Reason why islam is right

None of them believe the Torah is the literal word of God anymore. It was error-free. Suggesting otherwise was blasphemy — and look up Leviticus to learn the consequences of that.

Amazingly, in the last 10 or 15 years, I've started seeing younger Muslims start to doubt the absolute infallibility of the Quran. Now, that seems like a small demotion — but it's actually huge. This is why I say I believe in Muslim reform, not Islamic reform. In the internet age, everything is exposed.

It's online, you can look it up in a dozen languages, multiple translations, the context and syntax and etymology of every word — any year-old can dig that up today. But when you look at the entire book as a whole and you say, "Well, is this divine or is this just divinely inspired? What is the likelihood that God really said this? If God created binary pulsars and time dilation and tectonic plate shifts, all these amazing things, why would he care if I eat pork or who I have sex with?

Skepticism, empirical analysis, critical thinking. I think your perspective here is desperately needed, though I have no idea how likely it is to resonate. Your book does a wonderful job of showing how religions are about a lot more than ideas. I say in the book that setting the stage for the conversation is often more important than the conversation itself. They were born into Muslim families, so being Muslim is a lot like a birth identity for them.

And when you criticize Islam or a problematic verse in the Quran, or joke about Muhammad, they take it personally as an attack on them , on their identity. In my book, I deliberately tried to first establish a connection based on shared identity, and then move to the ideas. I was raised the same way. I respect how important this identity feels and how real this experience is. We come from the same place.

Are there times when being honest might be counterproductive, and if so, how do we balance that tension? There's an argument about what's productive versus what is honest, and how do we balance that — how do we be constructive while also being honest. When you talk very seriously about something like, you know, a man living inside a fish, there's no way to really talk about that without sounding like you're mocking something.

That's just one example. But I would urge liberals to have this conversation openly, honestly, and responsibly. I get that. It conflates legitimate criticism of Islam with anti-Muslim bigotry. And it exploits victims of anti-Muslim bigotry by using their experiences for the political purpose of censoring criticism of Islam. Liberals today enjoy the benefits of the Enlightenment, which their predecessors brought about through great acts of blasphemy and rebellion, often at deadly cost to their lives and livelihoods.

Today, this conversation and this movement is happening within the Muslim world. Just let it happen. Our mission has never been more vital than it is in this moment: to empower through understanding. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. Please consider making a contribution to Vox today to help us keep our work free for all. Cookie banner We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from.

By choosing I Accept , you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. An atheist Muslim on what the left and right get wrong about Islam. Reddit Pocket Flipboard Email. This is a difficult line to walk, and Rizvi does an admirable job of it. Our lightly edited conversation follows. Ali Rizvi I grew up in a moderate to liberal Muslim family in three Muslim-majority countries that were culturally very different.

Sean Illing And your sense was that both the left and the right were failing to capture this distinction? Ali Rizvi Neither side was making that distinction. Sean Illing How does your book split this difference? Ali Rizvi I think all of us have the right to believe what we want, and we must respect that right, but that doesn't necessarily mean we have to respect the beliefs themselves. Sean Illing You might also say that religion helps to create and reinforce culture, but I take your point.

Ali Rizvi Sure, and there are aspects of this that can be positive. Ali Rizvi I think the left has a blind spot when it comes to Islam and the right has a blind spot when it comes to Muslims. Ali Rizvi I get that it comes from a good place. Sean Illing And what of the right?

Ali Rizvi Those on the right paint all Muslims with the same brush. Ali Rizvi I'm going to paraphrase my friend Maajid Nawaz on this. Ali Rizvi Foreign policy is a factor. Sean Illing Right, but again, it becomes awfully tempting to analyze this disorder in a vacuum. May 1GodChristeverLove come into your heart, waiting for you in heaven. I am not surprised at all to see people qoute verse with no knowledge what so ever taking things out context and trying to use this verse to support their claim.

You are spreading the wrong words and taking the wrong interpretations of these ayahs. Let me tell you their correct translations and their backgrounds. Note that they were revealed at different times which of course means different scenario each time.

Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not acknowledge the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture, until they give the tribute willingly while they are humbled. Background: The verse is a command to fight the Byzantine Romans and other hostile powers who were planning an invasion against the Muslims in Arabia.

O believers! Take neither Jews nor Christians as guardians—they are guardians of each other. Surely Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people. Background: After the Prophet sallAllahu aalyhi wa sallam had settled in Madina, he had entered into a treaty with Jews and Christians living nearby which required that they would neither fight against Muslims nor help any other tribe at war with them, rather, they would join Muslims to fight against them.

Similarly, Muslims will not fight them nor help anyone against them, rather, would defend them against the aggressors. For some time, both parties kept adhering to the treaty. But, the Jews could not observe the terms of the treaty any longer because of their conspiratorial nature and anti-Islam temperament.

They made a secret deal with the pagans of Makkah against Muslims and wrote them a letter inviting them to their fortress. When the Prophet sallAllahu aalyhi wa sallam came to know about this conspiracy, he dispatched a posse of Mujahideen to confront them. These Jews from Banu Qurazyzah were, on the one hand, conspiring with the disbelievers of Makkah, while on the other, having infiltrated among Muslims, they had succeeded in making pacts of friendship with many of them.

This was their front of spying for the disbelievers of Makkah against Muslims. Revealed thereupon was this ayah which stopped Muslims from indulging in deep friendship with Jews and Christians, so that they could be deprived of having access to sensitive information about Muslims.

At that time some companions including Ubadah ibn Samit, openly announced the cancellation of their treaty obligations as well as their support for abandonment of any close friendship in the future. As for the hypocrites who had their pragmatic relationship with Muslims, or people whose hearts had yet to taste the sweetness of genuine faith, they apprehended dangers in breaking relationships with Jews and Christians lest the conspiracy hatched by the disbelievers and the Jews succeeded and Muslims were overpowered in which case it would be necessary that they keep their relationships balanced both ways to avoid any problems for them later on.

It was on this basis that Abdullah ibn Ubaiyy ibn Salul had said that he saw danger in cutting off relationship with these people and, therefore, he cannot do that. Revealed thereupon was the ayah May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded? Background: This is a common expression in Arabic to show extreme disagreement.

Verse is not obvious without knowing some history about when and why it was revealed. This verse and the rest of the al-Tawbah Sourah or chapter of Quran was revealed as a response to the brutal crimes committed by the rulers of Mecca and their alliance.

When he approached Mecca , some Muslims started shouting that now it is our time to take revenge. Therefore, no kind of violence occurred. When Prophet Muhammad entered Mecca , the Meccians gathered as a crowd in front of him.

He said: What do you think I am going to do to you? He said: Go you are free. Prophet Muhammad was as strongest at that time, and his enemy who gathered army after army and attacked him to eliminate him was a weakest at that time. And it is well known that Prophet Muhammad escaped from Mecca and left to Madina because the Meccians wanted to kill him. The promise of casting awe and fear into the hearts of the disbelievers in this verse was made in the background of the battle of Uhud when the disbelievers of Arabia marched back to Makkah without any obvious reason and inspite of defeat overtaking Muslims Baydawi.

Al-Baqarah And kill them wherever you find them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out. And Al-Fitnah is worse than killing.

But if they attack you, then kill them. Such is the recompense of the disbelievers. So if you look at the context — it is very clear that it is not against any religion — it is mentioning fighting those who fight you. The fifth verse of the Surah rendered below, taken in isolation amounts to an open ended command to kill the pagans:. However, the preceding and succeeding verses indicate that it was addressed to those pagan tribes who were repeatedly breaking the Hudaibiyyah Peace Treaty.

This is, however, totally lost in their flat reading, whether in the original Arabic or translation. One must read the long opening passage first fourteen verses of this Surah in the thematic order as attempted below to comprehend its historical relevance and defensive character — none of which apply this day:.

Whenever they the hostile Arabs came upon the Muslims, they defied the peace treaty of Hudaibiyyah, C.

They pleased the Muslims with their mouths, but there was hatred in their hearts []. The revelation authorizes the Muslims to kill such archetypes of defiance kufr who broke their oaths treaty obligations after pledging them, and defamed their religion [] and who had done all they could to drive the Messenger away from Mecca and were the first to attack []. It assures them that God will help them against their enemies, bring disgrace upon them and soothe the bosoms of those who believe [].

All else self inflict hell. We shall find out eventually. Christianity is just a word, if jesus was alive and you asked him about christianity he will ask the same. As Christians we must not offend or insult others , but pray God He brought peace into this weird sinful world. Those who do only good without making mistakes No one becomes a Muslim by name or dress.

Beware non Christians, hell is forever. I tell you nothing in the Quran comes close to what your god tells people to do in your bible. Brother the Quran claims that to be true as well. So you must choose your battles wisely.

The Quran states:. And mention in the Book, Moses. Indeed, he was chosen, and he was a messenger and a prophet.

And We called him from the side of the mount at [his] right and brought him near, confiding [to him]. And We gave him out of Our mercy his brother Aaron as a prophet. Can you not see the fact that you would rather follow a manmade book that a book revealed by God is utterly stupid? Mate, did you even READ the full chapters to understand the context? You know that just give me the verses, and I will correct your foolishness. U just hear from the media like a dump idiots. Cuz if u really studied your religion u would have found verses worst than any other religion.

Islam opened the door for ending slavery by making it an act of charity to free slaves. According to Islamic teachings, no free person can be enslaved. Islam also improved the condition of slaves. It was unlawful to separate a mother from her child. Children born to a slave-master were deemed free, and their mother would gain her freedom upon the death of her master.

Now for a little computer science. If Prophet Muhammad SAW had copied the message from another religion, it would have all the qualities of that message and more of the inconsistencies that people point to regarding those messages.

If you read the Quran in earnest, you will find that it does not have these inconsistencies. Note that I said [In Earnest]. If you read it without being fair, you will find what you are looking for. Furthermore, as noted in the first paragraph, footnotes can explain the context of the verses. Christians changed thier own bible for thier own use. And Jesus Christ predicted godless islam. Saint John Nooo Jesus was not muslim. Thats why many Christians and jews dont buy your religion.

Islam is not a peaceful religion, use veil or you are prostitued in Allahs eyes. Dont forget who killed Christians in Its was because of your lovely religion.

One does not realize that these are just names of religions ad names change. It is the belief in God that unites us. And please do not separate Allah and God or Yahweh.

They are the same word except in different languages. Your history is off. Research: eternalGodproof. Now you understand. By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer. E pfizer vaccine being developed by a muslim couple.

You are liar… because you said that you are Indian christian that means you are hindu and made a comment for defaming muslim …. I challenge you that with the promise of your mother and father…. Srilanka-anti muslim riots Srilanka terrorism India-anti muslim riots Indian terrorism For what reason people of Syria Afghanistan libya Palestine Iraq Iran Lebanon Sudan Africa—was looted and killed and raped , bombed at their house…made them refugee ….

And you might be concerned about historical facts Muslims exterminated million innocents since godless islam was invented. You can for who took your property, wife, land, And everything you own. God sent Moses to egypt to save Israel not to fight because Egyptians are disobeying him. God have power to destroy everyone disobeying him, but if God did it what is meaning of judgement day. Think Wise. Who killed Christians and wiped out the Christians from their own lands?

Its was muslims. Your religion force people too cover themself because we are haram in your eyes if we dont cover us. Turkey invade syria, Lebanon, karabach, they deny what they did too Christians. Even today muslims kill and use violens against Christians. I have seen it. Sorry but your religion is not better. So who killed Jews and forced them out of their land?

And who killed Muslims and forced them out of their land with the excuse of religion. WHAT is it with you and repeating the same lines over and over against?! Do you know the meaning of that word? It means a Muslim girl. I may feel pressed by the culture, but not the religion. And let me tell you the difference: The culture — sweetheart — is created by patriarchal men, while religion is the words of God.

Zina adultery is indeed a sin, but it is also a sin in Christianity. And bhai, we all agree that every part of religion is interpreted differently, so where did you come from repeating the same things over an over again.

Beating women? Are you speaking about Surah An — Nisa? Let me define it for you since you seem to be so naive. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them first , Next , refuse to share their beds, And last beat them lightly ; but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means of annoyance : For Allah is Most High, great above you all.

Beating women for no reason is indeed unjustified and wrong, but An — Nisa did say for no reason. Were you aware of that? And since you know soooooo much about Islam, did you also know that pride, ignorance, and arrogance are a grave sin — including in Christianity as well? And for the record, pedophilia is indeed man-made and it is not excused in Islam either. Because the world is so cruel and tempting — especially in pre — Arab — it was recommended to get children married off when they hit puberty — against, culture.

And the age gaps are not only in men being the oldest, it could be women being the oldest like any other couple in this world. Have you ever tried to even understand Muslims or did you just read translations off of media? I pity you for having bad neighbours but as i said before you cant blame the religion as their are nice muslim neighbours all around the world and just because you have met some ignorant ones, then your thoughts are extremely biased and need reformation.

What neighbors issue has to do with Islam or terrorism? Bro u r crazy U need to go to a psychologist. Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is One God! Therefore you shall adore the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

These Submitters, collectively, constitute the only religion acceptable to God. A criterion of the true submitters is that they will find nothing objectionable in the Quran.

We have now received the long awaited answers to our most urgent questions—who we are, the purpose of our lives, how we came into this world, where do we go from here, which religion is the right one, was it evolution or creation, etc. What about all the people since Adam who did not receive the complete scripture? From now to the end of the world, A. Appendix 25 , it is estimated that the total world population will exceed 75,,, World population from now to the end of the world Satan was ignorant of the fact that God alone possesses the ability to be a god, and that there is much more to godhood than he realized.

It was the ego—arrogance augmented by ignorance— that led Satan to believe that he could take care of a dominion, as a god, and run it without disease, misery, war, accidents, and chaos. Yet, the minute egoistic minority that agreed with him to various extents were in the billions.

Thus, a profound dispute erupted within the Heavenly Community After giving the rebels sufficient chances to denounce their crime and submit to Him, God decided to exile the hard core rebels on a space ship called Earth, and give them yet another chance to redeem themselves. If you claim that you can fly a plane, the best way to test your claim is to give you a plane and ask you to fly it.

While the vast majority of the guilty creatures took advantage of this opportunity, a miniscule minority consisting of about billion creatures failed to take advantage of this offer The number of angels is so enormous, even the angels do not know how many of them there are; only God knows their number They agreed to kill their egos, come to this world to perform a submissive role, as an expiation for their blasphemy. The horse, the dog, the tree, the sun, the moon, the stars, as well as deformed and retarded children are among the intelligent creatures who denounced their crime and repented:.

Do you not realize that to God prostrates everything in the heavens and the earth; the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the trees, the animals, as well as many people? Many people, however, are destined for retribution. The dog has no ego; it will wag its tail to its owner, no matter how rich or poor the owner might be. The sun rises and sets every day at precisely the times prescribed by God.

The moon follows its synchronized orbit around the earth, without the slightest deviation. The human body—a temporary garment—belongs to the Earth; as such, it is a submitter. The heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs, perform their functions without our control.

The jinn companion represents Satan and constantly promotes his point of view , Whenever a human being is born, a jinn is born and is assigned to the new human. When a jinn being is born and assigned to a human being, the jinn remains a constant companion of the human until the human dies. The jinn is then freed, and lives on for a few centuries.

Both humans and jinns are required to worship God alone Most Gracious, Most Merciful Even in our worldly dimension, any enterprise expects its employees to be loyal and devoted to the welfare of the enterprise.

If an employee is not totally dedicated to the enterprise, or is shown to have divided loyalties, he is immediately dismissed. It was immense mercy from God that He granted us this additional chance to denounce our crime and redeem ourselves. The divine plan called for bringing the rebels into another existence, where they have no recollection of the heavenly feud. If we travel towards the Sun 93,, miles at the speed of light, we will reach it in eight minutes.

If we keep going, we will reach the border of our Milky Way Galaxy after , years at the speed of light. As if our universe were not vast enough, God created six more, even larger universes surrounding our universe , God then informed Satan that a tiny mote within the smallest and innermost universe, the planet Earth, shall be his dominion. It should also be noted that the number of rebels who repented was so vast, that the planet earth could not possibly accommodate all of them.

As it is, the animals vastly outnumber the humans on this planet. It would take an unmanagable earth to accommodate all the repentant rebels. Hence the placement of uncountable decillions of creatures in outer space. God then assigned the first person, Adam, to that body. When God informed the angels that they will be serving the humans throughout the test period—guarding them, driving the winds, distributing the rain and provisions, etc. While the empty soulless bodies of Adam and Eve remained here on earth, their souls, the real persons, resided in Heaven.

The rest is history. Satan: Father of All the Jinns Putting the jinns and the humans to the test stipulated that Satan shall reproduce whenever a human being is born. As mentioned above, every time a human being is born, a jinn being is born to serve as a constant companion of the human person. On the Day of Judgment, the jinn companion serves as a witness against the human counterpart ; , God did not leave the human being without preparation.

To help the humans in their final chance to reconsider their blasphemy, every person is born with instinctive knowledge that God ALONE, and no one else, is our Lord and Master In addition to our built-in instinct to worship God alone, God sent messengers to help us redeem ourselves.

With all these elements in view, we can appreciate the fact that the only unforgivable offense if maintained until death is idol worship: believing that anyone besides God possesses any power.

Anyone who dies before the age of forty is chosen by God for redemption due to circumstances known only to God. Anyone who dies before the age of 40 goes to Heaven , Appendix When Moses went to Pharaoh, he was supported by such miracles as the turning of his staff into a serpent.

It was divine wisdom that separated the Miracle of the Quran from Muhammad by 14 centuries. Proof of Authenticity: Physical, Tangible, Irrefutable. The total occurrence of this most important word is shown at the end of the Quran to be This total is a multiple of Here are a few examples of such advance scientific information:.

The earth is egg-shaped , , The sun is a source of light, while the moon reflects it , , The proportion of oxygen diminishes as we climb towards the sky The universe started out as a gaseous mass Evolution is a fact; within a given species, evolution is a divinely guided process , , , , , , , Appendix No Nonsense Equally miraculous is the absence of any nonsense in the Quran. This is particularly significant in view of the dominance of ignorance and superstition at the time of revelation of the Quran.

For example, the most respected exegesis among the traditional Muslims is that of Ibn Kathir. As recently as , and in the same location where the Quran was revealed, the president of the Islamic University of Medina, Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Ben Baz, declared that the earth is flat and standing still see insert!!

We learn from the Quran that happiness is an exclusive quality of the soul. Thus, a body that attains all the material successes it longs for—money, power, fame, etc. Happiness depends totally on the degree of growth and development attained by the soul, the real person.

The Quran provides a detailed map towards perfect happiness for both body and soul, both in this world and in the eternal Hereafter Appendix They are those who believe and lead a righteous life. For them happiness in this life, and in the Hereafter.

If the object of worship is one and the same, there will be absolute unity among all believers. It is the human factor, i. Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who 1 believes in God, 2 believes in the Last Day, and 3 leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord; they have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. All else is hell. Who are Submitters and what is Submission? But we hope that this is the right time for you to check out their true meaning.

You may be surprised to find out that you have actually been a Submitter all your life but have not realized you were one, God willing, until you read this article. A Submitter can be defined as a person who submits to the will of God. The state of Submission, which can only take place between the person and God Almighty, is considered to be the only acceptable form of worship by God.

Let us meditate on God, His glorious attributes, who is the basis of everything in this universe as its Creator, who is fit to be worshiped as Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient and self existent conscious being, who removes all ignorance and impurities from the mind and purifies and sharpens the intellect.

Submitters only in Islam? This is a concept some of the traditional Muslims will fiercely object to, even though it is in the Quran, and we experience it constantly. They are not all the same; among the followers of the scripture, there are those who are righteous.

One of the reasons for this objection could be due to the implication of the terminology used. However, there are Christians who consider this idea to be blasphemous, and consequently they believe that Jesus was only a messenger of God.

Similarly, there are people in other religions who believe in God Almighty, believe that they are accountable for their works, and they are righteous. A criterion of the true Submitters is that they will find nothing objectionable in the basic Quranic teachings when they encounter them. All these people are Submitters, and they collectively constitute the only religion acceptable to God.

We make no distinction among any of them. To Him alone we are submitters. Minimum Criteria There are many more people out there who are Submitters in heart, but we may not be aware of them. Furthermore, they themselves may not know where to fit in. How can one know if he or she might qualify to be called a Submitter? The minimum criteria to be a Submitter are given in the following verses. Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who 1 believes in GOD, and 2 believes in the Last Day, and 3 leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord.

They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve. Organizations The Submitters have set up non-profit organizations over the years so that they can work in the cause of God more efficiently. Masjid Tucson is the masjid or mosque for the Community of the Submitters in Tucson. The Submitters follow the religion of Abraham It was the religion of Moses and Jesus and Muhammad. It was the religion of all of the prophets and messengers.

All of them were Submitters to God, and God alone. How to Become a Member? We are not a professional religious group or organization.

Our aim is to encourage people to worship God alone and guide them to the truth in His scripture. To be a Submitter, you do not need any membership, nor do you have to pay any dues. But it does mean the text cannot easily be dismissed as irrelevant. In an ideal world, we might wish that secular Muslims win the war of ideas, but it is difficult to see how this might happen.

If Islam is fundamentally different than Christianity, then there is little reason to think it will or even should follow a similar path of a reformation then enlightenment. What does this mean for everyone else?

It means Western observers need to do something uncomfortable and difficult. Contact us at letters time. In the 16 years that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's party has been in power, the number of religious high schools across Turkey has increased more than tenfold. He has repeatedly talked of bringing up a pious generation.

But over the past few weeks, politicians and religious clerics here have been discussing whether pious young people have started to move away from religion. One day, Merve's life changed when, after waking up very depressed, she cried for hours and decided to pray. As she prayed, she realised to her shock that she doubted God's existence. She is not alone. One professor has been quoted as saying that more than a dozen female students wearing headscarves have come up to him to declare they are atheists in the past year or so.

Today, I am an atheist. I initially wanted to find some logic in Islam, but I could not. Then I started questioning God too. I used to support the Islamist government here. But oppression breeds revolution. They wanted to oppress us and we started to react. But it is not just atheism that students are embracing.