From: suheil@athena.mit.edu (Suheil I Laher)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam
Subject: Re: Confusion about "Islam"
Date: 21 Jan 93 17:10:09 GMT
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In article <1jkn72INN36i@life.ai.mit.edu>, davidh@cascade.ens.tek.com (David
Hatcher) writes: 
|> In article <1jc8juINNbt1@life.ai.mit.edu> suheil@athena.mit.edu (Suheil I
Laher) writes: 
|> >Although these things are compulsory for all mankind, the first
|> >priority for a non-believer is to teach him the right belief, because
|> >the right belief is a condition for acceptance of worship.
|> 
|>   Please, as you read this, understand that I'm really trying not to
|> offend anyone. I have real questions that I'm trying to find real
|> answers to. So if I am being offense, in my heart of hearts, I'm really
|> not wanting to be.
Fine. All such questions are welcome.
|>   So, I don't mean to pick on this poster, and I'm not really. But if no 
|> one minds, I'd like to use the direction that I think that Suheil is going
|> here to help point towards some of the confusions that I'm still having 
|> about Islam.
If something seems unclear, it is your right to ask. Perhaps I did not convey the
information as well as I should have.
|>   From what I'm seeing, Suheil gave a list of a bunch of rules and regulations
|> that Muslims "ought" to follow. Is "must" follow too strong of a word? Now 
|> where this points towards the confusion that I'm having is that in reading 
|> the list, I do not feel drawn towards "La illah illallah". In fact, for the 
|> most part, very little within that list points me towards "La illah illallah", 
This is actually one of the points I was trying to make - that somebody new to
Islam should not be burdened immediately with each and every regulation - the
emphasis should be first on teaching and explaining to him/her the right belief.
Then, one he/she has become convinced of the truth of the Islamic belief, he/she
will have no problem in accepting each and every injuction prescribed by
Allah(SWT) and His Messenger(pbuh). All of the rules I gave are based on one or
more of Qur'an, Sunnah, consensus of Muslim scholars, and logical reasoning. I
might have explained the proofs and wisdom of each of them, but as you will
agree, the message would have become extremely lengthy. Thus, I will inshaAllah
address any individual concerns as they arise. The point is, rules and
regulations of themselves are not what should draw one to religion - in fact
there are many atheists who live extremely "moral" lives- what one should examine
in a religion are its basic principles and teachings. But, we also need rules and
regulations by which to live our lives, and these (for a Muslim at least)
necessarily follow from the basic beliefs and are consistent with them. I am
sorry if my earlier message seemed too formalized, but I hope at least that it
was of benefit to Muslims reading this group.
|>  There is something I do that I can't help. What I do is that for some reason
|> I find that I do not trust the words of people who talk about "absolutes"
|> when what they are saying does not lead my inner eye towards my Beloved God. 
|> It's just a test that I have come to find as being, for the most part, pretty 
|> reliable.  And often, the cry of those who want me to convert to Islam is not 
|> pointing me towards my Beloved God. What I feel like I'm being pointed towards 
|> instead of Allah are dogma's beliefs and traditions as the only true way one 
|> may worship God.
Like I said, I am not inventing these laws and rules myself - they are all based
on the sources I mentioned. Muslim scholars have written extensive books
discussing the wisdom of each and every prescribed practice of Islam.
|>   One of the areas where this confussion is leading me is that I have
|> seen and experienced the essence of "La illah illallah" within other
|> spiritual traditions. Clearly Allah is well and alive through out all
|> of His Creation. And as far as I have seen, that includes other spiritual
|> traditions as well. I cry for joy when I see the light of my Beloved
|> shining like he does within the hearts and souls of so many, regardless
|> of the spiritual traditions, or "way" in which they have learned to
|> worship and praise Allah.
Even Islam teaches that to believe in Allah is something natural for all people-
the important point is what exactly you believe Allah is. Especially among the
earlier peoples, the Prophets came not so much to tell them to belive in ALlah,
but to purify and cleanse their belief of false ideas, and to teach them the way
of total submission to ALlah alone. For example, the pagan arabs before Islam
believed in the existence of Allah, but had contaminated their faith by
worshipping idols and ascribing them as "daughters" to Allah (Exalted be ALlah
above that which the Wrongdoers say about Him). Similarly, if somebody believes
(ALlah forbid) that ALlah had a son, to a Muslim this is as repulsive as idol
worship - for anything which seeks to compromise the Oneness and exclusive DIvine
Attributes of Allah is polytheism.
|>   And how, without being with form, may God be contained within only one
|> spiritual form of worship anyway? Why, if God is so clearly living within
|> the hearts and souls of so many through out the world, regardless of
|> if they are tied to the 5 Pillers of Islam or not, is God so very alive
|> within their hearts and souls?
Allah is one, but ALlah has prescribed certain things - just as ALlah has willed
that fire should usually be hot - you cannot say that this limits the power of
Allah. Previous prophets all had the same faith (beliefs) but there were some
differences with the way in which they practised their faith. Now, after the
coming of Muhammad (pbuh), the final prophet, all previous ways of practice
are abrogated, for Muhammad (pbuh) was sent to the whole of mankind, unlike the
previous prophets who were sent to specific groups of people.
|>   I find myself back to the question of "what IS Islam"? I've read a lot 
|> of very good email and postings. But still, why is it that someone like 
|> myself can know and experiences the Islamic essence and experience of "La 
|> illah illallah", with out the dogma, beliefs and traditions that so
|> many call the religion of Islam? And why is it that so many outside of
|> the Mulsim religion also know and experience Allah in this way if the 
|> 5 Piller is Islam, as it is practiced and manifested within the Muslim 
|> religion, is the only true way one may worship and praise God?
DO not forget the second half of the kalima - Muhammad RasuluLlaah. It is
necessary for a Muslim to believe in the Prophethood of Muhammad (pbuh) to be a
Muslim. The Qur'an reports people of hell saying (meaning of which is):
They shall say: Yea! indeed there came to us a warner,
 but we rejected (him) and said: Allah has not revealed
 anything, you are only in a great error.
So, belief in ALlah alone and not in all the messengers is not enough to be a
Muslim, as is confirmed by other verses. I can continue on this topic if there is
a demand, inshaALlah.

|> 
|> 
|> -David Hatcher

Suheil (suheil@mit.edu)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.islam