"O Mankind! There has now come to you Enlightenment from your Sustainer, and a healing for all that troubles your hearts, and guidance, and grace to all who embrace it."
(Al-Quran, Ch.10, V.57)
Assalamun Alaikum.
Greetings of peace to you.
Islam, as we know it today, is in reality, only a distorted form of the pristine Islam revealed to prophet Muhammad, our salutes to him. He and his blessed companions did preach the True Message of their Lord, and consequently one-third of the then world submitted themselves to the divinely prescribed System of Life. But today the one billion who call themselves Muslim, do not even know the A B C of what the exalted prophet taught throughout his life. They have never opened any of the forbiddingly huge books of Hadith. Some of them recite the Quran but almost invariably without understanding, and almost never to seek guidance. Hadith, written centuries after the exalted prophet, is a fabricated mixture of good and evil. So the Muslim clergy should accept only those Ahadith that are authentic in the sense that they agree with the Quran. Hazrat Aisha stressed that, "The character of Muhammad is nothing but the Quran." The exalted prophet is also reported to have said, "Quotations will be presented to you in my name. You must check them with the Quran. Take those that are in agreement and discard those that are contradictory." Turkey is in the process of doing exactly that at the request of some great personalities. Bangladesh and Morocco have banned all Mullah edicts and Pakistan is in the process of demolishing Shariah laws, all at their humble request. Authentic Ahadith are always sensible and compassionate, and they always shed light on the noble era of prophet Muhammad and his companions.
The whole Muslim community is now at a position to denounce and reject the Mullah-peddled Shariah laws as we have recently seen in Turkey and Pakistan. Our only treasure is the unique book with a unique author, the Quran. Please be assured that the Quran embodies nothing but the Most Benevolent Message for the entire mankind.
"They seek to extinguish God's light (the Quran) by their own utterances. But God will not allow this to pass, for He has willed to spread His light in all its fullness even though the rejectors may detest it."
(Al-Quran, Ch.9, V.32)
After reading much of this, you must be thinking what is it that I'm talking about. Let me clarify you by some of the examples of the differences between the pristine Islam and today's practices.(1) According to the Mullahs (clergy), to be a Muslim, you have to maintain the 5-pillar myth which comes from unauthorized books. Let's see what the Quran has to say about this.
"Say: Come, I will rehearse what God has prohibited you from: join not anything with Him. Be good to your parents. Kill not your children on a plea of want: We provide for you and for them. Come not near to indecent deeds, whether open or secret. Take not life, which God has made sacred, except in the course of Justice. Thus does He command you, that you may use your intelligence.
And come not near to the orphan's property, except to improve it, until they attain the age of full maturity. Give measure and weight with Justice (in all your dealings); no burden do We place on any soul, but that which it can bear. When you speak, speak justly, even if a near relative is concerned. And fulfil your Covenant with God (the unwavering allegiance to the Divine System). Thus does He command you, that you may remember.
Verily, this is My Way leading straight. Follow it. Follow not paths that will scatter you about from His Path. Thus does He command you, that you may be righteous.
"
(Al-Quran, Ch.6, V.151-153)
Therefore, in Islam you have to simply accept and live according to the Straight Path in order to be a Muslim.(2) In Islam there is no specific dresscode for women except modesty. Whereas the Sunni and Shia teachings undermine women and force them to cover their hair and avoid praying or fasting at certain times.
(3) The Sunnis claim that a man may be a polygamist simply if he can afford to, and the Shias even allow relations for pleasure. But according to the Quran, monogamy is the basis for normal relationships, while polygamy is only allowed in cases involving marrying the mothers of orphans under the man's guardianship. (See ch.4, v.3).
(4) Sunni beliefs forbid silk and gold for men, and music and statues for all, and many ritualistic prohibitions such as not to cut the beard, not to cover the ankles, and such many. But the Quran has a different point of view. Let's see.
"Say: Who has forbidden the beautiful gifts of God, which He has produced for His servants?...
Say: The things that my Lord has indeed forbidden are indecent deeds, whether open or secret, sins and transpasses against truth and reason, assigning partners to God, for which He has given no authority, and saying things about God of which you have no knowledge.
"
(Al-Quran, Ch.7, V.32-33)
"But say not for any false thing that your tongues may put forth, 'This is lawful, and this is unlawful', thus inventing lies against God. Those who fabricate lies against God, indeed fail to prosper (in their 'selves')."
(Al-Quran, Ch.16, V.116)
(5) Sunni teachings allow the rise of dictators or monarchs, and Shia teachings uphold self-appointed religious leaders based on genealogy. But in Islam, rule of government is under the constitution of the Quran through consultation and free-speech. (See ch.42, v.38 and ch.5, v.48).There are many more yet for you to know. Keep up with me and you will get to know a lot more about this topic. In my subsequent posts I will tell you about Mohammad's teachings that free people from traditional or older social patterns for attachment to new ones in a larger vicarious society, and promote the decline of religious fundamentalism in order to replace it with secular rationalism. Until then, to all of you, salam!
"And who does more harm (to himself) than one who is reminded of his Lord's verses but he turned away from them, and he forgot what his hands had done. ..."
(Al-Quran, Ch.18, V.57)
Source: www.ourbeacon.com
