help! I come from a Jewish family and I’ve been taught that Islam is a terrible religion, that it promotes sexism, and even rape. I however have always ignored this but I see it everywhere in the media but then I see people saying it does support feminism, that women get to choose to wear the Hijab, that rape is wrong, etc I’m sorry if I sound confused or anything, I just need help understanding Islam, and maybe a few pieces of proof showing it’s a religion just as good as Judaism . Thank you!
Hi,You don’t sound confused at all and its really important to ask questions, and look directly at the source than to absorb all the information from the media.So, what I’m going to do is provide you with some scriptures to help you understand Islam more, and answer your question.
Before I show you some of the texts, here is a background of what they are, if you weren’t aware of them. (I apologise in advance for the information overload).
I will quote from two sources: The Quran (Which is the book that was reveal to Muhammad Peace be Upon Him. The Quran is split into chapters, which are known as Surahs) and the Sunnah (Which is a compilation of teachings, saying and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad Peace be Upon Him).
The Sunnah was compiled into written format after His death, by which they are known as Hadiths. The two most famous complilations were from Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim. These compilations are respectably known as Sahih Bukhari, and Sahih Mulim (Sahih meaning authentic). There are other compilations such as; Ibn Majah, Sunan Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, Al-Nasai, .. all named after the scholars that compiled them, but they contain other grades of hadiths e.g Hasan, meaning reliable. To understand the difference between the grades requires some studying, because they are based on a chain of narrations and there is a whole science behind it… But, for ease of understanding, I will try and stick to all the Sahih Hadiths in this response. When you see a hadith I have quoted that says “Narrated by …” - That narration is usually from someone who a close companion of the Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him. Also if you see “ﷺ” - it is just an honorific in arabic which we as muslims attribute to the Prophet Muhammad and it means Peace be Upon Him. We also say Peace Be Upon Him after all of the Prophets in Islam. If you see “رضي الله عنه” or “رضي الله عنها” which are honourifics we use for companions of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which mean “May God be pleased with Him” or “May God be pleased with her”. Now… Like Judaism, Islam also teaches the 10 commandments, it is also a condition of being muslim, to believe in the the books revealed by God: The Torah revealed to Moses, The Zabur (interpreted as the Book of Psalms) which was revealed to King David, Injil (The Original Gospels) which was revealed to Jesus, and also the Scrolls which were revealed to Abraham, and are now considered to be lost. (May Peace be Upon Them).
We hold all Prophets of God in high regard, in fact Moses (Peace be Upon Him) and Jesus (Peace be Upon Him) are mentioned in the Quran more times than Muhammad Peace be Upon Him.
I’m going to start with this, because in a sense, this bit may answer the majority of your questions.
In the Quran, God commands us to promote justice. So much so, that we should speak up for it even if it is against ourselves.
“You who believe, be steadfast in your devotion to God and bear witness impartially: do not let hatred of others lead you away from justice, but adhere to justice, for that is closer to awareness of God. Be mindful of God: God is well aware of all that you do.”
~ Surah Al-Ma’idah, Verse 8
“You who believe, uphold justice and bear witness to God, even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or your close relatives. Whether the person is rich or poor, God can best take care of both. Refrain from following your own desire, so that you can act justly- if you distort or neglect justice, God is fully aware of what you do.”~ Surah An-Nisa, Verse 135
As you can see, these two verses alone command us to treat people fairly regardless of who they are; even if they are our enemies, we should treat them fairly so they receive justice, and if we do not, we will be held accountable to God. It covers being just in all aspects of life, and not when someone commits wrong against you.
As for choosing to wear hijab…
Wearing the hijab is obligatory in Islam, but the Quran teaches us not to force people into doing something for the sake of religion. This is not just in wearing the hijab but also other aspects of Islam.
“There is no compulsion in religion”~ Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 256
Instead, we are taught to advise by being polite and using good manners:
“Call people to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good teaching. Argue with them in the most courteous way, for your Lord knows best who has strayed from His way and who is rightly guided.”~ Surah An-Nahl, Verse 125
“By an act of mercy from God, you were gentle in your dealings with them- had you been harsh, or hard-hearted, they would have dispersed and left you - so pardon them and ask forgiveness for them.”~ Surah Ali ‘Imran, Verse 159
Narrated Jabir bin ‘Abdullah رضي الله عنه: The Prophet ﷺ said,“Every act of kindness is a Charity.”[Sahih Al-Bukhari: Book 78, Hadith 52]
Narrated Anas bin Malik رضي الله عنه: The Prophet ﷺ said,“Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm (with glad tidings) and do not repulse (them).[Sahih Al-Bukhari: Book 78, Hadith 152]
Rape is a crime that is forbidden in all major religions, and in the minds of anyone who possesses an ounce of sanity.
Islam has a clear stance that states this repugnant action is forbidden and imposes a strict penalty on those that commit rape. The laws of Islam protect a womans honour and chastity and the crime of rape carries a severe punishment. In certain cases it carries the death penalty, should there be no doubt whatsoever that the rapist is guilty.
In Islam, capital punishment for certain crimes can only be undertaken if the evidence is absolutely 100% that the suspect is guilty. This is comparable to certain laws in the US, where a person can be found guilty and face the death penalty even if there is reasonable doubt.
Does Islam support feminism?Islam identifies men and women both play different roles in society. That doesn’t mean men have more rights than women, it means we share responsibilities between each other. If we take the example of a mother giving birth to a child. No matter how much time a father spends with his child, the bond between the child and the mother will always be stronger. Does that make the father or mother any lesser? No.
Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه reported that a person said: “Prophet ﷺ, who amongst the people is most deserving of my good treatment?” He ﷺ said: “Your mother, your mother, your mother, then your father, then your nearest relatives according to the order (of nearness)”[Sahih Muslim: Book 45, Hadith 2]
Notice how the mother was mentioned 3 times before the father, this shows the high regard in which a mother is shown.
Islam empowers women, it teaches that what they own belongs to them, and after marriage. The husband cannot take from her earnings to support the household. He must provide for them. That does not mean that the women is lesser because she can not provide for herself, it gives the duty to the man to do so, but at the same time it doesn’t forbid the woman from doing so. It is important to understand this because many that interpret the western meaning of feminism and look into islam, tend to misinterpret this.
“You who believe, it is not lawful for you to inherit women against their will, nor should you treat your wives harshly, hoping to take back some of the bride-gift you gave them, unless they are guilty of something clearly outrageous. Live with them in accordance with what is fair and kind: if you dislike them, it may well be that you dislike something in which God has put much good.”~ Suran An-Nisa, Verse 19
Islam honours women greatly and commands men to treat women with kindness. Even Gold and Silk is forbidden for men to wear, whereas it is permissible for Women!
I hope that is enough to answer your questions.Its great that you’re taking the initiate to ask questions, so if you have any more please do not hesitate to ask. If I have missed anything out, please forgive me.Thank you.~AM
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