Jizya: Extorting Money from Other Religions

Christian: Allah (=God) orders Muslims to fight unbelievers until they accept Islam (Koran 9:29).

Muslim: This is not true. The Quran 9:29 doesn’t say to forcibly convert people of other religions to Islam. This is what the Quran 9:29 says-

“Fight those who do not believe in God or in the Last Day and who do not consider unlawful what God and His Messenger have made unlawful and who do not adopt the religion of truth from those who were given the Scripture - [fight] until they humbly pay jizyah (tax).”

God tells Muslims to fight Non-Muslims until they pay tax. God doesn’t tell Muslims to fight non-Muslims until they convert to Islam. Non-Muslims who live in an Islamic state need to pay tax. Note that it is not only Non-Muslims who pay tax in an Islamic state. Muslims who live in an Islamic state need to pay tax too. The tax that Non-Muslims pay is called “jizyah”. The tax that Muslims pay is called “zakah”. Note that the rate of “zakah” is higher than the rate of “jizyah”. This means Muslims pay higher tax than Non-Muslims in a Muslim state.

If you live in a Non-Muslim country and deny paying the government tax, then the government will fight you until you pay the tax. The government will send police to arrest you and put you in jail. There is nothing wrong with punishing citizens if they don’t pay tax.

Did Islam originate from Hinduism?

Sharma: Do you know that the Arabic word "Allah" derived from Sanskrit language? If you break down the word “Allah”, you get “Al+ilah”. The word for Goddess in Sanskrit is “ilah”. “Allah” is not the only word that Arabic language borrowed from Sanskrit. There are so many words that Arabic language borrowed from Sanskrit. I can give you the web links if you want to check out.

Abdullah: The word Allah is not a SPECIFIC name of God. It is a GENERAL name of God in Arabic language. Arab Jews and Christians call god by Allah but their God's actual name is Yahweh. Arab Hindus call God by Allah but their god's actual name is Rama. Arab Buddhists call God by Allah but their God's actual name is Buddha. Arab pagans call God by Allah but their god's actual name is Habul. They use the word Allah in general sense & actual names in specific sense. For example, the general word for God in Hindi language is Bhagavan. Indian Jews and Christians call god by Bhagavan but their God's actual name is Yahweh. Indian Hindu call God by Bhagavan but their god's actual name is Rama. Indian Buddhists call God by Bhagavan but their God's actual name is Buddha, and so on.

Do Muslims have a specific name of God? Muslims believe God doesn’t have a specific name. The reason why Muslims call God by “Allah” than by any other name is Quran was reveled on Arabic. And the word for “God” in Arabic language is “Allah”. God says we can call him by any best names (The Quran 17:110). There are two criteria of best names:

(1) We can’t call God by evil names (e.g., liar) or by weak names (e.g., powerless).

(2) We cannot call God by the positive or comparative forms a good adjective. We have to call God by the superlative form of a good adjective. For example, we cannot call God “powerful” or “more powerful”. Instead, we have to call God “the most powerful.”

Allah (Al-Elah) is the Arabic word which means “The-God” in English. “Al” means “The” and “Elah” means “God” in Arabic. The word “Allah” is derived from Hebrew, not from Sanskrit. The word for “God” in Hebrew is “Elohim”. Hebrew language borrowed the word “Elohim” from Sumerian language. The word for God in Sumerian is “ILU” and the word for goddess is “ILATI”. Sumerian is the oldest language of the world which dates back to 1000 BC. All three languages (Sumerian, Hebrew, and Arabic) are Semitic languages.

Note that just because Arabic language borrowed the GENERAL word for “God” from Sumerian language through Hebrew language, we cannot say Arabs worshipped the same Gods as Sumerians did. If you look at the history of Arabia prior to Islam, you will see that pagan idols of Arab religions were different than pagan idols of Sumerians. This proves different languages can borrow the GENERAL word for “God” from each other but the concept of God of the speakers of those different languages are different because they have SPECIFIC word for “God” when they address God in specific sense.

The question may be raised why a language will borrow “a general word for god” from other languages when that language already has “a general word for God”. When speakers of one language preach their religion to speakers of another language, “the general word for God” may enter from one language to another. Or, when speakers from one language start living with speakers of another language, “the general word for God” may enter from one language to another. For example, when Turkish Muslims ruled India, the word “Parvardigar” which is a general word for God in Turkish language entered Hindi language. Even today “Parvardigar” is used as a general name for God in Hindi language.

You said there are a lot of words that Arabic language borrowed from Sanskrit. What makes you so sure about it? It can be other way around too. It may be Sanskrit language that borrowed words from Arabic language when Arabs traders first came to India around 7th century AD. As I mentioned earlier, Arabic language did not borrow “the general word for God (Allah)” from Sanskrit language. But for the sake of argument if I say Arabic borrows “the general word for God (Allah)” from Sanskrit language, then I find no connection between the concepts of God in Islam & Hinduism. This is because both religions have specific way to call God which is separate and distinct from each other.

Reference:

Sumerian Dictionary:http://www.ping.de/sites/systemcoder/necro/info/sumerian.htm

Is Allah a Deceiver?

Robert: In Islam, Allah (=God) is a deceiver. It is said in the Quran 3:54: “And they deceived/tricked and Allah (=God) deceived/tricked, and Allah (is) the best (of) who deceive/trick.”

Abdullah: Deceive/trick is a verb. In every language, verbs can be categorized into two groups based on their faces/dimensions of good and evil. Some verbs have a single face/dimension of either good or bad (e.g., rape, abuse, etc.). On the other hand, some other verbs have two faces/dimensions of good and bad (e.g., kill, trick, etc.). For example, rape cannot be done for a good cause. On the other hand, kill can be done for a good cause, such as, punishing criminals. There are countless movies and books in which protagonists kill or trick antagonists for good causes and get viewers’ and readers’ endorsement. Note that both a protagonist and an antagonist may trick each other. A protagonist (the good guy) tricks an antagonist (the bad guy) for a good cause which is why it gets viewers’ and readers’ approval. On the other hand, an antagonist (the bad guy) tricks a protagonist (the good guy) for a bad cause which is why it gets viewers’ and readers’ disapproval. You checked out the dictionary definition of trick and it sounded bad to you. Therefore, like a child, you concluded that anyone who “tricks” has to be a bad guy. You completely failed to understand that both good guys and bad guys trick. But their causes of tricking are different.

Robert: So you say there is an honest trick and dishonest trick? Wow! That’s like being a Gangster trying to explain his deeds. A gangster tricks because he sees his cause as good.

Abdullah: Gangster is an antagonist. Antagonists trick for evil causes so their tricks can't be justified. The moment an antagonist tricks for good causes, s/he becomes a protagonist. God is a protagonist and Satan is an antagonist. God never tricks for bad causes & Satan never tricks for good causes.

Robert: Why Allah (God) tricks to make any believe in him? Why Allah (=God) tricks unbelievers or others to get what he wants?

Abdullah: God doesn’t trick anyone to believe in him. You got it wrong. God tricks Satan & unbelievers when they try to trick believers. This is fair game.

You asked me why God tricks unbelievers for PERSONAL GAIN. God doesn't trick unbelievers for PERSONAL GAIN. When believers (good guys) are wronged by tricks of unbelievers (bad guys), God tricks unbelievers (bad guys) to save believers (good guys). God doesn’t gain anything by tricking the unbelievers (bad guys). Only believers are benefited from it. For example, I can give you an example of God’s trick in the Quran. Quran says God tricked unbelievers into believing that they killed Jesus but actually they didn't. God didn't gain anything by tricking the unbelievers but poor guy Jesus did.

Robert: When Allah (=God) does not trick for personal gain, but to save his believers. Is not that for personal gain really? And when he tricks the unbelievers to save his believers is not that just really HATE? For when you trick another one, then it’s because of your hate against that person. Hate causes murder etc. So your Islamic God hates those who aren’t his believers.

Abdullah: Believers are good guys. Why wouldn’t God help good guys? Love isn’t always good & hate isn’t always bad. Goodness & badness of Love & hate depend on how you apply them. For example, love for good is good. Love for evil is bad. Hate for good is evil. Hate for evil is good. God love believers because believers are good guys. God hate disbelievers because disbelievers are bad guys.

Is Muslim Prayer Funny?

Atheist: Muslims do butt-ups 5 times a day to glorify Allah! How Funny!

Muslim: Muslim 5 time prayer is called “salat”. Salat includes different postures. One of the postures is “prostration” which you call “butt-up position”. “Prostration” is a common posture in all major religions, such as, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Even atheists do this posture in their yoga class because they believe this posture is helpful for physical and mental health. Not only prostration, but all other postures of “salat” are performed by atheists in yoga class. When you laugh at Muslims for prostration, you unconsciously laugh at yourselves.

Prostration in Islam:

Prostration in Judaism:

Prostration in Christianity:

Prostration in Buddhism:

Prostration in Hinduism:

Prostration in yoga class:

Reference

Islam:

■ "O You who believe! bow down and prostrate yourselves and serve your lord, and do good that you may prosper." (Quran 22:77)

Judaism:

■ "And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship..." (Joshua 5:14)

■ "And they (Moses and Aaron) fell upon their faces..." (Num 20:6)

■ "And Abraham fell on his face..." - (Genesis 17:3)

■ “And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him…” (Genesis 17:3)

■ “…and they (Moses and Aaron) fell upon their faces: and the glory of the LORD appeared unto them.”(Numbers 20:6)

■ “And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.” (Joshua 7:6)

■ “…they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the LORD…” (2 Chronicles 7:3)

■ “…and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground.” (Nehemiah 8:6)

■ “…and he (Elijah) cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees…” (1 Kings 18:42)

■ “…and (all the angels) fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God…” (Revelations 7:11)

■ “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”
(Psalms 95:6)

■ “…all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul.” (Psalms 22:29)

■ “…And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.” (Judges 13:20)

■ “And when all the people saw it,they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, He is the God; the LORD, He is the God.” (1 Kings 18:39)

■ “I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord GOD!” (Ezekiel 9:8)

■ “David arose out of a place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times…” (1 Samuel 20:41)

■ “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship…” (Joshua 5:14)

■ “And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the LORD, bowing himself to the earth…”  (Genesis 24:52)

Christianity:

■ "And he (Jesus) went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed..." (Matt 26:39).

■ “And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces…” (Matthew 17:6)

An Atheist Claims the Quran Fails!

Atheist: Muslims say Allah (=God) reveals scientific information of embryology in the Quran. Why Allah (=God) reveals useless embryological information in the Quran? Why doesn’t Allah (=God) reveal some useful scientific information in the Quran that can save millions of lives such as, how to make AIDS vaccine? Or, why doesn’t Allah (=God) reveal some useful scientific information in the Quran that can help us upgrade our quality of life such as, how to generate electricity?

Muslim: First, God reveals scientific information of embryology in the Quran which modern science says is 100% accurate. Dr. Keith Leon Moore, a professor of University of Toronto confirmed the embryology in the Quran. In addition, scientific information of embryology in the Quran is useful, not useless. Medical students do study embryology in school. Below is the link of a video on embryology in the Quran for you to watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC2_IMz9qcY

Second, I think you are trying to imply that the Quran fails since it doesn’t cover all fields of science; instead it talks about some fields of science (e.g., embryology, physics, etc.) and doesn’t talk about some other fields of science (e.g., electrical engineering, sexual health, etc.). In reply to this argument, I want to let you know that the Quran never claims to be “a book of a single field of science”, let alone “a book of all fields of science”. Since the Quran is not “a book of all fields of science”, you cannot accuse the Quran of failure for not talking about all fields of science. Is this understood, son? The Quran doesn’t belong to on a single field of knowledge. The Quran belongs to various fields of knowledge. For example, the Quran talks about sociology, psychology, geology, biology, physics, history, medicine, law, and I can go on and on.

Atheist: I never said the Quran had to cover all brunches of science to prove its worth. But how the Quran can miss out two very important brunches of science - electrical engineering and sexual health and give us formulas of how to make AIDS vaccine and generate electricity? Didn’t Allah (=God) know that he could save millions of lives if he mentioned how to make AIDS vaccine in the Quran? Didn’t Allah (=God) know that he could help us profoundly upgrade our quality of life if he mentioned how to generate electricity in the Quran?

Muslim: It is clear from your question that you see the Quran as a science book which should teach people important scientific lessons. The Quran is not a book the way you see it. If a history book makes some scientific statements, that doesn’t become a science book. Do you know why this is? This is because a historian’s purpose of making some scientific statements in his/her history book is not to teach readers science. A historian may make some scientific statements in his/her history book because those scientific statements can help him/her to prove or solidify the historical statements he/she made in that book. Note that a history book’s purpose is always to teach history, even though it may make some scientific statements.

As I mentioned before, the Quran talks about sociology, psychology, geology, biology, physics, history, medicine, law, etc. But the purpose of the author of the Quran is not to teach people these brunches of knowledge. The author of the Quran is God. God’s purpose of revealing the Quran is to distinguish between truth and falsehood. God makes sociological, psychological, geological, biological, and historical statements whenever making these statements is reverent to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Atheist: Okay, forget about the nature of the Quran. God loves us, doesn’t he? Isn’t God hurt by the death of millions of people due to AIDS? Wasn’t God hurt by seeing us living pathetic primitive life due to the absence of knowledge of how to generate electricity? Why didn’t God teach us or let us know by his books or prophets how to make AIDS vaccine and generate electricity?

Muslim: In Islam, one of God’s attribute is “the provider of food”. What does this mean? This doesn’t mean God will come down to earth to spoon-feed you. God gave you lands and intelligence. You need intelligence to produce food by using the land. No other earthly living beings have been given “intelligence” except human beings by God. God will give you raw materials but you have to produce your own products. 

God created human beings and gave them intelligence and earthly resources. Human beings are supposed to invent things that are necessary for them by using the knowledge and raw materials God gave them. For example, God gave us iron on earth. Also, he gave us intelligence too so that we can make things we need using iron. We use iron to invent things that we need.

Does God Forgive All Sins?

Muslim Convert: My dad died as a Christian. Will God forgive his sin if he repents hereafter?

Abdullah: God forgives all sins if sinners make repentance. Sinners must make repentance before they die. A person’s repentance will not be accepted after he dies. This earthly life is a test for us. Every test is time bound. A student is not allowed to write or edit his/her exam paper when time is up. A student must put his/her pen down when time is up. Your father will not be able to make repentance hereafter.

Reference:

Say: ‘O My servants who wronged against their souls, do not despair of God’s mercy! For GOD FORGIVES ALL SINS; for He is indeed Forgiving, Compassionate. (Quran 39: 53)

Indeed, those who disbelieve and DIE AS DISBELIEVERS - never would the [whole] capacity of the earth in gold be accepted from one of them if he would [seek to] ransom himself with it. For those there will be a painful punishment, and they will have no helpers. (Quran 3:91)

Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said- “God accepts the repentance of his servant so long as death has not reached his collar bone.” 

Has Allah Failed?

Atheist: After 1,400 years, 60% of the world's population is not Muslim. Such reveals that Allah (=God) has failed, yes?

Muslim: God gave us free will to choose from good and evil. God doesn't interfere in our decision-making. If you don't believe in God and burn your ass in the hell fire as a consequence of that, then you are the looser, not God. God tells you to become a Muslim for your own good. God doesn't loose or gain anything if you fail or succeed to go to paradise.

Atheist: I would lose something if my child failed at something important. Allah (=God) is caring, right?

Muslim: I am not sure what you mean by “something”. I think you want to know if caring God is hurt by the failure of people going to paradise. God cares for righteous people. God doesn’t care for evil doers. If you do not care for a person, then you do not get hurt by that person’s failure. God doesn’t feel sorry for the people in the hellfire because only evildoers go to hell and they deserve that.

God says in the Quran that he has power to make everyone Muslim. But he will not do that since the earthly life is a test for mankind. God tells his Prophet Muhammad (sw) not to force people to embrace Islam because God gives people free will choose from good (=Islam) and evil (=other ways of life).

References:

‘If your Lord wished, he could make the whole of mankind believe in Him. (O Muhammad), will you force people to believe?’ (The Glorious Qur’an10:99)

‘Say: The Truth has come from your Lord. Let him who will, believe it, and let him who will, reject it.’ (The Glorious Qur’an 18: 29)

‘Blessed is He in whose hands is the Kingdom- who is powerful over everything- who has created death and life, so that He might test you as to which among you [proves that he] is good in conduct.’ (The Glorious Qur’an 67: 1-2)