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What Would a Muslim Say: Conversations, Questions, and Answers About Islam
158Overview
Why This Matters NOW
- "Why do you Muslims pray five times a day?"
- "What happens to people who do not believe in God?"
- "Why are so many Muslims quoting their holy book in the name of violence?"
- "What are the authoritative sources of knowledge in Islam?"
- "Why do your clerics condemn Judaism and Christian traditions?"
These days, Islam is no stranger to controversy. There are many questions, fears, and misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. I believe these books can answer questions, build bridges, and promote understanding.
Since 2009, I have facilitated interfaith dialogues with many different people. The conversations in these books are real. Some are curious, some are concerned, some are hostile, some are academic, and some are soul-searching. My hope is that this can be a small step towards better understanding and harmony.
What Makes This SPECIAL
While there are many books that teach Islam, preach it, criticize it, or academically explain it, my focus in these books is different.
I have compiled the best and most interesting conversations over the course of my outreach and interfaith work. These transcripts showcase everyday people -- from angry and concerned to inquisitive and supportive -- asking real questions and getting straight answers about Islam.
This is the first book in the series, covering a variety of conversations from 2009 to 2011. In this book, you will learn about:
- Faith, Sex, and Marriage in Islam
- How a Muslim Should Respond to Criticism
- Jihad and Freedom in the Modern World
- How the Qur'an Informs a Muslim's Faith
- Islamic Worship, Prayer, Charity, and Pilgrimage
- Salvation and Tolerance in Islam
- Muslim Culture and Modernity
- Understanding Islamic Law
- Etiquettes of Visiting a Mosque
- God's Grace and Free Will
- Are Islamic Rulings Static or Dynamic?
- How Can Islam be Called a Religion of Peace?
- Can Muslims and Christians Ever Live in Harmony?
With Dialogue Comes UNDERSTANDING
To be clear, my purpose is simply to provide accurate information on my faith - to set the record straight - nothing more; nothing less. This can only happen if you, dear reader, are willing to listen to our side of the story. One of God's gift to humanity is the gift of speech. It is by dialogue that we can come to greater understanding and peaceful relations.
If you read this far, congratulations! You are a 95% match for this book's ideal reader profile. That means you are 95% likely to find this book informative, insightful, and actually fun to read. So go ahead and get your copy now. Go on. . . you can always return it if you don't like it ;)
May peace be with you,
Ahmed Lotfy Rashed
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781943740161 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Common Word Publishing |
| Publication date: | 09/18/2016 |
| Pages: | 158 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.34(d) |
About the Author
During his three years of graduate study, he served as Public Relations Officer for the Muslim Students' Association. It was at this time that Ahmed started talking about Islam at various churches, temples, and schools. He became known for his informal and approachable demeanor. His ability to break down complex religious and historical contexts for audiences earned him high reviews. He also taught math and science at the local Islamic School. In addition, he led the Youth Committee of the local mosque in Villanova. Soon after graduating, he married and found employment in Boston as a research engineer.
Since coming to Boston in 2004, he has been an active volunteer at several mosques in the Greater Boston Area. He has been the head instructor for the local Islam101 class since 2006. Also, he has been a volunteer for WhyIslam.org since 2009. He has presented Islam at schools and churches, and he has hosted visits to several major mosques in the area.
Ahmed continues to work and live in the Greater Boston Area with his wife and three children. In his spare time, he likes to read about comparative religions, Islamic law, Islamic history, and military history. He also has a weakness for fantasy and science-fiction novels - a problem of which his wife is still trying very hard to cure him.
Read an Excerpt
What Would a Muslim Say?
Conversations, Questions, and Answers about Islam
By Ahmed Lotfy Hashed
Rashed Lights Press
Copyright © 2016 Ahmed Lotfy RashedAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-943740-16-1
CHAPTER 1
CONVERSATION WITH DUSTIN
Email #01 – From: Ahmed Rashed Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2009 6:33am To: Dustin
Good morning, Dustin. My name is Ahmed Rashed, and I am a volunteer with the 877-WHY-ISLAM outreach team. I am contacting you in reply to your request for 1 to 1 email correspondence. I understand that you would like to learn about the Islamic faith and culture. The usual way we do this is to discuss Islamic beliefs, then Islamic practice/rituals, and then Islamic lifestyle. I send you some information, and then you respond with any questions or clarifications you need.
Let me know if this sounds good to you. I look forward to hearing from you soon. May peace be with you, Ahmed
Email #02 – From: Dustin Sent: Sunday, September 13, 2009 6:11am To: Ahmed Rashed
Hey! Thanks for getting in touch with me. I have actually signed up for alot of Islamic sites and never heard anything, from anyone. So, really, thank you so much. Yes, I would love to start the One-to-One Email Correspondence, as soon as possible. Just show me where to start and what to do. thanks again ... Dustin ...
Email #03 -From: Ahmed Rashed Sent: Sunday, September 13, 2009 2:54pm To: Dustin
Hey Dustin,
As I mentioned before, we give a brief overview of the beliefs and practice of Islam. Then we go into more details based on the questions you ask from the first email. We keep going deeper and more detailed with each email exchange until you feel satisfied that you've learned enough about Islam.
Here is Islam in a nutshell:
Beliefs. We are known as one of the three great Abrahamic faiths. Like Judaism and Christianity, our religion was founded by a descendant of Abraham. We believe in Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them), the original Torah and Gospel as revealed to the Prophets. We believe in the Ten Commandments.
We believe in God, His angels, His scriptures and prophets, the Day of Judgement and heaven and hell, and in God's Wise Decree and Measure, and Man's free will. These are the basic articles of Islamic Faith. Anybody who denies any one of these is no longer considered a Muslim.
Some people think we have a different God because we use the Arabic language name for God, "Allah." Whether we are Christians, Jews or Muslims, we all pray to the same God. We believe God sent a messenger to every nation with the same message: Believe in one God and be fair to each other.
We are taught that Islam is just the final brick in the house that God has built through his other prophets.
One becomes a Muslim by declaring there is only one God (thus, no one should play God) and Mohammed is his messenger.
Duties. A Muslim is required to pray 5 times a day, pay charity every year to help the needy, fast during the month of Ramadan, and make the pilgrimage to Mecca if we are able.
This is a very brief overview. After you read this, reply with any questions you have and we can move forward from there.
May peace be with you, Ahmed
Email #04 – From: Dustin Sent: Sunday, September 13, 2009 11:46pm To: Ahmed Rashed
Okay, I don't know really what to start on first. But, I would, like to learn about the Quran, and if it can be proven to truly be from God. The reason I'm starting there, is because of all the research on the "bible", I have done over the years. It's left me disapointed. I don't believe the bible to be the word of God anymore. But, it's what ever you would like to teach me first. thanks. ... Dustin ...
Email #05 – From: Ahmed Rashed Sent: Monday, September 14, 2009 6:17am To: Dustin
No problem, Dustin. Actually, the Quran is a very good place to start because it is the main source of guidance and wisdom and law in Islam. It is the bedrock of Islam. Please forgive the length of this email; my wish is to give you a thorough and deep look at the Final Testament from God to humanity, the Quran.
Regarding what is the Quran: The Quran is the primary source of every Muslim's faith and practice. Its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures. At the same time, it provides guidelines and detailed teachings for a just society, proper human conduct, and an equitable economic system.
Regarding the compilation and preservation of the Quran: The Quran is the literal word of God, which He revealed to His Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. It was memorized by Muhammad who then dictated it to his Companions. They, in turn, memorized it, wrote it down, and reviewed it with the Prophet Muhammad during his lifetime. Moreover, the Prophet Muhammad reviewed the Quran with the Angel Gabriel once each year. In the last year of his life, the Prophet reviewed the Quran with the Angel Gabriel twice.
From the time the Quran was revealed, until this day, there has always been a huge number of Muslims who have memorized all of the Quran, letter by letter. By the time the Prophet died, there were over 100 Companions who had the entire Quran memorized; some of them as young as 14. Not one letter of the Quran has been changed over the centuries. It is the ONLY scripture in the world that can truthfully claim to be the same today as it was originally. It is the ONLY scripture in the world that is regularly memorized by its followers (even by non-Arabic speakers).
Regarding the PROOF for the Quran's preservation: There is a very good article at this link: http://www.ilaam.net/Articles/AuthenticQuran.html
Below is an excerpt which shows how even non-Muslims scholars (some of whom are virulently anti-Islam) admit that the Quran we have today is the Quran that Muhammad taught his Companions. Note: the word Ahadith means Oral Traditions in Arabic and the word mushaf means Codex in Arabic.
... many orientalists themselves have admitted like Gibb that "It seems reasonably well established that no material changes were introduced and that the original form of Mohammed's discourses were preserved with scrupulous precision" [36]. John Burton, at the end of his substantial work on the Qur'an's compilation, says with reference to criticisms made of different readings narrated in Ahadith that "No major differences of doctrines can be constructed on the basis of the parallel readings based on the Uthmanic consonantal outline, yet ascribed to mushafs other than his. All the rival readings unquestionably represent one and the same text. They are substantially agreed in what they transmit ..." [37]. He further states that the Qur'an as we have it today is "the text which has come down to us in the form in which it was organized and approved by the Prophet. ... What we have today in our hands is the mushaf of Muhammad." [38]. Kenneth Cragg describes the transmission of the Qur'an from the time of revelation to today as occurring in "an unbroken living sequence of devotion" [39]. Schwally concurs that "As far as the various pieces of revelation are concerned, we may be confident that their text has been generally transmitted exactly as it was found in the Prophet's legacy" [40].
[36] H.A.R. Gibb, Mohammedanism, London: Oxford University Press, 1969, p.50
[37] John Burton, The Collection of the Qur'an, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977, p. 171
[38] John Burton, The Collection of the Qur'an, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1977, p.239-40
[39] Kenneth Cragg, The Mind of the Qur'an, London: George Allen & Unwin, 1973, p.26
[40] Schwally, Geschichte des Qorans, Leipzig: Dieterich'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1909-38, Vol.2, p.120
Regarding why a person would prefer the Quran over the Bible: There are several reasons; I'll mention only three.
FIRST: As mentioned above, the Quran has not changed since the time of Muhammad, not even the language and pronunciation. Even non-Muslims admit this point, and those same non-Muslims admit that the Bible has certainly changed (both language, substance, and meaning) since the time of Jesus. Therefore, from a purely historical point of view, the Quran is more reliable than the Bible.
SECOND: The Quran teaches that the previous scriptures, especially the Torah of Moses and the Evangel of Jesus, foretold the coming of Muhammad. Even though the Bible we have now is not 100% what was revealed to these two Prophets, there are still remnants of these predictions of Muhammad. Check the following link (chapter 1 section 3): http://www.islam-guide.com/frm-ch13.htm
THIRD: The Quran itself is a miracle whose only explanation is Divine Authorship. Every prophet came with a miracle to prove his credentials. Muhammad's primary miracle was the Quran. Why? Because unlike the raising of the dead or the parting of the sea, this miracle lives on long after the prophet is gone.
The Quran challenges its reader: how could an illiterate man living in an ignorant society come up with a discourse of such wisdom and eloquence? How could an illiterate man living in an isolated society come up up with a discourse that refers to past nations, future events, and the natural world around us without making a single error whatsoever??? The following link is a review of the miraculous nature of the Quran by Dr. Gary Miller, an atheist turned Christian turned Minister turned Muslim: http://www.islam101.com/science/CaryMi11er.html
Conclusion: So I've tried my best to give you a description of the Quran and its credentials. The links provided are to deepen your knowledge, and I strongly recommend you read them. Each link is a gem worth uncovering.
Anything good that came from this email is from God Almighty, and anything bad is only from my own shortcomings. Please feel free to ask any more questions, Dustin. I look forward to continuing our discussion. May God accept our efforts.
May peace be with you, Ahmed
Email #06 – From: Dustin Sent: Thursday, September 17, 2009 11:21am To: Ahmed Rashed, CC: Dustin
Assalam-o-Alaikum
Now that was a good study! I am convinced that I won't be disapointed this time. Thank you for all that information. I am though, truly convinced that the Quran is the word of Allah. My wife and I like to see for ourselves if things will stand our little investigation ... lo And the Quran did exactly that.
I do have a few questions though. 1. I have a friend on Myspace who lives in CAL. USA. He was good enough to send me some of books on Islam. I was wondering, since I am new to Islam, what could I do in return for him. I did offer to repay his money for sending me the books. But I would like to send him a gift. Could you recommend somthing?
2. I know to read the Quran through as much as possible. But, as for studying, there is a book called what "Islam is all about", that he sent me. Should I start studying with that book first?
3. Does Allah draw you to him? What I mean by that. For a long time now, People, Not really knowing, had given me movies with Islamic things in them. Books that would mention somthing about Islam. A plate that I later discovered had Islamic writings on it. I bought the movie "ALI" and discovered that one of my favorite boxers was Muslim. And at last, by typing in the wrong addy, I found a talk by "Yusuf" on you tube and have been hooked ever since. I had never heard of Islam before all of this. Does Allah draw people like that?
thanks . ... Dustin. ...
Email #07 – From: Ahmed Rashed Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 6:57am To: Dustin
Wa alaikumu salaam, I am glad to read such a positive response from you. I pray that Allah completes your faith and that of you wife; ameen.
To address your questions:
1. The best gift is a prayer for the one you care about. Personally, if it were me, I would pass on the information your learned about Islam to those around you. Knowing that the information I gave to you was being passed on to others would be the greatest gift I could ever receive.
2. That book is an excellent introduction and reference book on Islam. It has many excerpts from the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet. Also, it gives you references to the Quran for each topic it covers. That way, you can read the book, and have an English Quran next to you to see the source of whatever point is being discussed.
3. Yes, definitely. There is an African American brother here who is now the Imam of a masjid. He said he started getting interested in Islam when he saw the Quran in a dream. Another saw Jesus in a dream telling him to be Muslim. Here is a link to a few conversion stories:
http ://islamicweb.com/begin/newMuslims/ http://www.newmus1ims.tk/ http ://whyislam.or g/911ThedayIbecameaMus1im /tabid/324/Defaul t.aspx
4. This is addressing your second email regarding Mecca. First of all, I don't know where you came to this conclusion. Islam has always been color-blind and egalitarian. As for Malcolm X, check out what Malcolm X while he was making the pilgrimage to Mecca.
In his own words, as told to Alex Haley, Malcolm wrote:
"Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and such overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this Ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham and all the other Prophets of Holy scriptures. For the past week I have been truly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors. I have been blessed to visit the Holy City of Mecca ... There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue eyed blonds to black skinned Africans. But we were all practicing in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and the non-white.
America needs to understand Islam, because this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem. Throughout my travels in the Muslim world, I have met, talked to, even eaten with people who in America would have been considered white, but the white attitude had been removed from their minds by the religion of Islam. I have never before seen such sincere and true brotherhood, practiced by all colors together, irrespective of their color.
You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen and experienced has forced me to rearrange much of the thought patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds. I have always kept an open mind, a flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of the intelligent search for truth.
I could see from this, that perhaps if white Americans could accept the Oneness of God, then perhaps, too, they could accept in reality the oneness of man and cease to measure, and hinder, and harm others in terms of their differences in color."
May peace be with you, Ahmed
Email #08 – From: Dustin Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 1:51pm To: Ahmed Rashed
Assalam-o-Alaikum
Thank you for your reply and helping with the questions I had.
ESP. the one about Malcolm.
I have always loved the teachings of Malcolm X.
It was just a video I saw, trying to twist Malcolms' words up.
I was wondering though, "if you could", give me a chapter outline of the Quran.
So I would know where to go and what to read in certain situations (for example) Like the first chapter is about how we should praise him, that kind of thing.
I have looked online, but I didn't find anything.
QUESTIONS:
1. Did the prophet Jesus (Pbuh) die on the cross like the churches teach?
2. What exactly do I say and do while I am praying to Allah? I mean, are there ways that I should place my hands, are there words that need to be said.
3. Is there another book that I should have as a companion along with the Quran?
Well, theres my questions for today.lol
No really, thank you for taking time out to do these studies with me.
You have been alot of help.
I look forward to your answers. thanks
. ... Dustin. ...
Email #09 – From: Ahmed Rashed Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 2:51pm To: Dustin
Assalaamu alaikum,
You are quite welcome, Dustin; I am at your service.
A chapter outline of the Quran is not really feasible. That is because each chapter touches on many subjects, and many subjects are given a slightly different presentation in each chapter that they appear. This is because the Quran is a conversation between the Lord and His creation; so this conversation spans many topics in each chapter and in each chapter, the Lord reminds and reiterates certain themes or stories which are useful to His creatures. It is meant to be read from front to back many times during a person's life. It is also meant that a man can open the book anywhere in the middle and start a spiritual conversation with his Creator.
However, there is a decent topic index here: http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/TOPICI.HTM
You can also find a decent hyperlinked translation of the Quran here: http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/Surai.htm
(Continues...)
Excerpted from What Would a Muslim Say? by Ahmed Lotfy Hashed. Copyright © 2016 Ahmed Lotfy Rashed. Excerpted by permission of Rashed Lights Press.
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