From the ‘Nation of Islam’ to the Ummah:A look at Islam and race in America

[Muslim Works]

There is an Arab proverb of a young prince who one day went out for a walk.

On the way, he passed by a low wall, beyond which was a beautiful garden filled with trees and plants, full of flowers and fruits. On looking beyond the wall, he noticed an old man planting date seeds which take a 100 years to bear fruit.

The Prince who was young, called out to the old man in the garden.


The Prince said: “ O old man, why do you plant seeds from which you will never eat?”

The old man replied: “I plant these seeds for others after me, like those before me have planted the seeds for us to eat from its fruit. So, I plant these seeds so that others may eat from its fruit.


R. Khalil

 

[Cracker Jack]

I don't like dates. t: I'm kidding.

There's a story my old pastor told me

An old man and a young boy were carrying their good to market on a donkey. When they passed by a group of men sitting on a bench the men said to the old man, “Why aren’t you riding on the donkey old man.” So the old man got on the donkey led by the boy. Soon they past by another group of people who said “ Look at that old man riding on that donkey while making the young boy walk." So the old man let the boy get on the donkey. Again they came upon a group of people who said “What a shame, that young boy and old man riding on the donkey who is already burdened by their good." The next group of people they came across were astonished to see the old man and the young boy carrying the donkey on their back.

 

[Muslim Works]

t:

Everyone in the middle east knows that you should use camels instead.

 

[Cracker Jack]

Who said they were in the Middle East? t:

 

[Muslim Works]

Who said they were in the Middle East? t:

True. When I assume I make an ass out of u and me.

Get it? Ass = Donkey from your story? Ah forget it, not funny.


R. Khalil

 

[Man-Thing]

Why do Muslims often take up the name Mohammad or name their children that, but disallow images of the "prophet"?

 

[maxwell's demon]

i think i understand this and it's hard to explain because it goes back so many centuries. but it's the idea of false realities.

it's about images as a form of hypnosis. persuasion. which is to say, magic. but it's pretty hard to convince people of this since they've been so entrained. WE here in the U.S *think* we're immune to these false realities, but i don't think that's true.

 

[Muslim Works]

Why do Muslims often take up the name Mohammad or name their children that, but disallow images of the "prophet"?

Man-Thing,

First, in regard to the naming question. The name Muhammad has the meaning of "greatly praised" and Muslims are given this name as a goal of living up to the attribute of the name.

Also many Muslims believe that God gives special blessings to parents who name their child out of love and respect for the Prophet.

Muslims take and are given names of both Muhammad and other popular figures in Islamic history and also of take names drawn from Biblical sources.

Second, there has been a long standing belief among Muslims that images of all Prophets and divine entities like Angels and God himself, are prohibited. In our religion, making pictures of these prophets, it would be considered a big sin.

The prohibition on depicting God extends throughout the Judeo-Christian tradition. The Second Commandment instructs the faithful not to make " any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth." Jews have for the most part avoided visual representations of the deity, although there's been a great deal of Jewish figurative art throughout history.
Christian attitudes vary widely. The Orthodox Church uses religious icons for worship: Since God became embodied in Jesus, you can represent Jesus and other holy figures. You can't draw a picture of the Lord above, though. Catholicism assigns religious imagery a more pedagogical role, interpreting the Bible to say that religious images are allowed as long as you don't worship them.

Some Protestant traditions—like Calvinism—banned images outright. Today, you won't find much imagery in Baptist churches. Lutherans and Anglicans tend to be more accepting of religious images, believing that a picture can be used to teach an idea as long as it's not being worshipped.

In spite of the Islamic ban again images of Prophets, there is no command for Muslims to go out now and punish those who do nor did Muhammad prescribe punishments for those who did so.

While there are numerous passages in the Qur’an prohibit idolatry and worshipping statues or pictures, I am not aware of any verses that
explicitly or implicitly says not to have any pictures of Muhammad.

Certainly the violent reaction to those cartoons was very un-Islamic and uncivilized and was in my opinion worst than the images themselves for the cartoons were done out of ignorance, but Muslims having the guidance of the Qur'an and life example of Muhammad should know better to behave in such an unbecoming fashion.

Its my opinion had Muhammad witness this issue he would have said a prayer for the cartoonist and "turned away from the ignorant," as Allah commanded him to do in the Qur'an.

Peace,

R. Khalil

 

[Muslim Works]

I also would like to post a statement I came across that addresses the racial issue of making pictures of Prophets and of the Divine.





A MESSAGE OF CONCERN

What would happen if people would sit in churches throughout the world for centuries with the image of an African American man as savior of the world before them?

What would this do the mind of the world's children?

What would happen to the world's children put under a figure of a particular race presented, pitiable, and in pain "the Savior of all men?"

QUR'AN, SURAH 3, VERSE 64:

"SAY, OH PEOPLE OF THE BOOK! COME TO COMMON TERMS AS BETWEEN US AND YOU: THAT WE WORSHIP NONE BUT GOD, THAT WE ASSOCIATE NO PARTNER WITH HIM, THAT WE ERECT NOT FROM OURSELVES LORDS AND PATRONS OTHER THAN GOD. IF THEY TURN BACK, SAY YOU, 'BEAR WITNESS THAT WE (AT LEAST) ARE MUSLIM (BOWING TO GOD'S WILL)."

Civilized nations should want their religions be also civilized.

False worship is the worst form of oppression. We are no gods. We are only men, "mortals from the mortals, GOD created." (Qur'an).

 

[Cracker Jack]

True. When I assume I make an ass out of u and me.

Get it? Ass = Donkey from your story? Ah forget it, not funny.


R. Khalil

It made me chuckle