Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

[Shahaku]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

Dumuzi, can the jinn die? And if they can, do they have a place in the Hereafter?

[Dumuzi]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

Dumuzi, can the jinn die? And if they can, do they have a place in the Hereafter?

Yes, they die, everything does! Except God, of course.

Their place in the Hereafter depends on their deeds, just like the human beings. So the good amongst them will be rewarded, and the bad ones will be punished.

Here are a few verses from a chapter of the Qur'an entitled "The Jinn":

And among us are the righteous, and among us are [others] not so; we were [of] divided ways.
And we have become certain that we will never cause failure to Allah upon earth, nor can we escape Him by flight.
And when we heard the guidance, we believed in it. And whoever believes in his Lord will not fear deprivation or burden.
And among us are Muslims [in submission to Allah], and among us are the unjust. And whoever has become Muslim - those have sought out the right course.
But as for the unjust, they will be, for Hell, firewood.'

[Shahaku]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

So do the angels die as well? They were explained to me as immortal beings of a sort, with no divinity in them. I wonder if they are as the universe itself, lasting until the end of time? And how is time veiwed in Islam? Is it unending? After the Hereafter does time and space still exist? Do the jinn and/or human beings and/or the living creatures of earth have any divinity in them (since the angels were very specifically described as not having divinity in them, I've come to wonder this)?

We read an article on Sufism and I was wondering how you veiwed this and if it was as mainstream as the article made it sound. The article made it seem that every Muslim beleived they could receive signs from God in the form of dreams or "miricle" type actions (people not being where they were supposed to be primarily) How do you veiw God and your relationship with the divine? Do you beleive you have or can develop a direct of somewhat direct line of communication and/or receive signs from God in the present?

[Dumuzi]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

Oh, so many questions!

I'll answer the first half of your questions first. As Muslims we believe that there is no deity or god except Allah. He is Al-Quddus (The Holy/Pure) meaning all attributes of perfection and beauty belong to him. And that he is exalted and/or above any imperfections or ascribing partners or equals or sons to him.

So we don't ascribe divinity to any of his creation. He is the one who has created us and he is the only master of the worlds.

We also believe that things like time and space are creations of Allah. He created them and has complete power over them. This is why questions like where or when is god do not really apply to him. He is beyond space and time so to speak. We often point above when asked where is god. We don't mean it in a geographical sense, but rather that he is above/beyond this creation.

So angels, humans, jinn, animals, plants, oceans, mountains, planets, stars and everything else, is nothing but a creation of Allah. They all submit to his will and even praise him in ways that we cannot understand as humans. I always say this, according to Islam, every single thing is Muslim. As in the whole universe is submitting to Allah and to his will and laws. The exception would be humans and jinn that seem to have a choice in this life of accepting or rejecting the message.

[Shahaku]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

I got a C in my Islam class... Just thought I'd share. Not as well as I had hoped, but it's okay I guess.

One thing my teacher said that I wanted to ask you about. He made it seem as if the veil was a modern thing and not really required by the Qur'an. I was wondering if maybe it was the niqabs that are modern while the headscarves are what is required?

[Dumuzi]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

All scholars agree that Hijab is a requirement because it is mentioned in the Qur'an, however as regards to the Niqab, most scholars I know say that it is not required while only some of them disagree, so it's OK both ways

[thalassa]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

D, are there any specific texts/teachings on the subject of hospitality?

[Dumuzi]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

D, are there any specific texts/teachings on the subject of hospitality?

Yes, yes.

The first thing that comes to mind is this saying of Muhammad, peace be upon him:
"Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or keep silent. Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him be kind to his neighbor. And whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him be generous to his guest."

[Dez]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

Hey D,

I don't know if you've ever answered this before, but if Jesus is seen as a prophet by the Muslim world, how is his consumption of alcohol, specifically wine, handled(Wedding at Cana, Last Supper, etc)?

[Dumuzi]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

Hey D,

I don't know if you've ever answered this before, but if Jesus is seen as a prophet by the Muslim world, how is his consumption of alcohol, specifically wine, handled(Wedding at Cana, Last Supper, etc)?

Thing is that we do believe in the Gospel (Injeel) that was revealed to Jesus, peace be upon him, but we don't believe the Bible we have today is the actual book that was revealed to him. We believe these books were written later on and were corrupted by the men writing them. Meaning that we don't have to believe in the stories that are mentioned in them. So Muslims don't believe that Jesus used to drink alcohol, especially since there's no mention of that specific miracle in the Qur'an.

[Dez]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

Ah...makes sense. Thank you!

[kijani]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

This may have been mentioned already and I may have missed it, but I was curious about a few things, actually.

1. What is the view on people who convert from Islam to another religion (let's say for the sake of this question that they convert to another religion that is inside the Christianity umbrella)? and

2. What about conversion in general? Is there an active effort (as there is within some branches of Christianity) to save or convert non-Muslims to the faith? What does the Quran say about that sort of thing? I'm just curious, and I apologize if you've answered these a million times already :<

[Dumuzi]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

Hi kijani!

1. What is the view on people who convert from Islam to another religion (let's say for the sake of this question that they convert to another religion that is inside the Christianity umbrella)?

Leaving Islam after believing in it is a big deal in Islam. It doesn't matter if they follow Christianity or any other religion. If someone converts to another religion then according to the Qur'an they committed a big crime.

"Indeed, those who have believed then disbelieved, then believed, then disbelieved, and then increased in disbelief - never will Allah forgive them, nor will He guide them to a way." [4:137]

So as you can see, they will not be forgiven. However, the Qur'an itself doesn't prescribe any punishment in this life for someone leaving Islam. There is a debate however about regarding punishing someone who leaves Islam because of certain Hadiths in the Sunnah. At that time, when someone left Islam, they joined the disbelievers in fighting Muslims so it was considered an act of treason, as opposed to a mere case of changing one's religion.

2. What about conversion in general? Is there an active effort (as there is within some branches of Christianity) to save or convert non-Muslims to the faith? What does the Quran say about that sort of thing? I'm just curious, and I apologize if you've answered these a million times already :<

Calling people to Islam is an obligation on every Muslim. As in we are told to invite people to Islam, according to certain guidelines, of course. The Qur'an says:

"Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance." [16:125]

Whether people accept that invitation or not, is something up to them. We firmly believe that guidance comes from God and not from us, we just do our part in inviting people. Whether or not they accept Islam is something between them and God.

That's why I say we don't convert people to Islam, because we don't have control over that, but we invite people to Islam.

[kijani]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

Awesome, D! Thanks for that. I saw something on television and I was really curious about that. Thanks for clearing it up. I'll probably come back in a little bit with more questions for you to answer.

[thalassa]

Re: Questions about Islam (Ask Away!)

I know you have answered the dietary one at some point in time...but these are questions for another person...

What are your beliefs/practices regarding birth (as a Muslim)?

What are your beliefs/practices regarding death?

How would you describe the typical diet? Which foods are forbiden and which foods are encouraged?