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Losing My Religion?

He has done some great work in Islamic theology. He is Swiss & very thorough. He teaches Islamic theology at Oxford University.

Tariq Ramadan

Pretty much all Muslims in West who are interested in Islam knows him...

I have seen his couple of debates..

Tid bid for readers : Tariq Ramadan is a grandson of Hasan Al Bana, the founder of Muslim Brotherhood. Tariq Ramadan was born to the daughter of Hasan Al Bana...
 
Correction: Einstein was not an atheist.

Correction: He was, in almost every sense that people today refer to atheism today. Certainly dismissive of the concept of "God". Best case may be a Agnostic (the portrayal of an atheist then was more of an anti-God crusader, he wasn't interested in crusading).

It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it - Einstein

"It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I feel also not able to imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. My views are near those of Spinoza: admiration for the beauty of and belief in the logical simplicity of the order which we can grasp humbly and only imperfectly. I believe that we have to content ourselves with our imperfect knowledge and understanding and treat values and moral obligations as a purely human problem—the most important of all human problems."

"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this. These subtilised interpretations are highly manifold according to their nature and have almost nothing to do with the original text."


Btw, all religions are not incompatible with atheism. Buddha & Mahavira, founders of Buddhism & Jainism were atheists.
 
Well the title is right. And a question to be shoot through.

well actually, since my academy years till the previous month. I was an atheist. But before that i was always and still asking questions to myself about is there a God really? Today I'm the guy who has learned Quran. But especially lately this week, i was kind of a Einstein. yes, today I do believe that there's God but I am not sure about Islam, like;

If God exists, it's claimed that Islam is the true religion, then why it's the one that always takes the hardest way at anything, at least most of them?

I know the reason of fasting and ramazan but it's not healthy for we humans other than loosing weight. It says us to encourage little kids to fast. But especially for them; it's harmful. Why stopping eating and become hungry to feel others instead of buying a meal for a poor person to make him/her feel better and healthy.

Why Arabic why? Every social, family laws of Islam is based at Arabic culture and arabic nationalism. Honestly I don't wanna learn sth religious with Arabic. Why would I learn Arabic to find out my religion?

If our fate's already written, why God wants to examine it's people. Why there is a need for "a Quiz" as every soul's fate is written?

I read some parts. It says to kill those who reject Islam. What's goin on there. Is this comin from the "religion of peace".

I've never seen a race/country who accepted Islam without having a war with the Arabic, or a bloody civil war under the name of "revolution". EX: I'm Circassian, we were christian (ortodox) actually., when the arabs came to caucasus to spread their view, we've resisted for dozens of years. then We've been broken up. And accepted Islam. Ok.

If Islamic rules are the best (it has to be if it's the true religion). Why all of the muslim nations we know are either in a civil war or there's a dictatorship or people uprise or HDI and GDP is very very low?

I get that; cigarettes and alcohol (count alcohol out IMO) are forbidden because they are harmful. But why there's a restrict for sexual relationship. At least it starts to become a human need even at the middle of the teenage period according to researchs.

Anyways, for my logic, Of course there's a God. But Islam? I'm not sure about it ???

What do you say? I'd like to hear opinions from muslim/jewish/christian/hindu/atheist members.

(I was gonna open that thread in somewhere else. But then either there'd be a religion war or people trying to act like clerics/saints, i do want to hear some serious facts, assistance, replies with logic)

so you have taken a flight, excellent brother, now keep questioning everything, keep exploring... the search is for the truth and nothing but the truth...
 
@Neptune,you asked us that why,Allah has selected Arabic language to communicate us?

It is because of the fact that Arabic is very much similar to Hebrew,second,Arabic language has diversity in Grammar more then other languages of the world after Hebrew.
The prophet Abraham after spending almost a century of his life migrated to Arab--the barren Arab,If you look closely the peri-degree, of Prophets then you will find out that that what were the factors that Allah subhana o tala has chosen this Land for the Birth-place of Final Prophet:

tree.gif


Look closely,the names and the changes in them with the passage of timeline,how old Hebrew tribes were adapted into Arab with the passage of time,AND think for yourself that if changes in their names are effected that much with passage of time then how it has effected the language.
Most prominently,the Arabs need more guidance,they were wild,they use to bury women alive,no other nation at that time was worse then Arabs,so Allah decided to send his guidance to Arabs first,then he decided that Islam will spread through them.
And Let me add this to you,that Allah has mentioned before about the arrival of Final prophet,it is well written in their scriptures,I suggest you to watch Dr.Zakir Naik's videos on YouTube still i will give you a clear evidence:

I strongly suggest you to visit this forum,this will 100% answer all the questions which are in your mind.

12 Proofs Of Prophets Prophethood - Prophet Muhammad - Islamic Forum

About fasting,I have already posted in Science and Technology forum my dear friend.Fasting itself is very beneficial,it is a false conception that it only helps in weight reduction and is harmful,which is wrong,it also helps in:

--Reduction of heart disease
--Reduction of inflammatory cells
--Reduction of Oxidative stress
-- There is a research which suggests that fasting slows the rate of reaction in our mitochondria and trigger senescence, or aging. which fasting means that it might help us live longer by keeping our organs youthful.

One more thing,Fasting is not only a Muslim tradition,but it is also followed by people of book in past.The best blessing of Allah subhanao tala is that we are allowed to have sehri,where as in past the people of book are not allowed to eat after night sleep,but we are blessed,this reduces the time-length of of fasting,do you know the benefit of this?

Let me tell you first that going without food for several hours does NOT cause your metabolism to slow down nor does it effects your blood sugar.

Infact:

--Short fasts actually improve insulin sensitivity.

Mind it,it is also non-muslim researchers who are representing theories in this regard.
Now the loses about which you talk about like disorders of gut etc mainly results due to our careless while intake of food after iftari,we intake too much,deep fried ,oily food...if you analyse that what Rasool Allah use to take in Iftari,you will realize the huge diffrence and reason,a/c to hadith,he use to take MG RICH PALM DATE AND GOAT MILK MAINLY.
@Aeronaut @WebMaster
 
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Very legitimate questions to which I will give my personal view. Note that I am not an Islamic scholar in the least bit, so these are just the answers as I have come to understand Islam over the years.

Some of the answers have already been provided by other posters above, so may seem redundant.


The point of fasting is to learn self-control and to resist the urge for immediate gratification. It is meant to cultivate character traits that go far beyond mere food and water. It applies to every aspect of life: education, work, personal relationships, etc.

Every social, family laws of Islam is based at Arabic culture and arabic nationalism.

We must first differentiate between what is required (fard) and what is optional (sunnat).

The only things which are required are those in the Quran, which is the word of God, and there is nothing in there which imposes Arabic culture.

The Arabic cultural rituals are from the hadiths, and those are sunnat. People follow them as a mark of respect for the Prophet (pbuh), but you can be a grade-A Muslim without following a single hadith.

Honestly I don't wanna learn sth religious with Arabic. Why would I learn Arabic to find out my religion?

It's about doing any job right. If you want to really understand Shakespeare, you would want to learn English (even medieval English). If you want to study Dostoyevsky, you would learn Russian.

This particular message from God was delivered in Arabic, as previous ones were delivered in other languages. If you want to learn God's message for yourself, rather than relying on translations, then you would learn Arabic.

If our fate's already written,

Our fate is NOT pre-ordained. In fact, the matter of free choice is precisely what differentiates Man from the Angels, and why God respects Man over Angels.

An Angel can do no evil, so what's the merit in doing good?
It is Man, who has a choice between doing good and evil, who gains God's approval by choosing to do good over evil.

It says to kill those who reject Islam.

I have never read that anywhere, not even out of context.

I've never seen a race/country who accepted Islam without having a war with the Arabic,

Two points:

First of all, conquests by Muslim rulers were for worldly gains, not to spread Islam. The generals may have claimed to fight for Islam, as the Conquistadors did for Christianity, but that was merely to rally the troops.

Secondly, all religions -- and I mean ALL: Eastern, Western, Southern and Northern -- spread through authority. Don't believe any nonsense about peaceful spread. The usual pattern in the ancient world was to follow the religion of the ruler, because that's how you got ahead in society.

If Islamic rules are the best (it has to be if it's the true religion). Why all of the muslim nations we know are either in a civil war or there's a dictatorship or people uprise or HDI and GDP is very very low?

Few people actually follow Islamic principles in daily life.

sexual relationship.

All children deserve to be raised in a loving family. Any act which produces children out of wedlock (premarital sex, adultery) has no guarantee that the parents will accept the responsibility. This is unfair to the child who ends up paying the price for the parents' actions.
 
Nope, I haven't. Though I'll give it a read if you recommend it.

Asking questions is the first stage to learning and learning [Iqra] is the first stage of Islam. Those Muslims who don't question their own beliefs are not true Muslims, they are parrots. Prophet Ibrahim, rejected a number of faiths over a long period of time, while adopting different religions and questioning them, before getting the revelation himself,even then he questioned Allah. Asking questions and being unsure is not wrong it is right. The wrong are the parrots who can be spoon fed and manipulated.

@nuclearpak @Neptune @Hyperion

Any of you have read the work of the Swiss Scholar, Tariq Ramadan?
 
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@Neptune, my friend, we all passed through what you are going through right now. The thought process, and making sense if it all is what will make you a real "believer", rest of them out there who submitted to Islam will nilly, without question are nothing more than sheep moving in a herd (such people though pious, will never reach enlightenment). You my friends are different (from my brief experience knowing you on this forum).

Read, read, read........ read more........ look at every angle of Islam, from every perspective: scientific, socio-cultutral, economic etc etc..... think more... even if it takes you another decade.....

If you keep on doing it, I can guarantee you that you'll find that Islam is truly a religion for the enlightened. Plus, don't take lectures from people of lower intellect. They will tell you that "it is because it is, and it is not our place to question such things", why? Because they lack the "processing" power to think and question.

FOR SCIENTIFIC PROOFS VIA ISLAM: When you are trying to study "all that related to the physical world" from scientific point of view, don't read too much into the bullshit stories perpetuated during the 70's that Islam "knew this" Islam knew that", those were a brain washing campaign perpertrated by the house of Saud to stem the scientific growth of Muslims) YOU MUST READ YOUR OWN SCIENCE AND COME TO YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS!
 
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@Neptune , sorry I am late to this debate, all I can do is congratulate you for thinking something yourself. Please read on the subject, remove your own bias (imagine you are born in xyz household) and look at things from completely neutral standpoint.

Your mind will play tricks with you for example if you are turk you will desperately 'want' your version to be true (and not iranian or arabic version of any event), you can never remove that bias but be aware of it.

This is a generic advice to be closer to truth, not specific to religion, for example turks tend to be very nationalistic which is a handicap sometimes.

As somebody said, truth shall set you free. :cheers:
 
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I tried to be an atheist, but I have got no reason to be an atheist. There are numerous implications of the existence of Allah, if not direct proofs. With your limited intellect and power, you will not know all the answers, therefore, the matter of believing, trialing and rewarding in the hereafter. You do not have the ability to go everywhere in the universe and beyond the universes and find Allah, but you will find him through his implications and creations.

If you study the Quran to analysis the implications given in it without a rigid mind, I hope there you would get proper reasoning and rationality. There are implications of the existence of God in Quran, many questions would pop up in your mind during your study that may lead you to be a believer. You just try to know what do these implications mean and what is behind what.

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-...ious-landscape-pew-forum-5.html#ixzz2ZxHHPmp0

The thing is even atheists have not yet come up with a good argument to disprove the existence of God and quite frankly they do not have to. They can believe whatever they want but then when they mock believers and tell them how foolish they are they should bring forth proof to their beliefs, of which they have yet not been able to do so. In actuality to be able to disprove God one must be omniscient and since nobody is omniscient ergo nobody can disprove God. Philosophically speaking if one were omniscient than he would fit the definition of God (Nauzbillah) so in reality only God himself can either prove or disprove his own existence.

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-...ious-landscape-pew-forum-5.html#ixzz2ZxHNh6SY

In my opinion, there should be only two religions: Islam and Atheism/

A believer of God ultimately should follow/obey the last religion dictated by the God/

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-...ious-landscape-pew-forum-3.html#ixzz2ZxLdZoCg


But I have some questions:


1. Why Allah has the right to trial me/hurt me/create me?

2. Allah says that he never does injustice, if you are put into a trial or we are hurt now, we will be rewarded later. Is not it like I keep my slave in starvation for 7 days and give him a lots of food later? Then what about the pain of those 7 days. Then is not it whimsical?

3. Why the relationship between Allah and me is like Slave and Lord, why not friendly? Why he likes us to bend before him or go in prostration before him? Just because he created us and powerful than us? Is the relation respectful for Human?

4. Why the relationship between me and Allah is conditional from the side of Allah, I mean, if you obey his conditions, then you will be rewarded, otherwise will be punished. But, since I have been created that I did not want, why I can not have any condition, like you have created me which I do not want, so do not put me into hell, just spare me in the Earth.

5. Why there is no choice between Hell and Heaven? I mean if I do not want to obey Allah, why doesn't Allah just spare me in this earth? If someone obeys his conditions, he can be rewarded with Heaven, a batter place than this earth. But why we are compelled to choose between Hell and Heaven only? The choice should have been given between Heaven and this Earth, not hell.

6. Allah said, he does not need our prayer/worship for him, but we need to worship him for our reward in the hereafter. Does not it mean our prayers/worships have no value to him. It means I will pray to Allah or worship to Allah, but he does not need that at all, is not that disrespectful to me?

7. Why sometimes Allah gives us unbearable pains that some people commit suicide?

8. Is not Allah is the biggest discriminator who created us differently and givens us different power, property, wisdom etc.?

9. @Aeronaut you said that we will be judged based on our actions not fate, is not our fate influence our actions. Suppose, I am a poor man, so I am not happy, so I do not obey Allah happily, and ultimately I lose my respect for Allah etc etc.. Although according to Allah you cannot be unhappy in any condition with Allah or Allah's any decree.
 
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Before we proceed any further with this interesting discussion, we need to clarify a few basic concepts: belief, faith and religion.

Belief is a state of mind where an individual holds a premise to be true. This forms the basis of thoughts and ideas.

Faith is confidence in a person, thing, or teachings of a religion, and concerns questions which cannot be settled by evidence.

Religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and views that relate to spirituality. Religions have organized behaviors, rituals, sets of duties and are a social phenomenon, not individual.

So is the OP's question related to his religion, faith or belief?

======================
@Aeronaut @Jungibaaz @nuclearpak or any mod: please approve this post.
 
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Thank you so much. I appreciate all of your answers. Also thanks to Aero. I'd reply to your post now, but I've very very deep marks in my head. Also some answers. As I can't do them with mobile. But I'm gonna reply today for sure.
 
Well the title is right. And a question to be shoot through. * well actually, since my academy years till the previous month. I was an atheist. But before that i was always and still asking questions to myself about is there a God really? *
same here, except that my quest is still continuing.
Today I'm the guy who has learned Quran. But especially lately this week, i was kind of a Einstein. yes, today I do believe that there's God but I am not sure about Islam, like;
Einestenin I guess was someone like an agnostic(a loose term for people who do not fall in to the category of believer, confused minds which is open to both idea, accepts and recognises *the good and bad of both atheism and belief system, *soft core atheist etc ) , somewhere between a believer and atheist. Religious views of Albert Einstein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
* If God exists, it's claimed that Islam is the true religion, then why it's the one that always takes the hardest way at anything, at least most of them?
it just happen to be the nature of Islam, many be because of the background and period Islam formed.
I know the reason of fasting and ramazan but it's not healthy for we humans other than loosing weight. It says us to encourage little kids to fast. But especially for them; it's harmful. Why stopping eating and become hungry to feel others instead of buying a meal for a poor person to make him/her feel better and healthy. /QUOTE] like others already said, it's for practicing self control,knowing what is hunger so that you help the poor, an excuse to bring people together with such occasions,other than that such laws, instructions, rituals etc is to *bring a nature obedience in to followers, to bring uniformity and common practices which becomes an identity of *Muslims , to bring discipline, etc
Why Arabic why? Every social, family laws of Islam is based at Arabic culture and arabic nationalism. Honestly I don't wanna learn sth religious with Arabic. Why would I learn Arabic to find out my religion?
it's not a must to learn arabic to learn Islam, but it's better if you know Arabic because the translations of koran may give a different meaning than what is given in Arabic,koran is better understood when you have an idea of Arabic culture, literature ,political situations, *religious practices, prevailing at *that period of time.
If our fate's already written, why God wants to examine it's people. Why there is a need for "a Quiz" as every soul's fate is written?
I guess the atheist in you is not entirely dead, which is good.
I read some parts. It says to kill those who reject Islam. What's goin on there. Is this comin from the "religion of peace".
I can't comment on koran in particular because it will hurt the sentiments of many, i can only comment in general. IMO one can *read a religious books with three kind of mentality. 1) with absolute rationality and critical mind to assert what is the original situations, meaning,etc.often atheists/agnostics only can do so because believers beliefs tend to mislead them.When you read like that you will find many things which are not good , not compatible with today's ethics and practices, concepts,harmony, etc, but a rational person will understand the context, time period, culture, practices, etc in which this verses, concepts are formed.He will *understand that when a certain practice or order is shown as given or practiced by prophet/saints/god himself, it only shows that at that period of time that was the practice or ethics or this order is given to replace a even more primitive and worse practice and concept. so a rational person wouldn't be affected by the concepts written in it, even when he interprets those verses as such when he comes across certain concepts which doesn't go well with today's ethics. 2) there is another kind of reading of religious books by practitioners of the same religion, it's not completely a rational reading, but he applies rationality and I will come to it. when a person with knowledge and some what modern ethics read his own religious texts he will come across many such verses which doesn't suit today's ethics and concepts, but he can't abandon his faith for that, at the same time his rational mind and ethics says to him that he can't follow what is written in those verses, that's not right , *in a situation like this his mind knowingly or even unknowingly starts to think for a solution, and the solution is to give it a better interpretations, change the context if needed,find out alternate meaning for words, call certain parts a story , *call those parts *or a certain book as a contamination or un authentic , etc.I consider this group as ranging from liberal to orthodox. 3) This *kind of *people and their reading/interpretations *are often a dangerous ones, this comes from people with no rationality or modern ethics and morality.When these narrow minded men read religious books they follow it word by word, some times they don't understand tht context, or time period, geography, history etc, which lead to certain verses, and even if what they got is the original meaning and situation(when looked from the POV of rational reading ) if the verses conflict with today's ethics and realities, they will choose to follow what is written in book, they neither do have the *first group's *attributes of RATIONALITY + MODERN ETHICS *nor *the second group s Attributes of BELIEF + MODERN DAY ETHICS + PARTIAL/Limited *RATIONALITY. so they fail to read these books either completely rational with out any prejudice and attachment or to *interpret or avoid certain verses to make it, and there by his practices more compatible with modem day society and ethics. this kind of people are a dangerous combination of irrationality, lack of common sense and lack of modern day ethics, they are like blind men *trying to find out what is an elephant by touching and holding to it, they never see the entire picture, for them *elephant is *a big pillar or a small broom.I consider this group as ranging from orthodox to hard liners to extremists. *
I've never seen a race/country who accepted Islam without having a war with the Arabic, or a bloody civil war under the name of "revolution". EX: I'm Circassian, we were christian (ortodox) actually., when the arabs came to caucasus to spread their view, we've resisted for dozens of years. then We've been broken up. And accepted Islam. Ok.
Most religions are the same Islam, Christianity, Hinduism etc all spread though different methods including violence..violence was used even against the different ideologies within the same religion.
If Islamic rules are the best (it has to be if it's the true religion). Why all of the muslim nations we know are either in a civil war or there's a dictatorship or people uprise or HDI and GDP is very very low?
I guess they failed to update with the changing world, I don't know in details.
* I get that; cigarettes and alcohol (count alcohol out IMO) are forbidden because they are harmful. But why there's a restrict for sexual relationship. At least it starts to become a human need even at the middle of the teenage period according to researchs.
When used in controlled manner alcohol and sex is good, later is not prohibited but restricted in **Islam.
Anyways, for my logic, Of course there's a God. But Islam? I'm not sure about it ??? * What do you say? I'd like to hear opinions from muslim/jewish/christian/hindu/atheist members.
It's up to you to choose which ideology you find more inspiring.
(I was gonna open that thread in somewhere else. But then either there'd be a religion war or people trying to act like clerics/saints, i do want to hear some serious facts, assistance, replies with logic)
It's a good decision as it keeps the trolls and over sensitive out of the thread, but it's bad for me as I don't have a free pass, I have to come through moderators to post, so moderators please pass my post, I spend too much time typing it .
 
Yaar Allah needs some language to convey his message so he chose arabic as the language for quran , hebrew for bible and torah .

exactly, Bible was written in Hebrew but today it is preached in English/other local language(for example in India we have Bible in Hindi)
Why a Pakistani/Indonesian/Turk has to learn Arabic to understand Islam ??
 
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