Well, I was having a look at this thread from a couple of days. I just had a question. Do we really need to "Defend" Islam? Won't being a true Muslim who follows each and every guideline of Islam enough? That's what our Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) Did, and the fact is he never had to "Defend" Islam, He just kept being a true Muslim, Spreading Peace And love. Well if we all also do the same, There will be NO need to "Defend" Islam, As the whole world will know what Islam really is. If evil peoples can show Islam as a bad religion by doing Bad deeds, Why can't we Muslims show each and every person on earth what Islam really is and what it teaches us by doing good deeds, Spreading peace and love.
Nice thought. "Defend your Imaan" should be the way to go. Islam needs no defending.
I also decided to drop my $0.02 on the homosexuality matter. I'm no qualified expert on the teachings of Islam to discuss a 'masla' and draw rulings but I had to think about this topic because when you live in a Western country and you have a beard and your outlook shouts "I'm a Muslim" and when a non-Muslim comes and asks you question, how do you answer? I usually start off my answer with the same disclaimer, "My knowledge is not comprehensive but I know some key principles..."
So all Muslims start it off with the Kalma, proclaiming Allah as the one and only worthy of our prayers and Muhammad (
صلى الله عليه وسلم) as the last of Allah's prophets.
The
لا إله إلا الله is a case study in itself. There is no God but Allah is a rough translation in English. When we say we're Muslim, the one thing we are absolutely claiming irrespective of any sub belief is the Allah is the only one and true God worthy of being a called with the thousands of Godly qualities hinted in the Quran most of which the human brain and knowledge still can't comprehend. So when we say "I'm a Muslim", we believe that Allah is present, Allah is aware of our thoughts, our feelings, our belief, our nafs, our niyyah, our everything, our context, our society, the level of challenges and how it scales based on our ability. (Eating Halal food can be really easy for someone and ultimately difficult for the other depending on their level of self control, location, availability, affordability, hunger level, etc etc).
Based on how much we strive to please Allah and the effort it requires on our part, the rewards scale. Remember, Allah isn't simply Just, he's the MOST MERCIFUL. Remember the story of a big sinner who made a thirsty dog drink before he/she died and got forgiven for ALL the sins he/she did during his/her lifetime? Redeemed by a single act of goodness.
Based on this thought, [MENTION=33834]Arkonov[/MENTION], I believe your sexuality is a matter between you and Allah. Being a Muslim, you believe in the absoluteness of Allah's omnipresence all knowing existence. You believe that Allah's knows how He made you, how he wired you and you believe that even if Allah has declared it as a huge Sin, you have no control over it and all you can do is ask forgiveness. You are confident that you absolutely know that's how you're wired and Allah being your Creator knows absolutely well how he created you and knows how challenging it is for you to overcome it. May be even impossible. So if Allah knows you have no control over it, you should feel reasonably confident that Allah might forgive you?
That's what Allah wants from all of us. Optimism, but fear. He can forgive you. But what if he doesn't? Do we do nearly enough? We single out the major sins like drinking, gambling, sex, etc. because of course, they're the "Gunah-e-Kabeerah" and they leave a permanent mark on your "hereafter CV" but Allah CAN forgive for that. But what about the sins we constantly do, what about us hurting others? What about backbiting?
Since there's no established court of Shariah, the best one can do is consult someone we willingly choose as our religious 'go to' person. An Ameer. I mean when we get sick we go to a doctor, the more complicated the scenario, the better doctor and institution we seek out. There are different schools of thoughts in medicine, we ask for referrals and eventually decide upon a doctor before commencing the treatment. Similarly when we're looking for a lawyer to sort out a dispute, or an accountant to file our tax returns or even a mechanic to fix our car - we do a little research. We google some stuff online for our own knowledge, then we seek out the best experts and then take our car to them. We cross question their diagnosis and establish a trust relation with them. This is exactly how it should be with consulting an aalim of a deen. You do your own research, you find the best recommended aalim/mufti and you meet and question them. If they satisfy you, well and good you establish a trust relation with him. No? We continue our hunt.
This is exactly how our queries and problems related to Islam/Imaan should be addressed. Either we do the 4-7 year BS/MS and earn the qualifications to become a Doctor ourselves, or we do the best to find the best Doctor. Don't we hear stories about doctors and scams and mis-treatments and what not? Do we treat ALL Doctors generally kay yaar "Doctor to hotay hi aisay hain" just like we do with "Yaar maulvis to hotay hi aisey hain". We don't. It might take a while to find the right mufti who you can have a trust relationship with but once you do, don't let go. That's the whole concept of "ba'et".
By standard definition, Homosexuality is a huge sin by Islamic teachings no matter how we twist it. If there was Caliphate and proper Shariah Court, there may be penalties. On a State level, it can never be legitimized. That's the general ruling. Now what to do if you're homosexual but you want to be a Muslim. Can there be a homosexual Muslim? Refer to my answer above. In His judgement, Allah considers context. So it's not hopeless. But a homosexual won't be able to thrive 100% in a perfect Islamic society, just like someone who has a taste for fine drinking like Wine and Beer. Just like a naturist/nudist can't thrive in New York city or where public nudity is a crime with fines and jail time. There's a social construct and then there's individualism.
In the end, it's always between Allah and the individual. He can forgive us for all sins, may be even the greater sins. However, if we violate anyone's right, we first have to seek forgiveness from that individual first.
Bah, too much text. Just a brain dump. Sorry if I hurt any feelings or said anything politically incorrect, I meant no dis-respect. And may Allah forgive me for my mistakes and correct my thoughts if they're deviant from the Quran and Sunnah.
Necrokiller:
XPremiuM:
SolitarySoldier:
