Islam - History, Value, Cultures

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One of my favorite Hadiths

'Do not attack a temple, a church, a synagogue. Do not bring a tree or a plant down. Do not harm a horse or a camel’

Slide 22

Relation with other Faiths

Like the Torah, the Quran permits retaliation eye for eye, tooth for tooth.

But, like the Gospels, it says “it is meritorious to forgo revenge in a spirit of charity (5: 45)

Acknowledges Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses,

David, Solomon, Zacharia, Jesus, John the paptist, and others as the “the good prophets of God”

A special place for Jesus and Mary (e.g., 3:45,46; 4:156-158; 19:1-98)

Accepts that Mary’s conception is from God’s soul.

Rejects the divinity of Jesus (no trinity).

Jesus was not killed (e.g., 4:155-159; 5:17-19)

Slide 23

Islam did not impose itself by the sword.

"There must be no coercion in matters of faith" (2: 256)

Muslims have to respect Jews and Christians, the "People of the Book,"

who worship the same God (e.g., 2:62; 29:46).

"And dispute ye not with the People of the Book, except with means better,

unless it be with those of them who inflict wrong: but say, 'We believe in

the revelation which has come down to us and in that which came down

to you; Our Allah and your Allah is one; and it is to Him we bow.”

In one of his last public sermons Muhammad said

“God tells all human beings, "O people! We have formed you into nations

and tribes so that you may know one another" (49: 13). Do not conquer,

convert, subjugate, revile or slaughter but to reach out toward others with

intelligence and understanding”

The Levant remained mainly Christian for almost 200 Yrs.

No one was forced to convert to Islam

The right of all faiths to warship was respected

Sites of warship, holy places and shrines of all faiths were protected

Relation with other Faiths

Slide 24

Social Justice

Charity, Charity, Charity ….

On top of the Zakat. Help the orphan, the poor, the ill, the lost, the homeless, the elderly

Endless times in the Quran (16 times in Chapters 2-5 alone)

Freedom, Integrity, Equality, Justice ….

“An hour of justice by a ruler is better than sixty days of hard work” (Hadith)

Endless request for justice in the Quran (e.g., 2: 282; 6; 152)

“O mankind, We’ve created you from a male and a female and have made

you nations and tribes that you may know and interact with each other.

The noblest of you in the sight of God is the best in conduct” (49:13).

No Arab is privileged over non-Arab but by his or her conduct (Hadith)

All people are equal like the teeth of a comb (Hadith)