From: hubey@pilot.njin.net (Hubey)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.arabic
Subject: Re:  The Question of Culture
Date: 27 Dec 92 23:08:54 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

In article <1992Dec27.210558.17047@netcom.com> zmbenhal@netcom.com (Zeyd M. Ben-Halim) writes:

> I have no idea how far this "du'aa" dates. A "du'aa" is a prayer in the sense
you are asking God for something. You can ask for anything you want but I guess
this is one asks for blessing for the Prophet and his family, the same blessing
> God has already bestowed on Ibrahim and his family (his children and their
> cildren and so on). The children of Ibrahim gave us many prophets and good
> people thus they are blessed.

Thank you very much again. In that case, the question is for
anyone who knows; Does this dua (prayer) go back to the
early days in Yathrib ? Quba ? Medina ?


> >If the first one is 'descendants' is the second one descendants? If
> 
>From my understanding of Arabic, Yes. Frankly, I don't see what your objection
> is.

Frankly, I'm still looking for a consistent and correct or at
least agreeable interpretation. So far we now have family,
extended family and descendants. Descendants, according to
Middle Eastern, Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition, means all
the Semites. Doesn't it ? Jews (or the Judeans or Israelites)
are descended from Ishak and Arabs from Ismail. Is this
correct ? So are the descendants of Abraham that have been
blessed and are being blessed all the Semites ?

> >family, and if Moses and Jesus are members of this extended family,
> >then I suppose all the Semitic peoples also belong to this extended
> >family. Does this sound correct ?
> 
> I wouldn't mix anthropology with religious doctrine, they don't necessarily
> lead from one to the other.

I'm looking to be enlightened as far as religious doctrine goes. If
it is separate and apart from anthropolgy, does it have its own
logic? If so, I have not yet been able to comprehend it. That's
why I'm looking to be enlightened.

So, the same question. Did God bless the Semites (descendants of
Abraham)? If so why the supplication for Mohammad's family
to be blessed, since they would have already been blessed ?


> >So now, the Indonesians, Pakistanis and Turks are asking God daily
> >God's for blessings on Semites. Is this correct ?
> 
No, they are asking God to bless the Prophet and his family like he had blessed
> Ibrahim and his family. Ibrahim's descendants have already been blessed
> whether you like it or not.

I'm confused again. Ibrahim's descendants have already been blessed
(which includes either all the Semites or only the prophet families,
which is still not clear), but we're praying for them to be blessed;
and especially for the Prophet MOhammad's family (extended ?) to
be blessed like Ibrahim's family, but they have already been
blessed. 


> What IS your question?

Please see above and all my other posts.


> Hubal was a pagan idol worshipped by Meccans before Islam, hence the subtle
> dig in the ribs and the smiley from me.

I know what Hubal was, believe or not. I ignored the pointless slander
coming from a supposed 'true Muslim'.

Peace.
-- 

	mark	

   hubey@amiga.montclair.edu         hubey@apollo.montclair.edu
   hubey@pilot.njin.net               ...!rutgers!pilot!hubey