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Islam - An Introduction: Teach Yourself

Islam - An Introduction: Teach Yourself

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  • Islam is one of three great interlinked faiths that worship the same Divine Being, the others being Judaism and Christianity.

  • God is known in Arabic as ‘al-Lah’ or ‘Allah’ – the Almighty, the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists.

  • Followers of Islam (‘submission to God’) are called Muslims – ‘those who submit’.

  • The first key belief, known as tawhid , is acceptance of the genuine existence of a Single Divine Entity (God).

  • The second key belief is akhirah , or Life after Death. Life on this earth is regarded as a test, and after death comes judgement, and an eternal destiny in Heaven or Hell.

  • The third key belief is risalah . People need to know God’s will in order to do it. Therefore God sends chosen people called prophets or messengers.

  • The Muslim holy book is the Qur’an, the revelation sent through the Arab prophet Muhammad – 610 – 632 CE .

  • The creed of Islam is the simple statement ‘ La ilaha ilallah wa Muhammadur rasul al-Lah ’ (‘There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of God’).

  • Muslims try to keep God’s will in all aspects of life, including ritual purity for prayer, choosing halal (accepted) foods and rejecting everything haram (forbidden) – which includes certain types of food, conduct, employment, relationships, etc.

  • Muslims are requested to perform five religious duties, often known as the ‘five pillars’:

    • to bear witness to their belief (by faith, words and good living – shahadah )

    • to perform a special prayer five times per day ( salah )

    • to fast throughout the daylight hours of the month of Ramadan ( sawm )

    • to give up a fortieth of their saved wealth every year ( zakah )

    • to make a pilgrimage journey to Makkah at least once in their lifetime ( hajj ).

Insights

  • One famous Mahdi was Muhammad Ahmad, who led the Sudanese revolt against General Gordon of Khartoum. The 49th Isma’ili Imam is the Aga Khan, an eminent worker for many charities. His grandfather Aly Khan hit the headlines when he married the film star Rita Hayworth.
  • Some Muslims believe the Mahdi who will return just before the end of the world will be the Prophet Jesus, returning for his ‘second coming’.
  • No Muslim believes that Muhammad was the author of the Qur’an. His function, as a prophet, was to act as the transmitter to others of God’s exact words.
  • Muslim scholars debate as to whether the Qur’an, as Word of God, was eternal. Did it exist complete before its revelation verse by verse? Was it created or uncreated? If eternal and uncreated, how was it separate from God? The Mu’tazili sect taught it was created, and was separate from God, but the traditional schools of thought uphold its uncreated nature.
  • The Prophet and his Companions learned every single verse by heart. Many Muslims still do. When I was a new convert, I often used to telephone a Muslim bookshop when I got stuck, to ask if there was a hafiz in the shop who could help me find a passage. There nearly always was.
  • Memorization was considered more secure than writing – a manuscript could easily be destroyed, but if many huffaz memorized it, it would never be lost or ‘false entries’ made. The word hafiz literally means ‘guardian’.
  • Arabic writing at the time was an incomplete script that did not include vowel markings or other diacritics needed to distinguish between words. Hence, if there was any question about the pronunciation of a written verse, the memorized version was a better authority than a written one.
  • Robert of Ketton was the first person to translate the Qur’an into a Western language (Latin) in 1143. The oldest surviving Qur’an for which movable type was used was printed in Venice in 1537. The first English version was by Alexander Ross, in 1649.
  • Imam al-Ghazzali recommended that in order to read the Qur’an, one should perform ablution, be soft spoken and quiet, face the qiblah, keep the head lowered, and should not sit ‘in a haughty manner’ but as one sits humbly before a master.
  • The Prophet said: ‘Read the Qur’an, put it into practice, do not abandon it, do not make others resent it, do not exploit it in order to gain food and wealth.’ (Ahmad).
  • The Sunni canon of Muhammad’s sayings developed over 230 years. Scholars had to select from a huge mass of traditions, and judge which they trusted as authentic, and which they considered incorrect or had been invented for political or theological purposes.
  • A hadith qudsi is a saying Muhammad received from God that was not included in the Qur’an. There is a famous collection of 40 of them.
  • The most trusted traditions of Shi’ite Muslims were transmitted through their Imams, Muhammad’s descendants via his daughter Fatimah.
  • The Ontological Argument for the existence of God (Gr. Ontos = being) is that all things have a scale of values (good, better, best), and God is that than which nothing greater could possibly exist.
  • The Qur’an does not reveal everything of God’s greatness or attributes, which are infinite. Those included in the Qur’an are no more than a sample. His untold attributes are beyond our comprehension.
  • The Qur’an does not teach that God does not know us, nor that He remains transcendent and unknowable. Quite the contrary – He is present everywhere, and closer to a human than his/her jugular vein.
  • The Prophet often taught in simple, natural imagery. Allah is more caring of us than a mother bird sheltering her chicks. He mourns our loss more than a cow bewails the calf that has been taken away. If we remember how we feel when our camel wanders off and leaves us lost in the desert, and what joy fills our hearts when we see it coming in the distance – why, Allah is more joyful to see our return than we would be to see 10 magnificent camels!
  • The Qur’an teaches that God will respond to anyone who cries out to Him in distress, and mercifully provides guidance to humanity so that we can follow the ‘straight path’.
  • Our ‘record books’ are not kept in order to give information to God upon which He may judge us – He already has full knowledge of everything, our circumstances, character, motivation, tendencies, etc. It is to justify the resulting decision to us – and show us the consequences of everything we did.
  • According to Islam every leaf, every rock, every grain of sand has its own angels. There may indeed be 10,000 upon the head of a pin, or a vast angel filling the entire horizon of a particular planet.
  • According to Islam Jibril (Bib. Gabriel) represents the ‘presence of God’, and functions as the chief intermediary between the non-material Divine Being and the material world. Often referred to in the Qur’an as the ‘Holy Spirit’ or ‘Spirit of God’, ‘he’ is God’s means of communication with us, but not a part of a ‘holy trinity’.
  • People are often confused by the terms ‘Islam’, ‘Muslims’, ‘Muhammedans’, and the old-fashioned ‘Mahometans’. Islam is the actual faith, meaning ‘submission to God’; Muslims are those who decide to submit themselves to God (with all their human frailties and limitations). The labels Muhammedans/Mahometans are rejected by Muslims – they worship God, not Muhammad. All who submit to God’s will, including Jews and Christians, are counted as Muslims – but they vary in their beliefs and practices.
  • In accepting prophethood, Muhammad accepted a ‘guided life’, waiting for ‘the word of the Lord’ to bring him specific instructions on a day-to-day basis. The angel’s frequent attendance, plus the scrutiny of those determined to copy every detail of the way he lived, ended his privacy and that of his family.
  • The Dome of the Rock is believed to be the site of the Holy of Holies of the Jewish Temple, the shrine of the Ark of the Covenant.
  • Muhammad commented that the prophet who looked most like himself was Ibrahim, and that Jesus had a fresh-faced complexion like someone who had just showered, and freckles.
  • The Charter (Constitution) of Madinah is the first known written constitution of a state ever promulgated by a sovereign. It preceded the English feudal bill of rights, the Magna Carta of 1215, by almost six centuries.
  • The Prophet was one of the most closely observed people in history, deeply loved, with his sayings and actions meticulously recorded.
  • Some think of the Prophet as an austere person, stern and unbending. In fact, Aishah recorded that ‘he was a man just like you – except that he is always smiling!’ He was considerate and generous, and a welcome guest in countless households.
  • Allah was not the moon-god, as sometimes suggested, but that same God who called Ibrahim and the other prophets away from the worship of idols and astronomical features such as the sun and moon.
  • It is worth making the comment that sometimes people have accused the Prophet of being a sexual athlete, seeking intimacy with a selection of pretty girls. (If so, he was lucky to have started being such an athlete when he turned 50, having turned down any previous opportunity for a second wife besides Khadijah, or sexual intimacy with slaves and captives.)
  • So far as we know, Muhammad was indeed the last prophet called by God. Since his time, there have of course been many inspired teachers and charismatic leaders, but no further prophets.
  • Some people believe their faith can protect them from harm or misfortune. Islam teaches that even prophets (persons much cherished by God) face tests of suffering, misfortune, betrayal, illness, wounding and death.
  • In the Islam faith an angel is unable to disagree with Allah, or rebel against Him, or not do His bidding – for they are by definition the intermediaries created specifically to carry out His will in governing creation, the laws of Nature, every aspect of every universe, from the massive over-picture to the microscopic details.
  • Muslims regard Adam as the first prophet. Perhaps he represents (or was) the first morally conscious human being; having been made aware of the existence and presence of God set him apart as vastly different from any humanoid animals that preceded him.
  • The contents of the 66 books in the Bible were all written by humans, perhaps utilizing ancient documents and selecting various passages (i.e. human choice from the available sources), edited many times by people with differing motives, and so on. Perhaps the nearest we get to the original prophetic message is where the actual words: ‘Thus says the Lord’ are given.
  • Muslims do not refer to themselves as ‘sons’ or ‘children’ of God, as in the Lord’s Prayer (‘Our Father, who art in Heaven’); rather, they believe we are all the servants of God. Jesus and Muhammad were two of the very best examples of servants of God.
  • If Jesus did say ‘No man comes to the Father but by me’ (John 14.6), this may have been true in his lifetime, when he taught people to believe in God and in ‘him who He had sent’. But this does not mean that six centuries later, after doctrinal aberrations, God could not send another messenger.
  • In two of his most famous parables, Jesus taught that the son who had gone wrong was forgiven unconditionally when he returned repentant, and that we will be divided into ‘sheep’ and ‘goats’ by the Divine Farmer according to how we lived and behaved in our Earthly lives.
  • Muslims do not believe in reincarnation (souls living a series of lives in different bodies), but no person may suggest a limit for what God might choose to do. The notion of reincarnation is rejected as there is no textual evidence for it in the Qur’an or hadiths.
  • Muslim scholars often debate the origin of evil. Was it created by God, who is therefore ultimately responsible for it? Surely God does no evil and does not demand any human to perform any evil act? If the evil acts of humans were from the will of God, then justice and punishment becomes meaningless.
  • Human acts are free; therefore, people are responsible for their decisions and actions. No prophet ever taught fatalism, although several human scholars have done so.
  • The Sun is the source of light, but if we choose to close the curtains, it will become dark for us. If we stay in the darkness too long, our eyesight will suffer. These misfortunes occur according to natural laws, the outcomes of which God knows in advance, but we choose how we will act, and are judged accordingly.
  • Amal is a sense of social responsibility growing from our religious convictions. The Prophet taught that someone who saw a hungry person and did not feed him, was not ‘one of us’.
  • Islam consists of five core subjects – iman (faith), amal (Islamic action), ummah (sense of community), adl (justice) and jihad (struggle).
  • An ummah can be small – just one or two people – or it can be as large as a whole society. It can be local, national or global. Its foremost purpose is to advocate justice, and bring about change where injustices abound.
  • Although not a necessity, it sometimes saves a lot of hassle when visiting Muslim countries, or seeking entrance to certain mosques and shrines, if the new Muslim is given a ‘certificate of conversion’ from the mosque.
  • Converts to Islam often refer to themselves as reverts, from the feeling that this is what they have always believed in their hearts, and they have ‘come home’ after perhaps years of wandering. Tears, and the feeling that a great burden has been shed, are not uncommon.
  • Muslims do not feel the need for an intermediary like a priest, and have no sacraments. Any male who can recite some Qur’an may lead the prayers, his function being to keep everyone in unison.
  • In Islam ceremony, prayer mats are not compulsory – they aid cleanliness, comfort and orderly spacing. If used, they are treated with respect and folded up after the prayer and not walked on like normal carpets.
  • Before my conversion, I once had dinner with a group of women and was baffled when they disappeared one by one for a few minutes. I discovered they were sharing one special set of prayer garments – a head-veil and a wrap-round skirt – and were taking it in turns to use them.
  • In the Turkish attempt to force secularization, men were ordered to wear ‘Western’ caps with a peak at the front. They solved the problem of not being able to put their foreheads to the earth during prayer by simply turning them back to front.
  • Muslims are not worshipping the Ka’bah – it is simply a focal point for prayer. For 13 years, Muslims faced Jerusalem. Seventeen months after the Hijrah, the Prophet received the revelation to face the Ka’bah. This happened during a midday prayer – he immediately turned round, as did all those praying behind him.
  • It is considered better to pray together at the mosque than on your own, but it is not always possible, and not compulsory.
  • The amount of time spent praying is not necessarily an indicator of a Muslim’s real piety. Someone who prays a lot could also be selfish, mean, spiteful, lazy, neglectful of others or dishonest. Allah knows best.
  • A Muslim prayer is not ‘Dear God, please do this for me …’, but ‘Dear God, please show me what is Your will in this situation.’
  • Muslims living in hope of an eternal future know there is no point in clinging foolishly to possessions or, even worse, letting them become your masters.
  • In Islam, giving out of compassion in response to some catastrophe is known as sadaqah. It can be interpreted to include any act of kindness, however small.
  • Ramadan is a period of spiritual training in which Muslims devote much of their time to intensive prayer, study of the Qur’an and giving charity. Muslims are expected to control their tongues, eyes, ears, thoughts and deeds, and do everything possible to seek God’s pleasure.
  • The month of Ramadan was not originally a sacred month to Arabs. What made it special to Muslims was the giving of the first revelation to the Prophet and the start of his ministry. The orders to fast were not given until after he had moved to Madinah.
  • Muslims do not starve to death during Ramadan, because eating, drinking and marital intimacy are all allowed after sunset, until the first light of the next day’s dawn when a black thread can be distinguished from a white one.
  • Around the equator the fasts are always around 12 hours. Elsewhere, when Ramadan falls during the winter months the fast is fairly easy, because the daylight hours are short. However, in the summer months the reverse is the case, and the fast is very strenuous indeed.
  • In my first Ramadan I was still a smoker – it was extra hard to go without not only coffee but also cigarettes. I also learned – the hard way – that it was not a good idea to gobble down food and light up eagerly as soon as the fast ended.
  • Sometimes fasting Muslims are embarrassed because fasting makes their breath smell. This is to be expected. The Prophet cheered his followers by commenting that the unpleasant smell was better in the sight of God than the sweetest scent.
  • Innovative ideas to share the meaning of Ramadan with non-Muslims include raising money for local charities, inviting the local poor in for a meal each night, taking food to hostels, having a fast-a-thon, or being sponsored for each successful day.
  • Pilgrims should settle any debts before they go on Hajj, and should not leave any of their dependents in difficulties or unprovided for. Pilgrims are not entitled to spend money on benefiting themselves while they are in debt to others.
  • Many people die on Hajj, so before setting out pilgrims should make wills and say goodbye to their relatives and friends, and seek forgiveness for any hurts committed. It is possible they may not see them again.
  • Islam has no doctrine of inherited original sin that needs a divine saviour to cancel it. Allah, the Compassionate, always forgives those who are sorry.
  • A most moving aspect of Hajj is being conscious that, among the millions there, God knows that you have come, that He sees and ‘greets’ you, and that all your past inadequacies are ‘washed away’ by His blessings, and you start life again with a ‘clean heart’.
  • When Hajj is complete, Muslim men have their heads completely shaved, and women cut about an inch of their hair. Some men also dye their beards a brilliant orange with henna.
  • God does not require Muslims to try to conquer the world and bring everyone into Islam. Instead, God has granted to humans the free-will to accept or reject any faith, as they decide.
  • Trying to force someone to believe something they patently do not believe is as ridiculous as trying to force someone to fall in love with you. The more the force is applied, the less likely the hoped-for result.
  • The Prophet taught that all non-Muslims were not enemies but potential Muslims, and many who started out as his worst enemies ended up outstanding converts, and some even died as martyrs.
  • Muslims are expected to be ‘staunch in justice’ (Surah 7.29). Those who advocate social justice more often than not conflict with the hidden agendas of state authorities. They may pose a threat to the political elites, who may then try to persecute or purge such groups.
  • Islamic military jihad is to bring freedom and justice, and a just peace. Although peaceful, Muslims are not pacifists – they believe it wrong to stand by and do nothing if people are being oppressed.
  • The Prophet’s prisoners were amazed by the treatment they received, some stating they were fed and cared for better than in their own homes. If they could not arrange a ransom payment, many were released for token sums, or for performing some service such as teaching someone to read.
  • Goodness and evil cannot be equal. Repay evil with what is better, then he who was your enemy will become your intimate friend. ﾠ ﾠ -- (Surah 41:34)
  • It is tricky to make advance arrangements for days off from school or work for Muslim Eids in non-Muslim countries, as they occur according to the lunar calendar and not the Western Gregorian one, which is solar. The festival dates on the Western calendar therefore change each year.
  • Non-Muslims sometimes call Eid ul-Fitr the ‘Muslim Christmas’, because it is a favourite with the children – it includes presents, cards, parties, special pretty dresses and traditional outfits, special food, decorations, etc. Many Muslims are worried that it will become too commercialized and disapprove of too much non-religious celebration.
  • Animals for sacrifice have to meet certain standards of age and quality in Islam – generally at least a year old, and in good health. One is expected only to offer the best to God – and, of course, the meat is cooked and enjoyed at the feast.
  • Muhammad did not observe the birth or death anniversaries of any of his family or loved ones, nor did he advise his followers to observe his birthday; therefore, many Muslims do not celebrate any birthdays.
  • Spending the whole night in prayer for mercy and salvation is a practice known as ehyaa, or revival. Some Muslims regard this sort of prayer as unnecessary, and disapprove of it as lacking in trust in God’s justice and mercy.
  • I have often prayed out of doors, either on my own, or with a small group. There is something very special about praying under a tree, in a garden, or at some beautiful viewpoint. One feels very close to the Creator at such times.
  • If a building has been converted into a mosque, the people praying might sometimes seem to be at a very odd angle. This is because they always find out the direction of Makkah, and pray facing it – even if it is the corner of the room.
  • Praying space for women is an issue at some mosques, and sometimes they are discouraged from attending. Frequently, their facilities are nowhere near as good as those for the men – a matter many new convert women are frustrated about. If there is only a line or two of men, the most sensible answer is the Madinah one – pray behind them.
  • Muslim scholars attained the status of faqih (meaning ‘master of law or fiqh’), mufti (meaning ‘a professor of legal opinion or fatwas’) and mudarris (meaning ‘teacher or someone taking a class or dars’). The Latin equivalents mean magister, professor and doctor.
  • Teachers in local madrassahs are usually amateur volunteers, and their skills vary, as do the interest and skills of the students. Non-Muslims often do not realize that the youngsters normally attend madrassah after their normal school day, and still have school homework to do as well. It certainly cuts down play and TV time.
  • The vast majority of Muslims do not speak Arabic, but a whole range of other languages. The prayer is always in Arabic, though, so that no matter where they are, they can follow it and join in.
  • None of the typical features of a mosque are compulsory. If the mosque did not have a minaret, dome or qiblah niche, it would not matter at all. Some mosques are very simple with very basic facilities – others are vast and full of wonderful architecture and decoration.
  • Many Muslims feel that simple is best, and money is best spent on helping the needy and not on buildings. Others feel that it is right to offer nothing but the best to Allah.
  • Personal cleanliness is a key feature of Islam. The Prophet particularly stressed washing private parts, hands, mouths, ears, armpits and feet. Whatever a Muslim woman’s normal dress, she will always cover everything for her prayers except her face and hands.
  • There is a difference between human rights and human needs. Many things the human needs – such as to be loved, or respected – are not rights, but have to be earned.
  • Any behaviour that abuses human rights, whether done in public or in private, is forbidden to Muslims. Any person abused by a Muslim has the right to seek justice and retribution.
  • The Prophet said: ‘The people of the Fire are five – the weak who do not have the will to avoid evil, those who are merely copiers of others, the dishonest whose greed cannot be concealed even in trivial matters, those who betray you morning and evening, and those of uncouth manners and foul speech.’
  • The Prophet said: ‘Three things are signs of the hypocrite – when they speak they tell lies, when they make promises they break them, and when trusted they are dishonest.’
  • Muslims should not be involved in persecuting or harassing the people of other faiths or their places of worship. The Prophet’s charter at Madinah gave every faith the right to security under Islamic governance, and freedom of worship.
  • Although the Prophet referred jokingly to women being easily broken as they were created from a bent rib which would snap if you forcefully tried to straighten it, the story of Eve being created from Adam’s rib is not part of the Qur’an.
  • The concessions granted to women because of menstruation and childbirth (i.e. excused prayers and deferred fasts) do not make their worship inferior, only a little different – these concessions were ordained by God in the Qur’an.
  • Many men (including Muslims) find the Islamic teachings on women’s rights and equality notoriously hard to accept.
  • Education for women is a must. As a Muslim woman, I find the thought of education being denied to me inconceivable, a criminal act. It would be a violation of my basic rights and freedoms.
  • Taliban (Pashtun extremist militants) antipathy has led to the murders of many teachers and destruction of hundreds of schools. One Afghan businessman, taking his 11-year-old daughter out of school commented: ‘It is tragic not to educate our daughters, who have all the challenges of the modern world ahead of them, but the thought of carrying their dead bodies out of the wreckage of a bombed school is equally unnerving.’
  • When a mosque has no facilities for women, it is usually because it is still in the ‘pioneering’ stage in a community, and has probably been set up by a cultural group that keeps men and women largely separate. Women should not be prevented from praying at the mosque.
  • It is true that some of the world’s poorest women are Muslims, but so are some of the most wealthy.
  • In societies where women do not contribute much to the finances of a household, it is just for male providers to inherit more. But today, where women share the burden of employment, financing, etc., a Muslim lawyer might argue the spirit of equality against the letter of the law of inheritance.
  • Women are well advised to have two witnesses to any transactions involving their own relatives, especially husbands – and to make sure they have everything in writing, preserved securely. When circumstances change (e.g. divorce), it is all too easy for unscrupulous men to cheat their women.
  • It is important to separate cultural customs from the requirements of Islam. I was personally irritated by a well-meaning Imam who expected me to give a lecture from behind a curtain so that the audience (90 per cent men) could not see me.
  • Clothing for men should also be clean and modest, and not sexually provocative. In Muslim society, men do not wear shorts, or shirts open to the navel, and can find some tourists far too ‘casual’.
  • Hijab derives from the word hajaba – to hide from view or conceal. The headscarf is only one component – hijab is intended primarily to conceal the intimate outlines of the female body.
  • Fully covered Muslim women outside societies where full cover is traditional and cultural certainly confuse non-Muslims if their public behaviour does not seem to be recognizably pious.
  • Full cover does not always indicate modesty. I have known some covered ladies be very proud and arrogant, and in the United States I was amazed by one African Muslim male preacher whose voluminous robe was decorated with flashing lights!
  • In some parts of the world today, Muslim women veil their faces leaving only their eyes visible; in Algeria, they may cover all but one eye, and hold their veil in place with their teeth. The extreme Taliban sect prefers burkhas that even cover eyes. Elsewhere, devout Muslim women do not veil at all and regard face veiling as odd, or attention-seeking.
  • A Muslim man should behave with modesty and self-control even if a woman offers herself. Even if she appears naked, he should ‘veil his eyes’ or ‘lower his gaze’. Muslim women for their part should not be brazen or attempt to raise sexual feelings by intimate eye contact.
  • In some places, local culture might make veiling virtually compulsory, but the vast majority choose to cover of their own free-will.
  • I am always delighted to see an amazing range of colours and styles whenever Muslim women of different nationalities and types get together. I resist the notion that there should be a sort of ‘school uniform’ for Muslim women.
  • Forbidden meats in Islam are flesh-eaters with sharp canine teeth, prey-eating birds with talons, tame donkeys, and any meat cut from a living animal. Forbidden omnivores include bears, rats, foxes, monkeys, apes, dogs and humans.
  • Most Western non-Muslims would never think of cooking a cat or a dog and eating it – the very thought would sicken them. Muslims are not brought up to eat pork.
  • Modern methods of slaughter, such as firing a metal bolt into the animal’s brain or electrocution, are prohibited. These methods are regarded as more cruel than the halal method.
  • Gelatine made from halal animals (e.g. fish) is acceptable. Kosher gelatine comes from certain fish to avoid the Jewish prohibition against mixing meat and dairy in the same meal – fish does not count as meat. Therefore, gelatine in food certified as kosher is halal.
  • Several of the Prophet’s wives were working women who made their own money. He was an employee of his first wife, Khadijah, for some time. His wife Zaynab made leather goods. When his Jewish wife Safiyyah died, she left a fortune.
  • Muslims should never look down on those who have menial employment or humble tasks, so long as they are not haram occupations – i.e. exploitative, abusive, degrading or sexual.
  • Islam made the enslavement of free persons a criminal offence – which included kidnapping and hijacking. As regards prisoners of war, the tradition at the time was to kill whole tribes en masse – the Prophet encouraged keeping defeated enemies alive and well-treated, as household slaves, or better still, getting them ransomed safely.
  • Muslim employers should not exploit their workers, particularly females and children. They should have rest periods, a chance to eat and drink, use of a chair, fair wages, reasonable hours, application of health and safety regulations, and decent rates of pay, paid promptly.
  • A Muslim boss who scrupulously ‘pops out’ to say his prayers, but obliges his staff to stand long hours and work to exhaustion for a pittance, has hardly understood the ethos of Islam.
  • When people in debt turn to ‘loan sharks’, they can get ripped off with very high rates of interest. Muslims prefer to borrow from friends to pay cash for a house, and then pay back to these friends exactly the same amount they borrowed.
  • Securities that comply with Islamic law and its investment principles, which prohibit the charging or paying of interest, are known as sukuk.
  • Shari’ah-compliant assets worldwide are worth billions and have grown at more than 10 per cent per year since 2000, placing Islamic finance in a global asset class all of its own.
  • The intention of marriage at a very young age was not to provide pretty virgins for old men, but to guard virginity until marriage, give a legitimate outlet for sexual urges once they had arisen, minimize abortions and the stresses and heartbreak of ‘young love’ going wrong.
  • Celibacy becomes sinful if a spouse refuses wilfully to grant sexual satisfaction to their partner, while at the same time expecting their fidelity. No married person has the right to force celibacy upon a partner – it is grounds for divorce.
  • Being alone in a situation where sexual intimacy becomes possible and a temptation (khulwah) is strongly discouraged in Islam. The horrors of so-called honour killing sometimes arise because a daughter has found herself in a compromising situation where her innocence can be doubted.
  • In modern Western societies, people are urged to accept homosexuality as an equally acceptable form of sexuality as male/female relationships. Muslims can never agree, for it is against God’s command.
  • Muslims cannot accept that homosexual couples have the right to ‘engineer’, adopt, or raise children, in what are seen as unnatural circumstances.
  • Islamic sex is notable for its physical cleanliness. Good Islamic manners include the regular removal (and careful disposal of) all pubic hair, nice clean feet, and a full bath (ghusl) taken between the sex act and the next prayer. Taking a shower before sexual activity is also usually appreciated.
  • Even though the Prophet visited all his wives every day it is highly unlikely that he had sex with them all. It is known that his wife Sawdah chose celibacy, and granted ‘her’ night to Aishah.
  • The Prophet loved to see happy and successful marriages. He recommended considerate husbands, and said: ‘He who does not satisfy his wife’s need of him before his need of her, is not one of us!’ (al-Ghazzali)
  • Haram is the Arabic word for that which is forbidden. It is a similar concept to immoral, and generally that which is immoral to a Jew or a Christian will be haram to a Muslim. Haram also has the meaning of unclean, that which will defile a person.
  • When the verse prohibiting wine was announced, Muslims threw away what they were drinking, and tipped out their storage jars and wineskins into the streets. It was said that the streets of Madinah were flowing with wine.
  • Obviously, there are many Muslims who do drink. Some argue that drinking in moderation is not harmful, but this does not alter the ruling that it is haram.
  • The rate of growth of heroin addiction is now higher in Pakistan than in the USA. The first known case was recorded in Pakistan in 1980; by 1986 there were half a million cases, and now there are an estimated 1.5 million cases. In addition, there are about 1 million opium and hashish users.
  • Vinegar is halal even if it is made from wine – because it has undergone transformation and chemical change (istihalah). So the ruling against wine does not apply to it any more, and Muslims are allowed to use it.
  • We are here to serve God by service to others – we serve Him whom we cannot see by serving those we can see.
  • The deep feelings all Muslims have for each other make a solution to the problems of Palestine/Israel a matter of such concern to Muslims of every nationality.
  • Friends are much more important than things, treasures or heirlooms. Muslims are expected to be ready to give up any possessions for God’s sake.
  • A friend is someone who will listen to you, care for you and help you, whatever your misfortune, and whether you deserve it or not.
  • Muslims should try to help the weak (in any sense of the word) to improve, but should not embarrass others by pointing out faults, criticizing or backbiting.
  • If someone has taken the trouble to visit you, they should be welcomed even if their arrival is inconvenient. A guest is a blessing, and good Muslims always do their best to have something to give them.
  • It is all too easy for species to become extinct, through over-hunting, carelessness and neglect. Muslims should think carefully about the species on Earth, and not exhaust the food stocks or damage food chains.
  • The Prophet said that any person who killed or harmed a living thing for fun would be held to account for it in the Life to Come.
  • Muslims should never be cruel or callous towards animals. They are most certainly responsible for all animals in their care. No life should ever be wasted for no good reason.
  • Human beings are vital as caretakers of the planet – to bring order, production, good environment, and so on. A garden or field left to itself soon gets overgrown and covered with weeds.
  • Great care should be taken that our plant life does not become extinct – there is still so much to discover about its uses, especially in medicine. The Prophet said that for every disease except old age, its antidote already existed, whether we had discovered it or not. (Abu Dawud) The human duty was to research and use wisely.
  • It is unusual (and very modern) for Muslim men to attend childbirth. Some feel it increases the bond between father and children, but many women prefer their men not to be present at this time.
  • Disposal of girl babies did occur in nomadic tribes when the numbers exceeded the food supply available. Islam forbade this. Also, the practice of settling money on girls to be given to a husband on marriage was forbidden, and husbands now had to pay money to their new wives.
  • Nicknames were common among Arabs, and usually picked out some notable physical feature or characteristic or activity – not always complimentary. You might not wish to be known as ‘Mother of all Noses’. The Prophet’s most intimate servant (a famous Muslim and great man) was known as Abu Istanja (‘Father of the wash-pot’) because he used to carry the water for the Prophet’s private ablutions. Ali got called Abu Ruqab (‘Father of dust’) because after rows with his wife he used to sleep on the ground.
  • The Prophet Jesus is always known in Islamic tradition as Ibn Maryam, Son of Mary. Bin Adam means ‘Son of Man’ (i.e. a human being), Banu Isra’il means ‘The sons of Israel, or Israelites’.
  • It was common in the Prophet’s time to be named after the matriarch of a tribe – the Prophet often used the epithet Ibn Awatik for himself – ‘the son of the Atikahs’ – he had 14 female relatives called Atikah!
  • Muslim males, like Jewish ones, are circumcized because it was God’s command revealed to Abraham. (Genesis 17.9 – 12)
  • The family is the most fundamental unit in the total scheme of social order in Islam. It enjoys the highest status and the most prestige, and is considered the fount of the human race, its culture, society and civilization.
  • The father is the head of the family, and is responsible for its financial provision, but the mother is the heart of the family. Sometimes husbands need reminding that their wives should be given the same respect as mothers, as the mothers of their children.
  • Within the home, the woman shares the power and responsibilities of the head of the family, and may even become one if circumstances so require.
  • Arranged marriages should never be forced on Muslim youngsters. In the West, laws are now being formulated to help persuade parents of certain cultures that coercion or duping youngsters into marriage is not just morally wrong but a criminal offence.
  • Many of the Prophet’s female companions had three, four or five husbands during their lifetimes – but only one at a time.
  • If very young girls are married to much older men, it is only Islamic if done with their free consent. Many would argue that even that is not acceptable, since they are not able to judge the possible consequences and ramifications properly.
  • The mahr is often referred to as a dowry – but a dowry is usually taken to mean the amount of money provided to a girl by her father which will go to her husband upon marriage – the very opposite of mahr.
  • A wealthy woman could decide to set a very high sum for her mahr in order to put off a poor suitor. However, many wealthy Muslim women have married impoverished men, agreeing to a token sum.
  • Ostentation and expense are directly opposed to the spirit of Islam, and many families struggle to foot the enormous bill that marriages produce quite needlessly. The Prophet’s arrangements for all his wives except one and all his daughters were very simple, involving little expense.
  • A growing worry in the West is that Muslim girls and boys make friends with non-Muslims, but avoid Muslim boys and girls – who have been taught that they must not mix freely in case tempted into sex before marriage.
  • I often jokingly tell girls not to marry an idiot! Muslim wives need to respect their husbands, and respect does not come automatically – it has to be earned. A wife cannot respect a husband who is not worthy of respect, for one reason or another.
  • Qawwam does not mean ‘boss’ but ‘protector’. Surah 9.71 states: ‘ Believers, male and female, are protectors of one another. ’
  • The Qur’an does seem to discourage polygamy, even though it was allowed, by pointing out that all wives had to be treated with absolute justice and equality, and this was an impossible task.
  • With the coming of Islam, polygamy was forbidden for women and limited to four wives for men. There is no verse requiring a man to ask the permission of an existing wife or wives – but a key underlying rule of Islam is that no Muslim should ever deliberately seek to hurt another.
  • Although it is not an obligation for a Muslim man to consult an existing wife when wishing to take another, he would be a complete fool not to do so!
  • Behaviour that breaks the Islamic marital contract includes becoming cruel, vindictive, abusive, unfaithful, neglectful, selfish, sexually abusive, tyrannical and perverted.
  • Some cultures stigmatize divorce and make life and remarriage very difficult for divorcees. This is not the spirit of Islam in which divorced spouses are encouraged to find happiness and security in remarriage as soon as possible.
  • Of the Prophet’s own wives, Zaynbab bint Khuzaymah, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Safiyyah, Juwayriyyah and Umm Habibah were all divorcees. Three of his four daughters also experienced divorce.
  • The Prophet was asked: ‘What do you say (command) about our wives?’ He replied: ‘Feed them with the same that you feed yourself, and clothe them to the same standard that you clothe yourself, and do not beat them, and do not revile them.’ (Abu Dawud)
  • The Prophet never once struck a woman, child, old person, slave or animal, and thought very badly of his companions who did.
  • I debated once with a man who thought he had the right to hit his wife. I pointed out that if she could prove it, she had the right and the grounds to divorce him, or she could accuse him of physical assault in a criminal court.
  • The iddah is a period after a statement of divorce during which a woman may not marry another man. It is calculated on the number of menses that a woman has, usually three, and was intended to ensure that the male parent of any offspring produced after the divorce would be known.
  • In Muslim divorce, the wife is not automatically entitled to maintenance from an ex-husband, but their children definitely are.
  • Older women suddenly discover they have become invisible on the streets; but they may find polite people giving them seats on buses or helping them with heavy baggage.
  • I recall the last time I prayed ‘normally’ at the mosque; I suffered cramp and was dizzy as I stood up, and nearly plunged into the row in front. Thankfully, somebody grabbed me, or everyone would have fallen like dominoes! Since then, I have either stood to pray, or used the chair provided.
  • The care of aged parents generally falls to the son rather than the daughter in Asian culture; sons’ wives are expected to be unselfish and loving towards them.
  • Many retired people take up new studies and hobbies – the internet has provided a wonderful new link with life for millions. Some volunteer to help out at local schools, especially with reading and providing one-to-one assistance for those with learning problems. Others staff charity shops.
  • Many senior citizens feel guilty of being a nuisance if they have to ask for help. They have been used to coping for themselves, and it is hard to accept growing weakness and incapacity.
  • Many elderly Muslims have passed their lives without mixing with strangers of the opposite sex, and are therefore very embarrassed and uncomfortable in mixed-sex wards in hospitals and in gowns that come open at the back.
  • The Muslim faith that Allah knows, even before their birth, the number of breaths He has allotted to each person brings with it courage, patience and resignation. When the time comes to die, there is nothing any person can do to prevent it.
  • Muslims should not feel distressed or hurt if the dying person’s attention seems more on what lies beyond than what is taking place at the bedside. Those who tend the dying bear witness that this is often the case and normal. It should, rather, console them and ease their grief.
  • Those who wash the dead are not expected to look at them naked, but to preserve their modesty. A cloth is usually laid over the body, and the body washed beneath it. Anything unseemly should be covered and not mentioned.
  • Muslims strive to bury the deceased as soon as possible after death, avoiding the need for embalming or otherwise disturbing the body of the deceased. An autopsy may be performed, if necessary, but should be done with the utmost respect.
  • I visited Bosnia just after the war there, and attended the washing and preparation of one deceased lady. As much tender care was taken as if she was still living, and when the family came in she was lying at peace, wrapped in fresh linens, her face calm as if in sleep.
  • It is hard, sometimes, to realize that our family relationships here on this Earth will not necessarily be the same in the Life to Come. At death, we are no longer somebody’s wife or son or parent, but just our own selves – our forms and future relationships lie beyond our knowledge.
  • Grief at the death of a beloved person is normal, as is weeping for the dead. However, Muslims should not wail in a loud voice, shriek, beat their chest and cheeks, tear their hair or clothes, break objects, or scratch their faces.
  • Extravagance is always distasteful in Islam; there is no class system for the dead. It is preferred for a Muslim to be buried where he or she died, and not be transported to another location or country (which may cause delays or require embalming the body).
  • The widow’s iddah (or waiting period) of four lunar months and ten days is a balance between mourning her husband’s death for too long and protecting her from criticism that she wants to re-marry too quickly. During this time, the widow should not move from her home.
  • The moment human beings die, their records are sealed and nothing can change them one way or another. Any plea imploring God to amend, alter or improve His judgement means that we are trying to persuade or bribe Him to be more favourable – suggesting we are more merciful than Him.
  • Many of my friends prefer to educate their children at home rather than send them to a mixed or state school. The main problems are the inadequacy of the education given, the lack of ‘mixing’ and social experience, and interaction with non-Muslims.
  • Many Muslims long for their young to be educated in a Muslim ethos, where their codes of diet, clothing and conduct, and prayer routines are catered for, and the students grow up in an atmosphere and acceptance of belief in God.
  • Showers after PE are another issue if there are not separated cubicles – Muslims do not show themselves naked even to friends of the same sex.
  • When I started my school life as Head of RE the syllabus was based exclusively on the Bible plus the history of various Christian saints and movements (but not Roman Catholics). I am proud that my own textbooks were able to play some part in the new multi-faith education.
  • Notable Islamic schools include Manchester Islamic High School for Girls and the Islamia Girls Secondary School in Brent, London (opened in 1989 and financed by Yusuf Islam, the former pop star Cat Stevens), which topped the exam league in Brent two years running, and many more.
  • Although Muslims do accept the virgin birth of Jesus , they do not believe that this made him ‘Son of God’, or that he was ‘born to save us from our sins’, making Christmas carols and nativity plays inappropriate.
  • It is ironic that pupils trying to wash their feet before prayer in a high sink can be regarded as ‘dirty’ – perhaps due to the visible naked feet, or a bit of splashed water. Many youngsters find performing their prayers where non-Muslims can see them (and often laugh at them) very embarrassing.
  • In his lifetime the Prophet was vilified, insulted and abused countless times, yet did not retaliate against personal insults, and prevented followers who sought recriminations. His generous and forgiving attitude converted many of his enemies.
  • Muslims are often criticized for not criticizing their own ‘baddies’ – in fact, many do speak out but it is frequently a case of not being able to get media space. More ‘soundbite’ skills are needed.
  • Westerners, who are on the whole tolerant, sometimes feel irritated that Muslims seem to make a big fuss over what they may consider to be unimportant matters, such as newspaper cartoons and disrespectful adverts, instead of important issues like world poverty and human rights.
  • The Qur’an and sunnah are God-given and changeless, an ultimate criterion, unlike changing human standards and morality. The Qur’an stands separate from ever-evolving interpretive law, or fiqh.
  • A person trained in fiqh is known as a faqih (pl. fuqaha). An Islamic jurist or scholar is an alim (pl. ulema – from the Arabic ilm, meaning knowledge).
  • Since scholars are human beings, there will be division of interpretation and differing views on details. This has resulted in different schools of thought, and thus fiqh is not regarded as sacred.
  • The real danger of taqlid – pious imitation, or the maintenance of existing rulings in an exclusive way – is that the rulings come to reflect a culture that no longer exists.
  • When we know the reason why something in Islamic Law is obligatory, preferred, permitted, disliked or forbidden, if something else shares the same reason, it can be given the same legal ruling.
  • Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims differ in their beliefs of who is permitted to interpret Shari’ah law. The Shi’ites believe that living religious scholars, known as mujtahids, have an equal right to interpret Divine Law as those scholars of the past.
  • The word fatwa comes from fata meaning a ‘young boy’ or ‘new boy’. It is used in Arabic as a metaphor for anything young, new, unfamiliar and unprecedented.
  • In Islam, it is believed that an individual’s life commences long before birth. Before conception, each individual exists in soul state – and we have no idea of how long that state of being has existed.
  • No soul has the right to demand to be born – whether it is born or not depends not only on the free-will and actions of its human parents, but above and beyond that, entirely upon the will of God – who can overrule any human intention.
  • If a mother’s life is in danger through pregnancy, the ruling is to ‘sacrifice the calf to save the cow’. The actual existing life of the mother takes precedence over the potential life of the unborn child.
  • Once conceived, Islam teaches that a foetus has a ‘right to life’, and should be defended from all threats upon it. To kill it is a form of murder. The mother may not argue that her foetus is ‘part of her body’.
  • Determining the sex of foetuses in order to kill females is forbidden in Islam. In some places, so many female foetuses have been destroyed that a problem is growing of a preponderance of males, with the consequence of a future lack of spouses for them.
  • Life may be full of hardships, sufferings and loneliness, but Muslims are taught to accept these as part of their test, and to face them with patience and humility, and not lose faith. Suicide inflicts devastating and long-term suffering on families.
  • Should the terminally ill have the right to be helped to die ‘with dignity’? Islam teaches that yes, they may be helped and pain alleviated as far as possible – but their lives should not be ended deliberately, through poisons, etc.
  • Islam teaches that sufferings before death are set against and alleviate any penalties in the Life to Come, and are therefore not pointless.
  • The laws of Islam apply equally to kings and beggars. If any person manages to cheat the law, they cannot cheat God, and will face inevitable justice in the Life to Come; those who have been wronged will be compensated.
  • Islamic law is sometimes abused or applied fiercely instead of mercifully by people with a variety of motives, including a tyrannical zeal for an extremist form of Islam which is not sunnah.
  • Shari’ah judges often find that convicted people would prefer swift physical punishment to being sent to prison. Once the physical punishment has been done, the convicted person has got it over with, can heal up, and hopefully go back to their lives and work – having had a sharp punishment to deter them from re-offending.
  • It is worth remembering that it is far easier to gain God’s forgiveness than that of people who have been hurt and abused, or wronged in some way.
  • Islam recognizes that all judges are but human beings, and can only do their best. God alone is the Ultimate Judge, who will put right any miscarriages.
  • The US prison at Guantanamo Bay was particularly offensive to Muslims as the prisoners arrested for suspected terrorism were detained without legal representation or trials.
  • Private behaviour and bad habits are matters which could alter at any time. Judgement is left open in the hope that the wrongdoer might come to taqwa, and genuinely repent, in which case Allah would always forgive – until that person’s last breath.
  • The purpose of the law of retaliation (qisas), the ‘eye for an eye’, was to limit retaliation, not promote it. The injured party could not demand more than an ‘eye for an eye’. It helped to end tribal massacres!
  • The biggest deterrent for a Muslim is not the fear of savage punishment, but the knowledge that since God is aware of everything you do, your sin would be recorded against you for the Day of Judgement.
  • Muslims are urged not to spy upon people, unless well-founded suspicion exists that a crime or abuse is being committed, or another person’s rights or interests are in jeopardy.
  • If, for example, someone stole food for their family because they could not find work to pay for it, then the thief should not be held at fault, and the thief’s hand could be ‘cut off’ from stealing by being provided with work.
  • In many Islamic societies the death sentence may be given for terrorism – especially if people have been killed. This is one reason why terrorist ‘masters’ often operate and groom their stooges in places where the death penalty has been abolished.
  • A man whose depraved sexual urges have lead him to commit rape, whether of a girl, boy, woman, wife or another man, is guilty of lust, abuse, possibly kidnap and torture, and of causing both physical and psychological harm to the victim.
  • The Prophet knew from personal experience the trauma of having a beloved wife accused of adultery, and the seed of suspicion planted in his own mind. It nearly destroyed his marriage and deeply upset his innocent wife. Thankfully, there was no ‘honour killing’ perpetrated.
  • During the time of the Prophet, treason and apostasy could possibly be considered one and the same crime, but even so there was no death penalty mentioned in the Qur’an unless the apostate had also committed murder.
  • When ‘apostasy’ is just a matter of people losing belief, or finding Islam too difficult for them and wishing to withdraw from the community, no public offence has been committed, and any penalty for the withdrawal or loss of faith is a matter between that person and God in the Hereafter.
  • The attitude of the Prophet, when so frequently abused or hurt or jeered at, was to stand firm and accept the unpleasantness with patience, hating the evil, but never hating the people who had been overtaken by evil.
  • Despite using rather shaky hadiths to induce zealots to sacrifice themselves, there is nothing in the Qur’an whatsoever about a supply of virgins in Paradise as rewards for dead soldiers. The huris of Paradise are a different order of being, and have nothing to do with sexual satisfaction for deceased Muslims, either male or female.
  • Many of the Prophet’s Companions were young men who had abandoned families, jobs, income and inheritance to migrate to Madinah and live close to him, observing his way of life and learning directly from him.
  • Muslims who spend much time chanting dhikr phrases often claim that there are special rewards for repeating them the hundred, or a thousand times, or more. Critics see this as the wrong motivation for a spiritual practice, the selfish desire to ‘earn good points’.
  • The Saudi Arabian Wahhabis have caused enormous dismay among lovers of history and those who respect the Prophet’s family and Companions throughout the Muslim world by having the famous tombs at Madinah’s al-Baqi cemetery and elsewhere destroyed to prevent saint-worship.
  • Islamic Reform could perhaps be compared to the Reformation in Christian history – a move away from traditional hierarchies and organization towards personal purity, responsibility and accountability.
  • There are madhhab-revering Muslims who accept without question that something is not permissible because Imam Malik or Abu Hanifah, for example, forbade it – yet however great, learned or important these scholars were, they were human and therefore not infallible.
  • People of other faiths are also often slighted by non-believers who have rejected the whole concept of a God who created – Christians (like Muslims) are branded fundamentalists if they ‘still believe in’ such things as the creation of Adam and Eve, Noah’s flood, the miracles connected with Moses, angels, etc.
  • Any Muslim accepting a sectarian or group title usually has the tendency to regard those Muslims who do not belong to the group or sect as being deficient or incorrect in their Islam – an attitude not appreciated by the mainstream.
  • The belief in the sovereignty of God over the state is a departure from secular democracy. It gives rise to the dominant position of a clerical class, because only they can decide what is acceptable to God.
  • The vast majority of Muslims appreciate democracy – all except those radicals who reject anything but the caliphate!
  • Secularism often seeks to divorce state governance and politics from personal piety and religious practice. The two may become completely separate, and opinions differ as to whether this is a good thing or not.
  • Zealous reformers frequently attack cinemas, banks and hotels – the objection to banks is riba (taking of interest and exploitation), and the cinemas and hotels encourage sexual lust, freedoms and obscenities.
  • It is vital to remember that no individuals or sects represent Islam as such – they give only an interpretation of it, which may be seriously out of step with the mainstream.
  • Classical Islamic law was independent of any state mechanism, but modern Islamic law may run the risk of being controlled by the state hierarchy, because the state often controls the legal scholars.
  • Even if a territory gets Islamic government, the radicals always brand it as corrupt – as, in truth, it may be. Regimes fearing reformers always tend to label those who take their faith seriously as ‘fundamentalists’.
  • To this day, the pathos, reporting and ceremony surrounding Western war dead combined with the disproportionate, but unreported and probably unknown, numbers of innocent Muslim civilians killed as ‘collateral damage’ in various conflicts irritates those who feel the injustice of it.
  • I recall watching the TV news coverage of the Ayatollah’s funeral. The streets of Iran became a sea of black as millions gathered to mourn, all hoping to touch the coffin. It was a very hot day: one channel described water cannon being turned on the people; another channel reported that it was a spray of scented water to help keep them cool.
  • Hamas was created in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi and Mohammad Taha of the Palestinian wing of the Muslim Brotherhood at the beginning of the First Intifada, an uprising against Israeli rule in the Palestinian Territories.
  • There is a danger of the knowledge base of Islam being restricted, especially if books are censored by sectarian hardliners, altered or forbidden circulation among Muslims.
  • Muslims who cannot speak or read Arabic find it useful to consult several different versions of translations. This can be done through internet sites, and by comparing actual book texts.
  • Istihsan means the use of the judgement of individual scholars or jurists to determine the best solution to a religious problem that cannot be solved by citing sacred texts.
  • The words of the Qur’an and the Prophet indicate that his wives were not to be thought of as the same as other women. Nevertheless, most Muslim women wish to follow their practice and example.
  • Muslims were and are urged to seek knowledge from cradle to grave from every possible source. It is tragic that certain supposedly Islamic regimes do their best to silence and stifle knowledge – and somewhat similar to the attitude of the Roman Catholic Christian hierarchy towards science in previous centuries.
  • The Prophet commented: ‘The devil is a wolf to humanity, catching the one which is solitary, the one who strays from the flock, and the one which wanders off. So avoid the branching paths, and keep to the general community!’ (Ahmad)
  • Some Islamic movements, notably the Tablighi Jamaat, identify a lack of spirituality and decline in personal religious observance as the root causes of the Muslim world’s problems. They do not believe that the caliphate can be successfully revived until these deficiencies are addressed.
  • The caliph, or Muslim head of state, was generally known as the Amir al-Mu’minin (Commander of the Believers) or Imam al-Ummah (leader of all the Muslims).
  • No attempts at rebuilding a power structure based on Islam were successful anywhere in the Muslim world until the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and this was based on Shi’ite principles, with leaders who did not outwardly call for the restoration of a global caliphate.
  • The closest thing to a caliphate in existence today is the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), an international organization with limited influence founded in 1969 consisting of the governments of most Muslim-majority countries.
  • Training camps were established for al-qaeda al-sulbah (the vanguard of the strong), al-qaeda simply meaning camp or base. The name stuck, but it came to refer to the terrorist organization the movement became.
  • There is no evidence that Bin Ladin used the term al-Qaeda until after 11 September 2001, when he realized that this was the term the Americans had given the organization.
  • Conspiracy theories have abounded, many believing the US somehow organized the 11 September attacks itself in order to have an excuse to condemn al-Qaeda and safeguard its oil interests in the Middle East. It has also been suggested that the original targets for the attacks may have been nuclear power stations on the east coast of the USA, targets which were later altered by al-Qaeda.
  • When Muslims choose to kill themselves for political reasons, they may be hoping to make a statement – even though they must know suicide is totally forbidden in Islam. When they kill innocent bystanders along with themselves it is nothing less than murder.
  • Mainstream moderates feel that extremists lack good Islamic education, and should study the texts more closely in their complete contexts to find the true emphases of the Islamic spirit.
  • Many Westerners feel that when trying to communicate with veiled or masked Muslims, they cannot be greeted with a smile, cannot easily understand what the veiled person is saying (muffled voices, no back-up of facial expressions or lip-reading), or sometimes even know whether the veil conceals a woman or a man.
  • Crises in the Islamic world nearly always involve abuse of Islam by Muslim men who either do not know what their own faith teaches, or do not understand it, or actually oppose it. Islamic feminists seek to put before abusive Muslim men the true teachings of Islam.
  • Today’s Islam should really be in the forefront of promoting women’s well-being, equality and rights – as it was during the lifetime of the Prophet.
  • Polygamy is usually an extremely hurtful issue for existing spouses, and is rarely practised in most Muslim societies. Mutah (temporary marriage) is only regarded as acceptable by a small minority of some Muslims in certain circumstances; mainstream Islam has banned it.
  • Muslim women should do their best to avoid sexual harassment in the workplace by modest clothing and behaviour, and not letting themselves be alone with anyone who could take advantage of them.
  • Muslim women are encouraged to concentrate on creating good homes, but they may also earn wages – which are theirs to keep. Even high-earning women are still entitled to be supported by their Muslim husbands.
  • I like to point out that the Prophet’s wives and daughters had good education, and many female Companions were highly respected teachers. Muslim society has a huge and increasing need for highly educated professional women – for example, in medicine, education and law.
  • Muslim women rarely suffer abuse from non-Muslim men, but more often from Muslim men who are too chauvinistic, narrow-minded, ignorant, cruel, irresponsible or lazy.
  • Many Muslims feel it would be a great pity for female-only mosques and imams to develop, as both sexes have so much to learn from and contribute to each other in the same community. Many women would rather see more adequate conditions in the mosque for women and proper involvement with its running and committees, than campaign for female imams.
  • Knowledge is power, but mistakes are easy. The old traditional sources of teaching and new thought, via the scholars and the media, are old-fashioned now. The worldwide web has brought enormous freedom of information, opinion, and speed of communication of ideas.
  • The election of President Barack Hussein Obama has given a tremendous boost to Muslim hopes that there will soon be all sorts of movements in attitudes, and in world and religious politics.
  • In the UK, there are Muslims in the House of Lords and the Commons, institutions which are becoming increasingly knowledgeable in the modern interpretations of the Shari’ah. Muslims are becoming increasingly involved in the politics and running of their countries.
  • Leaders are no longer the figures of authority they once were, and the pomp and ceremony that surrounded and protected them is largely a thing of the past. A leader who is corrupt, a hypocrite, a tyrant or a fool is not acceptable any longer.
  • Muslims do not worship the moon, as often suggested – a ‘god’ or ‘goddess’ with very ancient history, especially in ancient Ur (Iraq) and Harran (Turkey), places connected with Ibrahim. He, and many others, were called to prophecy by the Almighty, the Creator of moon and sun. Many of today’s (and yesterday’s) astronomers and scientists are Muslims.
  • There is a great need for translation of the major historical Islamic texts from Arabic into good English, so that their thought can be studied and ‘chewed over’ – from the hadith collections to books by eminent later scholars.
  • With increasing travel and communication, the world is shrinking. It seems ridiculous that the People of the Book (Jew, Christian and Muslim), who all believe in the same Divine Being, should be so divided and at enmity with each other.
  • The Muslim world will continue to become increasingly powerful through its wealth, oil power and systems of using wealth, which do not rely on the traditional Western banking systems.
  • There is a huge onslaught today on belief in anything above and beyond the universe we see and know. Faith is often seen as weakness, ignorance and gullibility. Influential atheists (such as Richard Dawkins) need to be adequately answered.
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