Questions on Sects and
Schools of Thoughts
Question 25:
If only those who follow Muhammad will be admitted into paradise, what about
the generations who lived before his advent?
Answer
25: Those who lived before the prophet’s mission fall into two groups:
A.
Those who worshipped God, the One, and kept his laws as revealed through a
succession prophets. They will be
rewarded or punishe according to their own deeds. Ultimately, they will enter paradise.
B. Those to whom a divine
scripture was not revealed. They will be
tested by God on the day of reckoning.
Those who, then, manifest obedience to God will enter paradise, and
those who manifest disobedience will enter hell.
Question 26:
What are the differences and similarities netween Sinnism and Shi’ism? Are there other sects that are considered
belonging to the fold of Islam?
Answer
26: Both Sunnis and Shi’as believe in God, His angels, His
scriptures, His prophets, the day of judgement, fate, and the pillars of Islam,
generally speaking.
Sunnis
and Shi’as differ in some respects which include:
1.
The Shi’as believe in the inerrancy and infalliablity of the imams
coming from the prophet’s family.
2.
Their belief that imams are divinely inspired, but to a lesser degree
than prophets.
3.
Their practice of tactical dissimulation in their dealings with their
adversaries, whereby they believe that they are allowed to hide their beliefs.
4.
The practice of mut’a, or temporary marriages. From a sunni perspective such marriages
constitute adultry. There are many hadiths
condemn this practice.
Undoubtedly,
many other sects claim to belong to the fold of Islam. The mainstream Islamic population considers
such sects in relation to their closeness to, or distance from, the teachings
of mainstream Islam.
Judaism
and Christianity are not accepted as viable religions after the advent of
Islam. Islam has superseded them God says: “And whoever seeks a religion other
than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the hereafter he will be
one of the losers” (Holy Qur’an: 3: 85).
Question 27:
Since Muslims have been allowed to build a mosque in Rome, why should not
Christians be permitted to build churches in Arabia? Also, why are non-Muslims banned from
entering Mecca and/or Medina, while Muslims have access to the Vatican?
Answer
27: Rome is just like any other place in the world. There is no particular sacredness attached to
it. Building a mosque in Rome,
therefore, should not be considered unusual.
The prophet of Islam specifically proscribed the existence of two faiths
in the Arabian penninsula. Hence, there
are no churches in the penninsula. The
Arabian penninsula is the bedrock of Islam, its nursery and the home of its
sacred sites.
We
can compare the Vatican and Mecca only to a certain extent. In the Qur’an, God explicitly conferred
sacredness to Mecca. The Vaticsn enjoys
no such status even from a biblical point of view. In fact only the Cathoic denomination in
Christendom attaches a special importance to the Vatican. Moreover, every country in the world has visa
and entry regulations. Only those
fulfilling such conditions are admitted.
The only condition for entry to Mecca is to verify the Oneness of God
and the belief in the prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh).
Question 28:
If Islam is viable for all times and places, why is that Muslims are the
world’s most backward people today?
Answer
28: It is a fact that Islam is valid for all times and places. Islamic civilization flourished for many
centuries, especially at a time when the rest of the world was steeped in
ignorance and backwardness. The west
learnt a great deal and benefitted from the Islamic culture. The west built upon this past at the time Muslims
became materialistic and lost their spiritual and civilizational focus. The backwardness of contemporary Muslims is
the fault of Muslims not of Islam. Their
backwardness is due to their deviation from Islamic teachings. However, Muslims still have the potential and
the ability to achieve civilizational greatness. They have the elements of strength and
progress. God gave us teachings to
follow, and granted us geographical, natural and human resources. If we build upon these assets, we can enter
into new renaissance, provided that we adhere to the teachings of Islam. Indeed the future belongs to the
God-conscious. Islam’s future is
bright. And It is a known fact that the
achievement of a given system can only be sustained if the right people continue
to work for it.
Question 29:
Muslims claim to love Jesus, honour him, and believe in his message. Why then do they prefer Muhammad to him? Jesus is after all not only a messenger, but
also the son of God.
Answer
29: There are two parts to this question:
A.
We, as Muslims, truly believe that Jesus, son of Mary, is one of the prophets
belonging to the eleveated category of ulu al’azm prophets (possessors
of steadfastness). Muslims love him,
honour him and do believe in his message.
However, Muslims consider him to be a servant to God and not a son of
Him.
B. It is up to God to
establish hierarchy among his messengers
based on His divine wisdom. He made
prophet Muhammad (pbuh) special in certain repects. He is the seal of the prophets. His message completes and abrogates all that
came before him. He was also known as
God’s intimate. Also, he was sent to all
of the creation.
Question 30:
Some Christian missionaries claim that Islam is not a rvealed religion. It
is a distorted derivative version of Judaism and Christianity. Please comment.
Answer
30: What these missionaries are claiming is simply a misleading
conjecture. While the prophet was
preaching the new faith, the Jews and the Christians were, at the same time,
practising their own religions. The new
faith clearly contradicted Judaism and Christianity in very fundamental
issues. Islam contradicted such beliefs
held by Christians and Jews such as: ascribing human qualities to God (Jews
witness that Uzair is the son of God).
Their claim that Jesus was an illigitimate child and that they killed
him. They also ascribed major sins to
the prophets. They also claimed
themselves to be the chosen people of God, His children and His beloved. The Christians claimed that Jesus is the son
of God; that God is one person in a trinity and their belief in Jesus’s crucifixion
and death. They also believe in the
original sin an the Jesus’s atonement from the sins of mankind. The prophet’ teachings strongly refuted such
beliefs. And in their stead he taught
radical monotheism, God’s transcendence, and that He neither had a spouse, nor
an offspring.
Islam
also taught that all prophets were free from committing major sins. Also, the blessed Virgin Mary was not an
adultress, and her son, Jesus, was God’s servant and messenger. He was neither crucified nor killed. The doctrine of trinity is false. The atonement for sins is also false. Jews are not a chosen people, rather all
humans are God’s creation and equal in His sight except for those who manifest
faith and God-consciousness.
Islam
also brought many new rules which contradict with those of Judaism and
Christianity. How then can one hold that
Islam is a distorted copy of Judaism and/or Christinaity?
Question 31:
Christians are civilized and rational.
They therefore look critically at their scriptures. Muslims, on the other hand, avoid such
practice. Do not you think that this
shows regressive thinking and lack of rational thought?
Answer
31: This question calls for a multifaced answer:
1.
The claim that Christians are civilized and rationa is counter-factual. How can a progressive man believe in
superstitions, obscurist dogmas? How can
we account for the moral decay through which their societies are passing?
2. It is not a civilized
theory, nor it is progressive to criticize God.
3. The Christian’s criticism
of their scriptures is due to the fact that these books have been distorted and
changed. They have been added to and
removed from. As a result some of these
teachings clearly contradict reason, the facts and the common sense. The critical approach towards these
scriptures is therefore only normal.
Nonetheless, such criticismdid not clarify the issues as much as it
obscured them and made many people lose faith in God.
4. The Qur’an and the
prophet’s tradition are both divinely revealed.
They are authentic. They do not
abuse human reason, or contradict the facts of science. No critical approach in this case is,
therefore, useful or warranted. No
matter how educated a man is, he/she is still a created being. Human criticism of God is therefore an irrational
proportion.
Man
has to receive all that is authentically revealed by God with humility and
submissiveness. Man needs to practice
the revelation and live his life accordingly.
Following such an attitude is not putting contraints on the mind, rather,
it frees the mind to explore reality within what is humanly possible.
Question 32:
Where do Jews and Christians stand today?
Do you, Muslims, consider them believers or non-believers?
Answer
32: This question calls for a two-faced answer:
1.
Their religious doctrines include a degradation of God’s ststus, as well as
what amounts to insulting Him. These
doctrines imply attributing partners to God, and ascribing to Him human
biological qualities such as having an offspring, procreating, getting tired,
oblivion, weeping and regretting. God’s
prophets are also degraded by imputing to them major moral defects. All the above in addition to other
contradictory and fabricated issues exist in their books. To Muslims, whoever holds such beliefs is a
disbeliever without doubt.
2. Sincet the commandment of
Muhammad’s prophetic mission, it has become incumbent upon all human beings to
believe in his message. Anyone who has
heard the call of Muhammad to embrace Islam and refute it is a disbeliever and
will dwell in hell.
Question 33:
Is Islam ready to accord to Christians in Mulsim countries the kind of
freedom that Muslims enjoy in Christians countries? Can Christians enter mosques? Can they freely express their religious
views? And can they freely proselytize?
Answer
33: Islam has historically granted to Christians living in Musim
countries far more rights in than the rights Muslims have enjoyed in Christian
countries. These rights and freedoms
include:
1.
The Christians’ right to retain their faith and pay some tax (jizya) in
return for their protection.
2. They are granted security
in terms of their lives, their properties and their religious institutions.
3.
Islam forbade alcohol for Muslims, but allowed it for non-Muslims. This ruling also applies for the consumption
of pork.
4.
A dimension of this tolerance is Islam’s prescription of moderation and sound
reason in their dialogue with Christians and Jews. God says: “And argue not with the people of
the scripture (Jews and Christians) unless it be in (a way) that is better
(with good words and in good manner)” (Holy Qur’an: 29: 46).
5.
We call Jews and Christians living in Muslim dominions as ahl al-dhimmah
(the protected people). The full
designation is dhimatu al-Lah was ‘ahdihi wa ri’ayatihi (people under the protection,
covenant and care of God). Muslims are
forbidden from harming them. Instead
they are urged to maintain good relationship with them. The prophet Muhammad (pbuh) taught: “Whoever verbally
insults a dhimmi (a jew or a Christian living in a Mulsim country) will
be flogged in the hereafter with whips from hellfire.”
Can
you say, then, that Muslims in Chritians countries enjoy the same privillages
as accorded to Christians in Muslim countries?
Even today, Muslim girls living in the west are being deprived of their
right to wear their Muslim clothes at school.
As
regarding admission of Christians and Jews in mosques, see answer to question
120.
Finally,
Muslims, convinced as they are of the false nature of Jewish and Christian
teachings, how can they be expected to allow the spread of such techings in
Muslim communities?
Question 34:
It was said that God created all human beings equal, in rights and
responsibilities. Why there is then
disparity in the religious rights of Muslims, on the one hand, and Jews and
Chriastians on the other?
Answer
34: It is said:
1. Absolute equality between
human beings is logically and practically groundless. Human beings are not equal. Islam simply advocates justice. God says: “Verily God enjoins justice and the
doing of good…” (Holy Qur’an: 16: 90).
2. Undoubtedly a Mulsim cannot
be equal to a non-Muslim, because God is pleased with those who have embraced
the truth of Islam, not withstanding the prohibition of forced conversion to Islam. Muslims enjoy equal status in the sight of
God: “The believers are nothing but brothers (in Islamic religion)…” (Holy
Qur’an: 49: 10). Anyone who rejects this
teaching cannot be deemed equal to those who embrace it.
God decrees the following: “Is
he who walks prone (without seeing) on his face, more rightly guided, or he who
(sees and) walks uprighly on the straight way (Islamic monotheism)?” (Holy
Qur’an: 67: 22). Based on these divine
revelations, it becomes inonceivable to equal Muslims and non-Muslims: “Shall
We then treat the Muslims like the mujrimun (criminals,
disbelievers)? What is the matter with
you? How judge you? (Holy Qur’an: 68:
35-36).
Question 35 (A): If one of the spouses
embraces Islam while the other remains Christian, is their marriage still
islamically valid?
Answer 35 (A): If
God guides the husband to Islam, then it is his duty to invite his family to
Islam. If it is the wife who embraces
Islam, while the husband remains Christian, she should invite her husband to Islam with
wisdom and beautiful exhortations.
Should he still refuse to become Muslim, then she is obligated to sever
their marital relationship. A husband is
practically the leader in any family, and it is unacceptable for a believer to
be subjected to the leadership of a non-Muslim.
Question
35 (B): When
the man is Muslim and the woman is a Christian, can the wife take the children
to church?
Answer 35 (B): As stated above, the newly
converted Muslim husband should invite his Christian spouse to the path of
Islam. Should he fail to persuade her,
he must not allow their children to practice any religion beside Islam.
Question 36: Why is it prohibited for
non-Muslims to be buried in Muslim symmetries?
Answer 36: In Islamic understanding death
is simply a transition from one life to another. Out of respect and honour, Muslims upon their
departure from this life should be assigned a special place of burial. Being dead, man can no longer take care of
himself. It is therefore incumbent upon
the living to look after his comfort and needs.
It is expected of Muslims to visit the departed in the symmetries and
make supplications on their behalf and ask God for their forgiveness. When Muslims are buried with non-Muslims, the
sanctity of the dead is compromised.
Islam proscribes the making of supplications on behalf of those who have
ascribed partners to God.
Question
37: God
says “Let there be no compulsion in religion”.
How can we reconcile this teaching and the principle of killing Islam’s
apostates?
Answer 37: No one should be compelled to
become Muslim, as the statement above instructs. If one after knowing about the true religion
of Islam, chooses any other path, one is accountable to God with regards to
one’s choice in life. However, once any
one freely makes a choice to become a Muslim, this choice becomes a perpetual
commitment to Islam and the community of Muslims. Betrayal of that commitment is treasonable
and calls for the death penalty. Islam
is not only a religion in the conventional sense, it is also a community. One who seeks membership in a new community,
such as a nation, is obligated to protect the interests of that community or nation. Failure to do so, is an act of treason.
Whoever freely enters Islam
becomes obligated to abide by the legal statutes of Islam, one of which regards
apostasy. This stern measure is designed
to discourage opportunistic adventurism that places security of the Muslim
community in peril. This measure, thus,
protects the interests of Islam and the security
of the Muslim community.
Question
38: Does
God reward one who believes in Him without necessarily following any particular
religion? If there is indeed such a
reward what then would be the importance of following a particular prophet? If this is not the case, does it mean that it
is mandatory to follow one religion such as a monotheistic creed?
Answer 38: It is not possible for one to
believe in God and worship Him as He would like to be worshipped without
following a prophet. Consequently, there
is no recompense for any one who does not follow the religion, which God has
chosen for His people, and revealed to them, through a prophet. Faith in God is acceptable only if its object
is God and God alone, and if it is based on authentic teachings of a
prophet. All prophets preached Islam
which is monotheism, observing of God’s laws, and assenting to the revelation
which God sent through them.
Question
39: Some
person says “He is Christian, but he believes in total submission to God”. Will this save him from God’s wrath?
Answer: 39: True and total submission to
God implies obeying all the commandments of almighty God and observing all His
prohibitions, and believing the prophet and the teachings that he brought. God sent His prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
to all mankind and
has shut all accesses to Him, leaving only one open: Islam as taught by the
prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The submission of the person mentioned above
is neither genuine nor complete. If it
were genuine, he would have been one of the followers of prophet Muhammad (pbuh). And that would have sufficed for his
salvation.
Question
40: We
Christians have many denominations, and so do you Muslims. You have Shi’as, Druzes, Isma’iliyyas. Why all these sects, and what are the
differences between them?
Answer 40: Sectarian divisions occurred in
Islam as they occurred in previous religious communities. The prophet (pbuh) had predicted this
phenomenon by stating that his community will split up, but only one sect will
be on the right path, that is the people of the prophet’s way, the orthodox
community (ahl al-sunnah wal jama’a).
They will remain true to the path of the prophet and his
companions. As for the other sects,
which developed in the Islamic world, they have, generally speaking, deviated
from the truth. The reasons for this
1. Ignorance about the
religion, whims and ethnocentrism.
2. Conspiracy against its
people.
Our stance towards these sects
depends on how much they have deviated from the truth. Accordingly, we place some of these sects,
such the Druze and Isma’ilis, beyond the pale of Islam.
Question
41: Why do
you believe that you are the people of truth, while the rest are pagans and
have strayed away from the truth?
Answer 41: The case is not a matter of
mere claims of superiority, as much as it is an issue of sound common sense,
and conclusive proofs which confirm the absolute truth in Islam’s claims, which
call for pure monotheism.
Jews for example believe in
Yahweh, to whom they attribute qualities that are denigrate God’s majesty. They say for example that He has a son named
Uzair, [“And the Jews say: ’Uzair (Ezra) is the son of God’.”] (Holy Qur’an: 9:
30). How can we attribute a son to Him
when non of His creation resembles Him?
They also ascribed miserliness to Him, God says: “The Jews say ‘God’s
hand is tied up’ (i.e. He does not give and spend of His bounty” (Holy Qur’an:
5: 64). They also attributed to Him
qualities that are incmopatiable with His majesty, perfection, and power.
Then
came the Christians and claimed likewise, that Jesus Christ (pbuh) is the son
of God. They also attributed divinity to
Jesus and his mother. God says in the
Qur’an:
[And
(remember) when God will say (on the day of reurrection): “O Jesus, son of
Mary! Did you say unto men: ‘worship me
and my mother as two gods besides God?’ He will say: ‘Glory is to You! It is not for me to say what I had no right
(to say). Had I said such a thing, You
would surely, have known it. You know
what is in my inner-self though I do not know what is in Yours; truly You, only
You, are the All-Knower of all that is hidden (and seen). Never did I say to them aught except what You
(God) did command me to say: worship God my Lord and your Lord. And I was a witness over them while I dwelt
amongst them, but when you took me up, You were the Watcher over them; and You
are a Witness to all things’.”] (Holy Qur’an: 5: 116-117).
Then Islam came with pure
monotheism. God says:
“Say ‘He is God, (the) One.
God is self-sufficnet. He begets
not, nor was He begotten. And there is
none co-equal or comaprable unto Him’.” (Holy Qur’an: 112: 1-4).
He also says:
“There is nothing like Him; and
He is the All-Hearer, the All-seer” (Holy Qur’an: 42: 11).
The religious wars erupted in
Europe as a result of the unresolved doctrinal controversies surrounding the
person of Jesus. In Islam there are no
controversies as to who God is, His names, His essence, and His
attributes. The Qur’an’s call remains
ever relevent: “Surely, in disbelief are they who say that ‘God is the Messiah,
son of Maryam (Mary)’.” (Holy Qur’an: 5: 17).
Our refutation of Christian
teachings in this regard are not based on personal whim or malice. We are simply stating God’s judgement on the
matter. Whoever ascribes partners to God
has rejected faith. God says:
“And verily, this is my
straight path, so follow it, and follow not (other) paths, for they will
separate you away from His path. This he
has ordained for you that you may become the pious” (Holy Qur’an:6: 153).
Question 42: What is Islam’s position
with regards to nationalism?
Answer 42: It is natural to love one’s
country and people, as long as it does not lead to unjust dealings with other
nations and peoples. A Muslim is also
expected to show compassion and concern for people outside his country.
Nationalism, according to the contemporary proponents implies
a kind of identity based on nationhood without reference to religious
considerations. This understanding is
clearly false. Nationalism, tribalism
and regionalism had great influence on the lives of the people. When Islam came it refined these concepts and
set rules and regulations to them, these include: no blind allegiance to
nationality, race, country, and skin colour.
Loyalty is first and foremost to God, and
