Qur’an (5:72-73) "For he who believes in the Trinity, “the Fire will be his abode … a grievous penalty will befall the blasphemer.”
Kinda confused about this one…it was my understanding that islam is thousands of years older than christianity, and if that is true, than why would the Qur’an reference the trinity?
No Islam is infact several hundred years younger than Christianity, infact Jesus is regarded as one of it’s many prophets that appeared prior to the last and founding prophet -Mohammed.
Islam is heavily influenced by(if not wholly derived from) Christian and Jewish thinking.
Are you thinking of Judaism or Zoroastrianism?
Islam arose around 600 AD if I’m not mistaken. I’m sure someone has the exact date if there is one.
leave it to me to confuse islam w/ Hinduism
blushes, lowers head & briskly walks out of discussion
I just realized what I typed. I guess that would be “Islam arose around the 600th Year of Our Lord…”
So how do Muslims reckon years? Do they use the common marking from Jesus’ birth (or thereabouts) but use CE for Common Era or something like that instead of AD? Or do they have their own system?
Did you take a Muslim name? I ask this because of the African-Americans that converted to Islam generally changed their names. Is this an optional thing they chose to do? If you changed your name, how is the name chosen? Do you choose it, is it chosen for you?
How have your family and loved ones reacted to your conversion?
Are there expectations or requirements that you marry a fellow Muslim?
What is the conventional Muslim opinion on Elijah Muhammed/Louis Farrakhan and their “sect”?
If I may speak for Martin here, I happen to know the answer to this one. The Nation of Islam has no affiliation with either Sunni or Shi’ite Muslims. It is a completely different religion with completely different doctrines. Members of nation of Islam are not permitted to visit Mecca because they are not considered to be Muslims. (Malcom X had a difficult time when he made his hajj. He had to pass an extensive test in order to prove that he had truly converted to Islam) Muslims I have known have nothing but contempt for Nation of Islam, specifically because of its racism. True Islam has always condemned racism in any form, and they did it before Jews or Christians did it.
The Islamic calendar is the A.H. or “anno hegirae” system, counting from the Hegira in 622 C.E. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, so the years of the A.H. system don’t necessarily match up on a one-to-one basis with the years of the Gregorian or “A.D.” calendar. Dates in the year 2002 C.E. (or A.D. 2002) fall in the years A.H. 1422 and 1423; you can convert from A.D. to A.H. dates or vice versa here.
Here’s a purely trivial question:
I have read that the word “mosque” is offensive because it comes from a comment of Ferdinand and Isabella that Muslims would be swatted like “mosquitoes”. The Iberian-Arabic, near as I can tell, was something like “mesquit” and the Spanish for mosquito is almost identical, so I’m guessing it started as a pun.
So, is it true that ‘mosque’ is considered offensive? Is the mosquito version true?
To further complicate matters, the church founded by Elijah Muhammad, which was NOT considered true Islam in his lifetime, now IS considered Islamic. Upon his death he was succeeded by his son Wallace Muhammad, who strongly disagreed with his father’s views, fully believes that his father had his friend Malcolm X killed, and had studied true Islam in Cairo and at university. Wallace reformed his father’s church and it is now open to whites and promotes racial harmony and the other Muslim virtues.
Louis Farrakhan meanwhile broke away from Muhammad and “restored” the original message of Elijah Muhammad. Because so many of Elijah Muhammad’s followers joined due to the message of “white devils” and black nationalism, they went with Farrakhan to wait for the mother ship.
Do you pluck your armpit hairs? Is that a common practice? Can you explain the hygiene requirements for Muslims?
We mark dates from the Christian year 622AD. That was the year that the migrations from Mecca to Madina began, in which the early Muslims were seeking refuge from harassment, persecution,
torture, and murder. That was 12 years after The Prophet Muhammad first recieved Revelation from Allah in a cave on Mount Hira during the month of Ramadan.
When writing dates in English, we use the abbreviation “AH” or “After Hijira” Hijira meaning “flight” or “Migration”
Today is, I believe, the 13th day of the month of Shawwal 1380 AH
I haven’t heard that one! Interesting.
I had heard that "Mosque? was a French word, somehow derived from the proper word “Masjid” meaning “place of prostration” I’m not sure of the etymology of that one, either. I tend to use masjid when I think about it.
Martin
Arabic sajada ‘to prostrate in worship’ > masjid ‘place of prostration’ > Egyptian dialect masgid > Italian moschea > French mosquée. The alteration started with the Egyptian pronunciation, which uses the velar (“hard”) g sound instead of the j. It was changed into a k sound by being next to the unvoiced s.
Ok,
No, I haven’t changed my name, other than tmy tongue-in-cheek use of the Arabic patromynic as a screen name. It is not required to change ones name. The first converts didn’t, even keeping the patronymics of their pagan fathers. Sometimes the need to change ones name comes from a need to express identity other than one that may be percieved as forced upon you. Sort of the same as NOI people using “X” in place of their family names.
It is suggested to give your children “good” names, those derived from famous early muslims, prophets, or from the name of the Prophet himself. Names of Allah can also be used, as long as you don’t put "Al’ in front of it, an honor reserved for Allah alone.
Raheem , “merciful” is ok.
Abd Ar-Raheem, “servant of The Merciful” is ok.
Ar-Raheem is not ok.
My extended family is basically ok with it, if a bit puzzled. This certainly isn’t the oddest thing I’ve done. My wife is ok with it as well. There was, and will be a bit of adjustment here and there. Mostly around dietary habits. My 7 mo old son has no clue yet, and my 4 year old loves to shout the call to prayer around the house, " Allaaaaaaahuuu Akbaaaarrr!" 
The general rules for marraige are pretty simple. A muslim man may marry a non-muslim woman, preferably a Christian or Jew while a muslim woman may only marry a muslim.
Simmer down now!
Neither Christianity or Judaism command a husband to respect the religion of his wife, and let her practice it. Islam does. If a Muslim woman marries a Christian or Jew, he has no religiously based reason not to harrass her or force her to convert.
As with most Islamic laws, the application day-to-day differs considerably from the ideal far too often.
As for marraiges in which one converts and the other doesn’t, it is ok, as long as the muslim partner is free to practice. If he or she is prevented from doing so, there is grounds for divorce.
Nation of Islam…
Diogenes has it just about right, as does Sampiro, (Not sure how to Bold the names of other Dopers), except for the puzzling recent conversion of Farrakhan to Sunni Islam. The rhetoric of his organization has shifted towards the mainstream though they still hold Elija Muhammad in high regard. Farrakhan and Warith Deen Muhammad are buddying around now and attending each other’s celebrations. Time will tell.
As for the wackier doctrines, such as the Mothership, I am now told that it is a metaphor for Salvation from above.
Whatever keeps the snickering down…
martin
I bow slightly to Jomo Mojo’s erudition
Dear muslim guy, sorry alot of people hate your lifestyle/religon.
That wasn’t a question, sorry.
-Silly monkey tapping on the keyboard
I don’t pluck. I buzz them off with an electric beard trimmer. I used to do this in the summer anyway while working construction. Keeps the stink down, donchaknow.
I understand that the more literal will pluck them, along with the pubic hair, because that is how it is worded in the Hadiths. I’m just not that hardcore.
As for general hygene…Keep Clean! Really Clean! Don’t go wandering around with urine or feces on you, so wash after using the john. Keep your teeth clean, specifically with a natural toothbrush called Siwak or Miswak, a stick from the plant Salvadore Persica. Most muslims just use the standard toothbrush, as do I usually. I do use the miswak as well on occasion, after reading this article:
http://www.islamset.com/sc/plants/siwak.html
I find that there is something in the plant which acts a plaque inhibitor. If I brush my teeth normally, I will have plaque the next morning. If I use miswak instead, I have little or none.
We tend to wash a lot, using Wudhu or ritual washing necessary before prayer.
Wudhu puts one in a state of Tahara, or ritual purity. Tahara is broken by a number of basic bodily functions, urination, defication, flatulance, actual vomiting, or significant bleeding.
Sexual activity and the ending of menses require a full bath or shower before one can pray.
There are some sexual acts that are forbidden due to cleanliness issues. One should not consume any substance considered “Najjis” foul or unclean. That rules out “Swallowing” coprophagia, or golden showers. I believe that anal intercourse is also frowned upon.
Blushingly yours, (not really)
martin
Thanks for the sentiment…I think:D
martin
Unfortunately, “Toward The One” is out of print and very expensive. I kick mysekf for having given it away. I would like to read it from my current perspective.
“The Sufis” by Idries Shah is a good basic look at sufism from a universalist erspective. His basic assertion is that the longing to attain closeness/oneness with the Creator is the heart of every religion, so sufi applies to all unitive mystics. Some interesting stuff.
Shah’s more orthodox father, Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah wrote, “Islamic Sufism” containing lots of detailed history and practice, along with the assertion that one cannot be a sufi outside of Islam, in fact, Islam is the first step in becoming a sufi, and never to be abandoned.
The Holy Quran is a basic sufi text. with a mystical, open reading, there is some deep stuff there. Read Suratul-Noor: 35-39
Anything by Kabir Helminsky, leader of the Threshold Society, an American extention of Rumi’s Mevlevi Order.
Any translation of Rumi is useful. Lots out there by various translators.
Any collection of Nasruddin tales. Idries Shah has collected a couple volumes,
The Psalms of David from nearly any standard Bible. Pure devotional Islam.
A friend of mine is running a yahoogroup with some good threads of discussion from the perspective of the Dawoodi-Bektashi Order.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sufi-Dhikr/
Maybe I’ll invite him to the party:D
I’ll try to come up with more when I am more conscious.
Martin