Empiree:
Sorry I got this this notification late but I believe my sister has done justice to this thread to the best of her ability. If there is any contribution from my part in the future I wont hesitate.

Thanks for this thread @cococandy

Your contribution will be highly appreciated as well.
As many varying responses as possible to do justice and cover as much information as possible. Thank you

cococandy:


About islamophobia, I don’t know if that’s really a modern challenge. I did observe more islamophobia in certain parts of the world versus in others. And I think I understand what you mean when you call it a modern challenge.


The question was leaning more towards things like modern technology, modern laws and legislations, Advancement in immigration and emigration, expanded educational curricula etc.
Has any of that been a challenge to your religion?

For example, in the Catholic Church, modern legislations that now allow gender equality and same sex unions poses a problem to the tradition of the church because it has a patriarchal foundation. A woman still can’t be a priest in the Catholic Church while in some other Christian domains, women pastors are allowed.

Same same unions are still a long way from being acceptable even though the new pope makes comments about acceptance and subtraction of judgement. The tradition is still so strong that even the pope’s words are not convincing that many people.

Do you find such modern advancements to be problematic in your islamic religion. Not to you personally but to the group as a whole.

Thank you

Ok now I understand better but to be honest with you this things does not affect Islam in any way because Islam has not changed at all nor does the rules guiding. A true Muslim must abide and follow the Qur'an and Sunnah of the Prophet which is the hadith and this has not changed since 1400 years ago up until now and I don't think it will change. Allah has said he's the one who sent down the Qur'an and he will protect it from any kind of corruption or being tampered with. The Prophet (saw) in his last address to the Muslims during the minor hajj has told the Muslims that Allah has perfected their religion for them on this day has chosen Islam for them as their way of life both the ones at that time and those to come after them. Whatever is haram(prohibited) during the time of the Prophet is haram even now and whatever is halal (permissible) still remains the same.

Thank you

Alennsar:

Ok now I understand better but to be honest with you this things does not affect Islam in any way because Islam has not changed at all nor does the rules guiding. A true Muslim must abide and follow the Qur'an and Sunnah of the Prophet which is the hadith and this has not changed since 1400 years ago up until now and I don't think it will change. Allah has said he's the one who sent down the Qur'an and he will protect it from any kind of corruption or being tampered with. The Prophet (saw) in his last address to the Muslims during the minor hajj has told the Muslims that Allah has perfected their religion for them on this day has chosen Islam for them as their way of life both the ones at that time and those to come after them. Whatever is haram(prohibited) during the time of the Prophet is haram even now and whatever is halal (permissible) still remains the same.

cococandy:
1) what is your belief system and religious world view?

i.e How do you believe life on earth came about? What do you think is the purpose? Belief in a creator or no Creator?

As a MUSLIM we believe in the seen and un seen, the earth was created by ALLAH(SWT), and every thing in between the earth and heavens, but what is visible like( rock, sea, humans, animals e.t.c) and what is not visible eg jins and many other creation....
I will send a QURAN verse for better understanding

cococandy:
What are some central myths that you share?

Like Christians believe Jesus died and resurrected.
He turned water to wine or that he fed 5000 folks with 2 fish.

Stuff like that.

In Islam there are no myths, all incidence that took place has been authenticated in the QURAN and HADITHS...

cococandy:
What kind of rituals do you practice?

Not rituals in the negative sense as portrayed by Nigerian movies . But acts of religious devotion that you’re physically encouraged to partake in.

For example, In the catholic church, some rituals practiced include holy communion as a sign of oneness with Jesus , or using of ash to smear the forehead on Ash Wednesday as a sign of penitence. Do you have any similar rituals in Islam?

Prayimg fives times a day
Observing purification after sexual intercourse with your spouse,
Observing purification for women after monthly period
Purification after childbirth
Performing ablution before every compulsory prayer
Bathing the corpse before burying
E.t.c

cococandy:
What Rules and ethics about human behavior are you encouraged to follow?. Do you believe these rules are from the central supernatural being of your religion?

The rules and ethics we follow in Islam is that all the prophet follow staring from Abraham, moses, jesus and the last of prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessing of almighty GOD be on them
Some of the rules are
Do not oppress
Do not back bite
Do not slander
Do not fornicate
Do not abuse your parent
Be kind to ur fellow humans in respective of religion
Be respectful to your elders
Seek for knowledge
Seek for piety
E.t.c

cococandy:
What Material objects do you use in the expression of your faith?
What Physical elements are symbolic in your religion? Do you use statues, paintings, musical instruments, objects like incense, flowers, clothing, architecture or sacred places?

For example in orthodox churches, rosaries, paintings, statues and sanctuaries are some examples of physical religious expression.

Do you have similar symbolism?

In Islam a muslim is not expected to attached important to any symbol be it of human no matter how pious they are... once a muslim do that he or she has fall into the act if SHIRK, which means to associate partner with thw ALMIGHTY GOD...
And that is why Islam is against painting, drawings, statues.. because with that a lot of people fall into disbeleive by worshiping the listed

cococandy:
What do you consider sacred?

Are there certain acts of reverence you must perform?
certain people who are sacred?
Places you consider sacred?

One of the sacred site is the MASJIDUL HARAM. The mosque in MECCA, Saudia Arabia, where muslim perform pilgrimage.. it is the holiest place in Islam.
As for people we accord respect to prophets of God but just as human and nothing more...

cococandy:
Do you think there are any conflicts between your religious teachings and your personal beliefs?

The teachings in Islam is from the supernatural being, and it is on it all prophets stood on and all the followers, so in Islam we dont take into consideration personal beliefs because the religion has been perfected by the most high

cococandy:
Finally.

What challenges can you identify that your religious tradition faces in the modern world? Do you feel that your religious tradition is responding positively?

If yes or no, do you mind explaining?

Thanks

One of the challenge and which is the biggest challenge is the ignorance of some people and some muslims towards the religion, proper understanding of the religion will correct the misconceptions and wrong information that the media as pass about Islam.
And the solution to that is we need to seek knowledge both a muslim and a non muslims so we will all jave a better understanding of the religion betyer than anyone will say to you

mj31:

As a MUSLIM we believe in the seen and un seen, the earth was created by ALLAH(SWT), and every thing in between the earth and heavens, but what is visible like( rock, sea, humans, animals e.t.c) and what is not visible eg jins and many other creation....
I will send a QURAN verse for better understanding

Thanks for your responses

cococandy:
Thanks for your responses

You are welcome mam
Pls feel free to ask any question ma..

By the grace of God i will try respond to them

cococandy:
Thank you so much for your audience.

In trying to understand a few things about Islam, I have a few questions. Please don’t answer them if you’re not currently a Muslim (or have never been a Muslim). I need only an insider’s view/experience and not an observer’s opinion.

If you choose a question to answer, please kindly quote the question with the answer you provide so that I can understand what answer relates to what question.

#grateful. Thanks

There is a Muslim section click go up and click Islam of Muslims u you would hear from pro Muslims there

Alennsar:

The one i know of is Islamophobia. Don't know if that's correct.
But it should not be a surprise to the Muslims because the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) has told us that a time will come when Islam will become a strange religion and that is one of the signs of the end time.

There won't be islamophobia if people weren't getting killed by Muslims on a daily basis, and give her the complete info

cococandy these are important things they won't tell you until you join
1) Joining Islam is celebrated but leaving Islam is punishable by death
2) The Quran and Hadith justifies killing of non-belivers(Christian's, budhists, Jews, hi dus)
3) female children can be forced into marriage from at age 6 and can be forced to have sexual intercourse with their husbands at 8yrs of age
4) your husband is allowed to have 3 more wives
5) in heaven your husband gets 72 virgins while you only get your husband
6) hijab is a nice dressing
7) if you get raped and report you would be asked to provide four male witnesses if you can't you would be guilty of adultery and stoned to death
8 ) They pray a lot which is a nice thing.
9) There is a high level of Muslim in terrorism cause they believe Mohammed ordered them to kill non believers

hashtagged:


There won't be islamophobia if people weren't getting killed by Muslims on a daily basis, and give her the complete info

cococandy these are important things they won't tell you until you join
1) Joining Islam is celebrated but leaving Islam is punishable by death
2) The Quran and Hadith justifies killing of non-belivers(Christian's, budhists, Jews, hi dus)
3) female children can be forced into marriage from at age 6 and can be forced to have sexual intercourse with their husbands at 8yrs of age
4) your husband is allowed to have 3 more wives
5) in heaven your husband gets 72 virgins while you only get your husband
6) hijab is a nice dressing
7) if you get raped and report you would be asked to provide four male witnesses if you can't you would be guilty of adultery and stoned to death
8 ) They pray a lot which is a nice thing.
9) There is a high level of Muslim in terrorism cause they believe Mohammed ordered them to kill non believers

My thread is for devout Muslim only. To get their insight into the questions asked above. For my own benefit.

Please it’s not a “what’s wrong with this or that religion” type of thread. Thanks for your concern but pls don’t derail. Thanks

cococandy:


My thread is for devout Muslim only. To get their insight into the questions asked above. For my own benefit.

Please it’s not a “what’s wrong with this or that religion” type of thread. Thanks for your concern but pls don’t derail. Thanks

There is a Muslim only section go there pls don't bring this to section for other religions

hashtagged:


There is a Muslim only section go there pls don't bring this to section for other religions

why are you intolerant? What has this thread taken from you?

Muslim section is for Muslims only. therefore......... I can’t post there. This section is for all religions which includes Islam. And this thread is for a specific purpose. If your post doesn’t meet the purpose of my thread, it’s a derailment. Desist please. Thanks.

hashtagged:


There is a Muslim only section go there pls don't bring this to section for other religions

that section is for muslims to post. She is clearly asking here because she cannot post there

@Cococandy

I hope I am not late to the party. When it comes to understanding a religion, it's best to read the holy book by yourself. While it superficially makes sense to consult the self-proclaimed adherents of the religion, you should have it in mind that each adherent has his/her own "interpretation" of the Qur'an. The "interpretation" a moderate Muslim born and bred in a secular society will give you will differ from that of a Muslim born and bred in an Islamic society. Some "interpretations" paint Islam as a religion of peace while others do the opposite. To avoid being misled by any Muslim's personal interpretation, I will advise you to do your own research and read the holy book for yourself. Your research should focus on the history of Islam, its Prophet, and holy book; find out what scholars think.

A lot of muslims come about their interpretations in any of the following ways:
1) ignorance and presumption of the Qur'an due not having read it or blatant dishonesty,
2) cherry picking (picking the good parts only), and/or
3) complete understanding and submission to the entire doctrine and scriptural injunctions of the Qur'an.

This is also applicable to Christians.

Regardless of how any Muslim came about his/her own "interpretations", it's best to do your own research and read the Qur'an by yourself and formulate your independent thoughts on the matter.

Nb: I am an atheist. I am encouraging the best approach of inquiry.

You have good points.

However, The purpose of this exercise is to also get the subjective interpretation of Muslims. So, varying interpretations were welcome from the beginning. I wasn’t setting out to only understand what Allah and Muhammad teach but also how the followers have understood those teachings and how it affects their lives in those specific categories I listed.

There’s definitely a whole lot to unpack in understanding any religion but this thread is limited and specific in what it’s looking for.

Thanks

Martinez39s:
@Cococandy

I hope I am not late to the party. When it comes to understanding a religion, it's best to read the holy book by yourself. While it superficially makes sense to consult the self-proclaimed adherents of the religion, you should have it in mind that each adherent has his/her own "interpretation" of the Qur'an. The "interpretation" a moderate Muslim born and bred in a secular society will give you will differ from that of a Muslim born and bred in an Islamic society. Some "interpretations" paint Islam as a religion of piece while others do the opposite. To avoid being misled by any Muslim's personal interpretation, I will advise you to do your own research and read the holy book for yourself. Your research should focus on the history of Islam, its Prophet, and holy book; find out what scholars think.

A lot of muslims come about their interpretations in any of the following ways:
1) ignorance and presumption of the Qur'an due not having read it or blatant honesty,
2) cherry picking (picking the good parts only), and/or
3) complete understanding and submission to the entire doctrine and scriptural injunctions of the Qur'an.

This is also applicable to Christians.

Regardless of how any Muslim came about his/her own "interpretations", it's best to do your own research and read the Qur'an by yourself and formulate your independent thoughts on the matter.

Nb: I am an atheist. I am encouraging the best approach of inquiry.

cococandy:
You have good points.

However, The purpose of this exercise is to also get the subjective interpretation of Muslims adherents. So, varying interpretations were welcome from the beginning. I wasn’t setting out to only understand what Allah and Muhammad teach but also how the followers have understood those teachings and how it affects their lives in those specific categories I listed.

There’s definitely a whole lot to unpack in understanding any religion but this thread is limited and specific in what it’s looking for.

Thanks

Okay, I get your point. I hope you are successful in your inquiry. Good day.

NB: In my initial post, I have corrected the "blantant honesty" to "blatant dishonesty."

Martinez39s:
@Cococandy

I hope I am not late to the party. When it comes to understanding a religion, it's best to read the holy book by yourself. While it superficially makes sense to consult the self-proclaimed adherents of the religion, you should have it in mind that each adherent has his/her own "interpretation" of the Qur'an. The "interpretation" a moderate Muslim born and bred in a secular society will give you will differ from that of a Muslim born and bred in an Islamic society. Some "interpretations" paint Islam as a religion of peace while others do the opposite. To avoid being misled by any Muslim's personal interpretation, I will advise you to do your own research and read the holy book for yourself. Your research should focus on the history of Islam, its Prophet, and holy book; find out what scholars think.

A lot of muslims come about their interpretations in any of the following ways:
1) ignorance and presumption of the Qur'an due not having read it or blatant dishonesty,
2) cherry picking (picking the good parts only), and/or
3) complete understanding and submission to the entire doctrine and scriptural injunctions of the Qur'an.

This is also applicable to Christians.

Regardless of how any Muslim came about his/her own "interpretations", it's best to do your own research and read the Qur'an by yourself and formulate your independent thoughts on the matter.

Nb: I am an atheist. I am encouraging the best approach of inquiry.

The best place to start that search is read the Quran. If you are interested to have copy of English Qur'an and you live in Abuja please do let me know.

Martinez39s:
@Cococandy

I hope I am not late to the party. When it comes to understanding a religion, it's best to read the holy book by yourself. While it superficially makes sense to consult the self-proclaimed adherents of the religion, you should have it in mind that each adherent has his/her own "interpretation" of the Qur'an. The "interpretation" a moderate Muslim born and bred in a secular society will give you will differ from that of a Muslim born and bred in an Islamic society. Some "interpretations" paint Islam as a religion of peace while others do the opposite. To avoid being misled by any Muslim's personal interpretation, I will advise you to do your own research and read the holy book for yourself. Your research should focus on the history of Islam, its Prophet, and holy book; find out what scholars think.

A lot of muslims come about their interpretations in any of the following ways:
1) ignorance and presumption of the Qur'an due not having read it or blatant dishonesty,
2) cherry picking (picking the good parts only), and/or
3) complete understanding and submission to the entire doctrine and scriptural injunctions of the Qur'an.

This is also applicable to Christians.

Regardless of how any Muslim came about his/her own "interpretations", it's best to do your own research and read the Qur'an by yourself and formulate your independent thoughts on the matter.

Nb: I am an atheist. I am encouraging the best approach of inquiry.

The atheist has said the truth.

The best place to start that search is read the Quran with open mind. I mean put your brain and mind to it and ask questions. Allah created the brains for us to think.

If you are interested to have copy of English Qur'an and you live in Abuja please do let me know.

Auki:


The atheist has said the truth.

I’m not saying it’s bad or something, I just find it really funny that you’d refer to him as The Atheist

Nickshrapnel:
I’m not saying it’s bad or something, I just find it really funny that you’d refer to him as The Atheist

No harm intended at all.

Auki:


No harm intended at all.

I understand

cococandy:
You have good points.

However, The purpose of this exercise is to also get the subjective interpretation of Muslims adherents. So, varying interpretations were welcome from the beginning. I wasn’t setting out to only understand what Allah and Muhammad teach but also how the followers have understood those teachings and how it affects their lives in those specific categories I listed.

There’s definitely a whole lot to unpack in understanding any religion but this thread is limited and specific in what it’s looking for.

Thanks

That's the importance of adhering to the teachings of Muhammad (peace be upon him) which is the hadith. For example the Quran says pray (hadith explains how to pray), the Quran says fast (hadith explains how to fast). The hadith is basically the explaination of the Quran, it's what puts the Quran in context and prevents subjective understanding. You can read the Quran yourself (go to quran.com).

cococandy:
1) what is your belief system and religious world view?

i.e How do you believe life on earth came about? What do you think is the purpose? Belief in a creator or no Creator?

The answer is in quran. There is creator and his name is ALLAH and we are created for sole purpose of worship

cococandy:
How is your belief system and its ideals practiced? as a group of believers who come together? How do you come together?

Islam must be practiced exactly the same way prophet did. We gather together where prophet and his companions did. DURING PRAYER\SALAH/ AND LECTURE AND WALIMAH NIKKAH. and every group of people that name themselves are sect stay away from them. Like shia, tableeg and others

cococandy:
What are some central myths that you share?

Like Christians believe Jesus died and resurrected.
He turned water to wine or that he fed 5000 folks with 2 fish.

Stuff like that.

no myth but facts. All prophets are given extraordinary powers. jesus is n0t dead, its n0t him that was crucified. Allah said he raised him up and he is a prophet N0T S0N OF ALLAH

cococandy:
What kind of rituals do you practice?

Not rituals in the negative sense as portrayed by Nigerian movies . But acts of religious devotion that you’re physically encouraged to partake in.

For example, In the catholic church, some rituals practiced include holy communion as a sign of oneness with Jesus , or using of ash to smear the forehead on Ash Wednesday as a sign of penitence. Do you have any similar rituals in Islam?

We have ritual bath. You must take this bath of purification after sex and birth and when going to friday prayer. We also have ruqyah. Its a special prayer that prophet taught us to recite for protection against evil forces. .and lastly the way we bury our dead