Common Misconceptions about Islam

Common Misconceptions about Islam
Prepared by: Abu ‘Iyaad, taken from efatwa.com

Misconception: The Islaamic Threat

In recent years, a great deal of attention in the media have been given to the threat of “Islaamic Fundamentalism”. Unfortunately, due to a twisted mixture of biased reporting in the Western media and the actions of some ignorant Muslims, the word “Islaam” has become almost synonymous with “terrorism”. However, when one analyses the situation, the question that should come to mind is:

Do the teachings of Islaam encourage terrorism?

The answer: Certainly not!

Islaam totally forbids the terrorist acts that are carried out by some misguided people. It should be remembered that all religions have cults and misguided followers, so it is their teachings that should be looked at, not the actions of a few individuals. Unfortunately, in the media, whenever a Muslim commits a heinous act, he is labeled a “Muslim terrorist”.

However, when Serbs murder and rape innocent women in Bosnia, they are not called “Christian terrorists”, nor are the activities in Northern Ireland labeled “Christian terrorism”. Also, when right-wing Christians in the U. S. bomb abortion clinics, they are not called “Christian terrorists”. Reflecting on these facts, one could certainly conclude that there is a double-standard in the media! Although religious feelings play a significant role in the previously mentioned “Christian” conflicts, the media does not apply religious labels because they assume that such barbarous acts have nothing to do with the teachings of Christianity. However, when something happens involving a Muslim, they often try to put the blame on Islaam itself – and not the misguided individual.

Certainly, Islaamic Law (Sharee’ah) allows war – any religion or civilisation that did not would never survive – but it certainly does not condone attacks against innocent people, women or children. The Arabic word “jihaad”, which is often translated as “Holy War”, simply means “to struggle”. The word for “war” in Arabic is “harb”, not “jihaad”. “Struggling”, i.e. “making jihaad”, to defend Islaam, Muslims or to liberate a land where Muslims are oppressed is certainly allowed (and even encouraged) in Islaam.

However, any such activities must be done according to the teachings of Islaam. Islaam also clearly forbids “taking the law into your own hands”, which means that individual Muslims cannot go around deciding who they want to kill, punish or torture.

Trial and punishment must be carried out by a lawful authority and a knowledgeable judge. Also, when looking at events in the Muslim World, it should be kept in mind that a long period of colonialism ended fairly recently in most Muslim countries. During this time, the people in these countries were culturally, materially and religiously exploited – mostly by the so-called “Christian” nations of the West. This painful period has not really come to an end in many Muslim countries, where people are still under the control of foreign powers or puppet regimes supported by foreign powers.

Also, through the media, people in the West are made to believe that tyrants like Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Moamar Qaddafi in Libya are “Islaamic” leaders – when just the opposite is true. Neither of these rulers even profess Islaam as an ideology, but only use Islaamic slogans to manipulate their powerless populations. They have about as much to do with Islaam as Hitler had to do with Christianity! In reality, many Middle Eastern regimes which people think of as being “Islaamic” oppress the practice of Islaam in their countries. So suffice it to say that “terrorism” and killing innocent people directly contradicts the teachings of Islaam.

Misconception: Muslims worship a different God

First of all, there is only One God who created the Universe and all of mankind.

Throughout history, people have created false gods in their minds and come up with false ideas about Almighty God, but regardless of this there is still only One True God – and He alone is worthy of worship. Unfortunately, some non-Muslims have come to incorrectly believe that Muslims worship a different God than Jews and Christians. This might be due to the fact that Muslims sometimes refer to God as “Allaah”, but also because over the centuries there have been many lies and distortions spread by the enemies of Islaam. In actuality, Muslims worship the God of Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus — the same God as Christians and Jews.

The word “Allaah” is simply the Arabic word for Almighty God and it is the same word that Arabic speaking Christians and Jews use to refer to God. If you pick up an Arabic translation of the Christian Bible, you will see the word “Allaah” where “God” is used in English. For more information on the word “Allaah”, please refer to the article: Who is Allaah? But even though Muslims, Jews and Christians believe in the same God, their concepts about Him differ quite a bit. For example, Muslims reject the idea of the Trinity or that God has become “incarnate” in the world. Also, the teachings of Islaam do not rely on or appeal to “mystery” or “paradox”, they are straightforward and clear.

Islaam teaches that God is Merciful, Loving and Compassionate and that He has no need to become man (nor do humans need for Him to). One of the unique aspects of Islaam is that it teaches that man can have a personal and fulfilling relationship with Almighty God without compromising the transcendence of God. In Islaam there is no ambiguity in Divinity, God is God and man is man. Muslims believe that God is the “Most Merciful”, and that he deals directly with human-beings without the need of any intermediary. Actually, the phrase “In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful” is one of the most repeated verses in the Holy Qur.aan. Additionally, the pure and straightforward teachings of Islaam demand that Almighty God be approached directly and without intermediaries. This is because Muslims believe that God is completely in control of everything and that He can bestow His Grace and Mercy on His creatures as He pleases – no Atonement, Incarnation or blood sacrifice is necessary. In summary, Islaam calls people to submit to the One True God and to worship Him alone without any partners.

Misconception: Muslims worship Muhammad

According to Islaamic belief, the Prophet Muhammad was the last Messenger of God.

He, like all of God’s prophets and messengers – such as Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus — was only a human being.

Christians came to the mistaken assumption that Muslims worship Muhammad by formulating an incorrect analogy – they worship Jesus so they assumed Muslims worship Muhammad. This is one of the reasons that they called Muslims by the incorrect name “Mohammedans” for so many years!

Muhammad, like Jesus, never claimed divine status. He called people to worship only Almighty God, and he continually emphasised his humanity so that people would not fall into the same errors as Christians did in regards to Jesus. In order to prevent his deification (being referred to as a god worthy of worship), the Prophet Muhammad always said to refer to him as “the Messenger of God and His slave”.

Muhammad was chosen to be God’s final messenger, to communicate the message not only in words but to be a living example of the message. Muslims love and respect him because he was of the highest moral character and he brought the Truth from God – which is the Pure Monotheism of Islaam. Even when Islaam was in its very early stages, God revealed that Muhammad “was sent as a mercy to all of mankind” – thus informing us that the message of Islaam would become very widespread. Muslims strive to follow the great example of Muhammad, peace be upon him, but they do not worship him in any way.

Additionally, Islaam teaches Muslims to respect all of God’s prophets and messengers – but respecting and loving them does not mean worshipping them. All true Muslims realize that all worship and prayer must be directed to Almighty God alone. Suffice it to say that worshipping Muhammad, or anyone else, along with Almighty God is considered to be the worst sin in Islaam. Even if a person claims to be Muslim, but they worship and pray to other than Almighty God, this cancels and nullifies their Islaam. The Declaration of Faith of Islaam makes it clear that Muslims are taught only to worship God.

This declaration is as follows: “There is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God, and Muhammad is the Messenger and Servant of God”.

Misconception: Islaam is a religion for Arabs only

The fastest way to prove that this is completely false is to state the fact that only about 15% to 20% of the Muslims in the world are Arabs.

There are more Indian Muslims than Arab Muslims, and more Indonesian Muslims than Indian Muslims!

Believing that Islaam is only a religion for Arabs is a myth that was spread by the enemies of Islaam early in its history. This mistaken assumption is possibly based on the fact that most of the first generation of Muslims were Arabs, the Qur.aan is in Arabic and the Prophet Muhammad was an Arab. However, both the teachings of Islaam and the history of its spread show that the early Muslims made every effort to spread their message of Truth to all nations, races and peoples.

Furthermore, it should be clarified that not all Arabs are Muslims and not all Muslims are Arabs. An Arab can be a Muslim, Christian, Jew, atheist – or of any other religion or ideology. Also, many countries that some people consider to be “Arab” are not “Arab” at all, such as Turkey and Iran (Persia). The people who live in these countries speak languages other than Arabic as their native tongues and are of a different ethnic heritage than the Arabs.

It is important to realise that from the very beginning of the mission of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, his followers came from a wide spectrum of individuals; there was Bilaal – the African slave; Suhayb – the Byzantine Roman; Ibn Saylam – the Jewish Rabbi; and Salmaan – the Persian.

Since religious truth is eternal and unchanging, and mankind is one universal brotherhood, Islaam teaches that Almighty God’s revelations to mankind have always been consistent, clear and universal. The Truth of Islaam is meant for all people regardless of race, nationality or linguistic background. Taking a look at the Muslim World, from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Malaysia to Afghanistan is enough to prove that Islaam is a Universal message for all of mankind, not to mention the fact that significant numbers of Europeans and Americans of all races and ethnic backgrounds are entering the fold of Islaam.

Misconception: Islaam degrades women

Even though many aspects of Islaam are misunderstood by non-Muslims, the ignorance, misinformation and incorrect assumptions that are made in regards to Islaam’s treatment of women are probably the most severe.

Numerous verses of the Qur.aan make it clear that men and women are equal in the sight of God. According to the teachings of Islaam, the only thing that distinguishes people in the sight of God is their level of God-consciousness. Due to this, many people are surprised to find out that Islaamic Law guaranteed rights to women over 1400 years ago and that women in Europe and America only obtained their rights recently. For example, Islaam clearly teaches that a woman is a full-person under the law, and is the spiritual equal of a male. Also, according to Islaamic Law, women have the right to own property, operate a business and receive equal pay for equal work. Women are allowed total control of their wealth, they cannot be married against their will and they are allowed to keep their own name when married.

Additionally, they have the right to inherit property and to have their marriage dissolved in the case of neglect or mistreatment. Also, Islaam does not consider a woman an “evil temptress”, and thus does not blame women for the “original sin”. Women in Islaam participate in all forms of worship that men participate in. Actually, the rights that Islaam gave to women over 1400 years ago were almost unheard of in the West until the 1900′s.

Less than fifty years ago in England and America, a woman could not buy a house or car without the co-signature of her father or husband! Additionally, Islaam gives great respect to women and their role in society; it gives them the right to own property, marry who they want and many other rights. Also, it should be mentioned that the Prophet Muhammad’s mission stopped many of the horrible practices in regards to women that were present in the society of his time. For example, the Qur.aan put an end to the pagan Arab practice of killing their baby daughters when they were born.

Additionally, Islaam put restrictions on the unrestricted polygamy of the Arabs of the time, and put many laws in place to protect the well-being of women. Today, most of the so-called reforms in the status of women came about after the West abandoned religion for secularism. Even those in the West who claim to follow the so-called “Judaeo-Christian tradition” really follow the values of Western liberalism, but just to a lesser degree than their more liberal countrymen.

If women in the Muslim World today don’t have their rights, it is not because Islaam did not give them to them. The problem is that in many places alien traditions have come to overshadow the teachings of Islaam, either through ignorance or the impact of Colonialisation.

Misconception: Muhammad wrote the Qur.aan

In addressing this misconception, it is interesting to note that no other religious scripture claims to be the direct word of Almighty God in total and as clear and as often as the Holy Qur.aan.

As the Qur.aan clearly says: “if had been written by man, you would have found many discrepancies therein”.

At the time the Qur.aan was revealed, the Arabs recognised that the language of the Qur.aan was unique and that it was distinctly different from the language normally used by the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Arabs of that time, by the way, were known for their beautiful poetry and Muhammad was known to be an illiterate man!

The Qur.aan clearly says that Muhammad was unable to read and write, so if this wasn’t true, certainly his contemporaries would have protested and rejected him. However, there are no reports of this. Certainly there were people who rejected Muhammad’s message, just like other prophets were rejected, but none for this reason. On the contrary, Muhammad, peace be upon him, had thousands of loyal followers and the results of their efforts spread Islaam from Spain to China in just over a century!

It is also interesting to note that even though the Qur.aan is not poetry, the Arabs more or less gave up writing poetry after it was revealed. It could be said that the Qur.aan is the piece of Arabic literature par execellance, and Muhammad’s contemporaries realised that they couldn’t out do it.

Additionally, it is easy to prove that Muhammad did not possess a great deal of the knowledge which is expounded in the Qur.aan: such as knowledge of historical events, previous prophets and natural phenomenon. The Qur.aan says in several places that Muhammad and his people did not know these things, so again, if this wasn’t true, certainly his contemporaries would have rejected his claims. Suffice it to say that not only is the Qur.aan the most memorised and well preserved scripture on earth, it is also unequalled in eloquence, spirtual impact, clarity of message and the purity of its truth.

Misconception: Islaam was spread by the sword

Many non-Muslims, when they think about Islaam, picture religious fanatics on camels with a sword in one hand and a Qur.aan in the other.

This myth, which was made popular in Europe during the Crusades, is totally baseless.

First of all, the Holy Qur.aan clearly says “Let there be no compulsion in religion”.

In addition to this, Islaam teaches that a person’s faith must be pure and sincere, so it is certainly not something that can be forced on someone. In debunking the myth that Islaam was “spread by the sword”, the (non-Muslim) historian De Lacy O’ Leary wrote: “History makes it clear, however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islaam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myths that historians have ever accepted.” (Islaam at the Crossroads, London, 1923, p. 8.).

It should also be known that Muslims ruled Spain for roughly 800 years. During this time, and up to when they were finally forced out, the non-Muslims there were alive and flourishing. Additionally, Christian and Jewish minorities have survived in the Muslim lands of the Middle East for centuries. Countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan all have Christian and/or Jewish populations. If Islaam taught that all people are supposed to be killed or forced to become Muslims, how did all of these non-Muslims survive for so long in the middle of the Islaamic Empire?

Additionally, if one considers the small number of Muslims who initially spread Islaam from Spain and Morocco in the West to India and China in the East, one would realise that they were far too few to force people to become converts of a religion against their will. Additionally, the great empire and civilisation established by the Muslims had great staying power, its citizens were proud to be part of it.

The spread of Islaam stands in contrast to the actions of the followers of Christianity, who since the time of the Emperor Constantine have made liberal use of the sword – often basing their conduct on Biblical verses. This was especially true of the colonisation of South America and Africa, where native peoples were systematically wiped-out or forced to convert. It is also interesting to note that when the Mongols invaded and conquered large portions of the Islaamic Empire, instead of destroying the religion, they adopted it. This is a unique occurrence in history – the conquerors adopting the religion of the conquered! Since they were the victors, they certainly could not have been forced to become Muslims! Ask any of the over one billion Muslims alive in the world today whether they were forced! The largest Muslim country in the world today is Indonesia — and there were never any battles fought there! So where was the sword? How could someone be forced to adhere to a spiritually rewarding and demanding religion like Islaam?

Misconception: Muslims hate Jesus

Many non-Muslims are surprised to find out that according to Muslim belief, Jesus, the son of Mary, is one of the greatest messengers of God.

Muslims are taught to love Jesus, and a person cannot be a Muslim without believing in the virgin birth and miracles of Jesus Christ, peace be upon him.

Muslims believe these things about Jesus not because of the Bible or any other religion, but simply because the Holy Qur.aan says these things about him. However, Muslims always emphasise that the miracles of Jesus, and all other prophets, were by “God’s permission”. This having been said, many Christians feel to not believe that Jesus is the “Son of God”, “God Incarnate” or the “Third Person” of the Trinity. This is because the Qur.aan clearly says that Almighty God does not have a “Son” — neither allegorically, physically, metaphorically or metaphysically.

The Pure Monotheism of Islaam rejects the notion of “defining” God (which is basically what the “Doctrine of the Trinity” does), saying that someone is “like” God or equal to him, or praying to someone else besides God. Also, Islaam teaches that titles such as “Lord” and “Saviour” are due to God alone.

In order to avoid misunderstanding, it should be clarified that when Muslims criticise the Bible or the teachings of Christianity, they are not attacking “God’s Word” or Jesus Christ, peace be upon him. From the Muslim point of view, they are defending Jesus and God’s Word, which they have in the form of the Qur.aan. Muslim criticism is targeted at writings that some people claim are God’s word, but Muslim’s simply don’t accept their claim that they are really God’s word.

Additionally, Christian doctrines such as the Trinity and the Atonement are criticised by Muslims precisely because they did not originate from Jesus, peace be upon him. In this way, Muslims are the true followers of Jesus, peace be upon him, because they defend him from the exaggerations of the Christians and teach the Pure Monotheism that Jesus himself followed.

Misconception: Islaam is fatalistic

Most Muslims find it rather odd that their religion, which strikes a beautiful balance between faith and action, could be accused of being “fatalistic”.

Perhaps this misconception came about because Muslims are taught to say “Praise be to God!” whenever anything good or bad happens. This is because Muslims know that everything comes from Almighty God, who is the All-Knowing Sustainer of the Universe, and that since a Muslim should rely completely on God, whatever happened must have been for the better. However, this does not mean that Muslims are not taught to take action in life, quite simply the opposite is true.

Islaam requires not only faith, but action — such as regular prayer, fasting and charity. To be more precise, in Islaam actions are part of one’s faith. Islaam totally rejects the extreme beliefs of some religions that teach that you shouldn’t go to a doctor when sick, but only pray for God to heal you. Islaam’s outlook is very positive, since it teaches that human beings can take positive action in this life. This was certainly what was taught by Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to his followers – since they obviously took the action of spreading Islaam from Spain to Morocco in a very short period of time.

Even though Islaam teaches that God knows what human beings will do before they do it, human beings still have free will.

Certainly God, who is All-Knowing and All-Wise, knows what is going to happen to everyone before it happens — to deny this would be a denial of God Himself. However, if human-beings did not have free will, it would be ridiculous and un-just for God to demand that they do certain things and believe certain things. Far from being “fatalistic”, Islaam teaches that a human-being’s main purpose in life is to be God-conscious. Due to this, Muslims worry less about material matters and view their earthly life in a proper perspective. This is due to the fact that Islaam clearly teaches that if people worship and depend on Almighty God alone, then they have nothing to worry about – since God wants what is best for them.

True freedom, from the Islaamic perspective, does not mean aimlessly following all of your human desires for food, drink, wealth and sex. On the contrary, freedom means being able to control one’s base desires and fulfilling them in a proper and legal way. This brings one’s desires in tune with what God wants for us – only then is a person truly free!