#deobandi

[naqibia]

Darul Uloom Deoband mengajarkan ilmu agama Islam dan menghasilkan banyak ulama terkemuka. Pesantren ini memiliki media pengajaran yang modern dan terus berusaha untuk mempertahankan budaya dan tradisi Muslim di India dan Asia Selatan. Darul Uloom Deoband juga memiliki jaringan sub-institusi dan terhubung dengan institusi lain yang memiliki orientasi ideologis yang sama di seluruh India dan dunia.

#pondok pesantren #darululoomdeoband #deobandi #india

[bharatlivenewsmedia]

Deobandi clerics slam UP govt over stopping grants to new madrasas

Deobandi clerics slam UP govt over stopping grants to new madrasas

Deobandi clerics slam UP govt over stopping grants to new madrasas Saharanpur (UP): ‘Ulemas’ (body of Muslim scholars) at Deoband, which is home to one of the largest Islamic seminaries in the country, have questioned Uttar Pradesh government’s recent decision of not giving grants to new madrasas in the state.Maulana Qari Ishaq Gora, patron of Jamiat Dewat-ul Muslameen, an organisation involved…

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#cleric&8217;s #deobandi #govt #grants #india #madrasas #new #news #over #slam #stopping

[pakistanwink]

Enchanting Urdu Ghazal Recitation | Mesmerizing Verses by Nawaz Deobandi

Tery Any Ki Jab Khabar Mehkay Enchanting Urdu Ghazal Recitation | Mesmerizing Verses by Nawaz Deobandi @divinesiddiqui🌟 Assalamu Alaikum and warm greetings to all the music and poetry enthusiasts in the world of sound!Welcome to the poetic realm of “Divine Siddiqui.”In our Urdu Ghazal segment, we present yet another exquisite gem for your listening pleasure. Today, we bring you a beautiful…

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#Artistic Recitation #Best Poetry Collection #Divine Siddiqui #Emotional Expressions #Gazal #Ghazal #Ghazal Recitation #Ghazals #Heart touching Poetry #Hindi Poetry #Hindi Shayari #Jagjit Singh Ghazal #Kavita #Nawaz Deobandi Urdu Poetry #New Poetry #Poetry #Poetry Collection #Urdu Shayari

[merimaan]

Mufti abdulwahid Ka Ghalt Translation or Makkari|Ulamaa K Joot Per Jhoot...

#youtube #namaz timing in lahore wahabi wahabi wahabi vs sunni wahabi meaning in urdu deobandi wahabi difference lal rumal wala wahabipopulation of w

[multiplicity-positivity]

Here’s some positivity for Muslim systems!

Systems of all religious and spiritual faiths and backgrounds belong in the plural community. Muslim systems have always been and will always be cherished and vital members of these spaces, and we are honored to be able to share them with you all! This post goes out to all the Muslim systems out there!

🌙 Shoutout to Muslim systems whose plurality is influenced by or intrinsically connected to their religion!

⭐️ Shoutout to systems who have converted to Islam or are in the conversion process!

🌙 Shoutout to systems for whom Islam is a part of their cultural or familial heritage!

⭐️ Shoutout to systems who regularly study the Quran, attend mosque, wear a burqa or hijab, pray regularly, or loudly and unapologetically practice their faith!

🌙 Shoutout to systems who are passionate about Islam, who love talking about it with others and sharing their faith with those who are interested!

⭐️ Shoutout to Sunni, Shia, Whabbi, Salafi, Berelvi, Sufi and Deobandi systems, and to Muslim systems who don’t belong to a particular denomination!

🌙 Shoutout to Muslim systems whose plurality formed or was influenced by islamophobia, persecution, or religious/inter-generational trauma!

⭐️ Shoutout to individual headmates in non-Muslim systems who are learning about Islam or hoping to convert in the future!

🌙 Shoutout to systems who are culturally Muslim, or who identify as Muslim while being secular, atheist, or belonging to another faith!

⭐️ Shoutout to Muslim systems who are religious leaders, who lead fellow Muslims in prayer and service, or who help connect and revitalize their local Muslim community!

All systems have a special, valued, and important place in plural spaces, and this absolutely includes Muslim systems! We hope all Muslim systems can find peace, joy, comfort, and security in their faith, in Allah, and in their communities. Know that there will always be a place for you here, regardless of how devoutly you practice Islam!

Please do your best to treat yourself and your headmates with compassion, respect, and loving kindness. We hope your faith will bring you happiness and utmost fulfillment in your future! Thank you so much for reading, and have an amazing day!

#multiplicity #plurality #pluralgang #actuallyplural #system positivity #plural positivity #plural pride #system pride #Muslim systems #Muslim #Islam

[thenyanguardparty]

Hey, just reminding, using the word “mujahideen” for extremist groups is islamophobic. The word itself means “people who strive” and it can be used for things like resistance groups too (like Hamas for example).

If you want to address the extremist groups in Uyghur/Xinjiang, you may just call it extremists or extremists jihadis. The thing that makes them extreme also tied with their distinctive sect “wahabism” and as you pointed, it is backed by US. Hope that helps.

i should have been more clear in that i was drawing parallels to the "Afghan mujahideen" reactionaries that the USA supported against the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and USSR, for which "mujahideen" is usually a shorthand for in english, though admittedly not completely accurate since as you said other groups identify as such too (i couldn't just say wahhabis or salafists tho bc the Afghan mujahideen mostly weren't those. i believe they're mostly deobandi like the modern day taliban still is)

(also i don't think it's necessarily bigoted to be critical of mujahideen in the sense of militant groups fighting on religious grounds. they can play progressive roles like Hamas but once their people are liberated the contradictions of a religiously motivated and non-secular political movement will have to be resolved. again that does not mean you can choose to not support them as long as they play a progressive role. it's Nuanced)

#anonymous #asks

[tamamita]

hey sal what is wahhabism and how does it differ from the talibans?

Wahhabism is an ultra-orthodox and traditionalist interpretation of Sunni Islam that was initially introduced by the likes of Muhammad ibn abdul Wahab (son of Abdul Wahab). This movement was founded during backed be the house of Saud after ibn Abdul Wahab formed a pact with Muhammad bin Saud, providing the house of Saud with military backing, so that they could oust the Ottoman Turks. While the Saudi states failed during several occassions ever since, the British backed the House of Saud during the first world war for their oil and their mutual opposition to the Turks, leading to the creation of Modern Saudi Arabia with Wahhabism as its official religions.

Wahhabism follows a traditional interpretation of Sunni Islam and rejects the idea of metaphorical and rationalist traditional exegesis, this contrasts with earlier Islamic schools of theology, like the Asherites and Maturidis. Wahhabism is a reactionary/revivalist movement that sought to purify Islam from heresies. This would involve strict monotheistic interpretations, such as iconoclams, rejection of intercession, destruction of shrines, opposition to the idea of religious schools of thought (Madhabs) and the strict abandonment of religious innovations (Bid'ah). Due to this strict form of Sunni Islam, Shi'a Muslims and other Muslim minorities were particularly at odds with their interpretation and massacred as a result. Due to their opposition to Taqlid, the idea that one should conform to the teachings of past juridical opinions, Wahhabists emphasised the concept of Ijtihad, to derive Islamic laws through independent reasoning.

The Talibans are a movement that adhered to the Hanafi school of thought knowns as Deobandi, and ultimately follow the idea of Madhabs and Taqlid. They were originally part of the Mujahideen, a group of fighters during the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan and were funded by the US. Due to a power struggle within that group, a faction of the Mujahideen became known as the Taliban and imposed an Islamic theocracy. With that said, the Talibans and Wahhabis are in stark contrast with each other due to their interpretation of Islamic law and theology. Due to deriving their laws from the classic scholar, Abu Hanif, Wahhabists often condemn the Talibans for adhering to Taqlid, whereas the Talibans reject the idea of Ijtihad, condemning the Wahhabist for not adhering to one of the four Sunni Islamic schools of thought. The Talibans are known to adhere to Pasthuwali, which is a code of conduct generally practiced in the Pashtun belt (Eastern Afghanistan & Western Pakistan) known for its rather brutal rules.

[39mmn]

i’m a sister, which is why i asked anonymously.

i did ‘aalimiyah’ course at a deobandi mosque and after having studied for 8yrs and finished from there, i now realise majority of what i was taught is completely wrong. my family arent very knowledgeable in such matters and rely on me to guide them and so i dont know which books to read or where to turn to for answers. my core beliefs align with salafiyyah however it is simply superficial knowledge and i want to study deeper bc when i’m asked questions, i just freeze

hope that clears anything up

oh right, okay

sorry, I thought you were a brother.

So the foundations which you have to learn correctly is Aqidah and matters of Aslu Deen. This consists of having knowledge of Tawhid and Shirk.

The Manhaj of the Salaf is known through various athar and works. They affirmed the Athari Aqidah which is correct, however I personally don’t align myself with “salafiyyah” due to many reason, although I do hold the positions of the Athari Aqidah.

As a Deobandi I’m guessing you’re a Hanafi too, that is totally fine as there were many from the Ahnaf that ascribed themselves to such positions too. However, I personally adhere to the Hanabilah for Fiqh.

The fundamental errors of the Deobandi’s lie in the early works of their elders, many which include Kufr and Shirk, they also have ghuluww towards them. Many of them also have the incorrect Aqidah which can often entail Kufr due to beliefs such as Hulūl and Wahdatul Wujūd.

With regards to studying I could suggest you some works from the Salaf and early muhaddithīn, as the ahl al hadith held the correct aqīdah, however quite a lot of their works are quite in depth and it’s better to start of with something a lot simpler.

Therefore, I’d suggest Sh Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab’s books, such as the Three Fundament Principles (Thalathat ul Usool), The Four Rules (Qawaa’id Al Arba), Kitab at Tawhid (Book of Monotheism), The Removal of Doubts (Kashf ash Shubahat) and The Six Principles (Usūl as Sittah). The first title mentioned here should be studied first followed by Kitab at Tawhid, the others aren’t in any particular order.

You could directly read these books as they are readily available and mass translated. However, it would be a lot more beneficial if you could study these under a shaykh. I’m aware that this isn’t as easy to come across as it seems. However, there are some very good recorded lectures on YouTube that you could use, in Arabic, Urdu or English, so please let me know if you’re interested.

After you have gone through these please go through Sh Al Islām Ibn Taymiyyah’s work ‘Aqīdah al Waasitiyah’, this again is readily available, but I personally recommend the explanation of the book by Ibn Uthaymin.

You should also read a small treatise by Imam Ahmad called ‘Usūl us Sunnah’ where he lists the main points of Ahlus-Sunnah

What I have suggested here should give you a good grounding إن شاء الله

This is just the base level understanding, ultimately we must go back to the Salaf and those who followed in their footsteps.

I’ll give you some notable names that you should know or get to know إن شاء الله, these are in no particular order;

Ibn Abi Dawud, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ash Shafi’i, Al Tabari, Imam al Bukhari, Al Nawawi, An Nasai, Ibn Hajar, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Majah, Ibn Qudamah, Ibn Rajab, Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al Qayyim, At Tahawi, As Suyuti, Imam Muslim, Imam Malik, Is’haaq Ibn Ruwayhah, Harb al Karmani, Ad Darimi, Ibn Battah, Ibn Abi Dunya and Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Shaybah.

There are countless other examples, many beneficial beginner works too, but it is important to not overwhelm yourself, I hope this information was beneficial. Please do not hesitate to ask again if anything needs to be clarified.

جزاك الله خيرا

[betweenbooksandbikes]

Spent the afternoon drinking beer and participating in a monthly reading group where today's readings were on 'what is matter'. Pretty sure my drinking was noticed by senior academics in the field but life is short and this beer needed to be had so I could sit through two hours of why the subject-object dichotomy is stupid. Went for a walk after, and ran into a deobandi group proselytizing in Coimbra. Hung around the group, spoke in Arabic, confused the shit out of everyone when they asked where I was from and I said Canada, all the while holding on to a beer, walked back home. A wonderful Friday, all in all. Now to wake up and aim to write 300 words on topology and the study of Urdu Shi'a oratory.

#personal

[eli-kittim]

The Quran: A Critical Review

By Bible Researcher & Author Eli Kittim 🎓

Islamic Origins

Aside from the fact that the Quran was initially built on bloodshed and violence——in which the founder of Islam, Muhammad, participated in many military battles to convert neighbouring peoples and tribes——there are many other problem areas with the history of Islam as well. Many Jews were slaughtered who would not convert, as well as many other innocent people. The motto is the same now as it was then: “convert or be killed by the sword.” The question is, would the pure and holy God of Heaven and earth condone, or even encourage, such behavior❓It’s true that during the Middle Ages the Catholic Church did the same. However, the founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, did not engage in any military battles or in any terrorist attacks to convert people to Christianity by force. Muhammad did❗️One began with peace; the other with war❗️ That’s the main difference❗️

Bloodshed and violence also marked the beginning of the Islamic period following the death of Muhammad. Rival Muslim leaders were vying for control of the Caliphate. Many killed their rivals or were themselves assassinated. Even Ali (aka ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib)——a cousin, son-in-law, and companion of Muhammad——was himself assassinated in 661 AD. That’s when the Shia–Sunni split began. Since then, there have been so many different splintering sects (denominations) and myriads of different schools and branches of Islamic theology that it is downright misleading to claim that there’s only one interpretation of the Quran:

Islamic schools and branches have

different understandings of Islam. There are

many different sects or denominations,

schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and

schools of Islamic theology, or ʿaqīdah

(creed). Within Islamic groups themselves

there may be differences, such as different

orders (tariqa) within Sufism, and within

Sunnī Islam different schools of theology

(Aṯharī, Ashʿarī, Māturīdī) and jurisprudence

(Ḥanafī, Mālikī, Shāfiʿī, Ḥanbalī). Groups in

Islam may be numerous (the largest

branches are Shīʿas and Sunnīs), or

relatively small in size (Ibadis, Zaydīs,

Ismāʿīlīs). Differences between the groups

may not be well known to Muslims outside

of scholarly circles, or may have induced

enough passion to have resulted in political

and religious violence (Barelvi, Deobandi,

Salafism, Wahhabism). There are informal

movements driven by ideas (such as Islamic

modernism and Islamism) as well as

organized groups with a governing body

(Ahmadiyya, Ismāʿīlism, Nation of Islam).

Some of the Islamic sects and groups

regard certain others as deviant or not truly

Muslim (Ahmadiyya, Alawites, Quranists).

Some Islamic sects and groups date back

to the early history of Islam between the 7th

and 9th centuries CE (Kharijites, Sunnīs,

Shīʿas), whereas others have arisen much

more recently (Islamic neo-traditionalism,

liberalism and progressivism, Islamic

modernism, Salafism and Wahhabism) or

even in the 20th century (Nation of Islam).

Still others were influential in their time but

are not longer in existence (non-Ibadi

Kharijites, Muʿtazila, Murji'ah).

—- Wikipedia (Islamic schools and

branches)

Another criticism that has been levelled against the Quran is that it has not been critically scrutinized rigorously in the same manner as the Bible, neither does it have a critical edition, nor is the manuscript evidence made available to scholars for serious study. There’s a secrecy surrounding it that seems to prevent scholarly investigations. For example, because it lacks a critical edition, there are no footnotes in the Quran to notify the reader about manuscript evidence, textual discrepancies, or omissions❗️

Textual and Linguistic Problems with the Quran

But these are not the only problems. There are many more problems with the Quran. While the Bible remained uniform, even though it was revealed to many different authors and prophets——written in different languages, during different time periods, and in many different locations——the Quran was only revealed to one man who happened to be illiterate. And how good was his memory? We don’t know. How much of what he heard was he able to retain? Let’s face it, the Quran is a relatively large book that is virtually impossible to memorize word for word, especially in the consonantal language of its day. Add to this the fact that in 632 CE, following Muhammad’s death, the Battle of Yamama ensued where a great number of those who had supposedly retained the Quran in their memory (hafiz) actually died. How then can Muslims claim the preservation of the Quran through memory and oral transmission❓

Muslims often claim that the Quran is a reliable, uncorrupted text because there is supposedly only one Quran. However, that is actually a misleading and fallacious argument. For one, Classical Arabic was a consonantal language that had no vowels and was thus open to various interpretations. It was different from the Arabic of today. For another, the controlled transmission of the Quran makes it impossible to know what was the original text. Hence its textual integrity has been seriously compromised. The text was in fact controlled by one person, the khalifa, as attested by Uthman's authority to recall and uniformly revise all the manuscripts. Therefore, when Uthman ibn Affan (the 3rd Caliph of Islam) burned all the existing variant copies of the Quran, he uniformly corrupted it in a textually undetectable manner. That’s actually a manipulation of the evidence. Why❓Because the Quran doesn’t allow us to come any closer to the original text than the Uthmanic Revised Standard Version 20 years removed from Muhammad. Any errors which found their way into the URSV would be permanent and uncorrectable. And, unfortunately, historical accounts from early Islam tell us that such errors existed because we have, for example, the “Sanaa manuscript,” which contains earlier developments of the Quran, demonstrating textual variances that diverge from the Uthman copy. Besides, there are so many different “readings” of the Quran which give rise to so many different Islamic interpretations❗️

Moreover, Islam has nothing new to offer by way of revelation. Its doctrine could simply be classified as a modified theological redundancy of the Judeo-Christian tradition and the Biblical heritage that preceded it. The main difference between Islam and Christianity is this. Unlike the Quran’s singular witness and source——given that it was only revealed to *one* man (Muhammad)——the revelations of the New Testament were imparted to many different people, thereby authenticating its message by multiple attestations and witnesses❗️

But there is more. With regard to source criticism——that is, the sources that the Quran’s message is derived from——there are some very serious issues of forgery involved. For example, there are well-known parallelisms between the Quran and the extra-biblical, non-inspired book of Talmud (e.g. Surah 5:32; cf. Sanhedrin 37a) as well as borrowing from Christian apocryphal works. Case in point, the Quran copies from the non-canonical Infancy Gospel of Thomas in which Jesus gives life to clay birds. The Quran also uses the Second Treatise of the Great Seth, an apocryphal Gnostic text of the 3rd century. This is one of the texts where the idea that Jesus was not crucified comes from. The text claims that Simon of Cyrene was crucified in Jesus’ place. Jesus is seen as standing by and supposedly "laughing at their ignorance.” The Quran also employs the Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter, an “uninspired” text that is part of the New Testament apocrypha. This text also denies the crucifixion of Jesus and suggests that there was a substitute. This is attested in the Quran, which says that Jesus was neither killed nor crucified (Sura 4:157-158). So, the Quran clearly employs Jewish and Christian apocryphal works that were never accepted as “inspired” either by the Jews or the Christians. Thus, the sources of the Quran are highly dubious, even though they are described within the text as “revelations” from God❗️

Theological and Historical Discrepancies

Muslims claim that the Quran is neither corrupted nor influenced by Judeo-Christian sources, and yet upon further scrutiny the book clearly incorporates passages from both the Jewish Talmud and from various Christian apocryphal works. Plagiarism abounds, and so does forgery. Therefore, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to maintain that it’s a “revelation” when at least some of the sources of the Quran are highly dubious! In fact, the evidence suggests that the Quran is the product of a late *Gnostic Christian revolt* against Byzantine Orthodoxy. What I am proposing is that the *Gnostic-Christian Sects* that were marginalized by Byzantine Orthodoxy from the fourth century onwards didn’t go away quietly but seemingly conspired against the Church during the early part of the dark ages! The result of those efforts eventuated in the Book we now call the Quran. The syncretistic-gnostic elements present in the Quran suggest that it was in fact an amalgamation of heresies that characterized many different Gnostic Christian sects. In other words, Islam was originally a heretical Eastern-Christian sect❗️

The aforementioned textual criticisms are further compounded when we realize that the Quran contains further theological discrepancies. For example, there are numerous verses in the Quran where Allah is swearing by created things that are less-than-God, thus committing “shirk” (i.e. the sin of ascribing divine status to any other beings beside Allah). Here’s a case in point. In sura 81:15, Allah says: “But nay! I swear by the stars.” Another example is sura 91 verse 1: “I swear by the sun and its brilliance.” When God supposedly swears by something which is less than himself the truth value of his assertion is obviously weakened. By definition, an oath is meant to buttress an argument, not to decrease the weight thereof. Therefore, the truth value of an oath is equivalent to, and connected with, the truth value of the one who declares it. As such, Allah’s oaths (swearing by created things) directly contradict his so-called divine status. By contrast, the God of the Bible swears by Himself, since there is nothing greater to swear under (cf. Gen. 22.16; Isa. 45.23; Heb. 6.13). By definition, an oath is a solemn attestation of the truth of one's words. In this case, how can Allah’s oaths be trustworthy if they appeal to something that is less than himself? Answer: they cannot! It appears, then, that the aforementioned oaths in the Quran are reflecting a human rather than a divine author.

These are just some of the problems of the Quran. But there are many, many more. The Quran lacks historicity. Mecca and Medina, for example, were deserts without water or vegetation, making it highly unlikely for a civilization to live there, let alone thrive, according to Islamic expert Dr. Jay Smith. Not to mention that these cities are not mentioned anywhere until the late 8th century. This would strongly suggest that the stories concerning these locations are probably nothing more than historical fiction❗️

The Biblical Stories are Altered in the Quran

There’s also a great deal of deliberate misinformation that is coming from Islamic scholars. For example, I’m currently reading “The Clear Quran Series: A Thematic English Translation” (Lombard: Book of Signs Foundation, 2016), translated by Dr. Mustafa Khattab, with chief editors: Abu-Isa Webb, Aaron Wannamaker, and Hisham Sharif. They are affiliated with the site: TheClearQuran.org. In the preface, Dr. Khattab says (p. xvi):

Arab Muslims, Christians, and Jews call

God ‘Allah.’

This is false. Neither Jews nor Christians call God Allah. In providing a definition for the name, Dr. Khattab is disingenuous because he fails to inform readers that Allah was a pre-Islamic god who was worshipped long before the writing of the Quran. On the same page, he makes another linguistic error by stating that “Jesus used ‘Alaha’ to refer to God.” This is false. Jesus never called God Alaha. On the following page (xvii), Dr. Khattab begins a paragraph with the title “WAS THE QURAN COPIED FROM THE BIBLE❓He writes:

It is worth mentioning that the first Arabic

translation of the Bible was done centuries

after the Prophet’s death.

He attributes the similarities between the Quran and the Bible not on “intertextuality” (i.e. literary copying) but rather on “divine revelation.” However, this is another misleading argument. The Bible had been translated into Syriac, Coptic, Aramaic, and Latin within the first few centuries of the common era, which makes it highly improbable that the first Arabic translation occurred in the 9th century. Just because we haven’t found earlier Arabic manuscripts doesn’t mean they did not exist. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Besides, we know that there existed an Arab-Christian community long before the time of Muhammad. There were certainly Christian churches in the East where the Bible was regularly preached. Textual criticism demonstrates a literary dependence of the Quran on various spurious works of a Christian and Jewish bent. Scholars can trace many of the stories of the Quran back to the Bible and the early Gnostic apocryphal texts. How would the early Muslims know about these texts or be able to copy them if they were not written in Arabic❓Dr. Khattab makes many other erroneous and fallacious comments that I will not mention at this juncture because they will divert us from the topic in question.

Things actually get much worse once we start reading the Quran. Dr. Khattab claims that it is a masterpiece of Arabic literature, something akin to Shakespeare. But once you start reading it, it quickly becomes apparent that it doesn’t have the majestic refinement, eloquence, elegance, loftiness, or the wisdom of the Bible. In fact, it is so crude, unrefined, and tasteless that it doesn’t even sound “inspired,” let alone revealed. It actually reads like a second rate text in which a very insecure author is trying to establish himself either by gaslighting the readers or by blowing smoke about his knowledge of the Bible via the use of repetitive phrases such as “remember” Moses, “remember” Abraham, etc. But who gave him the literary license to alter the Biblical stories and to present them mangled and distorted❓How is the reader supposed to “remember” the Bible if the author of the Quran is constantly interpolating new material and changing the stories, either deliberately or because he never really understood them❓

As I started to read the Quran, I noticed that God is not talking in the first person. Rather, there seems to be a human narrator, which begs the question: how is this text divine❓The preface claims that the Quran is scientifically accurate, yet Surah 2:22 refers to God who made “the sky a canopy.” The sky is obviously not a canopy. Also, the author seems to have little confidence because he’s constantly challenging the reader to defy him. God would not speak in that tone. As you read on, it becomes apparent that the author wants to discredit the Christian Trinity. But he devised a clever rhetorical device to do so. He has God supposedly saying “We” did this, or “We” did that. And then he explains that God is talking to the Angels. This would suggest that God used the help of angels to co-create. This would elevate the status of angels to “co-creators,” which is certainly a theological and hermeneutical contradiction! This is also theologically problematic because when God says in Genesis 1.26 “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness,” he is obviously not talking to angels because humankind is not made in the image of (created) angels but rather in the image of (the uncreated) God! Yet the Quran (Surah 2:30) directly contradicts this by claiming that God was talking to the angels about the creation of human beings:

‘Remember’ when your Lord said to the

angels, ‘I am going to place a successive

‘human’ authority on earth.’

Further theological discrepancies occur in Surah 2:32 in which the angels admit to not knowing “the names of all things” (Surah 2:31). But, surprisingly, “God said, ‘O Adam! Inform them of their names’ “ (Surah 2:33). In other words, the human Adam had more extensive knowledge than the divine angelic host combined. I’m not sure how a finite and limited human being who doesn’t have access to divine knowledge can possibly know more than the angelic beings who have existed for aeons upon aeons before the creation of the universe! This passage is yet another instance that reveals Allah’s lack of confidence, in which he’s constantly challenging the angels in order to prove that he knows more than they do. To make matters worse, the author once again invokes the memory of an episode that doesn’t exist in the Bible. So, there’s actually nothing to “remember.” This is a fabrication out of whole cloth. Yet, in Surah 2:34, the author writes:

And ‘remember’ when We said to the

angels, ‘Prostrate before Adam,’ so they all

did——but not Iblis [Satan], who refused

and acted arrogantly.

This Quranic commandment actually violates the 1st commandment of the Torah: “You shall have no other God’s before me.” In the New Testament, Romans 1:25 also condemns those who have “worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator.” The Book of Revelation 19.10 strictly prohibits people from worshipping even angels, let alone humans. Therefore, this Quranic passage not only directly contradicts the Bible but is also ironically forcing us to “remember” a false memory, namely, that God commanded the angels to worship Adam. But there’s no evidence that God ever said that. So how can anyone “remember” something that never happened❓This is nothing short of literary gaslighting❗️

What is more, Surah 2:35-36 directly contradicts the Genesis creation account by claiming that Adam and Eve lived “in Paradise,” and after the fall had to “Descend from the heavens ‘to the earth.’ “ This also contradicts the Bible which states that Adam was created on earth (Genesis 1:27). In Surah 2:51-52, the author says that even though “you worshipped the calf in his [Moses’] absence, … We ‘still’ forgave you.” It appears that the angels have the power to forgive sins. I thought only God forgave sins. Apparently, the angels forgive, too. Then, in Surah 2:57, the author says to the Israelites:

And ‘remember when’ We shaded you with

clouds and sent down to you manna and

quails, ‘saying’, ‘Eat from the good things

We have provided for you.’ The evildoers

‘certainly’ did not wrong Us, but wronged

themselves.

Since the author will later deny the Trinity by proclaiming that God is one, it begs the question: who does the plural pronoun “We” refer to❓It seems as if the author of the Quran is trying to reinterpret the plural pronoun “Us” in Genesis 1.26—-when God said “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness”——by suggesting that God was talking to the angels. Thus, the “We” plural pronoun, once again, suggests a reference to the angelic host. However, this theological language is problematic because God wouldn’t speak about the angels as being co-creators or providers of the human race. On the contrary, Philippians 4:19 says that it is God (and God alone) who supplies “every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Furthermore, God wouldn’t share his glory with the angels by implying that they’re co-creators, co-providers, and co-forgivers. Isaiah 42:8 reads:

I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not

yield my glory to another or my praise to

idols.

Therefore, in using the plural pronoun “We” to describe the joint efforts of God and the angels, the author of the Quran clearly demonstrates that he has misunderstood the theology of the Old and New Testaments. That’s precisely why the Quran doesn’t sound like divine scripture. It doesn’t have the ring of truth; it doesn’t sound genuine❗️This unbiblical conflation of God with angels is seen again in Surah 2:59, which reads: “We sent down a punishment from the heavens upon them for their rebelliousness.” Notice, it is not God who sent it; “We sent” it❗️Not to mention that God’s language in the Quran is rather vulgar and insulting. Surah 2:65 records the punishment for the Sabbath-Breakers:

You are already aware of those of you who

broke the Sabbath. We said to them, ‘Be

disgraced apes!’

A very insulting and demeaning language is used that is uncharacteristic of a pure and holy God. This is certainly not the language of the Bible❗️Incidentally, Jesus also broke the Sabbath and healed a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years (John 5:1-18). Is the author of the Quran alluding to Jesus as well, calling him an ape❓How insulting❗️

Then comes a projection. We already know that Muhammad was illiterate. We also know that the Quran knows nothing about Holy Scripture because it keeps getting the stories wrong, misinterpreting them, distorting them, and adding to them. But, ironically, instead of admitting this, the author of the Quran pronounces a condemnation on those who do these things. But that’s exactly what the Quran is doing❗️He writes in Surah 2:78-79:

And among them are the illiterate who know

nothing about the Scripture except lies, and

‘so’ they ‘wishfully’ speculate. So woe to

those who distort the Scripture with their

own hands [writings] then say, ‘This is from

God’——seeking a fleeting gain! So woe to

them for what their hands have written.

In Surah 2:102, the Quran talks of magical themes:

They ‘instead’ followed the magic promoted

by the devils during the reign of Solomon.

This reference is not found anywhere in Scripture. As far as I know, the only known text to discuss demonic magic during the time of Solomon is a pseudepigraphical text, ascribed to King Solomon, which is known as The “Testament of Solomon.”

Another linguistic problem with the Quran is that it has God openly disrespecting Christians and Jews and their scriptures in a manner that is not theologically persuasive or convincing. God would not talk down to Christians and Jews by mocking their Scriptural beliefs. This is uncharacteristic of the holy and pure God of Scripture (see e.g. Surah 2:111, 113, 120). The Quran is also embellishing and contradicting the Scriptural stories by adding extraneous elements. If these stories were revealed in the 7th century, why were they not known to the earlier prophets or mentioned in Scripture? Nowhere throughout the Old and New Testaments is there the slightest clue, for example, that Abraham was in Mecca. So how are the readers supposed to REMEMBER this story❓Yet Surah 2:126 declares:

And ‘remember’ when Abraham said, ‘My

Lord, make this city ‘of Mecca’ secure and

provide fruits to its people.

Unless this is copied from a spurious, apocryphal Gnostic text, there’s really nothing to remember❗️What is more, the Quran distorts Scripture. In the Bible, Ishmael and Hagar are disowned by Abraham. In Genesis 21:8-21, Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away. Moreover, Isaac is the promised seed or the heir of the promises (see Gen. 13:15; 15:5; 22:17). But in the Quran it’s the exact opposite. It is Ishmael who is the promised one, and Abraham celebrates him. This is called “twisting God’s Word,” which is a manipulation of the Scriptural evidence. It represents a kind of underhanded (sleight of hand) Islamic apologetics. It is as if we have a new film director who decided to change the plot. In this 7th century (dark ages) sequel to the Bible, it’s all about Abraham and Ishmael. And we have another plot twist in which the second commandment that prohibits the worship of idols is broken. There’s also an allusion to the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, which was also venerated in pre-Islamic pagan times. Paradoxically, Surah 2:125 urges the reader to remember a time that never existed. I suppose it’s a clever way of attempting to historicize a fictional narrative that has no basis in history or literature:

And ‘remember’ when We made the Sacred

House [Ka’bah] a centre and a sanctuary

for the people ‘saying’, ‘You may take the

standing-place of Abraham as a site of

prayer.’ And We entrusted Abraham and

Ishmael to purify My House for those who

circle it, who meditate in it, and who bow

and prostrate themselves ‘in prayer’.

Then there is a theological fabrication of the one true God which departs from Scripture and tradition. It also falsifies Hebrew Scripture which never mentions Yahweh as the God of Ishmael. Surah 2:133 declares:

Or did you witness when death came to

Jacob? He asked his children, ‘Who will

you worship after my passing?’ They

replied, ‘We will continue to worship your

God, the God of your forefathers——

Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac——the One

God. And to him we all submit.’

There is also a seeming allusion to the Christians, whom the anonymous author of the Quran is denouncing as polytheists (see Surah 2:135). The author of the Quran obviously doesn’t understand the theological concept of the Trinity. It doesn’t evoke polytheism. The Triune God is defined as one God who exists in three coeternal, coequal, consubstantial divine persons. An analogy would be the fingers of a hand. Although there may be 5 fingers, it is still ONE (1) HAND❗️

——-

For further details on the Trinity, see the following article:

Is the Trinity a Biblical Teaching?

https://eli-kittim.tumblr.com/post/631800420436754432/is-the-trinity-a-biblical-teaching

——-

The Quran Contradicts Itself

Finally, I will put forth one last statement before I make my closing arguments. The anonymous author of the Quran claims that he follows the revelations of the Hebrew patriarchs and of Jesus. He writes (Surah 2:136):

Say, O believers, ‘We believe in God and

what has been revealed to us; and what

was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac,

Jacob, and his descendants; and what was

given to Moses, Jesus, and other prophets

from the Lord. We make no distinction

between any of them.

There are two things, here, worthy of consideration. On the one hand, the author claims to accept the revelation of Jesus. On the other hand, he contradicts the revelation of Jesus by saying that Jesus is no different than anyone else. Well, which is it❓Does he accept Jesus’ revelation or not❓He’s violating the law of non-contradiction, which states that contradictory propositions cannot both be true in the same sense at the same time. Jesus claimed that God is a trinity. Matthew 28.19, for example, is an authentic verse that is part of the New Testament critical edition. In this verse, Jesus describes what God is:

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the

nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

If the anonymous author of the Quran accepts Jesus’ revelation, as he claims, then it is incumbent upon him to also accept the revelation of the Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit❗️Moreover, if this author accepts Jesus’ revelation, then it is incumbent upon him to also accept the divinity of Jesus❗️ Otherwise he is contradicting himself❗️

The Deity of Jesus Christ

In John 1:1 (“the word was God”); Colossians 2:9 (“in him the whole fullness of the godhead [θεότητος] dwells bodily”); Hebrews 1:3 (“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of his being”); Titus 2:13 (“our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”); Philippians 2:6 (“being in very nature God”); Colossians 1:15 (“The Son is the image of the invisible God”); 2 Peter 1:1 (“our God and Savior Jesus Christ”). And in John 1:3 and Hebrews 1:2 Jesus is the creator and the “heir of all things, through whom he [God] also created the worlds.” John 1:3: “All things came into being through him [Jesus], and without him not one thing came into being.”

——-

Jesus’ Incarnation Prophesied in the Tanakh (Old Testament)

Leviticus 26.12:

“I will walk among you and be your God”

Micah 5.2:

“out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.”

Daniel 7.13-14:

“one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. … He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.”

Isaiah 53.3-5:

“He was despised and rejected …, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. … Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Zechariah 12:10

“They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn”

Isaiah 9.6 (emphasis added):

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, MIGHTY GOD, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

You have to be exegetically ignorant or completely illiterate not to notice that the divine Messiah was prophesied in both the Tanakh and the Habrit Hachadashah❗️If the author of the Quran accepts Jesus as the Messiah——as well as Jesus’ revelation, and his future coming——then he must also accept the aforementioned revelations❗️

Conclusion

So, the Quran was built on bloodshed and violence in which its prophet, Muhammad, participated in many military battles to convert people to Islam. Bloodshed and violence also marked the beginning of the Islamic period following the death of Muhammad. Rival Muslim leaders were vying for control of the Caliphate killing each other off and forcing conversion by the sword. The Quran was written in consonantal Arabic, a language which is susceptible to multiple interpretations. There were also multiple versions that were burned and destroyed, so that the controlled transmission of the Quran makes it impossible to know what was the original text. What is more, the Quran lacks a critical edition, and has no scholarly apparatus to inform us about important text-critical questions. The hafiz died, and so did the oral tradition. And the Quran itself is full of discrepancies and contradictions, constantly changing and falsifying the Biblical stories to suit the author’s theological needs. But Adam was created on earth, not in heaven. God never asked the angels to worship Adam, nor did he make man in their image. And Yahweh is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, not the God of Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac. So, when the Quran tells us to “remember” these fabricated stories that have been ripped out of their original contexts and altered, this is a deceptive way to gaslight its readers. The Quran is also a collection of forgeries of many different apocryphal and pseudepigraphical Jewish and Christian texts. The Quran lacks the majestic refinement, eloquence, and loftiness of the Bible. In fact, it is rather crude and unrefined, so much so that it doesn’t even sound “inspired,” let alone revealed. It actually reads like a second rate text in which a very insecure author is trying to establish himself either by gaslighting his readers or by trying to persuade them of his biblical knowledge through the use of repetitive phrases such as “remember” Moses, “remember” Abraham, etc. But who gave him the literary license to alter the Biblical stories and to present them mangled and distorted❓No❗️The Quran doesn’t read like Scripture. It doesn’t have the ring of truth❗️

#quran #islam #ʿAlīibnAbīṬālib #muhammad #hafiz #ClassicalArabic #shia islam #SunniIslam #textualcriticism #intertextuality #ελικιτίμ #tafsir #MustafaKhattab #gnostic christianity #IslamicOrigins #abrahamic religions #το_μικρό_βιβλίο_της_αποκάλυψης #εκ #القرآن #isa #jesus #the little book of revelation #messiah #allah #ek #holy kaaba #blackstone #elikittim #apocrypha #pseudepigrapha

[muftisirajsalehexposed]

Sana Khan’s Entry into Islam, and the Darul Uloom Deoband scholars Occult Control over Her - Unveiled.

A brief explanation of what my focus is in this document, Sana Khan has stated in numerous interviews and talks, of her falling into depression, and her life falling apart, the visions of fire, and her seeing herself nightly burning in the grave. Sana Khan used to see herself burning in the grave, which she believes was nightly torment from Allah, to come back to the fold of Islam. She states she saw herself 10 nights in a row in the grave, then it stopped, following this, she went to continue with her roles in acting etc, then the grave torment started again, she states she was a broken person by then.

She states she was scared, and that she used to cry for hours and she couldn’t sleep, and in her dream she used to see herself screaming for help. This has got the clear hallmarks of the occult, and not just any occult, its Deobandi occult.

If a reader or a Darul Uloom scholar genuinely believes, or attempts to justify such torment as coming from God i.e. as a genuine calling from God, then you are sick within.

What I am witnessing from the Darul Uloom scholars in England, makes religion look like a mental sickness, like it’s a disease, like some form of a virus.

https://www.sarcoidosisdeobandi.com/sana-khans-entry-into-islam-and-the-darul-uloom-deoband-scholars-occult-control-over-her-which-made-her-submit-unveiled-04-03-2023/

#Indian #Bollywood #SanaKhan #Salman Khan #sana khan #desi #desi stuff #bollywood actress #sharukh khan #desi fashion #bollywood movies #dawah #bollywood cinema #indian movies #Islam #Mecca #Madina #bollywood news

[faiz-ibn-hussain]

Deobandis Misinterpreted Tafseer of al-Quran to preach shirk.

(EN-EN)

(Tafseer Usmani by Shabeer Usmani, Trans. Mahmood ul Hasan, Pub. Dar ul Isha'at Karachi, Vol. 1, 1:4)

---------------------------

Assalamoalaikum

Brother the Urdu translation of Mehmood ul Hasan was published a long time ago, and he was a famous Deobandi scholar so as Shabeer Uthmani. It was banned when some of the Salafi Ulamas mentioned the mistakes in it like you even find Shirkiyyat and Taweel of Asma Was Sifaat of Allah in it as it is a well-known Deobandi Creed. e.g. even in the first chapter of Quran Surat-ul-Fatiha he explained the verse "001.005] You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help.

He said that it is apparent from this verse that one can't ask for help other than Allah but if one ask help from any pious person(maqbol banda)awliyas etc as an intercessor between you and Allah thinking him a symbol for Allah's Mercy than there's no harm in it. (the famous shirkiya concept of waseelah)As long as you believe that the intercessor is not self sufficient as Allah but Allah granted him that powers. (It is a clear shikiyyah Aqeedah)

So now the King Fahad's printing press publishes new Urdu translation of Moulana Muhammad Jonagari (r.a.) (Ahlulhadith) with brief commentry named "Tafseer Ehsan-ul-Bayan" by Sheikh Salah-ud-deen yusuf checked by Sheikh Waseeullah Abbasi and Dr.Luqman Salafi as stated in the preface by Sheikh Saleh Aal Sheikh.

Before this it had published by Darusslam also. And this Tafseer comprised of famous Salafi Tafaseer like Tafseer Ibn Katheer, Fath-ul-Qadeer,Tabari, Qurtabi etc... and the Daeef narrations and Israeliyat were avoided only Sahih narrations included. Now-a-days this Tafseer is distributed free by Saudi Government..

Wa Billahi Toufique

Wassalamoalaikum

Tariq Ali. Karachi, Pakistan.

---------------------------

Taken from:

http://www.salafitalk.net/st/viewmessages.cfm?Forum=19&Topic=5598

---------------------------

[bintuddin]

Are you Shia? Sunni and Shias should all get along

why would i want to get along with people who fabricate stories, call out to other than allah and curse the mother of all believers (ra) and the sahabah (ra) ???

- ahlus-sunnah-wal-jammah, meaning the manhaj of the salaf-as-saliheen is the correct manhaj, none of this barelvi, deobandi, shia and ahmadi business that’s sadly taken over majority of the subcontinent

[wikiuntamed]

On this day in Wikipedia: Wednesday, 20th March

Welcome, 환영 (hwanyeong), ongi etorri, ласкаво просимо (laskavo prosymo) 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 20th March through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

20th March 2023 🗓️ : Death - John Sattler John Sattler, Australian rugby league player (b. 1942) "John William Sattler (28 July 1942 – 20 March 2023) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer played as a prop in the 1960s and 1970s. He captained South Sydney to four premiership victories from 1967 to 1971 and who played four Tests for Australia – three as national captain. Known as..."

20th March 2019 🗓️ : Event - Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is sworn in as acting president of Kazakhstan, following the resignation of long-time president Nursultan Nazarbayev. "Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev (Kazakh: Қасым-Жомарт Кемелұлы Тоқаев; Qasym-Jomart Kemelūly Toqaev [qɑˈsəm ʑoˈmɑrt kʲeˌmʲelo̙ɫɯ toˈqɑjef]; born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakh politician and diplomat who has served as the President of Kazakhstan since 2019. Between 20 March and 12 June 2019, he served as..."

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20th March 2014 🗓️ : Event - Taliban Taliban militants killed nine civilians in a mass shooting at the Kabul Serena Hotel in Afghanistan. "The Taliban (; Pashto: طَالِبَانْ, romanized: ṭālibān, lit. 'students'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a militant organization in Afghanistan with an ideology comprising elements of Pashtun nationalism and the Deobandi current of Islamic..."

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Vector:

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20th March 1974 🗓️ : Death - Chet Huntley Chet Huntley, American journalist (b. 1911) "Chester Robert "Chet" Huntley (December 10, 1911 – March 20, 1974) was an American television newscaster, best known for co-anchoring NBC's evening news program, The Huntley–Brinkley Report, for 14 years beginning in 1956...."

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20th March 1923 🗓️ : Event - Arts Club of Chicago The Arts Club of Chicago hosted the opening of Pablo Picasso's first solo United States showing, entitled Original Drawings by Pablo Picasso. "Arts Club of Chicago is a private club and public exhibition space located in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, a block east of the Magnificent Mile, that exhibits international contemporary art. It was founded in 1916, inspired by the success of the Art Institute of Chicago's handling..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by User:TonyTheTiger

20th March 1824 🗓️ : Birth - Theodor von Heuglin Theodor von Heuglin, German explorer and ornithologist (d. 1876) "Martin Theodor von Heuglin (20 March 1824, Hirschlanden, Württemberg – 5 November 1876), was a German explorer and ornithologist...."

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20th March 🗓️ : Holiday - Christian feast day: Alexandra "Alexandra of Rome (Greek: Ἀλεξάνδρα) was a reputed Christian martyr and saint, known from Martyrdom of Saint George as either Emperor Diocletian's wife or the wife of Dacian, a Roman Prefect. She is also sometimes mistaken with Priscilla or Prisca. ..."

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#OnThisDayInWikiHistory #WikiUntamed #WikiWonderland #WikiExplorer

[drew-mga2022mi6021]

World Building | Spirituality

Sara Alfa

An important aspect of any world are the beliefs of the people that live in it. This is an exploration of those ideas.

What are the religions of Sri Lanka?

There are four main religions in Sri Lanka;

Buddhism

Hinduism

Islam

Christianity

Of these, the most prominent is Buddhism, occupying 70% of the population of the country, followed by Hinduism, Islam and Christianity. Theravada Buddhism is the main form of Buddhism practiced in Sri Lanka, and these people tend to be Sinhalese. Similarly, people who are Hindu are likely to be born ethnic Tamil, those who are Islamic are majorly Sri Lankan Moors, and Christians are typically Burghers. That being said, identifying with a particular religion is not necessarily connected to one’s ethnicity. For example, there are some Sri Lankans who identify as Christian that are Tamil or Sinhalese. Moreover, it is quite common to find the various religions coexisting. Buddhists may visit Hindu temples to pay homage to the Buddha, and vice versa. There are several areas of Sri Lanka that are condensed with various places of worship in close proximity to one another, a prime example being Bambalapitiya.

Additionally, Islam and Christianity are split into several denominations (Sunni, Shia, Whabbi, Salafi, Berelvi, Sufi and Deobandi for Islam; Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism, Methodism, Baptism, Pentecostalism and The Salvation Army for Christianity). There are other pagan religions in Sri Lanka as well, which detail the worship of nature and the like, however they are not very prominent in modern times.

What are the doctrines of each religion?

Each religion in Sri Lanka revolves around a separate, distinct belief system. They are as listed below.

Buddhism : The core doctrine (‘dhamma’) of Buddhism is the ‘Four Noble Truths’, which put forth the notion that underpinning all existence is suffering that one can be liberated from through practising the ‘Eightfold Path’, which eventually leads to attaining a state of Nirvana; to exist beyond the mortal plane. In recent years, the Sri Lankan Buddhist laity have generally accepted a large body of other beliefs and practices that have since been integrated into the Sinhalese interpretation of Theravada Buddhism.

Hinduism : Whereas Buddhism claims a historical founder, a basic doctrine, and a formal monastic structure, Hinduism embraces a vast and varied body of religious belief, practice, and organization. In its widest sense, Hinduism encompasses all the religious and cultural systems originating in South Asia, and many Hindus actually accept the Buddha as an important sectarian teacher or as a rebel against or reformer of ancient Hindu culture. As such, Hinduism defies easy definition because it embraces such a large variety of practices and beliefs.

Islam : Islam in Sri Lanka is practiced as a monotheistic religion, which means it is a religion that focuses on the worship of one God (Allah), which centres around a system called the Five Pillars of Islam; faith, prayer, alms, fasting and pilgrimage, differing very little from its Arabic origins. Additionally, there exist six other core beliefs in Islam; belief in the oneness of God, belief in God's angels, belief in the Quran (the Islamic sacred texts), belief in the prophets of God, belief in the day of judgement and belief in the Qadr (predestination).

Christianity : Similar to Islam, Christianity is also a monotheistic religion, however beliefs vary drastically from denomination to denomination. For example, Roman Catholicism focuses on the worship of Mary, the mother of Jesus, while Anglicanism worships the triumvirate (the father, son and holy spirit, one god in three forms) and focuses on the belief that Jesus Christ died for the sins of man so that they may be redeemed.

Which Gods exist?

The people of Sri Lanka believe in different Gods in accordance with their religion. The Gods have very little influence on the story, however as atheism exists within this world, the question of whether religion or Gods are real is still debated.

Buddhism : In Theravada Buddhism, the Buddha is not considered a ‘God’ as understood in the Abrahamic sense of the term. Rather, devotion towards the Buddha is akin to the respect a student has for a teacher. Veneration and reverence towards the Buddha is an important principle for followers of Buddhism in Sri Lanka. 

Hinduism : There are several Gods that exist within Hinduism. Those of note are the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - creator, preserver and destroyer respectively. Brahma is the creator of life and the entire universe. Vishnu is the preserver who guides the cycle of birth and rebirth. He is also supposed to have taken many incarnations to save the world from evil forces. Both Rama and Krishna are believed to have been incarnations of Vishnu. Shiva, usually seen with a coiled cobra around his neck, destroys all evil and also has many incarnations, not all of which are terrifying.

Worship of the gods is known as puja. Worship can occur mentally or in front of the most rudimentary representations, such as stones or trees. Most people assemble pictures or small statues of their favorite deities and create small shrines in their homes for daily services, and they make trips to local shrines to worship before larger and more ornate statues.

Islam : As mentioned earlier, Islam is monotheistic and believes that the one true God is Allah. They are an undefinable and incomprehensible God to mortals, and their will is considered divine. Another prominent figure in Islam is Prophet Muhammed, however while prominent, he is not a figure of worship but merely a messenger of Allah's will.

Christianity : While Christianity is monotheistic, the lines are blurrier than that of Islam. The one true God of Christianity is Jehovah (more commonly referred to as God or The Lord), who is similarly undefinable and incomprehensible. The apostle John attempts to describe him in the Bible, but that description is a more abstract form that is an interpretation of the Lord's true form. God often manifested Himself as similarly abstract things in the mortal realm in order to deliver his messages (eg;- as a burning bush to Moses). God is also believed to exist in three forms (the triumvirate) through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. However, some individuals are particularly exonerated in different denominations of Christianity, such as Mother Mary in Roman Catholicism.

How do religious rituals and customs manifest themselves?

Most religious practices are carried out in religious temples of places of worship. In Sri Lanka, there exist a number of intricately designed chapels, temples, kovil and mosques.

Is there conflict between religious groups?

In this version of Sri Lanka, not necessarily. There have not been any major religious conflicts in this world, however racism and the like still exist in a small capacity due to people still recovering from the impacts of the 30 year civil war.

Do they wear specific attire?

In general settings, only devout believers would wear religious attire often. Most religious attire is saved for places of worship. In Buddhism, monks would wear an orange robe (Kasaya). Generally, Buddhist worshippers wear white when going to the temple and wear more modest clothing. It is believed that this is the closest to what the original Buddha and his disciples wore. Orange was chosen mainly because of the dye available at the time. Muslim outfits differ between genders; men wear wear a fez along with the trousers and shirt, and women most commonly wear an abaya with a hijab. Christians and Hindus do not necessarily have a specific outfit that they would wear to religious places, the most common practice is to dress modestly and to remove shoes. Certain places of worship will have more specific dress codes, depending on the denomination of the religion.

How do families, marriages and other relationships operate?

Most Sri Lankan religions follow the philosophy of a monogamous relationship, although due to the more liberal nature of the country in modern times, polygamy while uncommon is not necessarily frowned upon. In the case of Islam and certain sects of Christianity, marriages are arranged for daughters and sons who have attained a certain, although this too has become less strict over the years.

How do inhabitants respond to love and loss?

Depending on religious beliefs and customs, Sri Lankans would typically follow a standardised system to conduct a wedding or a funeral based on their religion of birth, although some who are atheistic or agnostic may deviate from this norm.

Weddings

A traditional Sinhala-Buddhist marriage ceremony is known as the poruwa siritha or poruwa ceremony. The poruwa itself is a decorated wooden platform that represents the house that the couple will share and is symbolic of their marriage and the start of a new life. The Nekath, or the auspicious time, is a very important part of Buddhist wedding ceremonies.  The date and the nekatha that the wedding ceremony should begin are decided by an astrologer after consulting the horoscopes of the bride and the groom. Even the nekatha at which each tradition or ritual should be performed at the ceremony is decided by an astrologer, based on the horoscopes of the couple.

The ceremony also involves many people: the shilpadhipathi (master of ceremonies or officiant), the ashtaka, or narrator, who recites religious chants (known as ashtaka) and the Jayamangala Gatha, a group of four young girls who bless the marriage with a traditional  Buddhist chant, are some of the actors who play notable roles in the ceremony. Sometimes, Kandyan dancers and drummers perform during or in between the rituals. Today, the poruwa siritha as well as the legal registration of marriage both take place at a traditional Buddhist wedding.

Sri Lankan Hindu Weddings hold significant similarities with Asian Hindu weddings. The colorful yet rooted in religious traditions set the perfect beginning for the new lives of the couple. The wedding-related ceremonies kick-off days before the marriage day. The main Sri Lankan Hindu wedding ceremonies start with Shiv-Parvathi pooja, followed by the Navagraha pooja, wherein the nine planets are worshipped. These poojas are held around the sacred Agni, considered the spiritual witness for marriage.

The Islamic equivalent of marriage is called the Nikkah. The concept of a "wedding" is a non-traditional thing that is practiced by Muslims through the influence of Hindu weddings, and can go on for similarly lengthy periods of time.

In Sri Lanka, a Christian wedding ceremony can be Catholic, Anglican or Protestant in nature. A Sri Lankan Christian wedding ceremony is usually performed within a church with the blessings of the church leader; however couples can also host the Christian ceremony in the hotel for added ambience. This is one of the more sustaining Western traditions in this version of Sri Lanka.

A unique characteristic of Sri Lankan weddings is that some traditions from local culture as a result of the decolonial movement post the independence of the country in 1948.

Deaths

In Buddhism, people prepare for death. A monk is called to the death bed, the dying person takes the precepts and the family joins in.  Then, once the person has died, they are embalmed and returned to the house in a coffin. On the third or fourth day after the death the funeral takes place. A number of monks are invited to the house of the deceased and offered a new, white piece of cloth. There is a short sermon and more chanting. The merit of the offering is given to the deceased. After the burial or cremation people return to the house where a feast is held for family, friends and neighbours. 

On the sixth day after the death a monk is invited. Again a big crowd is expected. The ‘spirit’ is invited to come and listen. The monk preaches for exactly one hour. Merit is offered to the spirit. The monk leaves and the crowd is treated to a feast. The next day a number of monks are invited for the midday meal. Someone takes food to the temple to offer to the Buddha. The monks enter in single file, with a layperson in front carrying a relic receptacle on his head. After the laypeople have taken the precepts and listened to a short sermon by a monk, the meal is served to the monks. Scraps of food are taken to the garden for the hungry ghosts. Utensils wrapped in brown paper are offered to the monks. And again the merit is offered to the deceased. After the monks have left everyone present is invited to a meal.

After three months, after one year, and sometimes annually, this is repeated. The order of the events is always the same: monks are invited for a meal; small scraps of food are left in the garden; utensils are donated; merit is offered to the deceased. This sequence of events forms the main core of the Buddhist funeral rites and practice in Sri Lanka. It should be mentioned that funerals and post-funerary ceremonies in Sri Lanka are very public affairs. It is not unusual that invited guests at the funeral never actually met the deceased and even outsiders from Germany or the UK are included into the events.

Cremation is also practiced by Hindu people, however, only Hindu males are allowed to attend the cremation, where the body is laid on top of a wooden pyre that is lit by the most senior member of the family. The women, meanwhile, remain at home, chanting mantras and singing hymns in reminiscence of life after death.

A Muslim funeral is known as a “Janazah” and is typically conducted within 24 hours of the deceased's passing. If the death occurs unexpectedly, exceptions may be given. Due to the necessity of a quick burial, the lead up to a Muslim funeral is short. The ceremony itself will last from half an hour to an hour, consisting of prayers, chants and Muslim funeral rituals.

What happens at a Muslim funeral service is usually ruled by traditions of the Islamic faith. Family and friends of the deceased will gather in the prayer room, study room or courtyard of the mosque to perform Salat al-Janazah (funeral prayers). Every male must participate in the Salat-al-Janazah, but women may only participate if they are willing to do so. The final prayer is offered from the family and community to ask for forgiveness of the deceased. The funeral service is led by an Imam (Islamic leader) and includes readings from the Quran. If you are of a different faith, you are encouraged to quietly listen to the readings and prayers.

Following on from a Muslim funeral service, the deceased is taken to the cemetery for burial. Traditionally, only men are allowed to attend the burial, though some Muslim communities may allow women to attend. The grave should be at right angles to the direction of Mecca, with the deceased placed on their right side facing the Islamic holy city. Wood and stones should be placed on top of the body to prevent direct contact between the person and the soil. All mourners will pour handfuls of earth on top of the grave, before it is filled in. Due to religious beliefs, cremation is prohibited for Muslims.

For Christians, The service is usually carried out at a church, crematorium or cemetery and will include prayers, a sermon, readings, hymns and sometimes music or poems. Additionally, a friend or family member may choose to deliver a eulogy as a tribute to the deceased. Interestingly, Protestant funeral rites are simpler and less extravagant than Catholic funeral rites. Catholic funerals place greater focus on rituals, whereas Protestant funerals are more focussed on remembering the deceased. The overall purpose of a Christian funeral is to help the deceased’s soul enter into Heaven, while offering comfort and support for mourners.

Interestingly, elements of traditional Sri Lankan funeral rites may integrate themselves with those that are dictated by religion, similar to weddings.

What behaviors are forbidden?

Religious taboos in society are closely linked with one's own moral code. General behaviours such as lying, stealing, adultery, discrimination, etc. are widely frowned upon. Then more specific behaviour like the consumption of certain foods depends on religious beliefs (Islamic people do not eat pork, Hindus do not eat beef, etc.)

How are gender roles defined?

In this version of Sri Lanka, gender is regarded as more of a social construct as opposed to adhering to traditional gender roles. This differs from identifying by one's own biological sex.

What defines their success and failure?

Success and failure are predominantly rooted in the ethics of hard work and community that is stressed by this post colonial society, and may have certain influences depending on the ethnicity and religion of the individual, however the core practice of hard work remains constant throughout.

What and how do they celebrate?

In addition to traditional religious holidays, the people of this world celebrate the rise of the full moon every month, known as Poya days. On days such as these, a common practice is to refrain from eating meat. This "celebration" is much more small scale in comparison to other celebrations of culture and is more akin to the Lent period in Christianity. Despite this, it is still an important part of the identity of Sri Lankans.

[flukeanalgesics]

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If I ain't offending a male I feel like I m making no change.