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Nayzak In reply to enixfire [2013-01-25 23:31:16 +0000 UTC]

peace be to you,
first, allow me to thank you for asking me about my religion. and in this comment, I will try my best to answer in sha'Allah [God willing].

You raised a lot of questions, so be warned, this is going to be a very long comment:
... Muslims will make themselves appear to others in the most pleasing way to gain your trust before converting you or resort of violence if you do not agree.
believe me (or not), I gain nothing by converting people.
I believe my duty is in informing people about Islam. the choice is theirs. That's why you never find me going around to people's pages and preaching to them there.
besides, what I offer here is hardly enough to convert anybody. I am only offering the tip of the iceberg and I encourage people to go and search about the true Islam. if they find it convincing to them and decide to follow the way of Islam. then it is good for them. If after they search, they find they don't like it. it's their choice. the most important thing is that they search and learn enough before they judge.
if you met Muslims resorting to violence when you disagree with them, it's because they are not good Muslims. not a good representation of Islam.
Even if you disagree with me, as long as you respect me, we can be good friends.

I searched 'Aisha' in your gallery and found this to be the only piece with her, maybe? (I do not know if you drew Aisha in this drawing or not)
You do not find the subject of the lady Ayesha in my pages because it is not an important subject. there are far more important subjects for me to cover. besides, the whole thing about the lady Ayesha is just a misconception. her age is just gravely misrepresented. I will answer this later in this comment.

But I'm hesitant to accept something that I have doubts over.
I respect you for not wanting to blindly believe what others tell you. the willingness to search for the truth is what makes people find it.

I've been reading through your comments on different pictures and submissions and I'm not sure if you're hiding unfavorable things about your religion or just haven't mentioned them (which I still find a bit sketchy and reason to worry).
I am not hiding any unfavorable things. I talked about many bad things found among many Muslims such as terrorism, honor killing, forced marriages... but you see, while these things can be found among some Muslims, Islam stands against them. so we aren't be fair if we blame Islam for something it clearly stands against.

In the comments of your submissions you stated that being homosexual is a choice, that all people are slaves to Allah, that girls should wear the Hijab, this lead me to hypothesize that you are close minded (I do not say that in an offensive way) to accepting things that are not accepted in the Qur'an.
What you call close-mindedness, I call it 'not compromising my religion'.
If I were to compromise my religion, I may say pleasing things to attract people, but will I be truthful in that case? certainly not.

I personally am very non-religious in general cause I feel one should look upon themselves and just know what is right and what is moral and what is good through there own personal reviews and avoid peer pressure as much as possible.
true. but the problem is that different people have different opinions regarding what is right and what is moral. what we find, in the end, is personal preferences.

But it's hard to do that when I see the look of hatred on my mothers face to Muslims. My mother is accepting of everyone of every nationality and of every religion besides Islam.
It is really regretful that your mother had bad experiences with some bad examples of Islam. It is true, some jerks happen to be Muslims. and with their backward and barbaric behaviors, they might have given a bad image about Islam and the rest of the Muslims. Just look at those terrorists who happen to be Muslims. they are giving us, peaceful Muslims, a very bad image. but I hope your mother can look beyond her past experiences. there are black sheep in every nation.

I believe in people working together because it is logical, I believe in helping one another because I believe I should treat other how they want to be treated, I believe in giving all people an equal chance when first meet them cause all people are different...
I do agree with a lot of what you say here. and this makes me respect you as a human being, regardless of what you believe.

I once sat in a bus every day beside a highly religious christian and he denounced evolution and forced that there was a heaven and hell and that it was his duty to convert me. I very much disliked him.
It is true that some religious people may be annoying. believe it or not, I got a couple of Christian missionaries coming to my page to spread their religious beliefs and perhaps convert me. that's why I saw fit to make a 'no preaching' rule.

But during that time I was questioning his religion and he refused to give any thought to it because to him there was 100% a god that rule over us and that he should do what the bible told him to. Another I've met was a Muslim and he too had these religious beliefs that he tried to spread to people.
Well, we Muslims are not required to convert people. our purpose is only to inform people about Islam. the Qur'an, the religious scripture of Islam, states "let there be no compulsion in religion". the moment the Muslim uses force to convert people against their choice, he is contradicting the Qur'an and the divine commandment.


now regarding the questions you raised:
1.)Why do people rely on religion? Why do they not rely on themselves? Do people not know on there own what is good an what is wrong? When one sees someone crying can't they tell that they are don't something wrong?
Islam teaches us that a natural instinct, called فطرة fitrah in Arabic, was imprinted in the human soul by the God at the time of creation. Having natural instinct, an ordinary individual can, at least to some extent, distinguish between good and bad, between moral and immoral. However, this ethical conscience is not sufficient Due to the complexities of life. the fitrah alone cannot help the human define the correct attitude to every single problem. Moreover, a person does not live in a vacuum, but is affected by outside influences which may corrupt the ability to choose between good and evil. Outside influences include customs, personal interests, and prevailing concepts concerning one's surroundings.
In order to help man to overcome his shortcomings, the God sent prophets and messengers to mankind: Prophets are human beings chosen by Allah, the God, to guide human beings.
So, we rely on religion because it provides for us what the fitrah alone can not.

2.)Why do religions refute and refuse to believe in many scientific discoveries that conflict with their beliefs? Like for example evolution or in the case homosexuality having it do with chemical imbalances in the brain.
As a matter of fact, Islam is a scientific-oriented religion. the Qur'an, the religious book of Islam, is full of verses urging man to look at the universe and ponder, discover and learn. Islam is all about rational thinking.
The Qur'an is not a scientific book so it should not be regarded as one. It is a book of many subjects, among them are some scientific mentions. these scientific 'signs' (as they are called) have the purpose to push man to ponder about the amazing creation of the God.
Science is always in progress. so what is accepted as a fact today may be seen as a fallacy when science improves in the future. and the history of science is full of such things. if something contradicts a certain aspect of science, this does not necessarily mean it is false.
Many qur'anic verses have several interpretations. and some people ignorantly try to use their interpretation (which may not be the correct one) to justify a scientific miracle. sometimes, the misinterpretation may lead to contradiction so it may seem like the Qur'an is contradicting science, which is not the case.

Regarding Evolution, Islam does not reject it as a whole. One of the names of the God in Islam is "The Evolver". Islam accepts certain aspects of evolution and rejects some. the parts of evolution rejected by Islam have never really been proven scientifically. therefore, we can not claim that Islam contradicts science.

Regarding homosexuality, I believe It has nothing to do with chemical imbalance in the brain. it is purely acquired from the environment. it is a choice. but some people, who support homosexuality or are themselves homosexuals, try to find excuses in the form of scientific justifications so that they would not be blamed for their behaviors. of course, you may disagree with this, but you can not say the Qur'an is unscientific because it condemns homosexuality.


3.)Why do people believe in the idea of a paradise or a damnation? Why do people not believe in plain death?
With our senses, we can learn a lot of our world. but since our senses are limited, our perception of the world is also limited. and there are a lot we may not know. that's why the God sent prophets to teach people about the important things that we can not know with our senses. for example, the attributes of the God. the purpose of life. the paradise and the hell. the way to salvation... and many others.
We have no way to prove the existence of paradise and hell. But we can check the source of this information: the Qur'an. we can test it. many people did, and when they found it really what it claims to be (a divine book) they put their trust in what the Qur'an says and believe in the existence of paradise and hell.
You for example, with your limited knowledge and means, you can not prove every single thing you believe in. you may be able to prove a couple of them. as for the rest, you put your faith in, for example, the scientific community and the scientific magazines... and believe they are telling you the truth.

4.)Do you still accept Muhammad even after his proposal and marriage at age six and nine to Aisha?
Well, this raises the question whether it really was six and nine. to tell you the truth, I did search in this subject. and I found the only sources propagating this information are non-Islamic sources. and the Islamic sources that are used to justify it are not strong enough to take them as undeniable facts. In fact, I found proof of the opposite. please have a look at these articles:
- Was Ayesha A Six-Year-Old Bride? [link]
- Ayesha's Age [link]

Do you condemn pedophilia? Do you have an opinion on pedophilia?
of course I do condemn it.
But you see, Many people accuse the prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- of pedophilia without knowing enough of the prophet Mohammed and without really understanding the definition of a pedophile.
Let's see the definition of Pedophilia in the Encyclopedia Britrannica [link] : -Notice the bold words please-
start quote:
"pedophilia, also spelled paedophilia , psychosexual disorder in which an adult has sexual fantasies about or engages in sexual acts with a prepubescent child of the same or the opposite sex.

Pedophilia is a type of paraphilia—a category of recognized mental disorders defined by unusual fantasies, urges, or behaviours that are recurrent and sexually arousing. In order for pedophilia to be diagnosed clinically these thoughts or behaviours must be present for at least six months and must cause distress to the affected individual or impairment of the individual’s ability to function socially or occupationally....

The typical pedophile is unable to find satisfaction in an adult sexual relationship and may have low self-esteem... There is also evidence that children who have been sexually victimized are more likely to be troubled adults."
End quote.

Now let's see the prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- through the above definition:
the definition says: Pedophilia is a category of recognized mental disorders defined by unusual fantasies, urges, or behaviours that are recurrent
By studying the life of the prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- do we detect any mental disorders or unusual behaviors that are recurrent?
Lamartine, a famous French Scholar wrote about Mohammed in "Historie de la Turquie," Paris 1854:
"Philosopher, Orator, Apostle, Legislator, Conqueror of Ideas, Restorer of Rational beliefs.... The founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?"
would you believe that the above description is for a man with metal disorder?
And not just Lamartine, James Gavin, described as a United States army man, a retired lieutenant general. He said:
"Among leaders who have made the greatest impact through ages, I would consider Mohammed, Jesus Christ, Maybe Lenin, Possibly Mao..."
would you believe that a man with metal disorder was the greatest leader?
Jules Masserman, United States psychoanalyst and professor of the Chicago University said:
"Perhaps the greatest leader of all times was Muhammed, who combined all three functions. (and) To a lesser degree, Moses did the same."
would you believe that a man with metal disorder was the greatest leader of all time?
does that make any sense to you?
and not just these, there are many many non-Muslim thinkers who see Mohammed -peace be upon him- as a great human and a great personality. for more, please have a look at my series "Mohammed in their eyes" [link]

besides, the definition states that these thoughts or behaviours must be present for at least six months and must cause distress to the affected individual or impairment of the individual’s ability to function socially or occupationally....
The prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- was a social person. and the amount of narrations attributed to him show how much people cared about transmitting his behaviors and words. Do we detect distress or impairment of Mohammed’s ability to function socially or occupationally? I don't think so. but you can always read his biographies and check by yourself. here in this page I suggested a few biographies about the prophet [link] you may be interested to check them out.

The definition goes to tell that the typical pedophile is unable to find satisfaction in an adult sexual relationship and may have low self-esteem...
Do we detect any low self-esteem in the life of the prophet? do you think a man with low self-esteem can cause the creation of a state that would grow to become the biggest civilization in the world for many centuries. do you think such a man can affect and influence the lives of countless of people around the world who look at him in admiration, both Muslims and non-Muslims?

The definition also states that there is also evidence that children who have been sexually victimized are more likely to be troubled adults."
Do we detect such things in the life of the lady Ayesha from her sayings and behaviors?

Based on the definition of Pedophile, the prophet Mohammed -peace be upon him- is clearly disqualified.
You see, it's easy to throw accusations on people. especially when they are not around to defend themselves. but is it right to do so?
Now let's be fair and just ask yourself. Do you think you have enough knowledge about the prophet to judge him and prove that he was a pedophile? if your judgment only reply on other people's opinions without personal researches, then fairness requires that you should refrain from accusing him until you study his life well from credible sources and get enough knowledge to judge. otherwise, you are slandering an innocent man by judging him through other people's opinions. and this is a grave injustice.


5.)Do you feel spreading negativity to non-muslims or just non-religious is justified and correct?
No. as a Muslim, I am commanded to spread both glad tiding and warning. I am commanded to spread glad tiding to non-religious people not to despair of the love and mercy of the God, and let them know that even if they sinned, the God is willing to accept them. I don't see this as a negativity.
I am also commanded to spread warning to those who are drawn into mischief and wrongdoing. this warning should make them ponder on their actions and return to the right path. I don't see this as negativity since it is for their own good.

Maybe religions threaten non-believers with hell if they do not believe or call them ignorant (which by definition means Lacking knowledge or awareness in general; uneducated or unsophisticated, but to me I find this a bit insulting.
Well, there are good ways of preaching and bad ways of preaching. in Islam, we are commanded to use wisdom and reason to preach Islam to people without forcing anybody to accept it. We are commanded to be a good Islamic sample for people to know Islam through our behaviors. sadly many religious people do not practice what they preach and they are fast to curse people and condemn them to hell. this is a grave mistake as only the God knows and can decide who will go to hell and who will be saved. so it is wrong for us to point finger and judge.
in fact, what we are required to do is to explain Islam. give glad tiding to the people that their good deeds will not be in vain. We are required to warn people from Hell for their own good. but we are forbidden to judge people.

I don't see being called ignorant as an insult. I am ignorant in many fields. I wouldn't feel ashamed if a doctor told me I am ignorant in medicine field because it is true. I wouldn't feel offended if an architect called me ignorant in house-building field because it is true. feeling offended from being called ignorant is a sign of pride and arrogance and these two behaviors are an obstacle for man to learn and improve.
I usually do not call people ignorant. except those who come here to attack me and Islam with misinformation. when someone attacks with misinformation, they are either a- ignorant (do not know the truth) or b- evil (know the truth and yet conceal it) I prefer not to think bad of people, so I usually assume they are ignorant in the subject at hand, and I try my best to replace this ignorance with true knowledge as much as I can.

What condones being uneducated? Is knowing something accepting something or knowing something?).
well, in my opinion, an uneducated person is a person who does not have knowledge in a certain domain. but it is a matter of perspective.
the native indians from the Amazon jungles may be uneducated regarding computer science, but they are highly educated regarding life with nature. we, so called civilized people, know a lot of electrical devices, but we are useless when we have no electricity. we are uneducated regarding life with nature. you see?
I believe the uneducated person regrading religion is the one who does not know. if he knows the truth and he doesn't want to accept it, then it is possible that he is no more uneducated, he is a non-believer. but it all depends on whether they got their facts correct or not. a non-believer in wrong facts is not to be blamed. in Today's world, there are a lot of people who are misinformed about Islam so they reject the image of Islam they came to know which is, in most cases, different from the true Islam...

Do you think it is right that someone who is a good person, that doesn't commit a crime, but doesn't believe should be sent to hell?
we return to the subject of defining what is good and what is bad. you see, when you tell me someone is a good person. I may ask "based on what? your own opinion? his opinion? your society's opinion?"
know that different people have different opinions regarding morality. people always disagree in this regards. what you may see as good may be seen as bad by me. so who is right and who is not? and who is qualified to define what is right and what is wrong?

In my opinion, there are certain conditions to be satisfied for one to be qualified to define what is right and what is wrong:
first, he has to be with good knowledge and understanding of things. one without clear knowledge and sound understanding can not make good decisions.
second, he has to be wise, fair and just and should not benefit from either ways. for example, a thief benefiting from his theft would not be a good judge. the one who does neither benefit nor lose anything from the judgment would be fairer.
third, he has to have the ability and power to apply the law. making a law that nobody applies is pointless. that's why, in each country, we find the government is the one making the laws. because governments have power to apply the law and make sure those who break it are punished.
But since the people in the government are not all-knowing, all-powerful, all-wise and they are as human as you and me, they may err, they may have devilish inclinations and corrupted desires. they may not make the perfect laws, therefore, the right and wrong made by these people may not be accepted by everybody else, and also may not be truly right.

I believe the God is the creator of the world. he created all that exists, and this makes him the most knowledgeable being that exists. he is all-wise and all-powerful, and this qualifies him to make the laws. and since he is the one who makes the laws, he defines what is right and what is not. but his definitions are not random. there is wisdom on every command and there is wisdom on every prohibition. in the end, the God will be the one judging people based on his rules.

The God defined what qualifies as good and what qualifies as bad. and he taught us this through his revelations. His unaltered teachings are preserved in the Qur'an. and from the Qur'an we learn that this life is a life of test. the Qur'an tells us how to get eternal happiness in paradise and how to get eternal damnation in hell. this is to let people know before they make their choices. the Qur'an also tells us that everything is measured by its intentions. someone may do good, but for the wrong purpose. so his intentions were not pure. while someone may do wrong while aiming to do good. Only God knows the true intentions behind our actions.
We believe the God is just and fair. he rewards people based on their intentions and not on the income of their actions. In God's sight, if you intend to do good, you will be rewarded for it, whether your deed resulted in something good or not. In God's sight, if you intend to do evil, it will be counted as evil. so, intentions are important. if you intend to do good to get God's reward, you will get it.
Besides, the God increases the good deeds of people and erases their bad deeds when they repent and ask forgiveness. And nobody will be thrown in hell unless they really deserve it. but we Muslims can not know and should never point finger to somebody saying they are going to hell, as this is knowledge only the God knows. What we can do is to inform people about what leads to hell and what leads to paradise in the light of the Qur'an and Islamic teachings.


Alright, I hope this answers many of your questions. you may have more questions after reading this. feel free to ask. but I have one request: please limit your comments and questions to 1 single question per comment. I know you may have many and it is tempting to make rebuttals and long comments, but truly making a reply of 10 MS Word pages like this takes a lot of time to write and to read. and it will certainly produce hundreds of questions.
so if you have more questions, I appreciate if you write 1 single question in 1 small comment. after I reply it, you can ask one more question. and so on.

Peace be to you

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Manaspoon In reply to Nayzak [2013-03-24 22:42:57 +0000 UTC]

"I gain nothing by converting people."
What? Don't you gain a lot of good deeds?
Okay, I'm confused. Please tell me of you just forgot that point 'cause you seem like a very knowledgable muslim.

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Nayzak In reply to Manaspoon [2013-03-24 23:32:19 +0000 UTC]

First, people don't gain a lot of deeds. deeds are what people do. reward is what people gain.

I do believe I get good reward by delivering the message of Islam, in sha'Allah [God willing].
if people accept it, it's for their own good. if they reject it, it's their loss.
I believe I am rewarded for my own work and not for other people's decisions, in sha'Allah [God willing].

and Allah knows best.

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Manaspoon In reply to Nayzak [2013-03-25 12:59:11 +0000 UTC]

Oh, wow. Can't believe I was so wrong all this time about the word 'deed'. Well, thx, friend for clearing things up for. Salaam.

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Manaspoon In reply to Nayzak [2013-03-24 22:40:35 +0000 UTC]

"That's why you never find me going around to people's pages and preaching to them there."
I don't get it???
Why is it wrong to preach in other people's page?
I mean, isn't that how you also spread islam in a way?
Correct me if I'm wrong, please.

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Nayzak In reply to Manaspoon [2013-03-24 23:34:18 +0000 UTC]

Well, if you can do it, then by all means, do it.

for me, I have a principle. I make artworks and articles and put them in my gallery. I believe people are coming here and seeing my work. this is enough for me. going to other people's pages will take a lot of my time, which I prefer to use in making more artworks and articles.
This is my way, and to each their way.

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Manaspoon In reply to Nayzak [2013-03-25 12:57:48 +0000 UTC]

Oh, okay. I get it now. Thx. Btw, I think your way is better and less tiring I guess...
Anyway, don't reply back. I got what I want. Thx.

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enixfire In reply to Nayzak [2013-01-26 02:14:42 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for your very thorough response sorry that my comment was pretty long, but I pretty much condensed everything I ever wanted to ask into it so now I'm content. You were very helpful and very knowledgeable, I appreciate that you took the time to go into such detail.

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Nayzak In reply to enixfire [2013-01-26 03:10:46 +0000 UTC]

I am glad that was beneficial for you, my friend.
And if you happen to have any questions or if there are any issues that you want clarification or just the Islamic point of view or perspective, feel free to ask.
I admire your willingness to seek the truth and hearing all parties before judging (which many people lack) so you are welcome any time.

peace

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Nayzak In reply to dongyangmirae [2011-12-10 03:57:51 +0000 UTC]

sure.

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Nayzak In reply to hanaayumi [2011-08-13 13:16:25 +0000 UTC]

sure

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hanaayumi In reply to Nayzak [2011-08-13 15:38:24 +0000 UTC]

thanks ^^

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Nayzak In reply to AndSoWeCreate [2011-04-05 16:18:44 +0000 UTC]

thanks

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Nayzak In reply to EsamSaeed [2011-03-26 12:30:51 +0000 UTC]

sure. feel free to use them for any beneficial cause.
jazaakumullaahu khayran.

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Nayzak In reply to hajar189 [2011-03-19 13:55:49 +0000 UTC]

sure. you can.

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MarikBentusi In reply to pedrotime [2011-02-28 10:41:56 +0000 UTC]

What the hell?

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missyuna In reply to pedrotime [2011-02-25 19:51:11 +0000 UTC]

that's just stupid >: /....

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Nayzak In reply to pedrotime [2011-02-18 10:17:42 +0000 UTC]

why would she get rocks thrown at her?

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