Frequently Asked Questions

What does Islam say about war?

The Qur’an in no way glorifies war, but recognizes that war may be a necessary, final resort, “fight for the sake of God those that fight against you, but do not attack them first. God does not like the aggressors.” (2:190). Jihad, in a military sense, can only be made in two instances: to defend oneself and others against aggression, and to fight for justice and freedom of religion for Muslims and non-Muslims. The Qur’an says that “tumult and oppression are worse than killing” (2:217), and must therefore be eradicated. But how war is waged is strictly regulated in Islam. The Prophet Muhammad ordered Muslims to adhere to specific regulations if they are at war, which have become part of Islamic Shari’ah (Law). Some of these “rules of war” are described in the box below.

Rules of War according to Islamic Shari’ah (Law) - only a last resort and must be abandoned if there is a desire to initiate peace - cannot be declared by any or one person; it must be a decision made by a recognized governing authority - cannot be waged for any other intention than to release people from oppression and to establish justice - cannot be waged in order to convert or force people to follow Islam - no harm should be done to women, children, the elderly, the sick, religious figures (such as priests or rabbis), or any other civilian and non-combatant - cutting trees, and destroying plants and animals is prohibited - destroying houses and places of worship is prohibited - polluting water, burning and ravaging crops, and using chemical weapons is prohibited - torturing prisoners of war is prohibited

What is the Shari’ah or Islamic Law?

Shari’ah, unfortunately, in popular perception has come to mean a strict, religious system that denies people’s basic human rights and commands the infliction of barbaric punishments. But again, Shari’ah has a very different meaning in Islam.

Shari’ah is an Arabic word that literally means “the path to a watering place”. In Islam, however, Shari’ah stands for Islamic Law and is based on two primary sources - the Qur’an and the Sunnah or example of the Prophet Muhammad, available in detailed, narrative text called Hadith. The central notion behind the Islamic legal system is the fact that God is the Law-maker, and no one person or group of people have the authority to create laws or alter laws set down by God. But where the Qur’an and Hadith do not provide a specific answer to an issue, Muslims depend on tertiary sources - Ijma’ or the consensus of Muslim scholars and Qiyaas or the process of finding analogy to already established rulings. For example, the Qur’an says that alcohol is forbidden to Muslims. Through the process of Qiyaas, other narcotics, such as marijuana are also forbidden, because of their similar ability to dampen a person’s senses and control a person’s life.

In fact, many years after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, as more and more people in neighboring lands began to accept Islam as their faith, Muslims saw the need to create the Science of Islamic Jurisprudence or Fiqh. Fiqh categorized the legal rulings and injunctions in the Qur’an and Sunnah as ones that cannot be changed (because they are set down by God) and ones that can be changed (because there is an allowance of difference of opinion). It also provides guidelines on how to tackle new issues in order for Islam to adapt to continuous historical change as it enters new societies and new cultures.

With the rapid advancement of science and technology, Muslims continue to find new issues to consider. Is stem cell research allowed in Islam? How do Muslims fast and pray up North, where the sun never “sets”? Can a Muslim run for office in a predominantly non-Muslim country? The Fiqh (Jurisprudence) Council of North America is an example of an organization of Muslims that looks at various issues never considered before by the Muslim community.

Shari’ah defines our relationship with God and our relationship with other human beings. Its purpose is to establish justice, which must be done equally to all, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, man or woman, poor or rich, and so on. In fact, the concept and practice of justice is so important in Islam, that Muslims are commanded by God in the Qur’an to be just, even if means testifying against themselves, their parents, or their family.

Shari’ah is meant to provide guidance for all aspects of a Muslims life and society that can be classified into four broad categories: Family Law, Law of Commerce, Criminal Law, and International Law.

Implementing Shari’ah

There have been recent examples of an initiative by some Muslims to implement Islamic Law in their country, in hopes of establishing an Islamic state and perhaps return to a time when Muslims lived in complete obedience to God, such as the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs - those leaders of the Muslim nation who ruled after the Prophet Muhammad. While this intention to establish the Law of God may be quite genuine for many Muslims in the world, attempts by some countries to implement Shari’ah have not been without misunderstanding of the basic principles and purpose behind it, and the way in which it is introduced and instated.

Above all, Islamic Law is meant to remove hardship from life and not make the practice of religion difficult. Incidentally, the Qur’an says that “there is no compulsion in religion” (2: 256); that no one has the right to force someone else in belief and practice. The people of a nation must want to be ruled under Shari’ah. But some Muslims who try and implement Shari’ah in their country fail to realize that their first obligation is to ensure the protection of the life, property and honour of their people. Unfortunately, what seems to be initially implemented and emphasized of the Shari’ah is Criminal Law and punishment.

Other Books of Guidance

As part of their belief, Muslims must acknowledge other revelations given to messengers before Muhammad.

Arabic	English
Suhoof Ibrahim	Scrolls of Abraham
Zaboor	Psalms of David
Taurah	Torah, given to Moses
Injeel	Gospel, given to Jesus

These scriptures were revealed and meant to provide guidance for the communities of these messengers. The Qur’an, however, is believed by Muslims to be the final revelation to humanity – relevant for all times and not exclusive to any one people or nation.

MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS, IS THE ONLY WOMAN MENTIONED BY NAME IN THE QUR’AN. IN FACT, A CHAPTER IS NAMED AFTER HER.

Prophets & Messengers of God in the Qur’an

In the Qur’an it says that thousands of prophets and messengers were chosen by God to guide each community and nation, but only 25 are mentioned by name. Many of these special people also appear in the Bible and Torah.

The following is a list of some prophets and messengers in the Qur’an with their accompanying Arabic name.

Adam	Adam
Noah	Nooh
Job	Ayoob
Jonah	Younus
Abraham	Ibraheem
Lot	Loot
Ishmael	Isma’eel
Isaac	Ishaaq
David	Dawud
Solomon	Sulayman
Jacob	Ya’qub
Joseph	Yousuf
Moses	Musa
Aaron	Haroon
Zachariah	Zakariya
John The Baptist	Yahiya
Jesus	‘Esa
Muhammad	Muhammad

Muslims are taught not to favor one prophet over the other.

…We make no distinction between one another of God’s Apostles… (Qur’an 2: 285)

Angels, Jinn, and Human Beings

Muslims believe in an “unseen” creation of God or creatures that cannot be seen by the human eye. Among these creatures are angels and jinn.

Angels, jinn, and human beings are all created from three separate substances.

The most significant angel mentioned in the Qur’an is the messenger angel, Gabriel or Jibreel in Arabic. Gabriel was responsible for transmitting revelation from God to the prophets and messengers throughout history. These people would then deliver the message to their communities. Gabriel also informed Mary of God’s choice to make her the mother of Jesus, who is described in the Qu’ran as a “sign or symbol for humanity and a mercy from God” (19: 21).

ANGELS - CREATED FROM LIGHT - DO NOT HAVE ABILITY TO DISOBEY GOD, BUT ARE INTELLIGENT BEINGS - HAVE NO GENDER - CAN TRAVEL AT GREAT SPEED - INNUMERABLE - EACH ASSIGNED WITH A SPECIFIC TASK

JINN - CREATED FROM “SMOKELESS” FIRE - SIMILAR TO HUMAN BEINGS BECAUSE OF THEIR FREE WILL TO COMMIT GOOD & EVIL - MALE & FEMALE JINN - LIVE SEPARATELY FROM HUMAN BEINGS ON EARTH

- CAN TRAVEL AT GREAT SPEED

HUMAN BEINGS - CREATED FROM CLAY / EARTH - FREE WILL TO COMMIT GOOD & EVIL

Each person has two angels appointed to them to record what s/he does in life – good and bad. This record is presented as a book of deeds on the “Day of Judgment”.

Before God created human beings – before He created Adam and Eve, angels and jinn already existed. Jinn are described in the Qur’an and the Hadith, or sayings of Prophet Muhammad, as another creation of God, made from a “smokeless fire”. Iblees was considered the best among the jinn and kept company with the angels closest to God. But, when God asked everyone to bow to Adam – the new creation, Iblees disobeyed and demanded that he was a superior being. From that point on, Iblees is referred to as Satan or in Arabic, Shaytawn. As Muslims learn in the Qur’an, Satan vowed to try his utmost in leading human beings away from God, while recognizing that he would have no affect on those “righteous servants of God”.

It is interesting to note that in Islam, according to the majority opinion, Satan is not considered a “fallen angel” (as described in the Judeo-Christian tradition), because he was not an angel but a jinn, and therefore had the ability to choose right from wrong.