how bibles are made...
Guyjin, great image. I believe that any real Truth is good enough to follow, even the stories of the Africans menioned in box 1. The fact that much of that Truth has been corrupted and confused later on doesn't make the original Truth any less True.
Sadly, even though the Holy Qur'An is still presented in its original Arabic, there are many sects and divisions within the Arab-speaking Muslim community (which is forbidden by the Qur'An, by the way...).
Even among the Nation of Islam Muslims here in the U.S. there are divisions, particularly between those who accept Brother Minister Farrakhan and those who don't... but with the exception of what happened to Brother Malcolm X, the Nation of Islam Muslims are setting an example on how differing groups can coexist without spilling each others blood.
Wow, a Nation of Islam Muslim on the forums! Asalaam alaikum wa rahmatuallah wa barakatuh! When I originally posted how I didn't think pagans were bad, I was referring to a more modern version of pagans, not like the old Meccan ones who did various nasty acts like killing daughters and sacrificing children, etc... I'm well aware of Ibrahim's (saw) story and it's mentioned in other parts of the Quran as well and he's one of the prophets I look up to the most and is a real strong point in the history of Islam.
I'm probably a trillion times more into Islam than I was when I first made this post, haha. I made this back before I even said shahadah. It's good to see other brothers on the forum.
Wa alaikum salaam brother!
I think just about everyone here will bear witness that you set a great example on how people can get along together peacefully and treat one another with respect.
With regards to pagans, even more peaceful modern ones... I believe that the reason paganism is bad is that it represents belief in "other than the Truth", which is a waste of time. Allah wants humanity, I believe, to submit to the Truth. So when people submit to "other than the Truth," naturally this is in opposition to the Will of Allah.
The condemnation of the "christmas tree" in the book of Jeremiah in the Bible is a good example, I think, of the reason that even relatively harmless pagan traditions are "bad."
This story says essentially the same thing as the story of Abraham I posted above.
This is perhaps my thesis (Jeremiah 10:8 ): "But they are altogether dull-hearted and foolish; A wooden idol is a worthless doctrine."
Allah doesn't want people to be dull hearted and foolish, following useless customs and wasting time. I believe he wants us to be righteous Muslims, in submission to the Truth.