Dear Mr. Stevenson, I read the links that you referenced, and I am addressing all the issues that you raised, even though I feel that I already did so before... I am accepting your word that you are trying to understand... I really feel that I've done all I can.
You wrote: “You, who is a strong believer of Islam, therefore must know the 5 pillars of Islam very well. Therefore my question to you is, how come you have not started reading Quran to understand it? Quran is the very book upon which Islam is based on. It is a collection of teachings that provide a framework for one to live his/her life.”
This is a very valid point Mr. Stevenson. Having been born a Muslim, I’ve been lax and did not read the Qur’an as I should have… I am currently trying to read the Qur’an from beginning to end.
You wrote : “With all due respect Mr Alsuezi (and I do have a great deal of respect for you sir), how can you believe in a faith if you do know what it talks about? I have asked you this before several times and I end up getting the same message that you (and most other Moslems) are following Quran's teachings simply because you believe it is written by God through Mohammad (his prophet), and regardless of what it says there must be some wisdom in it.”
Thank you Mr. Stevenson. However, what other reasoning might I have…? Either I question the word of God and try to modify Qur’an which is tantamount to not believing that it is the word of God, or simply accept that God must have His wisdom in it which I do not see or know at this time. I, like many Muslims probably, do the latter.
You wrote: “If that is the case Mr. Alsuezi, then with all due respect you are following something blindly without knowing exactly what it is that you are following. God is great, and he has also given each of us intellect and wisdom to decide right from wrong. What you are implying (and apparently most Moslems that I have come across also are implying) is that you do not wish to use your own God given wisdom and intellect to distinguish between the right and the wrong. Instead you rely on Quran and its verses to tell you what to do without understanding why it is telling you to follow certain ways.”
That is not exactly the case Mr. Stevenson. God asked us to think and use our intellect… and He also warned us not to trespass on some areas… and I do believe that the Qur’an being the word of God is such area… so, the implication that Muslims do not think because they blindly follow their religion is far from the truth.
You wrote: “Mohammad Atta and his 18 other tugs and murderers also elected to follow Quran without using their intellect and wisdom when they attacked WTC on Spetemeber 11. They elected to follow Qran's verses on the killing and destruction of non-Moslems. I am sure they knew what they were doing was wrong, yet they did it anyway because of the same logic you are using. That Quran is from God and there must be some wisdom behind its verses, which you do not understand (and in fact do not care to understand). You just follow them simply because you believe God has made those verses and there is a wisdom behind each of them! “
That is not true Mr. Stevenson… if they thought that they were following Qur’an, then they were taking verses of Qur’an out of context…
You wrote: “You tell me, where is the wisdom in instructing (or at best advising) a man to beat his wife if he feels she is not following his interpretation of Quran and Islam? Where is the wisdom in not giving the same right to a woman to beat her husband if she feels he is not following her interpretation of Islam and Quran? There must be a wisdom behind this according to you (which is meant to be for all ages and times till eternity for man to follow since Quran itself is a book for all ages and times), and I maybe blind to see it, and that is why I have asked that question.”
Mr. Stevenson… like I said before, that verse does not indicate that the husband should discuss the matter with his wife… so, does that mean that they can not or should not talk matters over ? why can’t we use some common sense here ! also, we can take the verse as a last resort when all else fails… finally, there is always the option of divorce without any of what was mentioned in the verse… or do you think that the verses precludes that option because it did not state it as an alternative… it did not state talking either…! And if the husband talks matters over with his wife, does that mean he is not following the teachings of Qur’an ?!
You wrote: “Mr. Alsuezi, I feel you are insulting me and my intelligence (eventhough I do know that you are not doing this on purpose or intentionally). But I have asked a few questions from you (a Moslem who has started this board as a way to voice Islam's message to the world):”
Mr. Stevenson, I apologize if I seem to have insulted your intelligence… and I thank you for realizing that I am not doing so on purpose… I will read the links you referenced and see if I can respond to anything that I’ve missed
You wrote: “And yet you fail to either offer some answers, or point me to where I can explore some answers for myself.
I have gone through your links provided in your introduction post and none offer anything even close to providing an answer to my questions. Your response thus far has been that eventhough you do not know the answers to my questions, you believe them to be true to the point of following them without knowing why. You have also indicated that you believe they are from God and you do not wish to ask God's wisdom. This of course is fine, and I appreciate your honesty. Yet as a non-Moslem I feel I do need something more than just ”…take it as is.”
What can I do if I have no other answers to offer ?
You wrote: “As I indicated, if the religion says that a Moslem man should beat his wife if she is not obeying him the way he wants her to do, then so be it. This is what the religion and faith says. You (and other Moslems) need not be defensive about it. If there are verses in Quran that says it is the duty of Moslems to kill and destroy non-Moslems then so be it. This is what the faith says. You as a Moselm should not be defensive about it.”
Mr. Stevenson, I think that I’ve addressed the wife beating issue all I can. As for Muslims killing non-Muslims, the verses that were referenced before were taken out of context as they were meant for a specific situation. I will do more research on this and will share my findings with all.
Mr. Stevenson, this part is for the links you referenced…
I do not know what “scourge” means, but will take your word for it… however, the word in Quran in Arabic translates to “beat” exactly. And I went in detail that such beating can not be harsh since the severest of punishment in Islam (aside of death) is whipping or flogging… and the guidelines for it is that the arm does not part the body and the elbow remains to the side of the body… so that the only force in the whipping/flogging comes from the wrist… the word “scourge” could be a wrong choice for the translators.
You wrote: “b) Why Quran does not provide the same right to women to inflict punishment on their husband? It seems Quran only addresses men, and not the women, and views them as objects to be controlled by the men.”
The recourse of a woman is to go to a third party as there is such incident in Qur’an.
You wrote: “a) Why Quran thinks men are the better judge of how Islamic laws are to be followed than women? Why is it that men have the right to judge what the proper behavior is under Quran and Islam? Why is it that women can not judge their husband in the same manner ? It is as if Quran has given men the right to decide what the proper interpretation of verses and rules of Islam ought to be, and not the women.”
That is not true Mr. Stevenson. There is a verse in Qur’an that God heard the words of a wife arguing with the Prophet pbuh about her husband. So, when there is a difference of opinion, either of them (husband or wife) can go to a third party. I will see if I can find out the verses I mentioned and the reasons behind it.
As for the verses you referenced about the killing of non-believers… please read the previous two verses, namely starting with 2:188… you will see that they say fight those who fight you in the name of God. So, when you or anyone chooses to skip the previous verses and jumps to the ones that follow, the verses become out of context…
Regards
Amein |
