Comments/Response-1
What Makes Islam So Successful?
The success and popularity of Islamic faith lies in the truthfulness of its universal fundamentals mentioned above based upon nature, justice, humanity, simplicity devoid of myths and strict monotheism, the cardinal point of Abrahamic faith which has been totally ignored by critics of Islam under the Islamophobia. However according to them, the success of Islam could be traced through the following 28 beliefs:
1) A standardized version of the idea-collection is written down.
2) The Qur’an includes instructions for its own spread, implement Islamic law all over the world.
3) Qur’an includes instructions for its own preservation, protection, no modernization.
4) Islam commands its followers to create a government to bring all people on earth under the rule of Islamic law.
5) Permission to spread the religion by war.
6) Lands must be conquered.
7) Allowing polygamy to produce new soldiers.
8) It is a punishable offense to criticize Islam. [hereafter, divine punishment calamites]
9) You can’t leave Islam once you’re in.
10) Islam must be your first allegiance.
11) Dying while fighting for Islam is the ONLY way to guarantee a man’s entrance into Paradise.
12) You must read the Qur’an in Arabic.
13) You must pray five times a day.
14) The prayers involve moving together in time.
15) A woman is in a thoroughly subordinate position.
16) The only way a woman can guarantee her passage into Paradise is if her husband is happy with her when she dies.
17) Allah gives Himself permission to edit his own work
18) The Qur’an uses the carrot and stick to reinforce behavior.
19) Islam provides a huge and inspiring goal.
20) Non-Muslims must pay a large tax.
21) A Muslim is forbidden to make friends with a non-Muslim.
22) The Qur’an counsels the use of deceit when dealing with non-Muslims.
23) Islam must always be defended
24) Islamic writings teach the use of pretext to initiate hostilities.
25) The explicit use of double standards.
26) It is forbidden to kill a Muslim
27) If Muslims drift away from Mohammed’s teachings, Allah will end the world.
28) The message in a standard Qur’an is difficult to decipher.
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Analysis/Comments-1
Before analyzing each one of these points, one should be very clear about Qur’an and its doctrines as perceived and practiced by the believers. Right in the beginning:
“THIS DIVINE WRIT – let there be no doubt about it is [meant to be] a guidance for all the God-conscious who believe in [the existence of] that which is beyond the reach of human perception, and are constant in prayer and spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance; and who believe in that which as been bestowed from on high upon thee, [O Prophet Muhammad,] as well as in that which was bestowed before thy time: for it is they who in their innermost are certain of the life to come. It is they who follow the guidance [which comes] from their Sustainer; and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state!”(Qur’an;2:2-5). “Verily this is no less than a Message to (all) the Worlds:”(Qur’an;81:27).
Islam has standardized version of the idea-collection is written down:
The sacred writings of religions, comprising a large portion of the religious literature of the world. The sacred scriptures containing the message of guidance are available to the people after the messengers are gone. Allah says: “He has spelled out His revelations for people who want to understand.”(Qur’an;10:5). Scriptures vary in form, volume, age, and degree of sacredness. Nearly all scriptures were originally oral and were passed down as memorized texts through several generations before being put in writing except Qur’an, the sacred scripture of Islam, which beside being memorized was also written down at the time of revelation under direct supervision of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Qur’an, the latest scripture mentions Torah, Zabur (Psalms) and Injeel (Gospel) by name, the scriptures revealed to Prophet Moses, David and Jesus Christ (peace be upon them all) respectively, however this does not preclude existence of other scriptures, like the one to Abraham (peace be upon him), now extinct. Allah says: “We have sent thee (O’ Muhammad) inspiration as We sent it to Noah and the prophets after him; We sent inspiration to Abraham Ishmael Isaac Jacob and the Tribes to Jesus Job Jonah Aaron and Solomon and to David We gave the Psalms. Of some Messengers We have already told thee the story; of others We have not; and to Moses Allah spoke direct.”(Qur’an;4:163-164).
The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is the scripture of Judaism; the Bible (Old and New Testaments together) is the scripture of Christianity. Word ‘Bible’, is derived from Greek biblos (“book”) can be compared with byblos (“Papyrus”: The writing material of ancient times and also the plant from which it was derived). In the fifth century after Christ, name ‘Bible’ began to be given to the entire collection of sacred books, the “Library of Divine Revelation.” The name Bible was adopted by Wickliffe, and came gradually into use in the English language. Interestingly the word ‘Bible’ does not exist in the text of Bible. The order as well as the number of books differs between the Jewish Bible, the Protestant and Roman Catholic versions of the Bible. The sixty-six different books of the Bible were composed by many different writers, in three different languages, under different circumstances; writers of almost every social rank, statesmen and peasants, kings, herdsmen, fishermen, priests, tax-gatherers, tentmakers; educated and uneducated, Jews and Gentiles; most of them unknown to each other, and writing at various periods during the long period spread over 1600 years. No original manuscripts exist. There is probably not one book which survives in anything like its original form. There are hundreds of differences between the oldest manuscripts of any one book. These differences indicate that numerous additions and alterations were made to the originals by various copyists and editors. The earliest extant Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures from the original Hebrew is known as Septuagint. Presumably this translation was made for the use of the Jewish community in Egypt when Greek was the lingua franca. The Pentateuch was translated near the middle of the 3rd century BC; the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures were translated in the 2nd century BC. The name Septuagint was derived from a legend that 72 translators worked on the project. Its influence was far-reaching. The Septuagint rather than the original Hebrew Bible was the main basis for the Old Latin, Coptic, Ethiopic, Armenian, Georgian, Slavonic, and some Arabic translations of the Bible. The books of New Testament lack conformity, there are more than 5000 manuscripts, written during different periods by different authors mostly unknown. Hence the Muslims, while believing in all the previous prophets and ‘original scriptures’ adhere to Qur’an, the final preserved revelations, ‘The Last Testament’ available for the guidance of humanity which abrogated all the previous scriptures.
[Allah knows best]
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