Topics

16

General Discussions / homosexuality and 5:33 ?

« on: June 14, 2016, 07:34:23 AM »

assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters,

Most of us know the flash news about the shooting in a gay club in the USA. Today when i saw this ayat 5:33 somehow i got confused. you know some groups claim that the punishment for those who engage in homosexual activity is death. other groups say that their punishment is the same for adultery (or fornication).

but isn't it possible that the first group and some individuals do these killings/bombings and then defend themselves by reminding 5:33 ?

can we consider "homosexuality" as a kind of "corruption" ?

"Indeed, the penalty for those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger and strive upon earth [to cause] corruption is none but that they be killed or crucified or that their hands and feet be cut off from opposite sides or that they be exiled from the land. That is for them a disgrace in this world; and for them in the Hereafter is a great punishment." (5:33)

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General Discussions / correct understanding of 22:15

« on: June 06, 2016, 10:58:20 PM »

salam friends,

maybe i'm opening too much topics lately but i've gotta learn about these questions right away or i'll forget about them. There are lots of different explanations and translations about 22:15.

"Anyone who fancies that Allah will not support him in this world and in the Hereafter, let him reach out to heaven through a rope, and then make a hole in the sky and see whether his device can avert that which enrages him." (22:15)

I quote some of the translations from islamicstudies.info:


" 22. There is a great divergence of opinion about the exact meaning of this verse. Some of the interpretations are:

(1) One who presumes that Allah will not help him (Muhammad: peace be upon him), he should hang himself by a rope from the ceiling.

(2) One who presumes that Allah will not help him (Muhammad: peace be upon him), he should ascend to the sky by a rope and try to stop Allah’s help.

(3) One who presumes that Allah will not help him (Muhammad: peace be upon him), he should ascend to the sky and stop the process of revelations.

(4) One who presumes that Allah will not help him (Muhammad: peace be upon him), he should ascend to the sky and stop his provisions.

(5) The one who presumes that Allah will not help him (the presumer himself), he should hang himself by a rope from the ceiling of his house.

(6) The one who presumes that Allah will not help him (the presumer himself), he should try to ascend to the sky to seek help.

The first four interpretations are obviously irrelevant to the context, and the last two, though they might fit in with the context, do not explain the real meaning of the verse. If we consider this in the context, it becomes obvious that the one who presumes is the one who serves Allah standing on the border line. This is to rebuke him, as if to say: You may do whatever you can to change the decrees of Allah, but you will see that no device of yours can succeed, whether these decrees are favorable to your designs or unfavorable to them. Obviously, “so let him stretch a rope up to the sky, then cut it off” has not been used in the literal but in the figurative sense.

Also there is a different opinion on this ayat and a good explanation MashaAllah:

http://quranqanda.com/4004/can-you-please-explain-the-15th-ayah-of-surat-hajj

But I want to know what your opinions are! (maybe brother Joseph's too).

18

General Discussions / why do angels always appear as males in the Quran ?

« on: June 06, 2016, 07:19:32 AM »

assalamu alaikum guys.

I know angels are no like humans, who have gender. In 43:19, people claimed angels were females and ALLAH says they will be questioned.

When we read about Prophet Lut (also Prophet Ibrahim) and also about our mother Maryam in 19:17 (peace be upon them all), the angels who appeared to them were always in male form.

Do you have any opinions on this ?


Salam.

19

General Discussions / malik or maalik in "Fatiha", different recitations ?

« on: June 03, 2016, 08:57:11 AM »

Assalamu alaikum everyone,

I've come across different recitations for "Maaliki yaumid Deen" in Fatiha. Is it "malik (melik) " or "maalik" ? Because I guess they have a difference in meaning. Like a difference between "a king" and "a owner". Nouman Ali Khan has a video about these two meanings. However, which one is there in the fourth ayat of Fatiha ? Recitations of this ayat are not the same ! Brother Joseph or any brother who knows the answer, can you please inform me about this ?

Salam.

20

General Discussions / Islam on watching movies, going to the cinema ...

« on: May 28, 2016, 10:55:19 PM »

Assalamu alaikum my good friends,

Lately i've been reading about this topic online and most of the time i've come across such websites that define these actions as haraam, forbidden. They talk about cinemas, movie theaters for example and say that those places are dark and full with namahram men and women (a free-mixing community). Also they talk about movies and inappropriately dressed people in them. Most of these websites say that "looking" at "namahram" women or men is haraam. Is this the way it's supposed to be in Islam ?

What is a legal entertainment for a Muslim ? Can a Muslim watch a decent movie in the theater ? What do you guys think about this ?

21

General Discussions / did every nation/country/city have a warner ?

« on: May 01, 2016, 11:25:46 PM »

I thought so until I realized 25:51 which is:

"And if We had pleased We would certainly have raised a warner in every town."

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General Discussions / question about 24:58 (lam yablughoo alhuluma) ?

« on: April 30, 2016, 01:54:07 AM »

Assalamu alaikum folks,

This question is basically about "lam" and "lamma" prepositions. We have "lam" in 65:4 (lam yahidna), not "lamma". It makes sense when you think of it with 65:4 and the women who don't menstruate.

But in 24:58, I expected "lamma" for the children who haven't "yet" hit the puberty. But the preposition in that ayat is also "lam" not "lamma".

Why is it "lam" and not "lamma" there in 24:58 ?

Can someone please inform me about this grammatical situation we have here ?

23

General Discussions / copyright questions ???

« on: April 22, 2016, 07:07:14 AM »

Assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters,

What do you think about the copyrighted materials on the internet ? Is it "always" stealing ? or are there any exceptions ?

For example:

-downloading content from torrent sites ?

-reading or downloading scanned papers or books to study (if we have no idea that the author gave his/her consent) ?

-watching movies or tv series on some websites online ?

-downloading or listening to music online ?

etc...


 

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General Discussions / seven skies in 71:15... how could old people know ?

« on: April 08, 2016, 08:33:40 PM »

assalamu alaikum folks,

According to 71:15, how could the people of old times, the people of Prophet Nuh (pbuh), think about seven skies ? How did they know about the layers of the atmosphere or seven layers of the universe ? Didn't they just see "a sky" over them ? How did they understand this ayah ?

25

General Discussions / i need help understanding 4:75 and ISIS connection !

« on: March 30, 2016, 12:42:42 AM »

Assalamu alaikum folks,

When we talk about war (qital) between us and disbelievers etc, we are always reminded of "the borders" of fighting against these group of people, and that is in Surah Mumtahanah ayats 60:8 and 60:9. However, 4:75 is usually "not mentioned" in these kind of statements. Why is that ?

Last night i watched a video, showing dead bodies of innocent childen, men and women in Muslim countries, bombs blowing up the streets houses and civil folk. When i remembered 4:75 after watching it, i felt like a "hyprocrite", doing nothing but worrying about "my" future, "my" school, "my" family... We just do nothing! Then for a moment i thought about ISIS and such groups. What if those terrorist organizations recruit new volunteers to their groups in this way ? Honestly, what is there to say against their word, if they talk about 4:75 ? How can "we" claim that "we" are doing the right thing, when 4:75 is considered ?  What should we say to those young people who wants to join them to defend the weak and the needy, mentioned in 4:75 ?

I'm personally deeply worried about myself when i think of this ayat, sitting here and doing nothing! Allah talks about hypocrites and those who run away from fighting (qital) in the way of Allah in the fourth surah and their punishment ! May Allah protect us from being in the same category with those sinners.

Can you guys make a comment on this ? I need your opinion urgently.

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General Discussions / "athab" and "iqab" difference

« on: March 28, 2016, 04:35:39 AM »

Assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters

In 6:165 ALLAH tells us that He is "saree-al-iqab". What is the normal translation of the word "iqab". I've read many translations where it's translated as"punishment". I guess they are mistaken because, there are lots of ayats about ALLAH being, Al-Halim, He delays the punishment, He doesn't punish right away... So does this "iqab" mean the same as "athab (or adhab)" ?

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General Discussions / are "foremost people" few in later times ?

« on: March 17, 2016, 08:23:51 AM »

From 56:7 to 56:14, ALLAH talks about three groups of people and the first group as the "foremost" group. Within the first group there are a few people from the later times. Why is that ? Does this mean that the people from old times were more successful than us in terms of faith or knowledge ?

28

Islamic Duties / a question about the "middle prayer"

« on: March 12, 2016, 08:35:03 PM »

Assalamu alaikum folks,

I've read Brother Joseph's article on daily prayers and "wusta prayer". Long time ago in an Islamic website there was a study in which the middle prayer was defined as "maghrib prayer". Because when you take the sunrise as the beginning of the day, the first daily prayer is "noon" prayer, not fajr. We pray fajr when the sky becomes bright enough "before" the sunrise. So we can say fajr prayer actually belongs to the ending/final edge of the "night time". When you take the "noon" prayer as the first (Surah Jumu'ah supports this with 62:9, the first prayer of the day !), "maghrib" becomes the middle prayer automatically. This makes sense to me because the period of time for "maghrib" is rather short and should be taken seriously and handled "carefully".

What do you think about this idea ?

29

General Discussions / how should we understand 47:36 with 9:111 ?

« on: March 09, 2016, 12:58:37 AM »

Assalamu alaikum brothers and sisters...

How do you think we should approach these two ayats together in the light of their context ?

47:36:

[This] worldly life is only amusement and diversion. And if you believe and fear Allah , He will give you your rewards and not ask you for your properties.

9:111:

Indeed, Allah has purchased from the believers their lives and their properties [in exchange] for that they will have Paradise. They fight in the cause of Allah , so they kill and are killed. [It is] a true promise [binding] upon Him in the Torah and the Gospel and the Qur'an. And who is truer to his covenant than Allah ? So rejoice in your transaction which you have contracted. And it is that which is the great attainment.

30

General Discussions / Breaking the promise ?

« on: March 05, 2016, 11:24:28 AM »

Assalamu alaikum folks,

What is the punishment of Allah for those who gave a promise to Allah and then couldn't keep it. (I'm not talking about oath but "ahd"). I gave promise to Allah for trying my best to keep away from a sin that i committed a while ago. But sometimes i am really struggling to keep myself in control. When i remember that sin from time to time, my "nafs" just craves it again. When that happens i really become so depressed and tired and then i start thinking the "punishment" for breaking my promise.

Just now i was reading 9:75-77 and these ayats punched me in the face so to speak. For these people who broke their "ahd" to Allah, ayat 77 is:

"So He hath put as a consequence hypocrisy into their hearts, (to last) till the Day, whereon they shall meet Him: because they broke their covenant with Allah, and because they lied (again and again)."

Those part of the surah Tawba seems to be about the "Mushrikin" but still i'm scared of the consequences. So what is the punishment for "breaking a promise or not being able to fulfil a promise to Allah" in the Quran. Maybe I'm misinterpreting the ayats for this condition of mine.

What do you guys think about this ?