The True Islamic Morals-

Some people who say they are acting in the name of religion may misunderstand their religion or practice it wrongly. For this reason, it is a mistake to form any idea of that religion from the activities of these people. The best way to understand Islam is through its holy source.

The holy source of Islam is the Qur'an; and the model of morality in the Qur'an is completely different from the image of it formed in the minds of some westerners. The Qur'an is based on the concepts of morality, love, compassion, mercy, modesty, self-sacrifice, tolerance and peace, and a Muslim who truly lives according to these moral precepts is highly refined, thoughtful, tolerant, trustworthy and accommodating. To those around him he gives love, respect, peace of mind and a sense of the joy of life.

The word Islam has the same meaning as "peace" in Arabic. Islam is a religion that came down to offer humanity a life filled with the peace and well-being in which God's eternal mercy and compassion is manifested in the world. God invites all people to accept the moral teachings of the Qur'an as a model whereby mercy, compassion, tolerance and peace may be experienced in the world. In Surat al-Baqara verse 208, this command is given:

You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow in the footsteps of Satan. He is an outright enemy to you.

As we see in this verse, people will experience well-being and happiness by living according to the moral teaching of the Qur'an.

God has commanded humanity to avoid evil; he has forbidden immorality, rebellion, cruelty, aggressiveness, murder and bloodshed. Those who do not obey this command of God are walking in the steps of Satan, as it says in the verse above, and have adopted an attitude that God has clearly declared unlawful. Of the many verses that bear on this subject, here are only two:

But as for those who break God's contract after it has been agreed and sever what God has commanded to be joined, and cause corruption in the earth, the curse will be upon them. They will have the Evil Abode. (Surat ar-Ra'd: 25)

Seek the abode of the hereafter with what God has given you, without forgetting your portion of the world. And do good as God has been good to you. And do not seek to cause mischief on earth. God does not love mischief makers.' (Surat al-Qasas: 77)

As we can see, God has forbidden every kind of mischievous acts in the religion of Islam including terrorism and violence, and condemned those who commit such deeds. A Muslim lends beauty to the world and improves it.

Islam is a religion which fosters freedom of life, ideas and thought. It has forbidden tension and conflict among people, calumny, suspicion and even having negative thoughts about another individual.

Islam has not only forbidden terror and violence, but also even the slightest imposition of any idea on another human being.

There is no compulsion in religion. Right guidance has become clearly distinct from error. Anyone who rejects false gods and believes in God has grasped the Firmest Handhold, which will never give way. God is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Surat al-Baqara: 256)

So remind, you need only to remind. You cannot compel them to believe. (Surat al-Ghashiyah: 22)

To force anyone to believe in a religion or to practice it, is against the spirit and essence of Islam. Because it is necessary that faith be accepted with free will and conscience. Of course, Muslims may urge one another to keep the moral precepts taught in the Qur'an, but they never use compulsion. In any case, an individual cannot be induced to the practice of religion by either threat or offering him a worldly privilege.

Let us imagine a completely opposite model of society. For example, a world in which people are forced by law to practice religion. Such a model of society is completely contrary to Islam because faith and worship have value only when they are directed toward God. If there were a system that forced people to believe and worship, people would be religious only out of fear of the system. What is acceptable from the point of view of religion is that religion be practiced in an environment where freedom of conscience is permitted, and that it be practiced only for the approval of God.

According to the Qur'an, one of the greatest sins is to kill a human being who has committed no fault: ...If someone kills another person - unless it is in retaliation for someone else or for causing corruption in the earth - it is as if he had murdered all mankind. And if anyone gives life to another person, it is as if he had given life to all mankind. Our Messengers came to them with Clear Signs but even after that many of them committed outrages in the earth. (Surat al-Ma'ida: 32) Those who do not call on any other deity together with God and do not kill anyone God has made inviolate, except with the right to do so, and do not fornicate; anyone who does that will receive an evil punishment. (Surat al-Furqan: 68)

As we can see in the verses above, those who kill innocent human beings without a cause are threatened with evil punishment. God has revealed that killing one person is as great a sin as killing all mankind. Anyone who respected the prerogatives of God would not do harm to even one individual, let alone murdering thousands of innocent people. Those who think that they will escape justice and punishment in this world will never escape the account they must give in the Presence of God on the Last Day. So, those believers who know they will give an account to God after their death, will be very careful about respecting the limits God has established.

God Commands Believers To Be Compassionate And Merciful< In this verse, Muslim morality is explained: ...To be one of those who believe and urge each other to steadfastness and urge each other to compassion. Those are the Companions of the Right. (Surat al-Balad: 17-18) As we see in this verse, one of the most important moral precepts that God has sent down to His servants so that they may receive salvation and mercy and attain Paradise, is to "urge each other to compassion".

Islam as described in the Qur'an is a modern, enlightened, progressive religion. A Muslim is above all a person of peace; he is tolerant with a democratic spirit, cultured, enlightened, honest, knowledgable about art and science and civilized. A Muslim educated in the fine moral teaching of the Qur'an, approaches everyone with the love that Islam expects. He shows respect for every idea and he values art and aesthetics. He is conciliatory in the face of every event, diminishing tension and restoring amity. In societies composed of individuals such as this, there will be a higher civilization, a higher social morality, more joy, happiness, justice, security, abundance and blessings than in the most modern nations of the world today.

God Has Commanded Tolerance And Forgiveness Surat al-A'raf, verse 199, which says "practice forgiveness", expresses the concept of forgiveness and tolerance which is one of the basic principles of the religion of Islam.

When we look at Islamic history, we can see clearly how Muslims established this important precept of the moral teaching of the Qur'an in their social life. At every point in their advance, Muslims destroyed unlawful practices and created a free and tolerant environment. In the areas of religion, language and culture, they made it possible for people totally opposite to each other to live under the same roof in freedom and peace, thereby giving to those subject to them the advantages of knowledge, wealth and position. Likewise, one of the most important reasons that the large and widespread Ottoman Empire was able to sustain its existence for so many centuries was that its way of life was directed by the tolerance and understanding brought by Islam. For centuries Muslims have been characterized by their tolerance and compassion. In every period of time they have been the most just and merciful of people. All ethnic groups within this multi-national community freely practiced the religions they have followed for years and enjoyed every opportunity to live in their own cultures and worship in their own way.

Indeed, the particular tolerance of Muslims, when practiced as commanded in the Qur'an, can alone bring peace and well-being to the whole world. The Qur'an refers to this particular kind of tolerance:

A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else, he will be like a bosom friend. (Surat al-Fussilat: 34)

All this shows that the moral teaching offered to humanity by Islam is one that will bring peace, happiness and justice to the world. The barbarism that is happening in the world today under the name of "Islamic Terrorism" is completely removed from the moral teachings of the Qur'an; it is the work of ignorant, bigoted people, criminals who have nothing to do with religion. The solution which will applied against these individuals and groups who are trying to commit their deeds of savagery under the guise of Islam, will be the instruction of people in the true moral teaching of Islam.

In other words, the religion of Islam and the moral teaching of the Qur'an are not the supporters of terrorism and the terrorists, but the remedy by which the world can be saved from the scourge of terrorism.

So why are you wasting your time on THIS forum, when you should be busy on the Arabic forums convincing the millions of misguided fanatic death-cult moslems of the error of their ways?

Probably because he doesn't want to die a bloody, violent death at the hands of his fellow muslims, I'd guess.

Hindu extremists

And what do you suppose made them so extreme? Could it be the 10,000+ temples, priesthoods and gods that were mocked and destroyed by Islam since the 800's and their temples replaced by mosques??

Could it be the tens of millions of Hindus that were butchered in the worst possible ways imaginable?

Islam is literally at war with EVERY other religion in the world that they have come in contact with. They are also at war with every major world power.

Exactly how do you think muslims got into Chechnya in Russia? That's nowhere near Arabia. It'll tell you how they got there. They butchered there way there over hundreds of years.

It is interestig to make a few comparisons, useful to learn the relative confidence of religions in their own truth.

Islam may be freely practiced in the West, there are no Christian or Hebrew churches permitted in the home of Mohammed, Saudi Arabia.

Moslems are free to buy radio stations, buy TV time, sell newspapers on every corner announcing the glories of Islam in the West. In Saudi Arabia.....

A Christian or Jew is free to convert to Islam any day of his choosing, no questions asked, no hard feelings. If a Moslem, even one "converted" at sword point (Indonesia, Sudan etc) tries to convert from Islam to another religions, he is an apostate, and the penalty is death.

It would seem that Moslems are terrified of "the free market of ideas".

Why?

They are not. In Christianity and Judaism, the Jews are God's chosen people, in Islam they are called infidels and are supposed to be killed. God is not two-faced.

No, in Judaism, the belief was that Jews were God's chosen people--and even in Judaism there are fundamentalists and non-fundamentalists (c.f. orthodox/non-orthodox). That belief has been challenged in scholarly Jewish circles--and if you would would like proof of that, look up some information on a rabbi named Richard Rubenstein, for starters. Jesus was killed by some ignorant Romans. But I'm not out to berate Roman Catholicism because I know too many fine Roman Catholics whom I love and respect. I love and respect their ideals, their minds, and their hearts. But I can say the same about Jews and Muslims too. So those who revile me for not being "Christian" enough in this forum ought to do some hard thinking, because I figure they are missing out on some wonderful people who are precious to God; but they are missing out because they don't know any better.

Under what authority can you decide bin Laden or Sadam Hussein are not true followers of Islam? Bin Laden would say he IS a true follower, each of the hijackers would say that he was a true follower. The hate spewing mullahs would claim they too are true followers. There is no Vatican or Pope or ultimate authority in Islam and you aren't it either.

Do you also insult Jews and Protestants because they don't have this "authority"?

But the main message of all religions is the same--love God and our fellow man

That is NOT the main message of Christianity. I cannot speak for other religions.

The main message of Christianity is the resurrection. If we believe in it and the Lordship of the risen Christ, then we are saved. That is the main message of Christianity. In fact, Christianity sees the sacrifice-based resurrection as the central point of all HISTORY.

Hah! Jesus was killed by some ignorant Romans. Posted by eaglebeak Amazing! The Jews seem to claim they were responsible for the death of Yeshua since they said emphatically, "Let his blood be upon our heads ..." You are in way over your head, dude! Step away and let the big dogs run. Step up here on the porch with me and enjoy the race. Baruch HaShem Adonai Yeshua HaMashiach</font color=red>

How do you explain the fact that the terrorists are mainly products of Madrassa schools where they study the Koran 8 to 10 hours a day?
The president himself has explained this to you, but you refuse to listen.

With all due respect to the president, he is not a theologian. How many muslims, upon hearing president Bush proclaim their religion a peaceful one, will renounce all violence? How many look to him to define their faith? Heck, I don’t even look to him to define the Christian faith, and at least he is one of those. Get real here, the president no more can define Islam then you or I can.

The terrorists are NOT true followers of Islam. They are NOT true Muslims. They are fundamentalist extremists who have taken the religion and perverted it to achieve their own ends.

Then why aren’t they roundly denounced by the true Islamics? Why aren’t they driven out of their midst? Why can’t these true Muslims explain what all these rather frightening passages in the Koran really mean?

The president has asked the American people, over and over again, to refrain from this behavior. And yet you and most of the others in this thread persist. It does a great disservice to this great nation, and it is the blatent opposite of patriotism. You are hurting this country.

Your being a bit hysterical here.

patent +AMDG

I'm just asking you who excommunicated bin Laden and the terrorists from Islam, you are claiming they are not "true" Muslims because true Muslims don't believe in violence. If a Southern Baptist minister starts claiming all Catholics will go to hell, maybe he stays in that religion, but if he steps further and tells his congregation to kill all Catholics, the Southern Baptists would throw him out. The Lutherans have a way to disown Lutherans who overstep, the Catholics have excommunication. I don't think anyone has excommunicated a single terrorist from Islam.

Then why are we having such a hard time convincing the "moderate" Muslim countries to help us find OBL, or even let us use their airspace?

Pakistan was the first in line. That says a lot.Many others are "with" them. Still others are coming along. I think we'll see some real revelations (pardon the pun) as time goes on. There is a natural fear that this pretension to the true Islam on the part of the terrorists will fuel an enormous war, a war mistakenly taken for a "holy" one. The answer may go even farther than religion. I think race and nationality play a big part. I use this analogy: The way OBL and his people follow a perverted form of Islam, can be loosely compared to the KKK claiming to be "Christian."

I like your analogy! Suppose the KKK launched an attack on a large African city. They were hiding out here in America and the African nation told us to hand them over. Of course, we most probably would. BUT - if we didn't, how many Americans would allow that nation to send armed troops into our land to find the KKK? Not many.

True. But also remember that we have offered certain incentives--for instance, to Pakistan--to do so. Pakistan is taking a big risk. Diplomacy has never been so important. Understanding between nations has never been so important. It's a HUGE challenge. Thanks for your interesting thoughts and commentary, pocat.

Words of wisdom:

The barbarism that is happening in the world today under the name of "Islamic Terrorism" is completely removed from the moral teachings of the Qur'an; it is the work of ignorant, bigoted people, criminals who have nothing to do with religion. The solution which will applied against these individuals and groups who are trying to commit their deeds of savagery under the guise of Islam, will be the instruction of people in the true moral teaching of Islam.

I would like to know how telling the truth about the Islam and it's bloody and violent history "hurts" my country??

Because "the truth" in this frenzied state is very distorted, that's how. How is it a "disservice" to America?? Why is celebrating a religion that advocates, no, COMMANDS, its followers to torture and kill unbelievers "patriotic"?? If the truth hurts this country, we are in worst shape than I thought!

Islam does not command any such thing. And nobody asked you to celebrate it. The President of the United States only asked you to avoid persecuting muslims. If you are not up to the task, if you are full of fear, admit it. But don't add to hysteria, don't give the terrorists credence by lashing out at Islam. You are aiding and abetting the terrorists indirectly by doing so.

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