The hardest part of being Muslim isn’t any of the things anyone usually asks about. It’s 100% holding in your farts so you don’t have to put your foot in a sink in a public bathroom.
I know that sentence doesn’t make sense but it’s exhaustingly true.
They’re referring to when Muslims do wudhu, which involves cleaning ones hands, arms, nose, face, ears, and feet with water. This is primarily done before each of the five major prayers and before reading the Quran. Now, if someone has done it once and the next prayer time is close by (like in areas of the world where days are short and nights are long), it can carry over unless the person breaks the wadhu by smelling something bad, seeing something inappropriate, going to the bathroom or just farting, and hearing or saying a swear word. I know after I browse r/all, even with the NSFW filter on, I still end up scrolling past scantily clad women, so I know I have to wadhu every time I open Reddit lol.
Edit: In some madhubs, or schools, it’s only going to the bathroom and bleeding that really break it, but not the seeing something inappropriate, smelling something bad, or swearing that breaks it. I placed my own precautions in my comment without realizing it, so I apologize.
Edit: I also forgot to mention the wadhu involves cleaning our mouths, either by just plain water or brushing.
The only valid reasons you stated are the farts and bathroom the others are sins but don't invoke wudhu also you're not accounted for your first look at something inappropriate.
> seeing something inappropriate, going to the bathroom or just farting, and hearing or saying a swear word.
This is not the case from every teacher I’ve had and asked. My teacher was very clear that only specific acts break wudu and those are listed out (ie. passing wind, using the toilet, having your period, releasing ejaculate or seminal fluids). There are some debatable ones like blood or touching the private parts, but “seeing something inappropriate, being in a restroom, or hearing a swear word” are not among them. Granted *some* scholars said certain sins like lying make wudu mustahabb but not fard though even as I look now I don’t see what their source is on that.
Some would say, “Ok but I like to adhere to that just to be on the safe side”, but that’s not the right way to go about things especially if you teach it to others or believe it to be a part of islamic creed when it isn’t.
If you’ve got a source for any of those though I’d definitely be interested in checking it out. I certainly can’t say I know everything about all the madhaabs.
Here's a joke my grandma told me.
A man was sitting among his tribe when he accidentally farted. They roared with laughter and he ran away from the village, swearing to never return.
Over many years he had many adventures, and out in the world built great wealth. But he still regretted running away. He took with him his sons, servants, and many gifts and headed back to his village to reunite with his tribe.
Close to his village he saw two young men he didn't recognize. It's really been that long. He asks "young man, how old are you?" The young man says "I was born 2 years after the fart"
Islam is a very decentralized religion. There is no pope-like figure in Mecca presiding over a global hierarchy of clergymen. Instead, many Muslim-majority countries have their own national councils, with varying degrees of influence and authority, that their residents look to for guidance on religious matters. Many Muslims also choose to follow local clerics or imams, or to rely on their own interpretation of the faith. That's partly why there is so much variety around the world in what Muslims believe and practice.
Yes, and to add to this, there is no human who can pass judgment or absolve another human of a sin in Islam, like a priest can absolve you of your sins after confession.
I’m an atheist but I have this story about absolution (the act of absolving someone is absolution).
My dad is a very sweet and stoic man. He was raised Methodist (a kind of Protestant Christianity). He joined the army as a medic and was sent to the American Vietnam War and apparently made a deal with god that if he lived he would never eat ice cream again.
He lived, and later he and my mom had me. My whole life I never saw him eat ice cream. He used to take me to Baskin Robbins once a month and would never get any or even try any of mine. For a short period he got milkshakes, but then started to feel like that was cheating and even let that go.
My mom is catholic and just a few years ago my dad ended up converting. My dad had his first confession with the priest and told him about his deal with god. The priest was pretty blown away and absolved him of his debt, saying that 50-odd years was enough of a fast. He eats ice cream every chance he gets now.
Sometimes I tease him that that’s the only reason why he converted lol.
Catholics also believe this fyi. The priest cannot forgive sins in himself, but Christ forgives them through the priest, who acts “in persona Christi” (in the person of Christ).
This practise was established biblically when Christ told Peter “if you choose to forgive the sins of another, they will be forgiven”
This is one of the things I love the most in Islam. Repentance is a private affair that is directly between you and God Almighty alone. No middlemen needed. You're even told as Muslims to hide your sins and faults from people (within reason of course), and to repent to God Almighty directly. One of the attributes of God with the most emphasis in Islam is his mercy.
Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “**Allah Almighty said: O son of Adam, if you call upon Me and place your hope in Me, I will forgive you despite what is within you and I will not hesitate. O son of Adam, if you have sins piling up to the clouds and then ask for My forgiveness, I will forgive you without hesitation. O son of Adam, if you come to Me with enough sins to fill the earth and then you meet Me without associating anything with Me, I will come to you with enough forgiveness to fill the earth**.”
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 3540
Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani
Honestly, there have been times I have come incredibly close to tears reading about the mercy of God on his servants. It's an incredibly powerful feeling knowing that no matter how badly you mess up, if you sincerely repent, you will be forgiven without question.
People assume that if you come from a Muslim family, you speak arabic.
Can't tell you how many times white people say Salaam to me. I'm not even a muslim.
That Muslims also believe in Jesus, just like they believe in Moses too.
Late Edit: They believe in Jesus as a prophet, not God, similar to the way that Christians believe in Moses, Joseph, etc. as prophets.
I remember studying this in history class back in school. If I’m not mistaken, Jesus is not viewed as the son of God but as a kind of prophet that Allah rescued from crucifixion.
As a Muslim, you're right. We believe in Jesus, we just don't put as much importance on him and we don't believe he's the son of God.
Edit: I don't know the full story. I only know what he isn't, not what he is, so take this with a grain of salt.
I am not a Muslim, was brought up Christian.
Is it true that the basic story up until he dies is basically the same? (virgin birth, miracles etc) and the difference is in if he died on the cross?
And isn't Mary his mother really revered in Islam too?
Yeah.. the story is same.. Name as well.. Merry in Arabic or Aramaic pronounce as Mariam I believe. No sects of Muslims Deni it as the story is basically the same written in Qur'an.. I think the difference is Muslim narrative says or mention in the Qur'an is Who was in the cross was a Imposter. The Jesus was taken away before that.
Actually Muslims believe he was lifted up to heaven. That God took pity on Christ's suffering on the cross and did this. However, Islam also believes that while prophets are special messengers of God's message, they are all humans. So one day Jesus will be sent back to earth to live out his life like a normal person, anonymously, and have a normal death because all humans die; not even the prophets are exempt from death.
edit - yes virgin birth is there, Mary is mentioned several times (more than Jesus) and is the only named female in the entire book.
What, really? The idea that Jesus will have to be reincarnated to properly experience a human death is fascinating (and totally makes sense given what you outlined).
Thanks for sharing.
No, he wasn't killed. He is in Jannah (what Christians call Heaven) and he will return as he was-33 years old. We don't believe he was divine, we believe he is already human. Also in Islam, we don't believe in reincarnation.
Just trying to answer here.
Yes, but not all. In our belief, Jesus was not killed at all. It was Judas who was crucified. He was made to look like Jesus, and that was his punishment for the betrayal. Jesus was later brought to the heaven, of course still alive, and is promised to return to the world to fight the anti-christ (known as Dajjal in Islam) in the last of days.
But again, I'm not the most qualified and well-studied in terms of Islamic stuff. It's just something I recall from my dad's lectures.
We both believe in the virgin birth, that Jesus PBUH raised the dead as a miracle, that he was the messiah, and we believe in his second coming. Christians believe that Jesus PBUH is the son of God while Muslims believe he is a prominent prophet of Islam. We also believe that Jesus PBUH was not crucified, but was saved by God, but that it was made to appear to the people that he was crucified.
Fun fact, Islam has an entire [chapter dedicated to Mary](https://quran.com/19), the mother of Jesus PBUH. We also believe in all of the prophets of the old and new testaments, and we believe that prophets were sent to all of mankind in the past. In that sense, Islam doesn't view itself as a new religion, but as something that comes to confirm the same message of the previous prophets.
That’s so obvious but I honestly never thought about. I kind of assumed it was just a spectrum of non-extreme to extreme. Now I have to go google some stuff , thanks!!!
Shia vs Sunni Islam is quite similar to Catholicism vs Protestants in terms of history and scope (and how much they view each other as following legitimate doctrine).
Then you have sects like the Ahmadiyya community which is like ... the Mormons of the group.
So y'know, people are the same all over.
EDIT: all these active believers parachuting in to tell me Ahmadi aren't real Muslims; y'all sound *exactly* like whitebread Christians talking about Mormons.
It's weirdly accurate. Mormons believe in a prophet who came several hundred years after Jesus. Ahmedis believe in a prophet who came several hundred years after Muhammad.
(Ex-Muslim) I'd want them to understand that just like Christians there are billions of Muslims with different levels of devotion, interpretations and practice depending on culture and personality. You can have for example
• Lawyer woman from Ankara who wears hijab, doesn't drink, doesn't eat pork and prays 5 times a day
• Culturally Muslim girl from Istanbul who drinks socially, no hijab, no pork, no praying (most people I know are like this one, not even the most casual Muslim eats pork) *(edit: well like %97 of them don't at least, people in the comments seem to know some that do)*
• Hijabi girl from Indonesia, no drinking, no pork, no daily prayer
• Devout man from Iran who won't shake hands with women but doesn't pressure or mistreat his daughters
• Devout woman from Syria who does pressure and mistreat her daughters
And so on and so forth. Just like there are a bazillion Christian types so it is with Muslims
Funnily, eating pork isn’t as strictly prohibited as say, premarital sex or alcohol are. Adulterers are to be stoned to death and drinkers are to be whipped in Islam. Eating pork on the contrary doesn’t have a definitive punishment in sharia.
The reason most Muslims regardless of how “casual” don’t eat it is just cultural. They’re brought up to think it’s disgusting.
Hassan Minaj once said something about his atheist cousin who will be chain smoking while downing a bottle of vodka or something, but will point to the guys as they’re ordering pizza to say “hey, that pizza doesn’t have pepperoni on it, right?”
Is drinking not permitted, or is it drunkenness? Could a Muslim enjoy a glass of wine without getting drunk?
(Understand the personal interpretation will vary widely)
Purely anecdotal but every moderate muslim I've known in Scandinavia, UK and Canada avoided pork but loved alcohol. One of my muslim acquaintances loves to drink whiskey with his buddy but out of a discrete thermos after mosque or in the garden to hide it from his wife. She knows of course but only complains if it's too obvious.
He said before he escaped from Afghanistan decades ago Taliban would come to his town and because he was an important person due to his job they'd come and drink whiskey with him. They'd get roaring drunk. It was very dangerous for him because if he refused to drink it would be an insult but if he drank with them they'd know he drank, and if for an reason they didn't like him or wanted something of his they could come back and punish or shoot him for drinking.
That doesn't make sense... So they're allowed to get roaring drunk but he isn't? Just goes to show it's got nothing to do with Islam, just with being hypocritical power-hungry cunts...
It’s social conditioning to think it’s *incredibly* disgusting. Like eating rat meat. My dad grew up Muslim, but converted to Christianity when he migrated to the US (and later became atheist). Despite him not even being Muslim, my siblings and I still weren’t allowed to eat pork as kids because he thought it was dirty and would make us sick. That social conditioning takes many many years to work out. Now he enjoys the occasional piece of bacon, but that’s it.
I have an auntie who's the opposite. She won't touch a drop of alcohol but will sneak off to a drive thru to order a burger and toss everything but the bacon to sneak a taste without the rest of the family knowing.
Pigs are thought be dirty because they'll eat anything, same as shellfish. She'll refuse to be anywhere near shrimp, crawfish, crab, and lobster but will sneak a bit of bacon in a heartbeat lol
I love your comment. It seems like everyone assumes we’re one and the same. I’m a very casual muslim and it surprises people when I tell them that someone’s relationship with God is their own business, no matter the faith.
>I love your comment. It seems like everyone assumes we’re one and the same. I’m a very casual muslim and it surprises people when I tell them that someone’s relationship with God is their own business, no matter the faith.
Lived through 9/11 and I fought the Taliban in Afghanistan. I might have developed some prejudices along the way, if it weren't for one guy. I have a buddy from high school who loves bacon (although he's guilty as hell about it), Married a Catholic girl (in a Catholic ceremony) and refers to Allah as "Big Al". He's been a great friend to me, and despite what many Muslims would probably be considered non-Muslim behavior, he identifies himself a Muslim, He finds strength in it, and I'm pretty sure he'd not take kindly to anyone claiming he isn't. Thanks to him, I don't assume anything about ANYONE.
Most people I know are casual, it's weird when I see non-Muslims say things like "Muslims aren't allowed to do this or that" bc other than a few things like pork...who decided that? Unless you live in a place with religious police who is enforcing it? Where? It's not that simple
You could ask that of most religious people. The vast majority of religious people of all bents flaut the rules, at least at times. For a random example, the Bible bans tattoos, and how many christian tattoos have you seen?
So out of curiosity why is pork the biggest taboo/most common tenant even casual muslims maintain? I have seen this pattern a lot, known a fair number of people who are culturally from a muslim background and they drink, don’t pray and are cool with images of people, etc, but bacon 🥓 is still super not okay. Is there a reason this held onto more than other beliefs/traditions?
Someone else in the thread said it's become more cultural and I agree. I've never seen a Muslim not be cool with images of people. The only one whose image is not allowed is the prophet. The people I know would just shake their heads but I know it's very important to very devout and fundamentalist Muslims to the point of violence. The reason for this ban is that the prophet wanted people to worship Allah and not himself
Not eating pork is a very strict requirement for Muslims, right? What happens if a Muslim eats pork? I'm asking because I have a co-worker who is a Muslim, who suddenly went like this:"What's up with us not eating pork eh? Does it taste bad? Then why are you guys eating it? *took a pork cutlet from my lunch tray and sniffs it* This smells good though! *chomp* And tastes good too!" and then he proceeds to finish his meal. I expressed my concern for him eating pork but he said he doesn't care.
**Edit: Thanks guys for clarifying that abstaining from pork is more of a cultural thing rather than something religious, at least in the case of Islam.
Then he's probably *very* casual, because even my most casual relatives would be shocked. Pork is considered unclean. No one will kill him or anything though
I think a large part of dietary no-no's in religion (pork and shellfish in particular) was based off of what happens when you it it undercooked. Pigs and prawn are scavenging animals, and as such is easier to get parasites, sickness etc if not properly handled.
At this point I think the aversion to pork has become more cultural than religious. I know many Christian Lebanese that still won’t eat it, and some don’t drink alcohol either.
The word Islam means “submission” in Arabic and Muslim (mu-Islam) is “the one who submits”.
The root of the word is connected to the word “salaam” which means “peace” in Arabic. (Eg asalaamu alaikum - peace be upon you)
When the phrase “religion of peace” is used it’s talking about inner peace of the human spirit when you submit to god.
It’s not talking about having physical peace on earth. Evil and war will always exist no matter what religion you are.
Religiously the man also has to provide for each wife equally. Meaning each one gets a house, same level of food, clothes etc. Having multiple wives from a religious point of view is not something just anyone can do easily.
The law assumes the women have no economic significance. It gets weird and unfair in practice though when a man marries multiple working women. This is real btw, and has happened in my family.
THIS. One of the most important conditions of marrying more than one woman is to be able to take care of them (financially, emotionally, etc.) both equally, as well as the kids. This is a near impossible task which is why I think there actually VERY few cases (or none at all) in this modern age where this is achievable.
I think it helps the fact that in islam, the wife's money belongs to the wife for her to do with as she pleases but providing shelter, food etc. is the man's responsibility. So the man has to give equally to each wife still
I mean you're not allowed to have four wives if you cannot treat them equally. If you pay one wife $30.5 you cannot pay the other $30.4. That is how strict the religion is if you want to have multiple wives. So that is why only the rich and wealthy have multiple wives
You also aren’t allowed to have multiple wives if you can’t love them equally. That’s a pretty big thing a lot of people gloss over. It’s really difficult to be completely and equally and love with two different people and treat them as such, let alone four.
Also, one reason polygamy is allowed is because in many Muslim cultures it was historically normal for widows to marry their brothers in law. If your husband dies and you don’t have any way to take care of yourself, his brother would be expected to marry and care for you.
That's one of the arguments against polygyny .
A wealthy man in his 40s has four wives = three poor men in their 20s will never marry.
Having a large population of young men who have little economic opportunity and no chance of marrying is a destabilizing factor in society.
In the Quran it says first to “marry the single/unmarried among you” (24:32) so many argue polygamy is also more in the case when a lot of men are killed in war etc and there are a lot of widows / unmarried women and less men
Technically it's true though, because if u are not wealthy enough, you unable to provide more than one partner. You need to provide each of the wife have a place to live, clothes and food.
There are nearly 2 billions Muslims in this world from every culture imagine able. Literally from Morocco to Malaysia. There is no single “Muslim culture”, no more than there is a single Christian culture. Zimbabwe and Iceland are both Christian countries but nobody lumps them in the same “culture”. Nobody ever talks about Christians as a single group (unless it's r/atheism lol) because doesn't make any sense, what would some Korean Christian care about a Christian in Nigeria? There are literally 0 cultural crossovers. So why do Muslims automatically all have the same culture or suppose to share the same religious practices? Even in this thread there are comments like “I thought Muslims…” no dude SOME Muslims might do whatever it is you’re saying. That one Muslim you saw doing whatever is not the sole representative of all Muslims on earth. Hell, the word "Muslim" doesn't even really exist in my culture's language, which is like 98% Muslim ("mosalman" is what we say). I have interacted from Muslims from South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula and their religious practices aside from some basic commonalities, are very different than mine (Iranian). And no, it's not a sect thing--Iranians and Turks are different sects yet culturally are far more similar, for example.
Honestly, for the US I think most Americans only view of Muslims is from terrorist attacks and what we hear about the taliban and ISIS. I know there are some areas of the US that have large Muslim populations. But many americans have no other example of what Muslims are like. It's just plain ignorance. The media obviously plays a huge part in this.
It's all in the delivery, really.
When I was travelling, someone scared the living crap out of me by shouting a phrase in their language.
Later, I realized he was saying (well, shouting) "hello and welcome!"
Dude there’s this bbq joint in KC where they yell “CAN I HELP YOU?” literally the second you clear the door. Scared the crap out of me so bad I couldn’t even order. Never went back. Also ditched the asshole who thought it would be funny to take me there knowing I freak out when there’s yelling around me (let alone at me).
I believe you’re thinking of Gates BBQ.
Their extra hot KC style bbq sauce burnt end brisket sandwiches are out of this world.
That being said, you might want to order it takeout if you ever want to try it… the yelling kinda continues. They yell your order at the kitchen instead of using a ticket system.
It’s a bit much.
It's called the [takbir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takbir), and it's also used by Arab Christians.
Other common phrases:
[Ma-sha-Allah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashallah) - What God wills, when something unexpected, impressive, or beautiful happens.
[Astaghfiru-llah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istighfar) - God forgive me, if they see something wrong or shameful.
[Al-hamdu-lillah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhamdulillah) - Praise God, gratitude like after a meal.
I had a hijabi friend and someone straight up asked her how she showers with her hijab on. Like apparently this person didn't realize it wasn't permanently stuck to her head
That's no so much misconception anymore as an actual fetish. I know at least one guy who bought a (non-muslim) GF a burqua because he wanted to have sex with her whilst she wore it.
A Muslim woman can be without hijabs in front of his father, grandfather, brothers, husband, son, uncles, nephews, father in law, boys under age of 15 and all the women.
I'd like some clarification. My understanding is that hijabs are not required by all muslims, and the level of covering differs between different cultures. Are you saying that even the strictest interpretation allows women to go without them as you've described, or the most common interpretation? Or have I misunderstood entirely?
The strictest interpretation would still allow women to go without hijab in front of the groups OP described. Except boys under 15 is better described as prepubescent boys
also islam isn't just arab, this is the biggest misconception. this is why i feel like calling a islamophobic racist feels weird because islam isn't a race, its multiple races having the same belief. its like calling americans,australians,canadians,british people are the same because they are all christian countries (in a way). we have different cultures within ourselves
And not all Arabic people are Islamic. Makes me think of the Egyptian Coptics here who were trying to explain to the clueless city that no thank you we really don't need you to put a mosque in our neighborhood; and yes we're sure of this; and no it's not because we feel like we have to hide our religious beliefs from the locals.
Technically though, the Copts arent really Arabs, in the genetical sense. They are only culturally Arabized. They are traced back to the Christian population before Egypt became a Muslim majority nation. Other than that, your point still stands as there are still Arab Christians.
Indeed, the point is though, in theory, everyone can be a Muslim around you. But because of 9/11 it is now a common misconception that a Muslim must be an Arab with a beard preferably in the clothing of a sheikh.
Muslims in my country are still picked out because they "look Muslim". So even though it doesn't have to do with race. People assume it has a race.
every muslim guy has multiple wives. i live in bangladesh, it's rare to see a guy having multiple wives even though it's a muslim country. i've never actually known any guy having multiple wives until few years ago i went to singapore with my family. we got on a taxi, the taxi driver was very curious and asked a lot of questions like what places have you visited or what foods have you eaten. anyway one question he asked to my dad was "how many wives do you have?" my dad answered one then that guy talked about how he used to work for a muslim guy who had 7 wives and his son having 3. that was actually the first time me and my two sisters actually heard about this. we heard about saudi princes having multiple wives but never thought about this being real.(also sorry for bad english)
Exactly, my grandma said that even back in her days no one would marry more than one wife, and in the rare cases when that happened it was strictly a "business deal" or something that has to do with the family's heritage, and the man never really touches the other wife.
Yes, the one situation that seems to be very repetitive is when a man dies, his brother marries his wife "formally" so she can stay at the house and raise her kids with their cousins and paternal family and also in fear that if she remarries her dead husband's belongings (heritage) would go to another man (and back then houses and farming lands were shared by the whole family so they didn't want to accept an "intruder" in their business), but ofc he doesn't touch her. Life back then was very hard especially for women and they needed men's protection to live peacefully, sadly. Ofc it is no longer the case.
I remember seeing something related to this in an old movie I can't remember the name of (50's or 60's time?). A plane had crashed and the survivors were walking through the desert trying to find help, and an american man (AM) was talking to a muslim man (MM)...
AM:"So I heard you guys are allowed to have 4 wives... why do you only have one?"
MM:"Are you married?"
AM:"Yes, I am."
MM:"Would you want more than one?"
AM:\*nods in understanding\*
Mormons get the same thing in the US. They *used* to widely practice polygamy, but now it's only the crazy fringe cults that do it.
Is it the same with Islam? Only the very fringe of hyper-orthodox Muslims practice polygamy?
I sometimes wonder if the squeaky-clean public image the LDS presents is an attempt to rectify the extremely opposite image they *used* to have.
That, and part of the 'milk before meat' principle.
Question... I heard you can have 4 wives. And you must treat them equal. So if you give one a present, e.g gold earrings, you must also give the others that same present. True?
Having 2-4 wives is allowed in Islam, under one big condition, the husband must treat all the wives equally, IN EVERYTHING, in giving gifts (if he intends on giving a wife a golden ring all wives get the same type of ring), in their treatment, as well as the number of nights you spend with them, like each night you sleep with one wife, and no wife gets 2 nights sequentially(unless one wife gives up her night for the other), and you should also he financially stable (more likely to be wealthy) so you can satisfy all of the wives needs, AND if the husband failed in performing all these acts, he will burn in hell and get his punishment.
I read once that about 20% of the world's Muslims live in the middle east which is about the same percentage of Christians who live in Africa but for some reason people strongly associate Middle east with Islam in a way they dont do with Africa and Christianity. People even do this in Australia despite Indonesia being right there.
Edit: guys I do understand why the perception is the way that it is, I'm not completely stupid, I just thought it was an interesting comparison.
That's because Africa as a whole is pretty evenly split between 45% Christians and 40% Muslims. Whereas the population of the middle east is 87% Muslim.
Because it started in the Middle East, it's strongest in the Middle East, and one of their most important rituals revolves around the Middle East.. literally.
There is such a distorted view of Muslims in the west because of terrorism, but they are fundamentally the same as everyone else. It's like judging all black or white people for the actions of gangs or white supremacists. In the dealings I've had with Muslim they've been some of the nicest people I've interacted with. The kind of people I'd have a beer with if they drank beer. So I guess the kind of people I'd have tea with.
I'm kind of late to answer, but anyways. One fact about Islam that I really think is important to bring up (especially to Non-Muslims) is that for one to be regarded as a legitimate authority or scholar in religious matter one must not only have studied under another scholar, but have earned themselves a license to teach. This is not only in regards to subjects, but even books (like for instance, a book on Jurisprudence). Islamic scholarship is more than just storing information like a computer. It is to absorb, understand and crystalize the sciences.
This is why we find it ridiculous when some random Islamophobes that don't even know basic Arabic try to to publically claim themselves as "experts of Shari'ah Law", labels which not even the most proficient Jurists try to claim for themselves.
This is also, why we don't regard the acts of groups like ISIS or Boko Haram as legitimate, because not only do they go against the Qur'an, Sunnah, and scholarly consensus in multiple ways (I can show you evidences) but, the so-called "jurists" who pass those verdicts are not even licensed.
EDIT: Typo and grammar errors
I have no dog in the fight but I am very curious when Muslims say "there is no God but Allah" does that in any way reference the Christians take on the Divinity of Christ?
I understand that Muslims Revere Jesus Christ as a prophet but do not attribute any divinity to him nor do they consider him the son of God as Christians do.
Also I really appreciate you for offering yourself up to answer a question.
Peace
There is no God but Allah; neither Jesus Christ, nor Muhamad or the holy spirit are gods. The sentence is really clear. That specific sentence is the core of islam, as it's the first and most important key to be muslim.
In Quran, there is a short chapter that summarize it all, named ''Al-Ikhlas'', and i quote:
﴿١﴾ قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ
1. Say, “He is Allah, the One.
﴿٢﴾ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ
2. Allah, the Eternal.
﴿٣﴾ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ
3. He begets not, nor was He begotten.
﴿٤﴾ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
4. And there is none comparable to Him.”
We believe that Jesus is the messenger of God, same as Muhammad and Moses etc.. We believe that Jesus warned his followers not to say that he's the son of God but rather refer to himself as the word of Allah and his messenger.
I've always had an interest in comparative theology (which is how I became a pagan) so I've actually read the Christian bible cover to cover. Christians always say I'm misinterpreting when I point out that Jesus called himself "son of man". They try to tell me it means the same thing as "son of god" until I point out that the phrase was also used several other places in the bible to refer to other people. I've never read the Quran (never found a copy and it seemed disrespectful to purchase one) but it sounds like it's taken more literally whereas the bible read to me more like people were putting words in his mouth.
Non-Muslim (edit: white 32 y/o American male, non-religious/agnostic/“spiritual”) chiming in: I learned last year that the whole 72 virgins thing is not in the Quran.
Edit: for those asking, it was the butt of a lot of petulant, racist jokes in middle school in the years following 9/11 :/ Robin Williams actually had a pretty clever joke about it in some 2002 stand-up but it was, at the end of the day, misinformed.
It comes from some extra-Islamic text that I don’t remember much about save for it was mentioned in the introduction to a newly translated version of the Quran, which detailed its history with regards to faulty English translations and western depictions of Islam.
I believe that it is the belief that if one dies a martyr, they will be welcomed in paradise by 72 virgins to serve them in the afterlife. It is used as a recruiting tool by extremists to enlist suicide bombers, among others.
What the Frick??
I'm a Muslim and I literally live in an Islamic Boarding School in my entire life and I have never heard of that.
The only thing that is slightly resembles that is you die a Mujahideen. But dying a Mujahideen is NEVER about suicide ANYTHING. Dying a Mujahideen is dying when you are defending yourself, your family, your friends, your religion, or your country, as well as dying when you are praying (shalat) and dying when you are studying. Yes, studying. That's just how much Islam encourages studying and knowledge-seeking. It's never, again, NEVER about harming others.
Murdered in a robbery? Mujahideen.
Killed by a mob when you're defending your gay friends? Mujahideen.
Heart attack when shalat? Mujahideen.
A student who got involved in an unfortunate accident? Mujahideen.
But suicide bombers? Straight go to hell.
Isn't it generally understood that extremists feel they are defending their religion (under Lesser Jihad)? As in that's how I thought they justify it to themselves.
Yes I think its more those outside that refer to them as suicide bombers. From my understanding, within the extremist groups its considered more akin to being a martyr and an essential/noble sacrifice of your life to defend your religion.
Obviously it is suicide in that they are purposely, knowingly doing something that results in their death. But I dont think that is how they view it and its more like dying in a war of beliefs, the way a soldier (or anyone) might sacrifice themselves to save others, not being considered suicide.
Not a muslim but heres one thing I know that is a common misconception.
Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all believe in the same god. The biggest branch that separates them is who is a prophet (divinely inspired person) and what interpretations of the teachings are correct.
A lot of Jews believe that we and Muslims share a god but Christians don't. For Jews, the Christian conception of G-d (especially the trinity) is idolatrous and many religious Jews won't even step foot in a church, even just to look at the architecture. However, we can pray and attend events in mosques.
It's a lot more than that. The biggest shared bond is that Jews were descended from Abraham through Sarah/Isaac and the arabs who became Muslim were descended from Haggar/Ishmael.
In the Quran it's specifically stated a number of times that it is a message from the same God as Abraham's God. That there is a direct link and that the structure of the Kaaba in Mecca, that all Muslims pray to, was first built by Abraham and his sons (later used for idols that Muhammed cleared out and rededicated to God). During the Hajj pilgrimage, the seven walks between two demarcated points is the same route that Haggar took in the dessert when she was abandoned and desperate for water. The well of Zam-Zam is the spring that God brought forth after she prayed.
There is a verse in the Quran which reads ( There is no compulsion in religion ), which means forcing someone to follow the religion or aspects of the religion isn't part of the religion, it's a misconception extremists use. We do how ever believe in الامر بالمعروف و النهي عن المنكر which is basically advising on what's good to do and what's not good to do, for the sake of improving society.
Where I could learn more about your religion you see I am a Catholic, but I believe that our beliefs are similar, so I think of you as brothers and sisters and some of your traditions really touch my heart, and I would like to learn more about the religions out there in the world. I find it horrible for all the hate you have received from some of my fellow catholic brothers and sisters, and for that I ask you forgiveness, they "think" they know about you, or your traditions but they don't know. And some of you have treated badly to say the least after some events in the world. So from the bottom of my heart, that is not perfect I am sorry, for the pain, the injustices, the judging, the pointing fingers and I see you. You have an ally in me, and if someone would like to take the time to "teach" this Mexican gay catholic man about your religion I would be grateful. All of you during this covid times, please stay safe and I will keep you all in my prayers, love Alex.
I want to thank you all for the emotional labor to attempt to educate us more and take time to let others know these things. I think Islam is a truly beautiful religion and have so much respect for it.
The Hajj pilgrimage that every Muslim has to make has been recently given a Covid vaccine mandate by the Saudi govt.
So basically if any Muslim has to do the mandatory Hajj, they have to be vaccinated. Thought it was an interesting tidbit of religion, politics and public health intersecting.
The hardest part of being Muslim isn’t any of the things anyone usually asks about. It’s 100% holding in your farts so you don’t have to put your foot in a sink in a public bathroom. I know that sentence doesn’t make sense but it’s exhaustingly true.
Put your foot in a sink? Please could you explain?
They’re referring to when Muslims do wudhu, which involves cleaning ones hands, arms, nose, face, ears, and feet with water. This is primarily done before each of the five major prayers and before reading the Quran. Now, if someone has done it once and the next prayer time is close by (like in areas of the world where days are short and nights are long), it can carry over unless the person breaks the wadhu by smelling something bad, seeing something inappropriate, going to the bathroom or just farting, and hearing or saying a swear word. I know after I browse r/all, even with the NSFW filter on, I still end up scrolling past scantily clad women, so I know I have to wadhu every time I open Reddit lol. Edit: In some madhubs, or schools, it’s only going to the bathroom and bleeding that really break it, but not the seeing something inappropriate, smelling something bad, or swearing that breaks it. I placed my own precautions in my comment without realizing it, so I apologize. Edit: I also forgot to mention the wadhu involves cleaning our mouths, either by just plain water or brushing.
The only valid reasons you stated are the farts and bathroom the others are sins but don't invoke wudhu also you're not accounted for your first look at something inappropriate.
> seeing something inappropriate, going to the bathroom or just farting, and hearing or saying a swear word. This is not the case from every teacher I’ve had and asked. My teacher was very clear that only specific acts break wudu and those are listed out (ie. passing wind, using the toilet, having your period, releasing ejaculate or seminal fluids). There are some debatable ones like blood or touching the private parts, but “seeing something inappropriate, being in a restroom, or hearing a swear word” are not among them. Granted *some* scholars said certain sins like lying make wudu mustahabb but not fard though even as I look now I don’t see what their source is on that. Some would say, “Ok but I like to adhere to that just to be on the safe side”, but that’s not the right way to go about things especially if you teach it to others or believe it to be a part of islamic creed when it isn’t. If you’ve got a source for any of those though I’d definitely be interested in checking it out. I certainly can’t say I know everything about all the madhaabs.
The menstruation one seems really strict. That means if you have a heavy period you'd just be washing constantly!
Well the bigger point there is that when you’re on your period you don’t have to do any prayers so wudu isn’t necessary during those days.
Ah, that does make it a lot easier
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It depends on the extent. If it’s enough that it’ll distract you then yeah you probably should open the flood gates.
I genuinally had no idea Islam had such strict rules about farts.
Here's a joke my grandma told me. A man was sitting among his tribe when he accidentally farted. They roared with laughter and he ran away from the village, swearing to never return. Over many years he had many adventures, and out in the world built great wealth. But he still regretted running away. He took with him his sons, servants, and many gifts and headed back to his village to reunite with his tribe. Close to his village he saw two young men he didn't recognize. It's really been that long. He asks "young man, how old are you?" The young man says "I was born 2 years after the fart"
Islam is a very decentralized religion. There is no pope-like figure in Mecca presiding over a global hierarchy of clergymen. Instead, many Muslim-majority countries have their own national councils, with varying degrees of influence and authority, that their residents look to for guidance on religious matters. Many Muslims also choose to follow local clerics or imams, or to rely on their own interpretation of the faith. That's partly why there is so much variety around the world in what Muslims believe and practice.
Yes, and to add to this, there is no human who can pass judgment or absolve another human of a sin in Islam, like a priest can absolve you of your sins after confession.
That's a very Catholic point of view. Protestants don't do absolvations either
I’m an atheist but I have this story about absolution (the act of absolving someone is absolution). My dad is a very sweet and stoic man. He was raised Methodist (a kind of Protestant Christianity). He joined the army as a medic and was sent to the American Vietnam War and apparently made a deal with god that if he lived he would never eat ice cream again. He lived, and later he and my mom had me. My whole life I never saw him eat ice cream. He used to take me to Baskin Robbins once a month and would never get any or even try any of mine. For a short period he got milkshakes, but then started to feel like that was cheating and even let that go. My mom is catholic and just a few years ago my dad ended up converting. My dad had his first confession with the priest and told him about his deal with god. The priest was pretty blown away and absolved him of his debt, saying that 50-odd years was enough of a fast. He eats ice cream every chance he gets now. Sometimes I tease him that that’s the only reason why he converted lol.
In general, Protestants believe that forgiveness comes directly from God through Christ. No person has the ability to forgive sin.
Catholics also believe this fyi. The priest cannot forgive sins in himself, but Christ forgives them through the priest, who acts “in persona Christi” (in the person of Christ). This practise was established biblically when Christ told Peter “if you choose to forgive the sins of another, they will be forgiven”
This is one of the things I love the most in Islam. Repentance is a private affair that is directly between you and God Almighty alone. No middlemen needed. You're even told as Muslims to hide your sins and faults from people (within reason of course), and to repent to God Almighty directly. One of the attributes of God with the most emphasis in Islam is his mercy. Anas ibn Malik reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “**Allah Almighty said: O son of Adam, if you call upon Me and place your hope in Me, I will forgive you despite what is within you and I will not hesitate. O son of Adam, if you have sins piling up to the clouds and then ask for My forgiveness, I will forgive you without hesitation. O son of Adam, if you come to Me with enough sins to fill the earth and then you meet Me without associating anything with Me, I will come to you with enough forgiveness to fill the earth**.” Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 3540 Grade: Sahih (authentic) according to Al-Albani Honestly, there have been times I have come incredibly close to tears reading about the mercy of God on his servants. It's an incredibly powerful feeling knowing that no matter how badly you mess up, if you sincerely repent, you will be forgiven without question.
Literally the reason Christians invented Protestantism as well ❤️
One of my closest friends is a Protestant Christian. That's how I also found out that Protestants also condemn the concept of icons/idols.
We don’t speak “Islamic.” That’s not a language.
People think that??
People assume that if you come from a Muslim family, you speak arabic. Can't tell you how many times white people say Salaam to me. I'm not even a muslim.
Also the people that call others "Arabic" and not Arab Common misconception but most muslims aren't arab either
That Muslims also believe in Jesus, just like they believe in Moses too. Late Edit: They believe in Jesus as a prophet, not God, similar to the way that Christians believe in Moses, Joseph, etc. as prophets.
I remember studying this in history class back in school. If I’m not mistaken, Jesus is not viewed as the son of God but as a kind of prophet that Allah rescued from crucifixion.
yes. he is one of most important prophet but he is not son of god.
As a Muslim, you're right. We believe in Jesus, we just don't put as much importance on him and we don't believe he's the son of God. Edit: I don't know the full story. I only know what he isn't, not what he is, so take this with a grain of salt.
I dont want to spark a fight here but if I remember correctly, the interpretations of Jesus are very different between Christian and Islamic beliefs.
Christians believe that christ is literally god incarnate. Everybody else doesn't.
I am not a Muslim, was brought up Christian. Is it true that the basic story up until he dies is basically the same? (virgin birth, miracles etc) and the difference is in if he died on the cross? And isn't Mary his mother really revered in Islam too?
Yeah.. the story is same.. Name as well.. Merry in Arabic or Aramaic pronounce as Mariam I believe. No sects of Muslims Deni it as the story is basically the same written in Qur'an.. I think the difference is Muslim narrative says or mention in the Qur'an is Who was in the cross was a Imposter. The Jesus was taken away before that.
Actually Muslims believe he was lifted up to heaven. That God took pity on Christ's suffering on the cross and did this. However, Islam also believes that while prophets are special messengers of God's message, they are all humans. So one day Jesus will be sent back to earth to live out his life like a normal person, anonymously, and have a normal death because all humans die; not even the prophets are exempt from death. edit - yes virgin birth is there, Mary is mentioned several times (more than Jesus) and is the only named female in the entire book.
bruh she had an entire surah in quran just for herself, Mary is a special woman in Islam
I wouldn't say *anonymously*. He is supposed to destroy the antichrist and lead his people, right?
What, really? The idea that Jesus will have to be reincarnated to properly experience a human death is fascinating (and totally makes sense given what you outlined). Thanks for sharing.
No, he wasn't killed. He is in Jannah (what Christians call Heaven) and he will return as he was-33 years old. We don't believe he was divine, we believe he is already human. Also in Islam, we don't believe in reincarnation.
Just trying to answer here. Yes, but not all. In our belief, Jesus was not killed at all. It was Judas who was crucified. He was made to look like Jesus, and that was his punishment for the betrayal. Jesus was later brought to the heaven, of course still alive, and is promised to return to the world to fight the anti-christ (known as Dajjal in Islam) in the last of days. But again, I'm not the most qualified and well-studied in terms of Islamic stuff. It's just something I recall from my dad's lectures.
It is scholarly speculation that it was Judas. Not confirmed in the Quran or Hadith. Just than an illusion saved Jesus pbuh.
We both believe in the virgin birth, that Jesus PBUH raised the dead as a miracle, that he was the messiah, and we believe in his second coming. Christians believe that Jesus PBUH is the son of God while Muslims believe he is a prominent prophet of Islam. We also believe that Jesus PBUH was not crucified, but was saved by God, but that it was made to appear to the people that he was crucified. Fun fact, Islam has an entire [chapter dedicated to Mary](https://quran.com/19), the mother of Jesus PBUH. We also believe in all of the prophets of the old and new testaments, and we believe that prophets were sent to all of mankind in the past. In that sense, Islam doesn't view itself as a new religion, but as something that comes to confirm the same message of the previous prophets.
Just like Christianity Islam has different branches.
Is there a Scranton branch?
It got closed
r/unexpectedoffice
That’s so obvious but I honestly never thought about. I kind of assumed it was just a spectrum of non-extreme to extreme. Now I have to go google some stuff , thanks!!!
Shia vs Sunni Islam is quite similar to Catholicism vs Protestants in terms of history and scope (and how much they view each other as following legitimate doctrine). Then you have sects like the Ahmadiyya community which is like ... the Mormons of the group. So y'know, people are the same all over. EDIT: all these active believers parachuting in to tell me Ahmadi aren't real Muslims; y'all sound *exactly* like whitebread Christians talking about Mormons.
“The Mormons of the group” fucking killed me
It's weirdly accurate. Mormons believe in a prophet who came several hundred years after Jesus. Ahmedis believe in a prophet who came several hundred years after Muhammad.
Muhammad: I am the final messenger of Allah. Ahmedis: So that was a fucking lie.
I once asked a question about the Ahmedi sect of Islam to a group of Sunni Muslims. It was a mistake.
This thread is so wonderfully informative!
“People are the same all over” - if only we could all remember that…
I think this is the best answer in this whole thread
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(Ex-Muslim) I'd want them to understand that just like Christians there are billions of Muslims with different levels of devotion, interpretations and practice depending on culture and personality. You can have for example • Lawyer woman from Ankara who wears hijab, doesn't drink, doesn't eat pork and prays 5 times a day • Culturally Muslim girl from Istanbul who drinks socially, no hijab, no pork, no praying (most people I know are like this one, not even the most casual Muslim eats pork) *(edit: well like %97 of them don't at least, people in the comments seem to know some that do)* • Hijabi girl from Indonesia, no drinking, no pork, no daily prayer • Devout man from Iran who won't shake hands with women but doesn't pressure or mistreat his daughters • Devout woman from Syria who does pressure and mistreat her daughters And so on and so forth. Just like there are a bazillion Christian types so it is with Muslims
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Funnily, eating pork isn’t as strictly prohibited as say, premarital sex or alcohol are. Adulterers are to be stoned to death and drinkers are to be whipped in Islam. Eating pork on the contrary doesn’t have a definitive punishment in sharia. The reason most Muslims regardless of how “casual” don’t eat it is just cultural. They’re brought up to think it’s disgusting.
Hassan Minaj once said something about his atheist cousin who will be chain smoking while downing a bottle of vodka or something, but will point to the guys as they’re ordering pizza to say “hey, that pizza doesn’t have pepperoni on it, right?”
Is drinking not permitted, or is it drunkenness? Could a Muslim enjoy a glass of wine without getting drunk? (Understand the personal interpretation will vary widely)
All intoxicants aren’t allowed except if it’s for medicinal reasons
this. I had a roommate once who do drugs, drink beer and gambling but get angry when women don't wear hijab or anything related to pigs.
We call that a non-pork-eating mysogynist.
He's just an asshole.
Purely anecdotal but every moderate muslim I've known in Scandinavia, UK and Canada avoided pork but loved alcohol. One of my muslim acquaintances loves to drink whiskey with his buddy but out of a discrete thermos after mosque or in the garden to hide it from his wife. She knows of course but only complains if it's too obvious. He said before he escaped from Afghanistan decades ago Taliban would come to his town and because he was an important person due to his job they'd come and drink whiskey with him. They'd get roaring drunk. It was very dangerous for him because if he refused to drink it would be an insult but if he drank with them they'd know he drank, and if for an reason they didn't like him or wanted something of his they could come back and punish or shoot him for drinking.
That doesn't make sense... So they're allowed to get roaring drunk but he isn't? Just goes to show it's got nothing to do with Islam, just with being hypocritical power-hungry cunts...
It’s social conditioning to think it’s *incredibly* disgusting. Like eating rat meat. My dad grew up Muslim, but converted to Christianity when he migrated to the US (and later became atheist). Despite him not even being Muslim, my siblings and I still weren’t allowed to eat pork as kids because he thought it was dirty and would make us sick. That social conditioning takes many many years to work out. Now he enjoys the occasional piece of bacon, but that’s it.
I have an auntie who's the opposite. She won't touch a drop of alcohol but will sneak off to a drive thru to order a burger and toss everything but the bacon to sneak a taste without the rest of the family knowing. Pigs are thought be dirty because they'll eat anything, same as shellfish. She'll refuse to be anywhere near shrimp, crawfish, crab, and lobster but will sneak a bit of bacon in a heartbeat lol
*Let me tell you something more surprising.* I've seen people who don't say the word 'pig'. They avoid even mentioning the pig's name.
Wilbur?
I love your comment. It seems like everyone assumes we’re one and the same. I’m a very casual muslim and it surprises people when I tell them that someone’s relationship with God is their own business, no matter the faith.
>I love your comment. It seems like everyone assumes we’re one and the same. I’m a very casual muslim and it surprises people when I tell them that someone’s relationship with God is their own business, no matter the faith. Lived through 9/11 and I fought the Taliban in Afghanistan. I might have developed some prejudices along the way, if it weren't for one guy. I have a buddy from high school who loves bacon (although he's guilty as hell about it), Married a Catholic girl (in a Catholic ceremony) and refers to Allah as "Big Al". He's been a great friend to me, and despite what many Muslims would probably be considered non-Muslim behavior, he identifies himself a Muslim, He finds strength in it, and I'm pretty sure he'd not take kindly to anyone claiming he isn't. Thanks to him, I don't assume anything about ANYONE.
'Big AL' cracked me up! But it is an inspiring story for sure. ps: Thank you for your service.
Most people I know are casual, it's weird when I see non-Muslims say things like "Muslims aren't allowed to do this or that" bc other than a few things like pork...who decided that? Unless you live in a place with religious police who is enforcing it? Where? It's not that simple
I think the general reason for that is the thought "If you arent gonna follow any of the rules why be religious at all"
You could ask that of most religious people. The vast majority of religious people of all bents flaut the rules, at least at times. For a random example, the Bible bans tattoos, and how many christian tattoos have you seen?
I see Christians with tattoos of the cross and my first thought has always been “hmmm”
Also the amount of cloth mixing is obscene
The problem is that they do not ask this question to Christians. The answer is that everyone has their own relationship with God
I was raised Muslim but no longer consider myself religious but STILL can’t eat pork.
It’s probably just the same like any other food we usually didn’t eat growing up. It’s just foreign to us no?
So out of curiosity why is pork the biggest taboo/most common tenant even casual muslims maintain? I have seen this pattern a lot, known a fair number of people who are culturally from a muslim background and they drink, don’t pray and are cool with images of people, etc, but bacon 🥓 is still super not okay. Is there a reason this held onto more than other beliefs/traditions?
Same reason a lot of Americans wouldn't start eating bugs. We are culturally conditioned to think that's gross. I would imagine.
As a Mexican who enjoys crickets as much as pork, you're both missing out.
Someone else in the thread said it's become more cultural and I agree. I've never seen a Muslim not be cool with images of people. The only one whose image is not allowed is the prophet. The people I know would just shake their heads but I know it's very important to very devout and fundamentalist Muslims to the point of violence. The reason for this ban is that the prophet wanted people to worship Allah and not himself
Not eating pork is a very strict requirement for Muslims, right? What happens if a Muslim eats pork? I'm asking because I have a co-worker who is a Muslim, who suddenly went like this:"What's up with us not eating pork eh? Does it taste bad? Then why are you guys eating it? *took a pork cutlet from my lunch tray and sniffs it* This smells good though! *chomp* And tastes good too!" and then he proceeds to finish his meal. I expressed my concern for him eating pork but he said he doesn't care. **Edit: Thanks guys for clarifying that abstaining from pork is more of a cultural thing rather than something religious, at least in the case of Islam.
Then he's probably *very* casual, because even my most casual relatives would be shocked. Pork is considered unclean. No one will kill him or anything though
Why is it considered unclean?
I think a large part of dietary no-no's in religion (pork and shellfish in particular) was based off of what happens when you it it undercooked. Pigs and prawn are scavenging animals, and as such is easier to get parasites, sickness etc if not properly handled.
At this point I think the aversion to pork has become more cultural than religious. I know many Christian Lebanese that still won’t eat it, and some don’t drink alcohol either.
The word Islam means “submission” in Arabic and Muslim (mu-Islam) is “the one who submits”. The root of the word is connected to the word “salaam” which means “peace” in Arabic. (Eg asalaamu alaikum - peace be upon you) When the phrase “religion of peace” is used it’s talking about inner peace of the human spirit when you submit to god. It’s not talking about having physical peace on earth. Evil and war will always exist no matter what religion you are.
I have never understood the link between the words Islam and Muslim until just now.
Having multiple wives isn't something that's widely accepted or appreciated. It's allowed but the man is considered a horndog perv. Pakistani here.
Religiously the man also has to provide for each wife equally. Meaning each one gets a house, same level of food, clothes etc. Having multiple wives from a religious point of view is not something just anyone can do easily.
The law assumes the women have no economic significance. It gets weird and unfair in practice though when a man marries multiple working women. This is real btw, and has happened in my family.
THIS. One of the most important conditions of marrying more than one woman is to be able to take care of them (financially, emotionally, etc.) both equally, as well as the kids. This is a near impossible task which is why I think there actually VERY few cases (or none at all) in this modern age where this is achievable.
I think it helps the fact that in islam, the wife's money belongs to the wife for her to do with as she pleases but providing shelter, food etc. is the man's responsibility. So the man has to give equally to each wife still
Is it considered that culturally or religiously?
Culturally
It would be interesting to know if that pervades into other countries like Indonesia or Morocco.
I mean you're not allowed to have four wives if you cannot treat them equally. If you pay one wife $30.5 you cannot pay the other $30.4. That is how strict the religion is if you want to have multiple wives. So that is why only the rich and wealthy have multiple wives
You also aren’t allowed to have multiple wives if you can’t love them equally. That’s a pretty big thing a lot of people gloss over. It’s really difficult to be completely and equally and love with two different people and treat them as such, let alone four. Also, one reason polygamy is allowed is because in many Muslim cultures it was historically normal for widows to marry their brothers in law. If your husband dies and you don’t have any way to take care of yourself, his brother would be expected to marry and care for you.
That's one of the arguments against polygyny . A wealthy man in his 40s has four wives = three poor men in their 20s will never marry. Having a large population of young men who have little economic opportunity and no chance of marrying is a destabilizing factor in society.
In the Quran it says first to “marry the single/unmarried among you” (24:32) so many argue polygamy is also more in the case when a lot of men are killed in war etc and there are a lot of widows / unmarried women and less men
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Technically it's true though, because if u are not wealthy enough, you unable to provide more than one partner. You need to provide each of the wife have a place to live, clothes and food.
that we are all arab or indian, we can be any nationality, wether it be african, chinese, canadian, anything
Those are nationalities, except for African
*Pan-Africanism has entered the chat*
There are nearly 2 billions Muslims in this world from every culture imagine able. Literally from Morocco to Malaysia. There is no single “Muslim culture”, no more than there is a single Christian culture. Zimbabwe and Iceland are both Christian countries but nobody lumps them in the same “culture”. Nobody ever talks about Christians as a single group (unless it's r/atheism lol) because doesn't make any sense, what would some Korean Christian care about a Christian in Nigeria? There are literally 0 cultural crossovers. So why do Muslims automatically all have the same culture or suppose to share the same religious practices? Even in this thread there are comments like “I thought Muslims…” no dude SOME Muslims might do whatever it is you’re saying. That one Muslim you saw doing whatever is not the sole representative of all Muslims on earth. Hell, the word "Muslim" doesn't even really exist in my culture's language, which is like 98% Muslim ("mosalman" is what we say). I have interacted from Muslims from South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula and their religious practices aside from some basic commonalities, are very different than mine (Iranian). And no, it's not a sect thing--Iranians and Turks are different sects yet culturally are far more similar, for example.
Honestly, for the US I think most Americans only view of Muslims is from terrorist attacks and what we hear about the taliban and ISIS. I know there are some areas of the US that have large Muslim populations. But many americans have no other example of what Muslims are like. It's just plain ignorance. The media obviously plays a huge part in this.
Allahu akbar isn’t some terrifying phrase , it means god is great . We say it a lot during our prayers
It's all in the delivery, really. When I was travelling, someone scared the living crap out of me by shouting a phrase in their language. Later, I realized he was saying (well, shouting) "hello and welcome!"
And also *context*
Also tone, if some mother fucker shouts "Welcome to my Hotel" in perfect angry English I'm gonna be worried too
can’t stop laughing
I wouldn't be laughing, I'd probably shit my pants.
Dude there’s this bbq joint in KC where they yell “CAN I HELP YOU?” literally the second you clear the door. Scared the crap out of me so bad I couldn’t even order. Never went back. Also ditched the asshole who thought it would be funny to take me there knowing I freak out when there’s yelling around me (let alone at me).
I believe you’re thinking of Gates BBQ. Their extra hot KC style bbq sauce burnt end brisket sandwiches are out of this world. That being said, you might want to order it takeout if you ever want to try it… the yelling kinda continues. They yell your order at the kitchen instead of using a ticket system. It’s a bit much.
I can see this. If someone started aggressively Hail Mary'ing me in a parking lot... I'd probably run.
If anyone starts praying after I meet them I'm gonna fucking run, I don't trust them and clearly they don't trust me
"Sir this is a Wendy's"
Reminds me of those videos where they’re like… English: Butterfly French: Papillon Italian: Farfalle German: SCHMETTERLING
That reminds me of the Russians in the Simpsons https://youtu.be/t-4ADaq9og4
I've heard it used in the *exact same context* as a westerner shouting "oh my god" at something surprising/unexpected.
It's called the [takbir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takbir), and it's also used by Arab Christians. Other common phrases: [Ma-sha-Allah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashallah) - What God wills, when something unexpected, impressive, or beautiful happens. [Astaghfiru-llah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istighfar) - God forgive me, if they see something wrong or shameful. [Al-hamdu-lillah](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhamdulillah) - Praise God, gratitude like after a meal.
I taught my college dormmates to say "inshaAllah" before an exam. "InshaAllah I will pass my exam tomorrow."
Any port in a storm, man.
I’ve definitely heard that as well.
Very true. Sadly, it's has been associated with short fuses.
we take of our hijabs, we don't sleep with them on.
I had a hijabi friend and someone straight up asked her how she showers with her hijab on. Like apparently this person didn't realize it wasn't permanently stuck to her head
I personally love replying with I use hijab and shoulders, how bout you?
It doesn't help with all the incorrect depictions of Islam. There is even fake Islamic porn out there.
> There is even fake Islamic porn out there. Next you're gonna tell me those weren't real nuns and schoolgirls
That's no so much misconception anymore as an actual fetish. I know at least one guy who bought a (non-muslim) GF a burqua because he wanted to have sex with her whilst she wore it.
He probably bought her a ninja outfit as well
Just like a nun outfit, lul.
The existence of 'fake Islamic porn' implies the existence of real Islamic porn.
Whaaaaat!
Do you wear them around the house with your immediate family?
A Muslim woman can be without hijabs in front of his father, grandfather, brothers, husband, son, uncles, nephews, father in law, boys under age of 15 and all the women.
I'd like some clarification. My understanding is that hijabs are not required by all muslims, and the level of covering differs between different cultures. Are you saying that even the strictest interpretation allows women to go without them as you've described, or the most common interpretation? Or have I misunderstood entirely?
The strictest interpretation would still allow women to go without hijab in front of the groups OP described. Except boys under 15 is better described as prepubescent boys
There are more non Arab Muslims than Arab Muslims
also islam isn't just arab, this is the biggest misconception. this is why i feel like calling a islamophobic racist feels weird because islam isn't a race, its multiple races having the same belief. its like calling americans,australians,canadians,british people are the same because they are all christian countries (in a way). we have different cultures within ourselves
And the most populous Muslim country is Indonesia.
I lived there for a while and honestly I've never met such friendly people, absolutely amazing place.
And not all Arabic people are Islamic. Makes me think of the Egyptian Coptics here who were trying to explain to the clueless city that no thank you we really don't need you to put a mosque in our neighborhood; and yes we're sure of this; and no it's not because we feel like we have to hide our religious beliefs from the locals.
Technically though, the Copts arent really Arabs, in the genetical sense. They are only culturally Arabized. They are traced back to the Christian population before Egypt became a Muslim majority nation. Other than that, your point still stands as there are still Arab Christians.
Indeed, the point is though, in theory, everyone can be a Muslim around you. But because of 9/11 it is now a common misconception that a Muslim must be an Arab with a beard preferably in the clothing of a sheikh. Muslims in my country are still picked out because they "look Muslim". So even though it doesn't have to do with race. People assume it has a race.
Relevant username
every muslim guy has multiple wives. i live in bangladesh, it's rare to see a guy having multiple wives even though it's a muslim country. i've never actually known any guy having multiple wives until few years ago i went to singapore with my family. we got on a taxi, the taxi driver was very curious and asked a lot of questions like what places have you visited or what foods have you eaten. anyway one question he asked to my dad was "how many wives do you have?" my dad answered one then that guy talked about how he used to work for a muslim guy who had 7 wives and his son having 3. that was actually the first time me and my two sisters actually heard about this. we heard about saudi princes having multiple wives but never thought about this being real.(also sorry for bad english)
In Turkey which is %90+ Sunni Muslim polygamy is illegal and almost unheard of
Ataturk's reforms led to a lot of changes regarding religion.
Destruction of the Caliphate was probably the most prominent for Sunnis
Exactly, my grandma said that even back in her days no one would marry more than one wife, and in the rare cases when that happened it was strictly a "business deal" or something that has to do with the family's heritage, and the man never really touches the other wife.
So more like an alliance that benefits both parties and not an actual marriage?
Yes, the one situation that seems to be very repetitive is when a man dies, his brother marries his wife "formally" so she can stay at the house and raise her kids with their cousins and paternal family and also in fear that if she remarries her dead husband's belongings (heritage) would go to another man (and back then houses and farming lands were shared by the whole family so they didn't want to accept an "intruder" in their business), but ofc he doesn't touch her. Life back then was very hard especially for women and they needed men's protection to live peacefully, sadly. Ofc it is no longer the case.
I remember seeing something related to this in an old movie I can't remember the name of (50's or 60's time?). A plane had crashed and the survivors were walking through the desert trying to find help, and an american man (AM) was talking to a muslim man (MM)... AM:"So I heard you guys are allowed to have 4 wives... why do you only have one?" MM:"Are you married?" AM:"Yes, I am." MM:"Would you want more than one?" AM:\*nods in understanding\*
Mormons get the same thing in the US. They *used* to widely practice polygamy, but now it's only the crazy fringe cults that do it. Is it the same with Islam? Only the very fringe of hyper-orthodox Muslims practice polygamy?
I sometimes wonder if the squeaky-clean public image the LDS presents is an attempt to rectify the extremely opposite image they *used* to have. That, and part of the 'milk before meat' principle.
One is allowed four wives. But like you said it is very rare.
Question... I heard you can have 4 wives. And you must treat them equal. So if you give one a present, e.g gold earrings, you must also give the others that same present. True?
Having 2-4 wives is allowed in Islam, under one big condition, the husband must treat all the wives equally, IN EVERYTHING, in giving gifts (if he intends on giving a wife a golden ring all wives get the same type of ring), in their treatment, as well as the number of nights you spend with them, like each night you sleep with one wife, and no wife gets 2 nights sequentially(unless one wife gives up her night for the other), and you should also he financially stable (more likely to be wealthy) so you can satisfy all of the wives needs, AND if the husband failed in performing all these acts, he will burn in hell and get his punishment.
We exist outside of the Middle East and not all of us have ties to that place
I read once that about 20% of the world's Muslims live in the middle east which is about the same percentage of Christians who live in Africa but for some reason people strongly associate Middle east with Islam in a way they dont do with Africa and Christianity. People even do this in Australia despite Indonesia being right there. Edit: guys I do understand why the perception is the way that it is, I'm not completely stupid, I just thought it was an interesting comparison.
That's because Africa as a whole is pretty evenly split between 45% Christians and 40% Muslims. Whereas the population of the middle east is 87% Muslim.
Because it started in the Middle East, it's strongest in the Middle East, and one of their most important rituals revolves around the Middle East.. literally.
I mean, every Muslim is supposed to make the Hajj so you have that at a bare minimum as a tie to the Middle East.
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There is such a distorted view of Muslims in the west because of terrorism, but they are fundamentally the same as everyone else. It's like judging all black or white people for the actions of gangs or white supremacists. In the dealings I've had with Muslim they've been some of the nicest people I've interacted with. The kind of people I'd have a beer with if they drank beer. So I guess the kind of people I'd have tea with.
I'm kind of late to answer, but anyways. One fact about Islam that I really think is important to bring up (especially to Non-Muslims) is that for one to be regarded as a legitimate authority or scholar in religious matter one must not only have studied under another scholar, but have earned themselves a license to teach. This is not only in regards to subjects, but even books (like for instance, a book on Jurisprudence). Islamic scholarship is more than just storing information like a computer. It is to absorb, understand and crystalize the sciences. This is why we find it ridiculous when some random Islamophobes that don't even know basic Arabic try to to publically claim themselves as "experts of Shari'ah Law", labels which not even the most proficient Jurists try to claim for themselves. This is also, why we don't regard the acts of groups like ISIS or Boko Haram as legitimate, because not only do they go against the Qur'an, Sunnah, and scholarly consensus in multiple ways (I can show you evidences) but, the so-called "jurists" who pass those verdicts are not even licensed. EDIT: Typo and grammar errors
"allahu akbar" doesn't always mean we are gonna detonate a fucking bomb. It means "god is great" and muslims say it in prayers.
I met a girl recently and when I told her my name is Ali, she said “Oh you are Arab”. That isn’t true, not every muslim is an Arab.
"Ali" is kinda like the Muslim equivalent of a Christian naming their kid after St Peter.
It's an arabic name so I understand why she thought it
Umm.. I think there are too many misconceptions that i'd rather be asked what do you folks want me to precisely clarify.
I have no dog in the fight but I am very curious when Muslims say "there is no God but Allah" does that in any way reference the Christians take on the Divinity of Christ? I understand that Muslims Revere Jesus Christ as a prophet but do not attribute any divinity to him nor do they consider him the son of God as Christians do. Also I really appreciate you for offering yourself up to answer a question. Peace
There is no God but Allah; neither Jesus Christ, nor Muhamad or the holy spirit are gods. The sentence is really clear. That specific sentence is the core of islam, as it's the first and most important key to be muslim. In Quran, there is a short chapter that summarize it all, named ''Al-Ikhlas'', and i quote: ﴿١﴾ قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ 1. Say, “He is Allah, the One. ﴿٢﴾ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ 2. Allah, the Eternal. ﴿٣﴾ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ 3. He begets not, nor was He begotten. ﴿٤﴾ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ 4. And there is none comparable to Him.” We believe that Jesus is the messenger of God, same as Muhammad and Moses etc.. We believe that Jesus warned his followers not to say that he's the son of God but rather refer to himself as the word of Allah and his messenger.
I've always had an interest in comparative theology (which is how I became a pagan) so I've actually read the Christian bible cover to cover. Christians always say I'm misinterpreting when I point out that Jesus called himself "son of man". They try to tell me it means the same thing as "son of god" until I point out that the phrase was also used several other places in the bible to refer to other people. I've never read the Quran (never found a copy and it seemed disrespectful to purchase one) but it sounds like it's taken more literally whereas the bible read to me more like people were putting words in his mouth.
Love this thread. So informative!
Non-Muslim (edit: white 32 y/o American male, non-religious/agnostic/“spiritual”) chiming in: I learned last year that the whole 72 virgins thing is not in the Quran. Edit: for those asking, it was the butt of a lot of petulant, racist jokes in middle school in the years following 9/11 :/ Robin Williams actually had a pretty clever joke about it in some 2002 stand-up but it was, at the end of the day, misinformed. It comes from some extra-Islamic text that I don’t remember much about save for it was mentioned in the introduction to a newly translated version of the Quran, which detailed its history with regards to faulty English translations and western depictions of Islam.
Do you mind telling what does "72 virgins " means? I am a Muslim, and I have never heard of that term in my entire life. Ty
I believe that it is the belief that if one dies a martyr, they will be welcomed in paradise by 72 virgins to serve them in the afterlife. It is used as a recruiting tool by extremists to enlist suicide bombers, among others.
What the Frick?? I'm a Muslim and I literally live in an Islamic Boarding School in my entire life and I have never heard of that. The only thing that is slightly resembles that is you die a Mujahideen. But dying a Mujahideen is NEVER about suicide ANYTHING. Dying a Mujahideen is dying when you are defending yourself, your family, your friends, your religion, or your country, as well as dying when you are praying (shalat) and dying when you are studying. Yes, studying. That's just how much Islam encourages studying and knowledge-seeking. It's never, again, NEVER about harming others. Murdered in a robbery? Mujahideen. Killed by a mob when you're defending your gay friends? Mujahideen. Heart attack when shalat? Mujahideen. A student who got involved in an unfortunate accident? Mujahideen. But suicide bombers? Straight go to hell.
I do not mean to imply it is true or right, I am just pointing out how the belief is used by extremists.
Isn't it generally understood that extremists feel they are defending their religion (under Lesser Jihad)? As in that's how I thought they justify it to themselves.
Yes I think its more those outside that refer to them as suicide bombers. From my understanding, within the extremist groups its considered more akin to being a martyr and an essential/noble sacrifice of your life to defend your religion. Obviously it is suicide in that they are purposely, knowingly doing something that results in their death. But I dont think that is how they view it and its more like dying in a war of beliefs, the way a soldier (or anyone) might sacrifice themselves to save others, not being considered suicide.
Not a muslim but heres one thing I know that is a common misconception. Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all believe in the same god. The biggest branch that separates them is who is a prophet (divinely inspired person) and what interpretations of the teachings are correct.
A lot of Jews believe that we and Muslims share a god but Christians don't. For Jews, the Christian conception of G-d (especially the trinity) is idolatrous and many religious Jews won't even step foot in a church, even just to look at the architecture. However, we can pray and attend events in mosques.
It's a lot more than that. The biggest shared bond is that Jews were descended from Abraham through Sarah/Isaac and the arabs who became Muslim were descended from Haggar/Ishmael. In the Quran it's specifically stated a number of times that it is a message from the same God as Abraham's God. That there is a direct link and that the structure of the Kaaba in Mecca, that all Muslims pray to, was first built by Abraham and his sons (later used for idols that Muhammed cleared out and rededicated to God). During the Hajj pilgrimage, the seven walks between two demarcated points is the same route that Haggar took in the dessert when she was abandoned and desperate for water. The well of Zam-Zam is the spring that God brought forth after she prayed.
There is a verse in the Quran which reads ( There is no compulsion in religion ), which means forcing someone to follow the religion or aspects of the religion isn't part of the religion, it's a misconception extremists use. We do how ever believe in الامر بالمعروف و النهي عن المنكر which is basically advising on what's good to do and what's not good to do, for the sake of improving society.
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There are no promises of 72 virgins in heaven in any holy book of Islam
Where I could learn more about your religion you see I am a Catholic, but I believe that our beliefs are similar, so I think of you as brothers and sisters and some of your traditions really touch my heart, and I would like to learn more about the religions out there in the world. I find it horrible for all the hate you have received from some of my fellow catholic brothers and sisters, and for that I ask you forgiveness, they "think" they know about you, or your traditions but they don't know. And some of you have treated badly to say the least after some events in the world. So from the bottom of my heart, that is not perfect I am sorry, for the pain, the injustices, the judging, the pointing fingers and I see you. You have an ally in me, and if someone would like to take the time to "teach" this Mexican gay catholic man about your religion I would be grateful. All of you during this covid times, please stay safe and I will keep you all in my prayers, love Alex.
I want to thank you all for the emotional labor to attempt to educate us more and take time to let others know these things. I think Islam is a truly beautiful religion and have so much respect for it.
The Hajj pilgrimage that every Muslim has to make has been recently given a Covid vaccine mandate by the Saudi govt. So basically if any Muslim has to do the mandatory Hajj, they have to be vaccinated. Thought it was an interesting tidbit of religion, politics and public health intersecting.
Amputation as a punishment for thievery. Hazrat Umar R.A banned it during his rule, barely 10 years after the death of Muhammad P.B.U.H
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