Islam
From Sebomenoi
"Surely those who believe, and the Jews, and the Christians and the Sabaeans - those among them who believe in Allah and the hereafter, and who works righteous deeds, will receive their recompense from their Lord, they have nothing to fear nor will they grieve" sura 2:62
FAST FACTS:
ONLY ONE knows the hearts of all men.
JUDAISM does not teach that Allah has any offspring, or ever will.
JEWS are humans.
JEWS are not perfect.
JEWS don't claim to be perfect.
JEWS do not worship Ezra.
JEWS have not corrupted the Torah.
JEWISH LAW does not teach that Jews are superior.
TORAH does not teach that Allah only loves Jews.
JEWS are not a race.
EUROPEAN JEWS [Ashkenazim] ARE Jews.
Those who CONVERT TO BEING A JEW are fully Jewish.
JEWS do not teach that it is necessary to become a Jew. _________________________________________________
Though this section regards Islam, it is important to clarify the fundamental beliefs of the historical faith of Israel, so that one may see the fundamental commonalities between historical Islam and the historical perspectives of the people of Israel from the outset.
The following represent foundations of the proper historical faith of the People of Israel as it is recorded in the Mishneh Torah in the beginning of the section called Hilkhoth Yesodei haTorah (Foundations of the Torah):
{translation mine:}
"There are included in them 10 commandments, six commandments to be done, and 4 restrictive commandments; and this is their listing:
1) to KNOW that the Venerable-Authority [Aloah in Hebrew / Allah in Arabic] truly exists.
2) not to conjecture in one's thoughts that there exists a venerable-authority ('god') other than the TRANSCENDENT ONE [Y-H-W-H in Hebrew]. ** Isn't this essentially the same central point of the Shahadah? La illaha illaallah.
3) to KNOW His Absolute Oneness
4) to love Him
5) to fear from Him
6) to sanctify His Name
7) not to desecrate His Name
8) not to destroy things which have His Name upon them
9) to hearken the prophet who speaks in His Name
10) not to try him [ the prophet ]."
Which of these foundations of the faith would exclude one from being included among those mentioned in the passage from the Quran referred to above? The only issue I can imagine is the issue of listening to a prophet. In that case, every muslim MUST realize, just as every Christian should know, that it is impossible for anyone to know the heart of another individual, other than that individual himself and the Creator alone. With this in mind, a Muslim must consider us sincerely ignorant; for were one who loves the Creator to know of his prophet, how is it possible that he could knowingly reject a messenger of the Almighty? If Muhhammad truly is the final prophet and Issa [Yehoshua / Jes'us] truly is the messiah, you must believe a person when he says that the fact of the matter is truly unknown to him, AND THEN try to understand why it is unknown to him (Otherwise, by claiming to know our hearts and intentions better than we ourselves do, you are in effect claiming that you have an ability which only Allah has -- that you are a knower of hearts, as only He is, but He is exalted above all comparison; None is like Him). In the case that the reality is that Muhhammad, Issa, or anyone else is or was a prophet of the Almighty, then of course I accept them, and love them -- but in the manner that Muhhammad has been presented to me personally, it is NOT that I reject him as a prophet, but rather, that I do not understand how he could be. If you as a Muslim do not understand how this can be so, then take Jes'us for example: A Muslim and a historically observant Jew would never accept Jes'us as he is represented by historical Christianity to have been a prophet, but Jes'us as he is spoken of in the Quran is clearly presented as prophet in a manner acceptable to Muslims; and as a Jew, the "Jes'us" of history is completely different (anti-thetical) from the Jes'us of traditional Christianity. You see, the Jes'us of Christianity is like a blasphemer in the eyes of a historically observant Jew (or muslim), but the Jes'us (Issa) of the Quran is certainly not a heretic in the eyes of a Jew, and is clearly one who called others to worship the Almighty Creator alone. May the Venerable ONE bring peace quickly in our days with the opening of all our eyes to history as it was, reality as it is, and eachother as we truly are - with no more misconceptions; in all things, may He be exalted above all else in our lives. Yishtabahh Shemo (Hhamdulillah). Reliability of the Torah (the "Law of Moses")
Qur'an's Testimony about Jewish Bible [Tanakh]
Anti-Zionism and Antisemitism in the Contemporary Islamic Milieu ~ by Shaykh Abdul Hadi Palazzi
"Why Doesn't the Creator Destroy Idolatry?"
Muslim Comments on Jews and Judaism
Difference between Geire Toshavim and Dhimmi Status
Comparison of Israelite, Islamic, and Christian Theisms __________________ [My Take on the 'State of Israel']
External Sites:
http://www.arabsforisrael.com/
Two refugee populations in the Arab-Israeli conflict
Jewish refugees from Middle Eastern countries
Why did Jews go to Israel from other Middle Eastern countries?
Jewish Exodus from Arab Lands [Wiki]
The vast majority of Muslims claim that the Torah is corrupt. I'm curious to know what these corruptions are, from a Muslim perspective, apart from what Muslims believe to be historical fallicies; for as I see it, there is practically no difference between the fundamentals of Islam [according this word's literal meaning, - those fundamentals which were din even before Muhhammad) and the fundamentals of the Torah even as it is today. For example, in relation to the Unity of the Creator, see the following quote from a "translation" of the Quran in comparison to what the historical Jewish Bible teaches on the same topic, as it exists today:
"Say: [1] Say: He, Allah, is One. [2] Allah is He on Whom all depend. [3] He begets not, nor is He begotten. [4] And none is like Him." translated by M. H. Shakir from the Quran in sura 112 vs 1-4
[1] Deuter. 6:4, 4:35-39, 32:12, 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 22:32; Isaiah 43:10-12; Isaiah 44:6-8; Isaiah 45:5-7; [2] [3] Malachi 3:6; Psalm 102:26-27 / Numbers 23:19; Hosea 11:9 / Isaiah 66:1; 2 Chronicles 2:6, 6:18 [4] Isaiah 40:18, 25; 46:5; Jeremiah 10:6-7; Deuter. 33:26; Exodus 8:10; Psalm 40:5
If my current perspective is correct, it stands to reason that matters of history (the historical occurences) are the main issues of conflict between Muslims and those who uphold the Torah with sincerity before the Creator; and that the fundamentals of these two "religions" are essentially the same. Indeed, Avraham ben haRambam (son of Maimonides) made a statement more or less to this effect in his book "Milhhamoth HaShem" regarding the "Islam" and "Judaism" of his time. If this is the case, then isn't there great potential for these two powerful communities to affect the world for the better by working together AT LEAST on those fundamental issues which they have incommon (ei: ...that they should overcome those ideas and cultures which are contrary to the fundamentals which "Islam" and "Judaism" have in common, before trying to overcome eachother.)
[If one must have concious knowledge of all the prophets in order to be upright before Allah -- especially in order to be a muslim, then is a muslim who considers Al-Khidr to be a saint but not a prophet to be considered a kafir (nonbeliever)?]
Reliability of the Torah (the "Law of Moses")
Is Islam Properly Monotheistic?
Qur'an's Testimony about Jewish Bible [Tanakh]
"Why Doesn't the Creator Destroy Idolatry?"
Muslim Comments on Jews and Judaism
Difference between Geire Toshavim and Dhimmi Status
Why haven't Jews historically accepted Islam?
Do Jews worship Azra [Ezra] the scribe?
Does Judaism include idolatrous beliefs or practices?
Are Jews monotheistic?
Aren't Jews racest for claiming to be the "Chosen People?"
Aren't the Jews of today not the same as the Israelites of the Bible, but rather, are the descendents of the Kazars?
Didn't the Jews murder the prophets? (If Jews aren't the Israelites of the Bible, how can one even begin to make such a claim?)
Didn't the Jews corrupt the Torah that Allah revealed to Musa (Moses)?
Why do the Jews want Palestine?
INFO TO REMEMBER:
In matters of theology, the Zaidis are close to the Mu'tazili school, but they are not Mu'tazili since there are a few issues between both schools.
..there are significant numbers of the community who view the existence of Alevism to be a syncresis of pre-Islamic Turkic religion with Shi'a influences. the government of Turkey recognises Alevism as the indegenous Anatolian religion, and it is recognised as such under Turkish Law...Ritually visiting Mecca is not an Alevi practice. However, visiting ziyarat and performing dua at the tombs of Alevi-Bektashi saints or Pirs is quite common. Alevis are not commanded or required to make these visits. They do not go to gain credit in heaven. Their purpose is to ask for spiritual cleansing and blessing for themselves or others. Some of the most frequently visited sites are......
Folk Beliefs 1. lighting candles at the tombs of saints;
2. kissing door frames of holy rooms;
3. not stepping on the threshold of holy buildings;
4. seeking prayers from reputed healers;
5. writing wishes on strips of cloth and tying them to trees that are considered to be spiritually powerful.
_________________
Ishmael's Burial Place: http://www.childrenofabraham.org/render/GDP_2004_01/uimg_1262/
Many believe that Nabih Smahin (Ishmael), the son of Abraham, is buried here in Lebanon. The area is named after him but many still claim that he was buried in Saudi Arabia. In honour of Ishmael, people light candles on and around his grave.
___________________________
[FROM "HANBALI" Islam -- Ahmad's Doctrin:] He would vigorously reject negative theology (Ta’til), as well as allegorical exegesis (Ta’wil), with respect to belief in Allah, which was heavily employed by the Jahmites, Mu’tazilites and the Kullabites (later to be known as the Ash’arites) to justify their philosophical approach to God.
Apparently the Jahmites believed that Allah existed everywhere, and this was an issue dealt with and refuted within Islam over a thousand years ago, just as among the people of Israel this issue had been dealt with even earlier:
http://www.dawah.faithweb.com/Allah/where4.htm
___________________________
Regarding the beliefs of many Jordanian muslims:
(from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Jordan )
Muslims have other ways of invoking God's presence in daily life. Despite Islam's unequivocal teaching that God is one and that no being resembles him in sanctity, some people accepted the notion that certain persons (saints) have baraka, a special quality of personal holiness and affinity to God. The intercession of these beings was believed to help in all manner of trouble, and shrines to such people could be found in some localities. Devotees often visited the shrine of their patron, especially seeking relief from illness or inability to have children.
