Islamic law also
permits non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts, which
implement family laws drawn up by the minorities themselves. The life
and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered sacred
whether the person is Muslim or not.
Racism is not a part of Islam, the Quran speaks only of human
equality and how all peoples are equal in the sight of God. “O mankind!
We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into
nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the
most honored of you in God’s sight is the greatest of you in piety. God
is All-Knowing, All- Aware. (49:13)
5.Misconception :All Muslims are Arabs
The Muslim population of the world is around 1.2 billion. 1 out of 5
people in the world is a Muslim. They are a vast range of races,
nationalities, and cultures from around the globe—from the Phillipines
to Nigeria—they are united by their common Islamic faith.
Only about 18% live in the Arab world and the largest Muslim
community is in Indonesia. Most Muslims live east of Pakistan. 30% of
Muslims live in the Indian subcontinent, 20% in Sub-Saharan Africa, 17%
in Southeast Asia, 18% in the Arab world, and 10% in the Soviet Union
and China. Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan make up 10% of the non-Arab
Middle East. Although there are Muslim minorities in almost every area,
including Latin America and Australia, they are most numerous in Russia
and its newly independent states, India andcentral Africa. There are about 6 million Muslims in the United States.
6.Misconception :The Nation of Islam is a Muslim group.
Islam and the so called “Nation of Islam’” are two different
religions. NOI is more of a political organization since its members are
not limited to a single faith. Muslims consider this group to be just
one of many cults using the name of Islam for their own gain. The only
thing common between them is the jargon, the language used by both. “The
Nation of Islam” is a misnomer; this religion should be called
Farrakhanism, after the name of its propogator, Louis Farrakhan.
Islam and Farakhanism differ in many fundamental ways. For example,
Farakhan followers believe in racism and that the ‘black man’ was the
original man and therefore superior, while in Islam there is no racism
and everyone is considered equal in the sight of God, the only
difference being in one’s piety. There are many other theological
examples that show the ‘Nation’s teachings have little to do with true
Islam. There are many groups in America who claim to represent Islam and
call their adherents Muslims.
Any serious student of Islam has a duty to investigate and find the
true Islam. The only two authentic sources which bind every Muslim are
1. the Quran and 2. authentic or sound Hadith. Any teachings under the
label of “Islam” which contradict or at variance with the direct
understanding of fundamental beliefs and practices of Islam form the
Quran and authentic Hadith should be rejected and such a religion should
be considered a Pseudo-Islamic Cult. In America there are many
pseudo-Islamic cults, Farrakhanism being one of them. An honest attitude
on the part of such cults should be not to call themselves Muslims and
their religion Islam. such an example of honesty is Bahaism which is an
off-shoot of Islam but Bahais do not call themselves Muslims nor their
religion, Islam. In fact Bahaism is not Islam just as Farrakhanism is
not Islam.
7.Misconception :All Muslim men marry four wives.
The religion of Islam was revealed for all societies and all times
and so accommodates widely differing social requirements. Circumstances
may warrant the taking of another wife but the right is granted,
according to the Quran, only on condition that the husband is
scrupulously fair. No woman can be forced into this kind of marriage if
they do not wish it, and they also have the right to exclude it in their
marriage contract.
Polygamy is neither mandatory, nor encouraged, but merely permitted.
Images of “sheikhs with harems” are not consistent with Islam, as a man
is only allowed at most four wives only if he can fulfill the stringent
conditions of treating each fairly and providing each with separate
housing etc. Permission to practice polygamy is not associated with mere
satisfaction of passion. It is rather associated with compassion toward
widows and orphans. It was the Quran that limited and put conditions on
the practice of polygamy among the Arabs, who had as many as ten or
more wives and considered them “property”.
It is both honest and accurate to say that it is Islam that regulated
this practice, limited it, made it more humane, and instituted equal
rights and status for all wives. What the Qur’anic decrees amount to,
taken together is discouragement of polygamy unless necessity for it
exists. It is also evident that the general rule in Islam is monogamy
and not polygamy. It is a very tiny percentage of Muslims that practice
it over the world. However, permission to practice limited polygamy is
only consistent with Islam’s realistic view of the nature of man and
woman and of various social needs, problems and cultural variations.
The question is, however far more than the inherent flexibility of
Islam; it also is the frank and straightforward approach of Islam in
dealing with practical problems. Rather than requiring hypocritical and
superficial compliance, Islam delves deeper into the problems of
individuals and societies, and provides for legitimate and clean
solutions which are far more beneficial than would be the case if they
were ignored. There is no doubt that the second wife legally married and
treated kindly is better off than a mistress without any legal rights
or expermanence.
8.Misconception :Muslims are a barbaric, backward people.
Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the
simplicity of its doctrine-Islam calls for faith in only one God worthy
of worship. It also repeatedly instructs man to use his powers of
intelligence and observation. Within a few years, great civilizations
and universities were flourishing, for according to the Prophet (pbuh),
‘seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim man and woman’.
The synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas and of new thought with
old, brought about great advances in medicine, mathematics, physics,
astronomy, geography, architecture, art, literature, and history. Many
crucial systems such as algebra, the Arabic numerals, and also the
concept of the zero (vital to the advancement of mathematics), were
transmitted to medieval Europe from Islam. Sophisticated instruments
which were to make possible the European voyages of discovery were
developed, including the astrolabe, the quadrant and good navigational
maps.
9.Misconception :Muhammad was the founder of Islam and Muslims worship him.
Muhammad(pbuh) was born in Mecca in the year 570. Since his father
died before his birth, and his mother shortly afterwards, he was raised
by his uncle from the respected tribe of Quraysh. As he grew up, he
became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he
was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. The
historians describe him as calm and meditative. Muhammad (pbuh) was of a
deeply religious nature, and had long detested the decadence of his
society.
It became his habit to meditate from time to time in the Cave of Hira
near Mecca. At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat,
Muhammad(pbuh) received his first revelation from God through the Angel
Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for 23 years is known as the
Quran. As soon as he began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel,
and to preach the truth which God had revealed to him, he and his small
group of followers suffered bitter persecution, which grew so fierce
that in the year 622 God gave them the command to emigrate.
This event, the Hijra ‘migration’, in which they left Mecca for the
city of Medina, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. After
several years, the Prophet and his followers were able to return to
Mecca, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam
definitively. Before the Prophet saw dies at the age of 63, the greater
part of Arabia was Muslim, and within a century of his death Islam had
spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China. He died with less
than 5 possessions to his name.
While Muhammad SAW was chosen to deliver the message, he is not
considered the “founder” of Islam, since Muslims consider Islam to be
the same divine guidance sent to all peoples before. Muslims believe all
the prophets from Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus etc. were all sent with
divine guidance for their peoples. Every prophet was sent to his own
people, but Muhammad(pbuh) was sent to all of mankind. Muhammad is the
last and final messenger sent to deliver the message of Islam. Muslims
revere and honor him (pbuh) for all he went through and his dedication,
but they do not worship him. “O Prophet, verily We have sent you as a
witness and a bearer of glad tidings and a warner and as one who invites
unto God by His leave and as an illuminating lamp.”(33:45-6)
10.Misconception :Muslims don’t believe in Jesus or any other prophets.
Muslims respect and revere Jesus, upon him be peace, and await his
Second Coming. They consider him one of the greatest of God’s messengers
to mankind. A Muslim never refers to him simply as ‘Jesus’, but always
adds the phrase ‘upon him be peace’ (abbreviated as (u) here). The Quran
confirms his virgin birth (a chapter of the Quran is entitled ‘Mary’),
and Mary is considered the purest woman in all creation. The Quran
describes the Annunciation as follows:
“Behold!” the Angel said, “God has chosen you, and purified you, and chosen you above the women of all nations. O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near to God. He shall speak to the people from his cradle and in maturity, and shall be of the righteous.” She said: “O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?” He said: “Even so; God creates what He will. When He decrees a thing, He says to it, “Be!” and it is” (Quran 3:42-47)
Jesus (u) was born miraculously through the same power, which had
brought Adam (u) into being without a father: “Truly, the likeness of
Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and
then said to him, ‘Be!’ and he was.” (3:59) During his prophetic mission
Jesus (u) performed many miracles. The Quran tells us that he said: “ I
have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make for you out of
clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breath into it and it
becomes a bird by God’s leave. And I heal the blind, and the lepers, and
I raise the dead by God’s leave.” (3:49) Neither Muhammad (pbuh) not
Jesus (u) came to change the basic doctrine of the brief in One God
brought by earlier prophets, but to confirm and renew it.
In the Quran Jesus (u) is reported as saying that he came: “To attest
the law which was before me. And to make lawful to you part of what was
forbidden you; I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, so fear
God and obey Me. (3:50) The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:
“Whoever believes there is no god but God, alone without partner, that Muhammad (pbuh) is His messenger, that Jesus is the servant and messenger of God, His word breathed into Mary and a spirit emanating from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are true, shall be received by God into Heaven. “(Hadith related by Bukhari).
Resource : http://www.jannah.org/articles/misc.html
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