[Malinguenem]

A non-Muslim asked me a few questions regarding Islam whilst I was performing Wudhu, and so he decided to test my knowledge in Islam.

The following question are below;


1)Was Muhammed (saw) black?


2)Were all the prophets of Islam mainly Africans?


3)Where is heaven?


4)Why do we pray 5 times a day instead of multiples of 7?


5)Everything usually started in Ancient Africa?


6)Were all the prophets mostly from present day Ethiopia?


7)What are angels made of?

This Jamaican man came across very polite but was laying more emphasis on the Black race and referring to Bilal (ra) loads of times . Is their any solution to this problem. He is not a follower of Dwight York in USA. How can I give Dawah to such a person.

My other friend also tries to picture Muhammad (saw) appearance in his mind sometimes, Is this prohibited in Islam?


please answer the other questions above.


Ma Asalam

MADMAX

[unfolaReemoma]

Asslamu-alaikum,

Please refer to hadiths in Shama`il Tirmidhi.

http://www.inter-islam.org/hadeeth/stmenu.htm

Wassalam

[bellson]

I would evade the question. A person like that is probably looking for a black guy to follow. If you mention that Rasoolullah was white (with red mixed in) he might not be attracted to Islam.

Instead, emphasize that it doesn't matter what color He was, what really matters is the truth of what He said. Then try to teach him some basics about Islam.

If he knows about Bilal, use that to your advantage. Talk about how much we love and admire Bilal (Radiyallah anh). Talk about how much we hate oppression. And talk about the beauty of absolute submission to God.

Militant black people are moved by devotion, and they have an intense hatred of oppression of all kinds. Show him that we don't hate black people by talking about our love for Bilal and an-Najashee. Talk about how widespread Islam is throughout Africa. Mention that those Africans freely chose Islam - it wasn't forced upon them in the way that Christianity was forced upon the blacks in the New World. Also mention the justice and lack of oppression in the Shariah.

Insha'Allah, he will consider what you say and may embrace Islam at a later date. He might even embrace right then and there!!!

[wonceinee]

[QUOTE=Yahya;274809]

I would evade the question. A person like that is probably looking for a black guy to follow. If you mention that Rasoolullah was white (with red mixed in) he might not be attracted to Islam.

Dont we believe in telling the truth, Allah (swt) has witness this what you have said.

Instead, emphasize that it doesn't matter what color He was, what really matters is the truth of what He said. Then try to teach him some basics about Islam.

This is the correct approach not the secondary thought, the truth always is better.

If I was to see this man, I would give him this document you wrote!, and if he did not Accept Islam it would your fault!

Salaam Walaikum

[bellson]

Dont we believe in telling the truth, Allah (swt) has witness this what you have said.

Of course we believe in telling the truth. But that doesn't mean that we answer every question that we are asked. If a 5 year old asks me how cars go fast, I'm not going to explain to him the workings of an internal combustion engine. It is not going to benefit him, because he will not understand.

Similarly, if it seems that a person is LOOKING to follow a black man, then he might not want to follow Rasooullah, since He was not black. If it might turn the brother away, I would rather stay silent. I didn't say that we should LIE. Obviously we should not lie. But we don't have to answer at all.

Instead, we should speak the truth - that the color of His skin is not nearly as important as what He taught us about Allah and the Day of Judgment.



This is the correct approach not the secondary thought, the truth always is better. I'm very confused by your reactions. This was not a secondary thought. It was the primary thought. That's why I suggested that you not bother answering his original questions, and instead that you skip to the important stuff.

If I was to see this man, I would give him this document you wrote!, and if he did not Accept Islam it would your fault! Why on earth would you give him the advice that I gave to someone else? The post that I wrote is not a document. It is not a lesson. It is not da'wah. It is advice to a brother who asked for advice. Why would you give it to somebody that it was not intended for? That would be reckless and foolish on your part.

And for the record. I am very much aware that Allah sees and hears all that I do. That is why I gave the best advice that I could.

Please explain why you disagree with my advice.

Salaam Walaikum wa'alaykum ussalaam

[anaisdannyxys]

Wa 'alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

1)Was Muhammed (saw) black?

No. He (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) was fair-skinned, as indicated in the numerous descriptions of him (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam). But I have to agree with Sidi Yahya. The color of the Prophet's (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) skin is completely irrelevant to the message of Islam.

2)Were all the prophets of Islam mainly Africans?

The prophets of Islam, 'alayhim as-salam, were from the respective nations they were sent to, which includes African peoples.

3)Where is heaven?

Where I want to be.

4)Why do we pray 5 times a day instead of multiples of 7?

Because we were commanded by our Lord to do so.

5)Everything usually started in Ancient Africa?

"Everything" is a pretty broad category. I wouldn't recommed entering into this kind of discussion with whoever you were speaking to.

6)Were all the prophets mostly from present day Ethiopia?

See answer #2.

7)What are angels made of?

Light.

This Jamaican man came across very polite but was laying more emphasis on the Black race and referring to Bilal (ra) loads of times . Is their any solution to this problem. He is not a follower of Dwight York in USA. How can I give Dawah to such a person.

You could emphasize that the Prophet (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) had a number of black Companions (radhi Allahu 'anhum), and that Islam teaches we are all children of Adam. But again, I wouldn't make this the focus of your discussions, because this is not what Islam is about. If he's genuinely interested, try to move the discussion to what our fundamental beliefs are.

My other friend also tries to picture Muhammad (saw) appearance in his mind sometimes, Is this prohibited in Islam?

I do this everytime I read the Shama'il. I hope it's not prohibited! May we all be blessed to see him (sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam) in person, amin!

[gMUVgw71]

Similarly, if it seems that a person is LOOKING to follow a black man, then he might not want to follow Rasooullah, since He was not black. If it might turn the brother away, I would rather stay silent.

This is the only thing I disagree with. He should be told this but with added explanations with wisdom. If the guy is racist then one should explain to him that racism has no place in Islam and give the example of the Sahaba of all colours working as one and the beautiful hadiths about the issue. Explain to him that this was unprecedented 1400 yrs ago and the rest of the world still hasn't caught up

And give him the example of Malcolm X's reversion to true Islam and recount his speeches after Hajj.

How would you react if a white racist wanted to know if there were any black Sahaba?

[bellson]

This is the only thing I disagree with. He should be told this but with added explanations with wisdom.

The wisdom is my whole point. If the person is a racist, then why alienate him right at the outset? You can correct his racist ideas AFTER he embraces Islam. Or better yet, you can let him SEE FOR HIMSELF the sort of inter-racial brotherhood that Islam enjoys.

But if you start off in opposition to him, why would he even listen to your added explanations? Why wouldn't he just dismiss you as "one of them" (non-racists).

I much prefer to start by saying things that he is likely to agree with. Once a common ground is established, then he might be able to hear some points of disagreement without being totally turned off.


In the end, I guess everyone has their own style of giving da'wah. It's not that I think your approach is wrong - in fact, if the guy will continue to listen, it sounds like an excellent method.

[Zavdpacq]

Allamah Shahab Khaffaji [ ] has written that anyone who says Prophet [ ]was black, has committed kufar. That would be if someone use the term black as degrading or a lie about Prophet, since He was not black. To lie about any of the phyical sifaat [attributes] of the Prophet is kufar. To attribute anything toward the Prophet, that was not in Him, is kufar.

[Sharah Shifa, vol 4 page 431]

[wonceinee]

The wisdom is my whole point. If the person is a racist, then why alienate him right at the outset? You can correct his racist ideas AFTER he embraces Islam. Or better yet, you can let him SEE FOR HIMSELF the sort of inter-racial brotherhood that Islam enjoys.

Salaam

Telling the truth no matter the outcome, Allah(swt) will guide whom he wills.

But if you start off in opposition to him, why would he even listen to your added explanations? Why wouldn't he just dismiss you as "one of them" (non-racists).

You tell the truth at all times, this is the way of rasool (saaw) and not worry about the outcome that is for Allah(swt) only

I much prefer to start by saying things that he is likely to agree with. Once a common ground is established, then he might be able to hear some points of disagreement without being totally turned off.

You personal preference is not Islam, the way of Rasool is.


In the end, I guess everyone has their own style of giving da'wah. It's not that I think your approach is wrong - in fact, if the guy will continue to listen, it sounds like an excellent method.

Thier is only one style as you call it, the way of RASOOL (saaw) no deviations people need the truth, they have enough inventions.

Walaikum Salaam

[spineeupsenry]

Some questions are better to leave alone. Some Answers are better if explained in simple terms.

yahya is not saying to lie to the person. He is only suggesting that it is better not to turn the individual away from Islam by answering his question directly especially if the individual is willing to accept islam simply due to the fact that the Prophet MUST BE BLACK OR NO ISLAM... Therefore, Yahya stated that it is better to first explain to this person the importance of Islam, the major role that Bilaal (RA) had amongst the muslims and how Muslims view "black". If this person understands that Islam is a religion that is not based on color and that Islam is against oppression than the person can have the answer to his question of what color the Prophet (SAW) was? By then I'm sure the individual would not care due to his understanding of Islam and therefore he might accept Islam and not turn the other cheek!


Anyways.


Wa-salaam

[bellson]

Thier is only one style as you call it, the way of RASOOL (saaw) no deviations people need the truth, they have enough inventions.

I think you should study more hadith. There are many examples of Rasoolullah remaining silent when it was wise to do so. There are also examples of prophets giving truthful responses that don't really answer the person's question.

One example, a traveller who had heard that there was some sort of controversy going on in Mecca once approached the Prophet to ask what was going on in Mecca. But before asking, he asked where the Prophet was from (because it would help him understand the perspective of the person he asked). The Prophet responded نحن من ماء which means "we are from maa' (water)." The questioner assumed that there was village or region nearby named maa' and the Prophet did not correct him.

There is also the example of Ibrahim who said that His wife Sarah was His sister. Of course, He meant that she is His sister in faith, or perhaps in humanity. But the questioner assumed she was his blood-sister, and Ibrahim did not correct him.

There is also the command of Rasoolullah not to delve deep into the issue of qadar (predestination). So if someone asks about it, we should not answer with deep detailed answers, even if the questioner desires such a response. Even if he keeps asking. And this actually happened to Ali bin Abi Talib. A man asked him about qadar. Ali answered and added that Rasoolullah told us not to go deep into it. The man then INSISTED that Ali go deeper into it. So Ali gave a slightly more detailed answer then REFUSED to go any further, and walked away. If the man had asked for more info, Ali would have remained silent.

If I would bother to think hard about it, I'm sure I could come up with more examples than this. The bottom line is that Allah guides whomever He wills, and it is our duty to do the obligatory matters and refrain from forbidden matters. When it comes to praiseworthy (but nonetheless optional) things like answering this guy's questions, we are under no obligation to do so. We can stay silent if we choose to.

And since the fundamental message of Islam is that there is one God and Muhammad is His Messenger - I would skip all of his questions and go straight to this basic truth.


Aren't you the brother who said that he studied for over 20 years? Did you not study wasaa'il ud-da'wah in that time? In da'wah, it is often CRUCIAL to stay silent on certain matters, and it is often CRUCIAL to ignore certain questions in order to keep the discussion on topic (ie. questions that would lead to tangents).

[wonceinee]

Some questions are better to leave alone. Some Answers are better if explained in simple terms.

yahya is not saying to lie to the person. He is only suggesting that it is better not to turn the individual away from Islam by answering his question directly especially if the individual is willing to accept islam simply due to the fact that the Prophet MUST BE BLACK OR NO ISLAM...

Salaam Read the initial post and then his first response, he did nothing but assume all of this.

Therefore, Yahya stated that it is better to first explain to this person the importance of Islam, the major role that Bilaal (RA) had amongst the muslims and how Muslims view "black".

No his first answer was to evade the question being presented, and then fabricate based on his assuptions.

If this person understands that Islam is a religion that is not based on color and that Islam is against oppression than the person can have the answer to his question of what color the Prophet (SAW) was? By then I'm sure the individual would not care due to his understanding of Islam and therefore he might accept Islam and not turn the other cheek!

Again Allah (swt) guides whom he wills, if Allah (swt) leaves astray no style of yours or mine will bring this person to the way.

Anyways.


Wa-salaam

Salaam Walaikum

[wJswn5l3]

Salaam Walaikum

brother brooklyn what do u mean by saying salaam walaikum i have noticed even in some other posts, it has two meanings 1. thanks and 2. see ur way or get out

by the way its assalamua'laikum and reply is wa'laikum assalam and if ur leaving it is wassalamua'laikum

[wonceinee]

brother brooklyn what do u mean by saying salaam walaikum i have noticed even in some other posts, it has two meanings 1. thanks and 2. see ur way or get out

by the way its assalamua'laikum and reply is wa'laikum assalam and if ur leaving it is wassalamua'laikum

Salaam

As I do not speak this way, I do not know what you mean, please show my post where I state this, jazakala.

(LOL) I have just reread your post, my apologies brother and to whomever I have offended , I have been writing it like this for the last 20+ years ad never has anyone told me anything, I guess they knew people write it differently, I will check this, Jazakala.

Walaikum Salaam

This is what I have found out about what you mentioned
Inshallah you are fine , its ok bro .

Asalaamu alaikum means only Peace be Upon you .

Nothing else brotehr

Thank you is Shukran

See it my way or get out = Haathaa Raýee , in Lam Yu3jibka Ukhruj .

hashim is a member of the Admin group and has 8165 posts. (not this forum)
Sent on: Today, 11:18 AM

[gMUVgw71]

Ok I see what Yahya is saying now. Basically, if a person is too obsessed with a relatively minor issue, going into it deeply with them will distract and deviate the discussion from more important issues.

Obviously, you can revisit the issue later if there's a need.

[wonceinee]

I think you should study more hadith. There are many examples of Rasoolullah remaining silent when it was wise to do so. There are also examples of prophets giving truthful responses that don't really answer the person's question.

One example, a traveller who had heard that there was some sort of controversy going on in Mecca once approached the Prophet to ask what was going on in Mecca. But before asking, he asked where the Prophet was from (because it would help him understand the perspective of the person he asked). The Prophet responded نحن من ماء which means "we are from maa' (water)." The questioner assumed that there was village or region nearby named maa' and the Prophet did not correct him.

There is also the example of Ibrahim who said that His wife Sarah was His sister. Of course, He meant that she is His sister in faith, or perhaps in humanity. But the questioner assumed she was his blood-sister, and Ibrahim did not correct him.

There is also the command of Rasoolullah not to delve deep into the issue of qadar (predestination). So if someone asks about it, we should not answer with deep detailed answers, even if the questioner desires such a response. Even if he keeps asking. And this actually happened to Ali bin Abi Talib. A man asked him about qadar. Ali answered and added that Rasoolullah told us not to go deep into it. The man then INSISTED that Ali go deeper into it. So Ali gave a slightly more detailed answer then REFUSED to go any further, and walked away. If the man had asked for more info, Ali would have remained silent.

If I would bother to think hard about it, I'm sure I could come up with more examples than this. The bottom line is that Allah guides whomever He wills, and it is our duty to do the obligatory matters and refrain from forbidden matters. When it comes to praiseworthy (but nonetheless optional) things like answering this guy's questions, we are under no obligation to do so. We can stay silent if we choose to.

And since the fundamental message of Islam is that there is one God and Muhammad is His Messenger - I would skip all of his questions and go straight to this basic truth.


Aren't you the brother who said that he studied for over 20 years? Did you not study wasaa'il ud-da'wah in that time? In da'wah, it is often CRUCIAL to stay silent on certain matters, and it is often CRUCIAL to ignore certain questions in order to keep the discussion on topic (ie. questions that would lead to tangents).

Salaam Walaikum

Brother had you not assumed, all of what you said could have been valid, but in that you assumed you are now forced to defend yourself, maybe now is time as you say to be silent.

ALLAH (swt) guides the people not man, this is very easy to understand, if we assume the outcome will be bad, this is limiting ALLAH (swt), you do not know what his (swt) decision will be.

Telling the truth on all ocassions, will be positive and Allah (swt) will bless you for trying, this should be good enough for you, we are not used car dealers where we must make the sale at all cost.

Please try to understand, if we have no disipline in what we do we will not be succesful, disipline is steadfastness.

You may disagree with me, and try to point out faults if you wish, but the truth still stands that you based all of your information on this topic BECAUSE YOU ASSUMED never did the original questioner even elude to all that you ascribe to him, PLEASE THINK ABOUT THIS.

Walaikum Salaam

[bellson]

ALLAH (swt) guides the people not man, this is very easy to understand, if we assume the outcome will be bad, this is limiting ALLAH (swt), you do not know what his (swt) decision will be.

That's silly. I'm sure that everyone here assumes that when they jump up, then will come back down. Such an assumption does not in any way LIMIT Allah. We know that Allah has the power to make us NOT come down. But nonetheless, we EXPECT to come down. Our expectations have no bearing at all on Allah. They do not limit Him. In truth, Allah predestined all things before there were any humans at all. So clearly, these matters are already decided.

Every one of us makes du'a and expects the du'a to be granted, but that doesn't limit Allah in any way.


Telling the truth on all ocassions, will be positive and Allah (swt) will bless you for trying, this should be good enough for you, we are not used car dealers where we must make the sale at all cost. You keep saying that. You keep acting as if I am NOT telling the truth. Please support your implication that I am advocating falsehood, or else please stop implying that I am doing so.



Please try to understand, if we have no disipline in what we do we will not be succesful, disipline is steadfastness. This actually is a statement I agree with. But answering questions haphazardly without regard for the likely consequences of what we say is NOT discipline. Discipline is acting in accordance with an intention. If it's my intention to give da'wah to a person, and I hope that Allah will guide him to embrace Islam, I should be disciplined enough to act towards that end. I should not be undisciplined and just do whatever comes to mind without any use of wisdom at all.

You may disagree with me, and try to point out faults if you wish, but the truth still stands that you based all of your information on this topic BECAUSE YOU ASSUMED never did the original questioner even elude to all that you ascribe to him, PLEASE THINK ABOUT THIS. Keep in mind that I have not met the person. I was giving ADVICE to a third party. Obviously, whoever is actually speaking to the guy needs to use some discretion and determine what the guy's true motives are, before adopting any particular strategy.

If I had actually met the guy, I would not have assumed anything, I would have been guided by his own words and actions, and I would even ask him questions that could confirm or deny any hypotheses I might have about his motives.

But, in this case, I wasn't talking to the guy!!!!! I was giving advice to a third party. I told him to consider something that he may not have considered, namely, that the person might be LOOKING for a black man to follow (which is quite common in the black communities in the US). And that if that's the case, then it would be best to skip the race talk, and go straight to the important stuff. But it might still be a good idea, in this case, to mention some things that MIGHT appeal to a black nationalist-type of person.

So you see, I did not assume anything about the guy. Rather, I admit that I know nothing about him. Rather, I was saying that IF it's the case that he is a black nationalist-type, then I have some advice. But obviously, the one who is actually speaking to him would need to make the determination of whether he is a black nationalist-type or not.

Furthermore, I gave this advice because there was ample reason to believe that he IS a black nationalist-type. This is because (a) he is Jamaican, and Jamaica is where many black nationalist movements began, (b) his focus on Africa, and Ethiopia in particular, is a common theme among black nationalists, and (c) the direct question as to whether or not Rasoolullah was black.

So, given that there is a lot of reason to believe he MIGHT be a black nationalist-type, I thought it was a good idea to give some advice IN THE EVENT THAT he actually is a black nationalist-type. But, I did not say for certain that that is the case. Only people with actual experience dealing with the guy can make that determination.

[wonceinee]

That's silly. I'm sure that everyone here assumes that when they jump up, then will come back down. Such an assumption does not in any way LIMIT Allah. We know that Allah has the power to make us NOT come down. But nonetheless, we EXPECT to come down. Our expectations have no bearing at all on Allah. They do not limit Him. In truth, Allah predestined all things before there were any humans at all. So clearly, these matters are already decided.

Salaam Walaikum

This is silly brother you are comparing Allah(swt) judgement with his created law of gravity, sounds good but it is incorrect.

Every one of us makes du'a and expects the du'a to be granted, but that doesn't limit Allah in any way.

Again your comparing Allah (swt) judgement with a created action and a created expectation.


You keep saying that. You keep acting as if I am NOT telling the truth. Please support your implication that I am advocating falsehood, or else please stop implying that I am doing so.

Their is no implication, you may consider it that way if you wish, but allah knows best you did not expect anyone to answer this way and you became shocked and defensive.

This actually is a statement I agree with. But answering questions haphazardly without regard for the likely consequences of what we say is NOT discipline. Discipline is acting in accordance with an intention.

And you intended to assume ( and acted on it), what was not present and give information based on your assuption.

If it's my intention to give da'wah to a person, and I hope that Allah will guide him to embrace Islam, I should be disciplined enough to act towards that end. I should not be undisciplined and just do whatever comes to mind without any use of wisdom at all.

No you should tell the truth at all times, this is the disipline, and believe that Allah (swt) will take care of the rest. The used car sales man knows the flaws of the cars yet to win money he will invent anything to get the car sold, Islam is not this way, we cant assume anyone has a problem with Islam, if we do we have begun in the negative.

Keep in mind that I have not met the person. I was giving ADVICE to a third party. Obviously, whoever is actually speaking to the guy needs to use some discretion and determine what the guy's true motives are, before adopting any particular strategy.

This should have been taken into consideration before the assume was made, you even told the brother I would evade the question, here again you prove the negative or fearful attitude.

If I had actually met the guy, I would not have assumed anything, I would have been guided by his own words and actions, and I would even ask him questions that could confirm or deny any hypotheses I might have about his motives.

You should not assume anything wether you met him or not, you should have put yourself in your brothers shoes and then gave the information based on only the information given, thier are no hypotheticals or abstracts in Islam. The question is muhammad (saaw) black, if we have any evidence proving no, then the answer is no.

But, in this case, I wasn't talking to the guy!!!!! I was giving advice to a third party.

Did you even consider that your brother may have been confused by your assuming, what example are you setting.

I told him to consider something that he may not have considered, namely, that the person might be LOOKING for a black man to follow (which is quite common in the black communities in the US).

ok brother, may allah reward you, but if you think that generalizing communities and ethnic origins is good, in Islam it does not exsist in Islam their is no eluding to racism.

And that if that's the case, then it would be best to skip the race talk, and go straight to the important stuff. But it might still be a good idea, in this case, to mention some things that MIGHT appeal to a black nationalist-type of person.

Brother please, please, please, who told you that he was a black nationalist, show in the post of the questioner this, you are starting to scare me.

So you see, I did not assume anything about the guy. Rather, I admit that I know nothing about him.

That is why any commentary about his thoughts or beliefs is just that ASSUME.

Rather, I was saying that IF it's the case that he is a black nationalist-type, then I have some advice.

Subana Allah, ( IF ), astagfir Allah

But obviously, the one who is actually speaking to him would need to make the determination of whether he is a black nationalist-type or not.

Mash Allah

Furthermore, I gave this advice because there was ample reason to believe that he IS a black nationalist-type. This is because (a) he is Jamaican, and Jamaica is where many black nationalist movements began, (b) his focus on Africa, and Ethiopia in particular, is a common theme among black nationalists, and (c) the direct question as to whether or not Rasoolullah was black.

You sound like a true statistical AMERICAN, Islam does not teach to think like this

So, given that there is a lot of reason to believe he MIGHT be a black nationalist-type, I thought it was a good idea to give some advice IN THE EVENT THAT he actually is a black nationalist-type.

Mash Allah again brother

But, I did not say for certain that that is the case. Only people with actual experience dealing with the guy can make that determination.

Alhumdu Allah Rabbi Alemeen, may Allah (swt) guide us correctly.

Salam Walikum

[Malinguenem]

Asalam alaikum

Thank you very much for your advise regarding this crucial issue. This Jamaican brother is agnostic and I am now only in contact with him via email. I have sent the first link given to me on this forum regarding Muhammad (saw) features.


1)What information would be most suitable to send via email to him?


There is also another Muslim brother of Indian origins who is not practicing. But, he is very stressed by dreams which display murder and killings. I told the brother that this is the work of Shaytan with your intelligence. Is this a suitable response to such question. He did ask me a few q's regarding Shaytan and his existence, I did reply by mentioning about Ibis's first ordeal. I alhumdulilah, provided him with authentic sites which he was amused with and loads of info from me as well.