Archive-name: islam-alt-faq Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: 1994/6/26 Version: 1.3 ***** ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ********* READ THIS BEFORE YOU POST A QUERY. This message is automatically posted once a month to provide answers to commonly asked questions on this forum. If you have any contributions or changes to this document please send me an email message. If you never wish you see this document again, please add the above subject in your KILL file. Sincerely, Asim Mughal (mughal@alumni.caltech.edu) alt.religion.islam FAQ Maintainer [Standard Disclaimer] ================================================================= NOTE: This FAQ posting is now in USENET digest format. If you are using "rn" (or it derivatives) to read news ^G (Ctrl- G) will take you to the next question. If you are using any other news reader search for the next line that begins with "Subject:". ================================================================= ***************************************************************** This periodic posting is now archived. It is available via anonymous ftp from rtfm.mit.edu (18.70.0.209) OR sending email to mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the body of the message as send usenet/news.answers/islam-alt-faq quit ****************************************************************** ***************************************************************** Contents: 1) About Alt.Religion.Islam 2) Reason for this discussion newsgroup 3) Current statistics on alt.religion.islam 4) Moderated Islamic Forums on USENET 5) Introduction to Islam 6) Islamic History: 1- The coming of the 7) Islamic History: 2- The rise of Islam 8) Islamic History: 3- Islam in the Modern Age 9) The future of Islam 10) The community of the faithful 11) The five pillars of Islam 12) No Trinity in Quran 13) Sufi & marifat (gnosis) Mailing Lists 14) Books & Videos on Islam 15) Prayer Software on the net. 16) This FAQ: Archive Info, History & Credits ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 1) About Alt.Religion.Islam Alt.Religion.Islam: Created Feb '94. Status: Unmoderated. PURPOSE: This forum is for unmoderated discussion of Islam on USENET. REASON: A number of USENET readers in general, including regular readers of moderated forum Soc.Religion.Islam have expressed desire to discuss Islam as a religion in an unmoderated environment. RELEVANCE & GUIDELINES: It is left up to the reader to enforce the following recommended guide- lines for this forum. 1. Direct & indirectly related to Islam 2. No Personal Attacks/Insults. In addition, those readers who believe their postings were relevant to Soc.Religion.Islam and were unduely rejected may find an audience willing to read their articles. ARTICLES POSTED: (To Date 6.08.94): Days in creation: 4 1/2 months (approx) No. of Postings : 1344 FUTURE: Alt.* hierarchy is not a 'main stream' hierarchy. Quite a few of the sites don't carry it. Due to the popularity of the forum, alt.religion.islam. It is being suggested to move this forum under 7 main hierarchies in the near future. RFD talk.religion.islam A formal Request for Discussion (RFD) was posted on May 09, 1994. This initiative of moving alt.religion.islam under 7 main hierarchies is expected to for vote soon. -- RFD talk.religion.islam -- This is a call for discussion for the newsgroup talk.religion.islam. Rationale: Over time, there have been different views held amongst various members of the Islamic community about the creation of an unmoderated newsgroup about Islam. Some people hold that it is a good idea because Muslims don't really have anything that needs defending - and that the purpose of a moderated newsgroup in this context is to make a fort that will allow its creators the ability to defend it. There are others who feel that it is necessary to create a moderated newsgroup that will cut down the flames that arise because of the fact that everyone seems to have a very firm opinion about Islam. My own predilection leads to the former; I feel that it is necessary to have an unmoderated forum about Islam. I agree that flames will inevitably rise, every now and then. However, it does not seem that there is anything that one can do about these flames anyway. These already exist on several other newsgroups, so it is impossible to use moderation as a tool to cut down on all flammage. If one wishes to have a moderated forum, then soc.religion.islam already exists and can be used. A couple of months ago, or so, a newsgroup was created in the alt hierarchy, alt.religion.islam. Its purpose was to provide an unmoderated forum for discussions about Islam and serve as a testbed to prove or disprove the viability of talk.religion.islam. I would argue that it has been very successful in this regard. The traffic hierarchy, alt.religion.islam. Its purpose was to provide an unmoderated forum for discussions about Islam and serve as a testbed to prove or disprove the viability of talk.religion.islam. I would argue that it has been very successful in this regard. The traffic there easily rivals that of soc.religion.islam. There are some articles that are posted there that are definitely not relevant and are off the subject; nonetheless, the majority are quite pertinent. For this reason, I think we should create a newsgroup in the Big Seven hierarchy. Proposal: For an unmoderated newsgroup, called talk.religion.islam. Recommended Charter: For the discussion pertaining to the theological aspects of Islam as a religion, as opposed to the cultural or sociological aspects. It should serve as a forum for: [1] To increase the understanding of the readers about the Quran, the Hadith and the Sunnah of the Prophet. [2] As a base for discussions about comparitive religions with regards to Islam. [3] As a forum for discussions of various mystical systems pertaining For more information on talk.religion.islam proposal, contact: Basalat Ali Raja (gwydion@gnu.ai.mit.edu) ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 2) Reason for this discussion news group >Date: 6 Apr 1994 11:52:05 -0500 >From: hanan@utdallas.edu The reason for this discussion group should be to teach Muslims more about Islam and to inform sincere non-Muslims about Islam. >Date: Wed, 6 Apr 1994 23:07:07 EDT >From: Mansour A. Matboli It is 100% true that this newsgroup should be devouted to better communication between muslims among each other in one hand, and between muslims and senceer- non-muslims. I noted that many people did reply to the chalange of Islam message, which was not right. Those people have wasted alot of their time. It was alot better for them if they learned a new ayah or a new hadeath. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 3) Current USENET statistics on alt.religion.islam Estimated Readership: 14,000 Source: April '94 USENET statistics ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 4) Moderated Islamic Forums on USENET Asim Mughal(mughal@caltech.edu) Soc.Religion.Islam: (Formed in 1989) Moderated Discussion on Islam as a Religion. Guidelines: Relevance to Islam & No personal attacks/Insults. Bit.Listserv.Muslims: (Gatewayed to USENET in 1993) At least once a week digest on News, Information, Articles & Issues of general on Islam & Muslims. E-mail subscription available from: Muslims@Asuacad.Bitnet ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 5) Introduction to Islam Date: 3 Apr 1994 09:50:00 -0400 Islam is one of the world's great monotheistic religions. The followers of Islam, called Muslims, believe in one God- Allah in Arabic- and that Muhammad is his Prophet. Today, the worldwide community of Muslims, which embraces the people of many races and cultures , numbers nearly one billion. Historically, Saudi Arabia has occupied a special place in the Islamic world as the very heartland of Islam. Indeed, it is toward the sacred Ka'abah, meaning "the House of God", in Makkah that Muslims turn devoutly in prayer five times a day. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 6) Islamic History: 1- The coming of the Prophet Around the year 570, Muhammad was born into a family of the ruling tribe of Makkah, the powerful and noble Quraysh. Makkah, a caravan city in the Hijaz region of northwestern Arabia, grew around the Ka'abah, meaning "the House of God," a shrine of ancient origins built by Abraham and his son Ishmael. Pre-Islamic Arabia was polytheistic; some 360 idols representing the divinities of the Hijaz were housed in the Ka'abah. Orphaned as a child, Muhammad spent several years of his boyhood among the Bedouins of the desert, developing a love for the rich Arabic language that was the Bedouins' proudest art. He learned the patience and forbearance of the herdsmen, whose life of solitude he came to understand and appreciate. As a young man, Muhammad traveled widely with the trade caravans through Palestine, Syria, and Yemen before dedicating his life to meditation. In 610, God revealed His word to Muahmmad through the Angel Gabriel. In this way, Muhammad became the chosen bearer of the divine message and began proclaiming the oneness of God. The name of this new religion, Islam, means "submission to God." The followers of Islam are called Muslims, meaning "those who submit." God's message as transmitted through Muhammad was not unanimously accepted in Makkah. Pagan worshippers threatened by the new monotheistic religion, and merchants anxious to preserve the profitable pilgrimage trade intensified their opposition to the followers of Islam[, through torture, trade embargo and killing]. To foil an assassination plot against him, Huhammad and a small group of Muslims emigrated to Madinah. This, the Hijrah or emigration, dates the beginning of the Islamic era and the history of the Islamic community. In 629, Muhammad reentered and conquered Makkah without bloodshed, destroying the idols in Ka'abah, and the inhabitants of Makkah embraced Islam. Source: Pamphlet"Saudi Arabia, Islam"2nd Ed.,1989. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 7) Islamic History: 2- The Rise of Islam Within a century, Islam had swept across the Middle East and North Africa-from modern Iraq to the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. At its apogee, Islam held sway as far as Spain in the west, and India and China in the east-virtually the entire known world. By conversion, commerce, and conquest, Islam introduced a comprehensive faith and a political-legal system which established order and justice in a period of world chaos and disintegrating empires. Islam fostered the flowering of brilliant civilizations and the development of great centers of learning. It was a period of dynamism, a melding of ancient and new thought from east to west, producing great contributions in medicine, science, mathematics, physics, law, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, art, language, literature, and history. Islamic civilization-rich, sophisticated, and varied-has taken its place among the cultural achievements of human history. The genius of Arab civilization set the stage for the European Renaissance. Source: Pamphlet"Saudi Arabia, Islam"2nd Ed.,1989. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 8) Islamic History: 3- Islam in the modern age. With the shift of power to Western Europe and the eventual colonization of parts of the Middle East, Islamic rule and the scope of its political influence began to diminish. Nonetheless, Islam remained a strong spiritual and moral force in many countries and societies. As colonial rule gave way to new, self-governing nations in the 20th century, Islam reemerged on the world stage as a major political and economic force. Despite great changes in traditional societies, as well as the demands of the contemporary age, Islam has grown as a dynamic and universal religion with a continued impact on world affairs. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 9) The future of Islam Today, Islam is resurgent and flourishing in virtually every corner of the world. Islam continues to address human needs as it has for more than 1,400 years with compassion, creativity, and a deep commitment to God. Dedicated Muslims are striving to meet the challenge of modernization while remaining faithful to traditional Islamic values. Source: Pamphlet"Saudi Arabia, Islam"2nd Ed.,1989. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 10) The community of the faithful: Islam is at once a religion and a total way of life. It prescribes order for individuals, societies, and governments, codifying law, family relationships, matters of business, etiquette, dress food, hygiene, and much more. The ummah, or community of believers, is unified across national boundaries by its conscious acceptance of the oneness of God and its mission on earth. There is no human hierarchy to intervene between man and God; in the eyes of Islam, all people are equal. The Qur'an is the cornerstone of Islamic faith. Muslims believe that the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, is the word of God as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the Arabic language. It is regarded as the final revelation, as Muhammad is regarded as the final Prophet-"the seal of the prophets." For over 1,400 years, the Qur'an has illuminated the lives of Muslims with its eloquent message, shaping their everyday lives, anchoring them to a unique system of law, and inspiring them by its guiding principles. The sunnah,"way" for devout Muslims to follow, recounts the deeds, sayings, and silent approval of the Prophet Mohammad regarding details of community life. It complements and supplements the Qur'an and embodies the meticulously documented traditions and sayings of the Prophet as preserved by his companions in a body of writings called the hadith. The Qur'an and the sunnah provide the framework for Shariah, the sacred law of Islam, which governs all aspects of the public and private, social and economic, religious and political life of every Muslim. Source: Pamphlet"Saudi Arabia, Islam"2nd Ed.,1989. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 11) The five pillars of Islam Despite the great body of tradition and law, the practice of Islam is essentially personal-between God and the believer. Islam has five primary obligations or pillars of faith that each Muslim must fulfill in his or her lifetime. 1- Shahadah. Profession of faith, is the first pillar of Islam. Muslims bear witness to the oneness of God by reciting the creed "there is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God." This simple yet profound statement expresses a Muslim's complete acceptance of, and total commitment to, the message of Islam. 2- Salah. Ritual prayer or devotional worship, is the second pillar. The Islamic belief is based on the belief that individuals have a direct relationship with God. There are no earthly intermediaries in Islam. Rather, the world's Muslims turn individually and collectively to Makkah, Islam's holiest city, to offer prayers at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and evening. In addition, Friday congregational service is also required. Although salah can be performed alone, it is meritorious to perform it with another or with a group. The word mosque comes from the Arabic masjid, meaning "place of prostration." Although it is permissible to pray at home, at work, or even outdoors, it is recommended that Muslims perform salah in a mosque. 3- Zakat. Almsgiving, is the third pillar and like prayer is considered a form of worship. Social responsibility is considered part of one's service to God; the obligatory act of zakat enshrines this duty. Zakat prescribes payment of fixed proportions of a Muslim's possessions for the welfare of the entire community and in particular for its neediest members. It is equal to 2.5 percent of an individual's total net worth. excluding obligations and family expenses. 4- Sawm. Fasting, during the holy month of Ramadan is the fourth pillar of Islam. Ordained in the qur'an, the fast is an act of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a richer perception of God. Fasting is also an exercise in self-control whereby one's sensitivity is heightened to the sufferings of the poor. Ramadan begins with the sighting of the new moon, after which abstention from eating, drinking, smoking, and other sensual pleasures is obligatory from dawn to sunset. Ramadan also is a joyful month. Muslims break their fast at sunset with a special meal, iftar, "break-fast;" perform additional nocturnal worship, tarawih, after evening prayer; and throng the streets in moods that are festive and communal. The end of Ramadan is observed in a spirit of joyous achievement by four days of celebration called eid al-fitr, the feast of the Breaking of the Fast. Customarily, it is a time for family reunion and the favored holiday for children who receive new clothing and gifts from family members and friends. 5- Hajj. Meaning "visit to the revered place," the pilgrimage to Makkah, is the fifth pillar and the most significant manifestation of Islamic faith and unity in the world. For those Muslims who are mentally, physically, and financially able to make the faithful journey to Makkah, the hajj is the peak of their religious life. The hajj is a worldwide gathering of over two million Muslims to the holy city, and a remarkable spiritual happening. In performing hajj, a pilgrim follows the order of a ritual as Muhammad performed the rites during his last pilgrimage. The five pillars of Islam define the basic identity of the Muslims -their faith, beliefs, and practices-which binds together a worldwide community of believers into a fellowship of shared values and concerns. Source: Pamphlet"Saudi Arabia, Islam"2nd Ed.,1989. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 12) No Trinity in Quran Date: Tue, 5 Apr 1994 07:17:49 GMT Bismillahirrahmanirrahim, Many non-Muslims who have been starting reading the Qur'an asked question: "What is the meaning of the word WE in the Qur'an when it is used in referring to Allah?" Some Christians, who are ignorant of Arabic, have been arguing that the Qur'an itself approves the concept of Trinity (God has three 'personalities': Father, Son, Holy Spirit). For clarification, I try to answer the question above... In Arabic, there are two forms of plural: 1. Plural of more than one, 2. Plural of respect. The following is taken from the book "ELEMENTARY MODERN STANDAR ARABIC 1" edited by: Peter F.Abboud (Professor of Arabic, University of Texas, Austin), Earnest N.McCarus (Professor of Arabic, University of Michigan), published by: Cambridge University Press, 1989, on pages: 541-542: ======================================================================== 5. The "royal we" and the use of the plural of respect In Arabic, as in English and other European languages, the "royal we" is often used instead of "I" by persons in high office. Indeed, it is probably more common in Arabic; it is illustrated by the following sentence taken from an imaginary letter sent by the President of one country to another: 'TalabNAA min waziiri khaarijiyyatiNAA an yanqula ilaiKUM ra'yaNAA fii dzaalika al-amr' (in English: I have asked my Minister of Foreign Affairs to convey to you my view on that matter). In this sentence, the plural pronoun "ilaiKUM" is used instead of the singular to convey RESPECT. It is not at all unusual in Arabic to use a plural form (pronoun, adjective, verb) in this way as a sign of respect for the person addressed. ======================================================================== In the case of the word "NAHNU" (We) and its derived words (Us, Our), is used by God in addressing Himself for showing the plural of RESPECT. It does not imply trinity. The Qur'an very clearly states: "Verily I am Allah: There is no god but I, so serve thou Me..." (20:14) "Say: He is Allah, The One and Only." (112:1) "Verily, in blasphemy indeed are those who say that God is Christ the son of Mary (Jesus)." (Q. 5:17) The other clear-cut proof, is the attitude of those pagan Arabs in the time of the Prophet Muhammad who know well about Arabic, as their mother tounges. Everytime the Prophet recited to them verses from the Qur'an, they tried constantly to entangle him. But in the case of the word "We", they never argued with him. ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 13) Sufi Mailing Lists/Newsgroup(s). (Salahuddin Ahmad) ahmads@ecn.purdue.edu: There are two informal discussion groups that deal more specifically with Sufism: sufi@world.std.com & (For Muslims Only) tariqas@world.std.com (Open to all) ----- (mughal@alumni.caltech.edu) Another Mailing List is: gnosis@netcom.com maintainer: Dean Edwards deane@netcom.com ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 14) Books & Videos on Islam Assalamoalikum. There is in fact a program available via ftp. It calculates the prayer timing for any specific year or a month of it. It does incorporate the Hanfi/Shafii or any other shool of thought by user defined options. You are required to specify the LAt/Long coordinates of the location of interest. In order to get it do: % ftp ftp.mcs.kent.edu username: Anonymous Password: cd /pub/islam bin get IslamicTimer-2.0.shar.Z The file is in shell archive (shar). use uncompress and sh command By the way, the same site has sahih bukhari as well in the directory cd /pub/islam/Bukhari.Z To get the geo-coordinates of a sites in USA, do the following: telnet martini.eecs.umich.edu 3000 then enter your [zip_code], or [city,state]. Whwn you start writing your own program, let me know because I have some suggestions. Jazakallah. B- < famhar@geoinfo.tuwien.ac.at (Fahmi Amhar)> Download from ftp.uni-regensburg.de by anonymous ftp. The program is in /pub/incoming/mawaq12.zip Read the manual at first! The Author of MAWAQIT C- Ftp: ftp.caltech.edu Login: anonymous Dir: /pub/calmsa File: Islamic.Timer-2.0.sh.Z ************************************************************************ ************************************************************************ ------- Subject: 16) This FAQ: Archive Info, History & Credits. ARCHIVE: This FAQ is archived & availble thru anonymous FTP, gopher & world-wide web. Anonymous FTP: 1. SITE: rtfm.mit.edu Directory: /pub/usenet/news.answers/islam-alt-faq.Z 2. SITE: ftp.uu.net Directory: /pub/usenet/news.answers/islam-alt-faq.Z 3. SITE: ftp.caltech.edu Directory: /pub/calmsa/faq.ari Gopher: ------ 1.SITE: gopher.caltech.edu 70 Path: Computing Information/ CCO anonymous ftp archive/ pub/ calmsa/ faq.ari 2.SITE latif.com 70 Path: Resources relating to Islam/ FAQ alt.religion.islam [Usenet Newsgroup] Word-Wide Web: ------------- URL for USENET FAQs: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/top.html URL for this FAQ: http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/islam-alt-faq/faq.html HISTORY: V 1.0 April 25, 1994 Total Items # 13 V 1.2 June 08, 1994 Items #3, #13,#14 are new. #15 Edited V 1.3 June 26, 1994 New Item #15 CREDITS: Ahmed Helmy, Muhammad Ridha, Hussain Helmy, Salahuddin Ahmad, Abdulrahman Al-Ali End of A.R.I. FAQ Digest ************************** -------