What is a Muslim?

[Prince_James]

So basically my first post without the added on "and Muhammad is to be considered chief prophet"?

 

[S.A.M.]

So basically my first post without the added on "and Muhammad is to be considered chief prophet"?

Yes and the difference between ilah and Allah, which is not God and Allah but a god and the God.

 

[Prince_James]

So basically: There is no deity but God and Muhammad is his prophet?

 

[S.A.M.]

So basically: There is no deity but God and Muhammad is his prophet?

that would do it.

 

[Prince_James]

So if one professed nothing but that, one would be a Moslem?

Would this entail anything special? Such as a first-class ticket to paradise? Or would one be able to go to Islamic Hell if one did not pray towards Mecca, abstain from impure foods, et cetera?

 

[IceAgeCivilizations]

Allah cannot be the God of the Bible because Allah was the Moon god, one of 360 pre Islamic Arab gods.

Jesus said He is the Son of God, but Allah, through Muhammed, denies this, so Allah calls Jesus a liar, therefore obviously, Allah and the God of the Bible are not the same.

 

[S.A.M.]

So if one professed nothing but that, one would be a Moslem?

Its really Muslim you know, Moslem gives it the wrong connotation.

And yes, that is sufficient to qualify as a Muslim, you need no ceremony, just the shahada or declaration of faith.

Would this entail anything special? Such as a first-class ticket to paradise? Or would one be able to go to Islamic Hell if one did not pray towards Mecca, abstain from impure foods, et cetera?

There is Muslim, who accepts the above, and there is Momin, one who has faith or is a believer (e.g. is a believer and faithful). Usually being a Muslim means acceptance of Mohammed as a Prophet, being a Momin means devoting your life to your faith through jihad (struggle for faith, or iman).

Someone who is a Muslim and a Momin would follow all the tenets of Islamic faith ideally to the best of his ability.

 

[Prince_James]

SamCDKey:

I had thought Moslem and Muslim are held to be alternative spellings if one another?

There is Muslim, who accepts the above, and there is Momin, one who has faith or is a believer (e.g. is a believer and faithful). Usually being a Muslim means acceptance of Mohammed as a Prophet, being a Momin means devoting your life to your faith through jihad (struggle for faith, or iman).

Someone who is a Muslim and a Momin would follow all the tenets of Islamic faith ideally to the best of his ability.

Yet one can be a Moslem/Muslim without being a Momin? And the result is, afterlife speaking?

 

[madanthonywayne]

So basically: There is no deity but God and Muhammad is his prophet?

Hey, PJ, you're a Muslim now! Or does an internet posting not count?

 

[S.A.M.]

SamCDKey:

I had thought Moslem and Muslim are held to be alternative spellings if one another?

Yet one can be a Moslem/Muslim without being a Momin? And the result is, afterlife speaking?

Alternate spellings? Actually I've never seen anyone using your spelling so I wouldn't know.

Sure, most Muslims even the bearded robed ones are not Momins.

In terms of the afterlife, well no one really knows, but accountability is based on what rules you break and your underlying motivation in doing so.

 

[S.A.M.]

More:

Most Muslims accept as a Muslim anyone who has publicly pronounced the Shahada, which states, "There is none worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger." This is often translated as, "There is no god except Allah," however "Allah" is the Arabic word for "the God".

One of the verses in the Qur'an makes a distinction between a mu'min, a believer, and a Muslim:

The Arabs of the desert say, "We believe." (tu/minu) Say thou: Ye believe not; but rather say, "We profess Islam;" (aslamna) for the faith (al-imanu) hath not yet found its way into your hearts. But if ye obey Allah and His Apostle, he will not allow you to lose any of your actions: for Allah is Indulgent, Merciful ('The Koran 49:14, Rodwell).

According to the Western academician Carl Ernst, contemporary usage of the terms "Islam" and "Muslim" for the faith and its adherents is a modern innovation. As shown in the Quranic passage cited above, early Muslims distinguished between the Muslim, who has "submitted" and does the bare minimum required to be considered a part of the community, and the mu'min, the believer, who has given himself or herself to the faith heart and soul. Ernst writes:

"The Arabic term Islam itself was of relatively minor importance in classical theologies based on the Qur'an. If one looks at the works of theologians such as the famous al-Ghazali (d. 1111), the key term of religious identity is not Islam but iman(faith), and the one who possesses it is the mu'min (believer). Faith is one of the major topics of the Qur'an; it is mentioned hundreds of times in the sacred text. In comparison, Islam is a relatively less common term of secondary importance; it only occurs eight times in the Qur'an. Since, however, the term Islam had a derivative meaning relating to the community of those who have submitted to Allah, it has taken on a new political significance, especially in recent history." [1]

And:

Muslims believe that Islam existed long before Muhammad. The Koran [Ar. qu'ran (قران), recitation] describes as Muslims many Biblical prophets and messengers: Adam, Noah (Arabic: Nuh), Moses (Arabic: Musa) and Jesus (Arabic: Isa) and his apostles. The Koran states that these men were Muslims because they submitted to God, preached His message and upheld His values. Thus, in Surah 3 v52 of the Koran, Jesus’ disciples tell Jesus: “do thou bear witness that we are Muslims”.

 

[GeoffP]

IAC: Jihad does have an evil connotation, and I wonder why that is?

*************
M*W: The evil connotation is YOUR'S. The evil is in the EYE OF THE BEHOLDER!

Actually, the most valued jihad is that of he who takes up arms. Can't recall the scriptural passage ATM.

 

[S.A.M.]

Actually, the most valued jihad is that of he who takes up arms. Can't recall the scriptural passage ATM.

Is that why its called jihad asghar (the minor jihad) as compared to jihad akbar (major struggle) which is the descriptor for spiritual struggle?

Jihad has been classified either as al-jihād al-akbar (the greater jihad), the struggle against one's soul (nafs), or al-jihād al-asghar (the lesser jihad), the external, physical effort, often implying fighting.

Muslim scholars explained there are five kinds of jihad fi sabilillah (struggle in the cause of God):[9]

* Jihad of the heart/soul (jihad bin nafs/qalb) is an inner struggle of good against evil in the mind, through concepts such as tawhid.

* Jihad by the tongue (jihad bil lisan) is a struggle of good against evil waged by writing and speech, such as in the form of dawah (proselytizing), Khutbas (sermons), et al. It is one weapon in the jihadi arsenal.

* Jihad by the pen and knowledge (jihad bil qalam/ilm) is a struggle for good against evil through scholarly study of Islam, ijtihad (legal reasoning), and through sciences (such as medical sciences).

* Jihad by the hand (jihad bil yad) refers to a struggle of good against evil waged by actions or with one's wealth, such as going on the Hajj pilgrimage (seen as the best jihad for women), taking care of elderly parents, providing funding for jihad, political activity for furthering the cause of Islam, stopping evil by force, espionage, and the penetration of Western universities by salafi Islamic ideology, in numerous Middle East Studies departments funded by Saudi Arabia.

* Jihad by the sword (jihad bis saif) refers to qital fi sabilillah (armed fighting in the way of God, or holy war), the most common usage by Salafi Muslims and offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood.

 

[GeoffP]

Sam, I have to admit: it is a little disingenuous now to avoid the issue of translations. We do not speak Arabic: neither do the majority of muslims worldwide. How then is one to discuss islam without being muslim? It would be best to be frank about the translations and ascribe a different meaning to them.

Your brother in Islam,

Geoff

 

[S.A.M.]

Sam, I have to admit: it is a little disingenuous now to avoid the issue of translations. We do not speak Arabic: neither do the majority of muslims worldwide. How then is one to discuss islam without being muslim? It would be best to be frank about the translations and ascribe a different meaning to them.

Your brother in Islam,

Geoff

Well one would say that if one is interested enough in a subject to criticise it, one must first study the subject. How much credence would you ascribe to an Indian writer who wrote a critique on Shakespeare without ever studying English?

And yes, the reason why so many people are led around by "experts" is because they don't bother to read for themselves.

Is that any different from other conspiracy theorists?

 

[Prince_James]

Madanthonywayne:

Oh no!

SamCDKey:

Alternate spellings? Actually I've never seen anyone using your spelling so I wouldn't know.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Moslem

In terms of the afterlife, well no one really knows, but accountability is based on what rules you break and your underlying motivation in doing so.

What sort of ratio of good v. bad deeds are you supposed to be aiming for?

 

[S.A.M.]

Madanthonywayne:

Oh no!

SamCDKey:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Moslem

Hmm must be an American innovation?

the word is from islam so it should ideally be mu-slim, that is the correct way.
the word "mu" basically says "one who"

as in
mujrim (one who is a criminal, jurm=crime)
muntazir (one who waits, intezar=wait)

What sort of ratio of good v. bad deeds are you supposed to be aiming for?

The best you can of course. The ideal is to improve by knowledge and practice, and learn from previous errors so as not to repeat them.

 

[S.A.M.]

So basically: There is no deity but God and Muhammad is his prophet?

One point often missed is that the lesser gods apply not only to deities, the translation of "La ilaha illallah" can also be "There is none worthy of worship but God" and also excludes the worship of money, power and materialism over spiritualism.

 

[GeoffP]

Is that why its called jihad asghar (the minor jihad) as compared to jihad akbar (major struggle) which is the descriptor for spiritual struggle?

Well, I find "fight in the way of Allah" about seven times in the Quran. There's this, which explains quite clearly Allah's own preferences regarding jihad:

Q 9: 20 Those who believe, and who have left their homes and striven with their wealth and their lives in Allah's way are of much greater worth in Allah's sight. These are they who are triumphant.

Q 9: 21 Their Lord giveth them good tidings of mercy from Him, and Gardens where enduring pleasure will be theirs.

Q 9: 22 There they will abide forever. Lo! with Allah there is immense reward.

Q 9: 23 onward deals in much the same vein, actually. Q 9: 111 is another notable passage in this respect, as is Q 9: 29.

In ode to my artistic spirit, I couch my rebuttal in part of the form of the "Lazy Sunday Chronick-les of Narnia" SNL video.

"Lazy Translation"

Now we got no way of knowin
what jihad means to-day
Well let's hit up da Quran to find the dopest way

- I prefer al-Buhkari!

Das a good one too

- "War is deceit"!

Tru dat! [together] Double tru!

 

[S.A.M.]

Well, I find "fight in the way of Allah" about seven times in the Quran. There's this, which explains quite clearly Allah's own preferences regarding jihad:



Q 9: 23 onward deals in much the same vein, actually. Q 9: 111 is another notable passage in this respect, as is Q 9: 29.

In ode to my artistic spirit, I couch my rebuttal in part of the form of the "Lazy Sunday Chronick-les of Narnia" SNL video.

"Lazy Translation"

So is fight in the way of Allah a direct translation of jihad?

Q 9: 20 Those who believe, and who have left their homes and striven with their wealth and their lives in Allah's way are of much greater worth in Allah's sight. These are they who are triumphant.

That appears to cover a multitude.

i.e those who
-believe
-left their home
-striven with wealth
-striven with lives

sort of covers everyone whos a Muslim?

As a comparison, how many times does knowledge occur in the Quran?

And peace? And forgiveness?