More of the same but very different AMA. Ask me about Islam

[therealcookiemonster]

Hi guys, I noticed there have been few recent AMAs about being Muslim which have fallen on their faces for different reasons and I thought I would try something different. instead of publicly posting questions, I am inviting anyone with questions about Islam to PM me. I am suggesting this to avoid anyone feeling awkward about appearing 'insensitive' and also the ego battles that often happen on these threads. I promise to answer all your questions and I will do so by PM, so it will be more like a real life conversation with a Muslim person you know. I am a bit busy during the day so please bear with me as I respond.

I also did a normal AMA some time ago (changed my name since then as cookie monster really suits me as a name)... here is the link. quite a few of the common questions are answered here. if you don't wish to engage via PM, you are welcome to post on my old thread.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/AMA/4818978-im-a-practising-muslim-ask-me-anything

for background, I am a late 30s practising British Bangladeshi Muslim female. although far from perfectly practising. I belong to the sunni sufi denomination broadly but explored other religions before coming to this. I am a medical professional during the day (and night sometimes) and am left leaning politically.

don't worry about offending me, ask away!

Ah, I do have a question actually.

May I ask, how have you decided how much to cover up? And may I ask how you feel when you’re out and about in the UK if you do wear any form of religious covering - do you feel that people stare or are hostile, or do you not notice or not care?

thanks for the question 😊

I decided to cover my hair and dress in a loose fitting dress covering most upto my ankles after reading the verse in the quran describing the dress God asks Muslim women to wear. it has always been about my relationship with God.

when I put my hijab on, I am more aware of my connection with God, His Presence and feel at peace. I also feel connected to female saints of the past such as Mary (pbuh) the mother of Jesus and Asia (pbuh) who was the wife of the Pharaoh that raised Moses (pbuh).

sometimes I alter my dress for practical reasons eg. a dress upto mid thigh or a long top and jeans for walks and I wear scrubs to work. all this is permissable.

mostly people have been fine... I have had quite regular verbal attacks... few physical attacks... but I just carry on. If anything, it reaffirms my faith.

ps since you like cats just wanted to share with you that's cats were loved by the Prophet Muhammad (AS). there is a narration that once a kitten fell asleep on his cloak and he (pbuh) had to get up, but instead of disturbing the kitten, he cut off that portion of his cloak. there was also a companion of the Prophet (pbuh) whose nick name was Abu Hurairah (Ra) or father of kittens as he used to take care of stray kittens. the holy city of madinah is full of well fed cats that everyone adores and looks after.

YES, someone talked about Mohammed’s love of cats on a previous AMA - I absolutely love the story of the cloak! Wonderful stuff.

And I am truly sorry to hear about the ‘regular’ verbal attacks. How incredibly disappointing people can be.

I don't blame them. often its young men from underprivileged backgrounds with no opportunities in life... of course they are angry and will blame anyone who looks different because they have have been fed poison by social media or the tabloids

I would like to understand whether it's true that Islam requires the destruction of infidels, those who are not Muslim? Is that in your holy book?

destruction of anybody is forbidden. we are required to be respectful of people from other religions.

Thank you OP for your answers to my question yesterday, very helpful.

@Ilianor my pleasure :-)

@therealcookiemonster but there's loads online quoting sections that seem to say this. Are these not accurate quotes?
https://www.quora.com/Where-does-it-say-in-the-Quran-to-kill-infidels

@zurala erm... when finding out about any complex topic, I don't personally reccommend the internet as a good starting place.

the Holy Qur'an needs to be interpreted in the context of many things and cannot just be picked up and verses applied arbitrarily. it all exists in the context of a complex theological systems (see earlier post for further explanation). Qur'anic verses are context specific, for example there are verses about not praying while drunk (as alcohol was only forbidden afrer a certain point) that can be misinterpreted as alcohol being permissable. also the English translations that exist are full of inaccuracies.

as you can see the vast majority of Muslims don't go around killing non Muslims. the idiots who call themselves 'extremist muslims' and espouse this ideology are in fact acting outside islamic beliefs. the theological position is that life must be preserved and no Muslim is allowed to attack anyone.

Well, I asked you but you didn't answer, and you still aren't. Does it say that in your book and how else should it be interpreted? If there's context, what is it please? I genuinely would like to understand.

Can I ask a final prayer question? Friday prayers seem to be a big thing at the mosque near me. I know it's expected of men, and that women don't have to go, but in practice do some women go? And if they don't go to Friday prayers, does that mean they don't really go to the mosque at all?

@zurala I am a bit confused.... you asked me if my faith requires the destruction of 'infidels' (which is a word I have never used outside of when reading certain works of fiction) and I already answered that? the answer is a resounding no.

nowhere in the Quran does it say Muslims are required to destroy 'infidels' .

hi Ilianor, there is no quota on questions lol, ask as many as you like.

women are also encouraged to go to the mosque. in fact women at the time of the Prophet SAWS predominantly went to the mosque for all their prayers. there is no obligation on women as there is the understanding that they might have small babies to care for etc. but they get the same rewards as men for going.

unfortunately certain cultures don't facilitate this and I have been to mosques where they don't even have a prayer area for women! this should never be the case, mosques should be a community space open anf accessible to absolutely every one.

Thanks! I appreciate that. So in a mosque in the U.K. would you be likely to see women there on a Friday? If not, maybe they go there to learn the Qur'an on other days?

frankly it depends on the area... and the mosque. in London I would say most mosques have a good female attendance 7 days a week, including for Friday prayer

but areas where Muslims practice culturally rather than religiously - eg. where there are large south Asian communities, the provision for women is poor or non existent. usually mosques are run by elderly men who use it as a forum for power play rather than benefiting the community.

Qur'an learning usually happens in the mosque and at a very young age. although nowadays a lot of people use online tutors instead.

there are some places where the younger generations are trying to change things... but it's not easy.