A good person is a good person.. & follows his/her religion right. Now.. if I wish to convince a strictly religious Christian that their beliefs R wrong.. how do I do that? The thing is that the basic concept of all ahley-kitab is that do right… follow ur religion cos U will be judged after death. Chritians & Jews who strictly follow these principals might be too religious to be convinced about our points. So, how does one argue over the point that Christ is not the son of God… as this is the major matter that we differ on w/ religious Christians.
Please forgive my ignorance, but why would a Chirstian be 'wrong' in following their religion?
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Originally posted by Pilot25:
Please forgive my ignorance, but why would a Chirstian be 'wrong' in following their religion?
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It's our duty as a Muslim to spread Islam. The concept of Islam is the kalma.. that Allah is ONE & that Hazrat Mohammad (saw) is the last prophet. Anyone who doesn't believe this is WRONG! Read the Holy Quran w/ translation... Surah Mayida.. & U will understand what I mean.
The reason I started this topic is cos I know this really sweet ols lady who is a Christian (gori) & she is really religious. She goes to Church every Sunday.. & prays to Jesus... & is trying to keep her kids on the right track.. unlike the teenagers that U see these days. So.. if she is making so much effort to eb "right".. why not guide her completely to the right path of Islam? So, I wanna know how one talks on this topic? It's a general belief that who does good in this world gets the reward here & in the life after death... this applies to Muslims as anyone who doesn't have faith in Islam then just gets the reward here. All ppl R supposed to explore other religions as Allah has provided them with means.. this applies to ppl in our category.. ppl with education & money.. & they all will be held accountable. So.. with reference to this... I feel that I should make an effort with this lady (Helen).
Well,you can start by explaining about Islam. It's origin and the fundamentals. The best way to teach someone about Islam is to present them with an English transaltion of the Quran.
If a good person is good person why does he need to follow a religion and that too the religion that you think is RIGHT?
Religion is basically one's Belief.
Why you think that your belief is correct and not someone else's?
And don't bring in Allah said this and that in Qoran because that is again your belief although you believe it to be the Truth.
Almost everyone here is avoiding the question as to the best way to 'teach' and do dawah about islam...
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Originally posted by k2pk:
Almost everyone here is avoiding the question as to the best way to 'teach' and do dawah about islam...
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thankyou! exactly my point!
I wish to know how one convinces a non muslim.. if I were so wise I wouldn't have posted this Q here.. najoomi!
well u should'nt juz go stright out and tell them they're religion is wrong, try and explain about islam
sigh
All I wanna know is.. how do U convince someone of Allah's oneness?
We all have the same basis for religion.... Islam only differs in Allah's "wahdaniyat".. shirk is haram. So.. tell me about that!
aidhen- has it ever occured to you that their faith in their religion is as strong as your belief in yours? How would you react if someone told you that you were wrong? Think about this first... you'll find your answer.
Its good to see that you want to teach Islam to a non-Muslim. But don't rush it... First ask about her beliefs, gather knowledge about what she believes, then compare her practices with Islamic ones. And tell her how Islam is different from Christianity. You can ask her the concept of trinity. Listen to her carefully and tell her that we belive in one Allah. One Allah because, he's the creator of all the universe. We can't see Him with our eyes, because he is superior than us.
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We were created from a drop of despised fluid, in which was a microscopic sperm, which fertilised a microscopic egg and we grew in our mother's womb in stages predetermined, overwhich we had no control. We came from our mother's womb, urinating and defecating, needing constant attention and care. Without food we will die, without air we will die ... and then such a one is God?
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As Jesus and Mary were humans their needs were similar to us. And every human being has to die, God can not die. Since He's the creator, His qualities are different from us.
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Something stranger still, and perhaps another reason for the trend to deny the Creator, are those who claim that a man, or men, who walked on the earth, breathed air, who had bodies and souls subject to the Laws of the Universe, are the Creator, or manifestations of the Self-Subsistent One. This is of course a complete contradiction in terms. Something cannot be the Creator and created at the same time, needing air, food and drink and being self-sufficient, being temporary and eternal!
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I will give you here links to some very good sites, where you can see the links to the most frequently asked questions by the non-Muslims.
"Blessed be He who sent down the Criterion to His servant that it may be an admonition to all creatures.
To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; no son has he begotten, nor has He any partner in His dominion; It is He who created all things and gave them theirdue proportions. Yet they have taken besides Him gods that can create nothing but are themselves created; that have no control of hurt or good to themselves; nor do they control life nor death nor Resurrection."
[The Qur'aan 25:1-3]
oops fogot to add the links..
I just thought this may be of interets…
The article is poted on http://www.understanding-islam.com/ri/mi-012.htm
About Propagating Islam to Interested People…
How should a Muslim talk to a non-Muslim who is interested in Islam and a possible convert? What “angle” should they take in illuminating their minds on Islam?
Reply
The following are some of the major points that must be kept in mind while propagating Islam to people of other religions:
It is very unfortunate that propagation of Islam has become more of a debate between proponents of Islam and other religions. We are so used to this style of “propagation” that the very word of propagation brings to mind a hot debate in which two or more parties are trying to convince an audience that the beliefs of the other are unfounded and absurd. I would like to stress at the outset that such a style is not just “not propagation” but can be very harmful to the very spirit and objective of propagation. Every criticism on another person’s beliefs and every intellectual attack on his/her philosophy makes the other person prone to criticising our own beliefs rather than accepting them. It activates a strong defense mechanism inside the person and makes it difficult for him/her to be receptive to our call. The first principle that must therefore be kept in mind is that the style of introducing Islam to others should be such that the other person does not feel offended or insulted. To introduce a person to Islam, we don’t need to criticise his/her existing beliefs. We should try to present the teachings of Islam in a positive manner. Such a style is expected to face lower resistance from the addressees.
The primary object in propagating Islam is not to win a debate or to increase the number of registered Muslims in the world. It is an attempt to remove all excuses a person might have, on the Day of Judgment, for not accepting Islam. For every such excuse shall be a burden on the Muslims on that Day. It is an attempt to save a person from the eternal punishment. It is an attempt to answer all questions on Islam raised by others. Keeping this object of propagation in view, our style should only be such that the other person perceives us to be his sincere well wisher. We should try to avoid confrontation at all costs.
For Muslims, propagating Islam really means propagating the Truth. The essence of this propagation, thus is to pursue our addressees to accept whatever is proven to be the Truth. Now, if this is really the case, then the person who is trying to convince others of his ideas, should first of all keep his own mind open to accept whatever is proven to be the Truth. If I am trying to convince others to keep their minds open to accept the Truth, I can never be effective if my own attitude towards the ideas of others is of apathy and outright rejection.
Propagation of Islam is not merely convincing someone intellectually about Islamic ideals, it is much more than that. It is to present the moral, ethical and philosophical teachings of Islam. This presentation can only be effective if the person presenting these ideals is himself a practicing Muslim. After all, how can I convince another person to change his life according to the views that are true in my eyes, if I am myself not living my life according to the propagated views.
As our experience shows, the primary response from a non-Muslim that should be expected in reply to our propagational efforts is that he would criticize on matters relating to Islam; this criticism is most likely to be on some of the verses of the Qur’an, some of the sayings of the Prophet (pbuh) and a few events from Sirah (the life of the Prophet) and Muslim history. It is normally observed that in response to such criticism, we – the Muslims – start criticising the books and the teachings of the prophet who holds a revered position in the eyes of our addressee. This may critically hamper the communication process. We must remember that if somebody has criticised the Qur’an or the life and teachings of the Prophet (pbuh), the correct response should be to give an acceptable answer to such criticism, not to criticise the beliefs of the critic. Such criticism on the beliefs of the critic may prove the beliefs of the critic to be wrong, but it would not, by itself, prove the correctness of the Islamic ideology. In view of this fact, propagation of Islamic ideals should only be taken up either after having deep knowledge about Islam and its teachings or under close guidance and supervision of someone who has this knowledge. We must also remember that the case of propagating Islam, is quite different from that of the other major religions of the world, in the sense that in the case of Islamic propagation, we need not prove the other religions to be wrong. Our stand point can simply be that Mohammad (pbuh) was the last among the prophets of the Almighty. Even if their respective beliefs are taken to be correct, still if Mohammad (pbuh) is proven to be a true prophet of Allah, his teachings, merely because he was the last among these prophets, must be followed. On the contrary, the case for Christianity, for instance, or Judaism can only hold ground if Islam is proven to be a false religion and Mohammad (pbuh) a false prophet. It is because of this reason that, in my opinion, we must concentrate solely on the positive presentation and replies to criticisms on Islam and try to avoid criticizing other religions.
While propagating our ideals, we must always try to find a common point of reference with our addressee from where we start our efforts. One must remember that the human mind can more easily adapt to and accept ideas that are familiar to it, than to those that are absolutely novel and new.
Another important principle is that the Islamic teachings should be presented in the correct sequence. A new convert or a potential convert should be taught only the most basic and primary teachings. Only after these teachings are fully accepted and adopted by our addressees should we move on. If the proper sequence in this process is not maintained, it may quite easily result in not only making these teachings incomprehensible for a new convert but also in disturbing the perfect balance of the total body of the teachings of Islam. In this case, a new or a potential convert should be considered as a child who starts going to school. He may plan on ultimately becoming a doctor, but no one would recommend that the child should be introduced to advanced medical concepts in its forming years.
I have tried to briefly enlist a few of the important principles in propagating and teaching Islam to those who are interested to learn. I hope this helps. In case anything remains unclear or any point needs further elaboration, please feel free in writing to me.
Regards
The Learner
[This message has been edited by stunned (edited January 25, 2001).]
Aidhen, stunned posted a very interesting and informative article. I hope by now that you've recieved a suitable answer to your question.
This being the case, would you mind if I ask you why you want to preach religion to the religious? How about teaching religion to the non-religious? How about teaching children about Islam? How about teaching it to those who are inquisitve, but have no one to answer their questions?
If someone is a good, clean, God fearing human being, does the fact that they are Christian really matter that much? If someone is already a devout believer in the one God that created us all, should it really be the number one prioirity to try and convert them first?
I'm not trying to imply that you are wrong. I'm simply curious as to your train of thought on this issue. Perhaps you can persuade me to feel the samw way too?
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Originally posted by k2pk:
Almost everyone here is avoiding the question as to the best way to 'teach' and do dawah about islam...
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With my limited knowledge of tableegh, I would have to say that the best way to spread the word is to follow it.
Live a life that is exemplary and people will automatically want to follow you. If you are happy, healthy and wealthy, inside and out, why wouldn't anyone wanna be just like you?