Misconceptions about Islam and Quran

This has become a major concern on the media over the past few years. The religion Islam and The Holy Quran are perfect. However, there are some misconceptions about them. The majority of these are spread by non-Muslims in order to impart a bad image while some of them are spread by Muslims (unintentionally) who are just misunderstood. It is, thus, the duty of true Muslims to remove these misconceptions from the minds of our brethren. Some of the common misconceptions are listed below:

1.      Islam promotes War on non-Muslims

While many of the westerners like to label ‘jihad’ with the meaning of merely being at war with non-Muslims, it is simply not true. Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Muslims are to respect other religions and they’re not told to force anyone to convert to Islam. If that were the case, then there would probably be no or a very small population of non-Muslims in the world. The word ‘jihad’ means ‘struggle’; a struggle to be a good Muslim. That effort can be external or internal. It also means spreading the knowledge of Islam; it is called ‘tableegh’ in Urdu.

Military jihad is allowed in Islam IF it’s required to protect the faith of Islam and IF all peaceful options have been exhausted. It can be performed using anything from legal, diplomatic and economic to political means. However, in that too there are strict rules of engagement like: Innocents - such as women and children must never be harmed, and any peace overtures from the enemy must be accepted. Hence, military action is very rare and not the only means of jihad. In case military action appears necessary and there doesn’t seem a way out, not everyone can declare jihad. Jihad is only to be declared by a proper authority, like a ‘khalifa’, advised by scholars who say the religion and people are under threat and violence is now imperative to defend them.

Jihad is definitely not a war against any other religion. It is a struggle to preserve Islam and its faith.

2.      Islam doesn’t allow women to work

This is a major misconception about restricting women’s employment in the Muslim world for quite some time now. A great example of women working is Hazrat Khadeja (R.A.) who had a great business and the prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) did not forbid it. The only restriction there is that they should not attract male attention. Meaning they shouldn’t dress in such a way that is appealing to men. Their body language and behavior are the main things they should keep in mind if they’re in an environment where men work alongside them. To conclude here, the bottom line is that there is no restriction for women to work. They just have restrictions in working with men, there are certain lines that they’re not allowed to cross.

3.       Muslims reject Jesus

The majority of the Christians believes this misconception. This is completely false, because for Muslims, it is mandatory to believe in all the prophets and messengers of Allah including the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.). It is strictly an act of infidelity if they do not believe in a single one of them (the prophets and messengers). This is, thus a blatant lie if anyone says anything otherwise.

4.       Alcohol is strictly prohibited

You might think that you’re about to read that it’s allowed to drink on some occasions. No, that’s not going to be the case here. Alcohol is haram (strictly forbidden) for Muslims. However, it CAN be used for medicinal purposes, but that’s it. Anything more than that then it’s the intoxication you’d have to worry about. The reason being (and the very reason it became prohibited in the first place), intoxication messes with your ability to think and make decisions. Here are a few verses from the Quran to support this argument:

‘O you who believe, intoxicants, and gambling, and sacraments, and games of chance are foul tools used by the devil. You shall avoid him so that you may be successful.’[5:90]

‘They ask you about intoxicants and gambling. Say: In both of them there is a great harm and some profit/benefits for men, but their harm is greater than their profit/benefits...’ [2:219]

‘From the fruits of the palm trees and the grapes you make wine as well as a good provision. In that is a sign for a people who reason. ‘[16:67]

5.       Islam promotes The Honor Killing of women

Honor killing is when a member of the family is killed by a fellow family member upon mutual agreement of other members when they believe that the victim has brought dishonor upon them. The victims of this awful tradition are usually female. This is a very harsh tradition and Islam does NOT support it. Islam has a very high regard for humans and especially women’s rights. Following are some of the verses supporting this:

‘It is because of this that We have decreed for the Children of Israel: “Anyone who kills a person who has not committed murder, or who has not committed corruption in the land; then it is as if he has killed all of mankind! And whoever spares a life, then it is as if he has given life to all the people.’... [5:32]

‘...and do not kill the soul which God has forbidden, except in justice... ‘[6:151]

‘And whoever kills a believer intentionally, then his reward shall be Hell, eternally abiding therein, and God will be angry with him, and curse him, and for him (Allah) is preparing a great retribution.’ [4:93]

6.       Islam was spread by the sword:

This is the major message non-Muslims elements are  spreading for quite some time now. They claim it to be the only reason for the existence of Muslims worldwide. However, if that was the case, then there would be no non-Muslim population at all in the world right now. As mentioned before, Islam does NOT promote violence, especially against other religions and civilizations. Islam is a religion of peace. We are allowed to spread our message of faith to non-Muslims, but we are not allowed to force our religion. This is the way taught in the Holy Quran for spreading Islam:

‘Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best.’  [16:125]

Following verse shows that there is no compulsion in religion:

 ‘Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most sure hand-hold, that never breaks. And God is Hearing, Knowing.’ [2:256]

This isn’t a religion of immense difficulty and strictness. If at all, it’s created by people themselves. It is important to learn about Islam and Quran, only then, we will be able to represent Islam in a better way. If you want your kid to Learn How to Read Qurarn, then I would like to recommend Noorani Qaida Application. If you would like to have the Blessings of the holy book (Quran e Kareem), I would like to recommend Surah e Rehman App in which you can have Tilawat Surah Rehman. This is a very beautiful application which has a very nice design. It is an interesting Surah and with the help of this app, you can listen to this Surah from anywhere you want.