About Islam!

Asalaam alaykum brothers :') (means Peace be upon you)
(to which you reply "wa alaikum asalam" -- and upon you, peace)

very nice sajjad =')

I've been living in Riyadh for about 1yr and 1/2.

What I know about Islam, I've mostly learned from taxi drivers (mostly Pakistanis and Bangladeshi) and co-workers. Most Muslims around here are very religious.

First, I observed Muslims are very "polite" and "ethical". I used quotations because for Muslims (I read), it's not really about politeness and ethics. It's deeply rooted in their religion, their way of life, in tradition/custom.

They always ask how you are, they always thank God/Allah, and always share food.
Men can marry up to 4 women only. Although others say more -- if they can support them -- I've read in a newspaper that a public official has been removed from office because he was found to have more than 4 wives.

A lot of the taxi drivers who ask me what my religion is, they say it's not an issue. We are first of all humans, being Muslims or Christians or Hindi only second...

One taxi driver told me that Muslims are not afraid of death. He said (in Arabic, as I understood), Christian life is good as well as Muslims, but when they die it's different. Muslims die happy, while Christians are afraid of it. Something like that. I think he was trying to convert me, but he also said that this is my life, this is my own person, and I have my own decision what to believe in.

Also, they believe in Jesus and Mary, but not as Christians do. Jesus is just a simple prophet to them, not divine.

And then there are those who use their religion to bring harm to others. I am also Filipino, and every Muslim I talk to here know about the Muslim extremists in the Philippines, the Abu Sayyaf. They say the Abu Sayyaf, and the likes of the Taliban, is a big problem for Muslims.

ren wrote: I think halal means "allowed" and haram "prohibited", right?

yes exactly


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Shadouness wrote: Asalaam alaykum brothers :') (means Peace be upon you)
(to which you reply "wa alaikum asalam" -- and upon you, peace)

very nice sajjad =')

I've been living in Riyadh for about 1yr and 1/2.

What I know about Islam, I've mostly learned from taxi drivers (mostly Pakistanis and Bangladeshi) and co-workers. Most Muslims around here are very religious.

First, I observed Muslims are very "polite" and "ethical". I used quotations because for Muslims (I read), it's not really about politeness and ethics. It's deeply rooted in their religion, their way of life, in tradition/custom.

They always ask how you are, they always thank God/Allah, and always share food.
Men can marry up to 4 women only. Although others say more -- if they can support them -- I've read in a newspaper that a public official has been removed from office because he was found to have more than 4 wives.

A lot of the taxi drivers who ask me what my religion is, they say it's not an issue. We are first of all humans, being Muslims or Christians or Hindi only second...

One taxi driver told me that Muslims are not afraid of death. He said (in Arabic, as I understood), Christian life is good as well as Muslims, but when they die it's different. Muslims die happy, while Christians are afraid of it. Something like that. I think he was trying to convert me, but he also said that this is my life, this is my own person, and I have my own decision what to believe in.

Also, they believe in Jesus and Mary, but not as Christians do. Jesus is just a simple prophet to them, not divine.

And then there are those who use their religion to bring harm to others. I am also Filipino, and every Muslim I talk to here know about the Muslim extremists in the Philippines, the Abu Sayyaf. They say the Abu Sayyaf, and the likes of the Taliban, is a big problem for Muslims.

well, first of all thanks for your information!

I think being afraid of death can be in any society, and not being afraid of it can be too. not related to religion.

Men can marry up to 4 woman, but the condition for such a marriage is very hard! first of all your first wife should let you, then you have to have enough income to support both of them, then you have to be fair with them... .
here in my country, marrying with more than one woman is very bad in society

Any action in Islam is in one of these categories :

-halal :"Allowed"
-haram :"prohibited"
-vajib : You must do it, not doing it is haram
-mostahab : doing it is good, but not doing it is not haram
-makroh : doing it is not haram, but it's better not to do it

and any item is in one of these categories :

-najis : not clean, if you touch it, you have to clean yourself. eating najis thing is haram
-clean : you can touch it, use it...
-qasbi : it doesn't belong to you, so for using it you have to ask the owner

{you may need these names in what I'm going to talk about later}

Nothing explain anything better than it's history, my history teacher used to say that all the times. I'm going to write whole story of Islam here.

Mohammad was from one of the best tribes of Arabs, and the most powerful one. 2 months before birth of Mohammad, his father died in a trip. When he was 2, his mother died too. He went to his grandfather house until age of 8 and then his grandfather died too. After all this, he went to his uncle.

When he was young, he and some of his friends, took an oath to server poor. Later his uncle found a job for him in caravan of Khadije (a rich women). After first travel, she asked others about him, they responded that he was so nice with every one, he told us what to do for a better benefit ... After some times, she married him.

One year, there wasn't enough rain, and his uncle became poorer, he went to his relatives, and offered them to get sons and daughter of his uncle for helping him. His uncle took his blind child, and told others that they can take any of them. Mohammad took "Ali".

At the age of 40, Mohammad went to a cave named "Hara". There he prayed for God, and meditated. Once, he stayed there for a month, and Ali brought him food and water. One of those night, he heard a strange voice said "Read", he replied "What?", sound replied "Read", he said "I can't read" sound replied "Read in the name of ...." At that night, he received Quran and he gained mission to keep Islam secret and secretly invite his relatives to become Muslims.

The first person who became Muslim was his wife, and after him Ali. After 3 years, he declared Islam in public. People killed Muslims and stopped any relation with them. They went in a desert near city, and stayed there. In that desert, his wife died. After sometimes, he went to his uncle and said "The contract others wrote to not to have any relation with us is destroyed with power of Allah" his uncle told this to others, and they let Muslims back in city, but they still killed them whenever they wanted.

Mohammad ordered some of Muslims to go to "Habashe" a country of that time in Africa. Then, one night they make a plan to kill Mohammad. Mohammad say this to Ali and to Abobakr (Father of Ayeshe, another wife of mohammad). Ali accepted to sleep in Mohammad's Bed and pretend he is he. And Abobakr put him in a basket and went out of his house. They asked him what is inside of basket? he replied : "Mohammad" they thought he is joking, so they let him go.

Mohammad and Abobakr went from city to "Yasrib" another city who had lots of muslims. And because of his entrance, they change the name of city to "Madinat al-nabi" means "City of prophet". Later other Muslims joined them.

He made an appointment there, and invited every one. He split them into 2 groups, locals of "madine"(that city) and others. He said anyone must select a brother from other group, and let them in their home. He chose Ali as his brother.

Some years Later, Ali married his daughter, Fateme (or as sunni say Fatima) and they had 2 son (Hasan, Hossein) and one daughter (Zeinab).

Then at the age of 63, one night, a young person knock his door, while he was sick. They let him in, he asked If Mohammad is ready to die. And he accepted what Allah said and told the young man (Who was an angel called ezrael or death angel) to obey what Allah ordered him.

I'll continue what happened to Muslims after death of Mohammad later.

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Oh come on!
there is every where in every religion people like this! Why you focus on these? Why don't you look at those real Muslims? These are ROLE PLAYING! They are not Muslim! I'm sure if you search you can find Christians like these 'Muslims'. STOP ADVERTISING AGAINST ISLAM! look at those real ones.

How do we tell the real Muslims from the role players? What does this religion have to offer to people living in the 21st century? I am not singling out Islam, because I ask the same question to Jews and Christians. What do any of the Abrahamic religions have to offer the modern world?

okay sorry I lost my control.

It's not fair to judge all of Muslims by these...

Well, I agree with you on some points. These religions need an update. In Islam, each person has to choose another person and follow his rules (There are some hard "Condition" for this second person...) and his job is to research for new things and put them in Islam.

As an example, when washing machine was invented, Muslims in my country wasn't sure if they could use it to clean najis things. So these people researched ans declared that using this washing machine is allowed.

you know what I mean?

As Jedi we should defer from Judgement and seek to understand in and around these faiths... I for one am glad to see someone willing to lend their knowledge for what the religion is and standards of practice... As with anything in this world today, extremes come from that, that is shown in and at its dark moments. It sells news and stirs up emotions.

I for one, would like to see more of the history of Islamic faith and not judge its differences as how we have come to hear it... Lets start with Basics and History Please... Sajjad Heydari, I ask for your assistance in this to further everyone who wishes to hear not just the darkness of islam, but of its beginings.

When I posted that video I expected an excited reaction. Obviously this does not portray the whole of Islam even though for the persons involved the facts speak for themselves, but what would interest me is: what is going wrong here? where do these radical ideas come from (where are they based in the Coran?)? how does the rest of Islam differentiate themselves from this?

Another question has also been going through my mind which you may be able to help me on: do the Saudi Sheikhs answer to Islamic laws, morals and the Coran as do all Moslems or are they exempt? If so why and how?