Muslims And Entering A Church

[Abdul Bangura]

Muslims and Entering a Church

 

Abdul Karim Bangura

 

 

As Mwalimu Toyin Adepoju has put it, no one can know everything. Thus, it is with sincerity that I ask whether anyone on this forum is aware of any precept in the Qur'an or the Hadith that prohibits a Muslim from entering a church, as I am quite baffled by the Nigerian official's refusal to enter a church, especially when citizens of his country he is representing are bereaved. While I pride myself as an avid student of the Torah, the Bible, the Qur'an and the Hadith, I might have missed such a prohibition.

 

I lean more toward the great Sufi Rumi or Jalaluddin Balkhi on matters dealing with Abrahamic connections. As I state in my book in progress tentatively titled Rumi on Judaic-Christioan-Islamic Connections,  Rumi's reverence for all faiths is captured in the poem titled Only Breath as follows: "Christian or Jew or Muslim, or Hindu, or Buddhist, Sufi, or Zen all belong to the beloved...."

 

As I also note in the work, in the midst of the crusades and violent sectarian conflict, Rumi said "I go into the Muslim mosque and the Jewish Synagogue and the Christian church and see one altar." As I further mentioned, in December of 1273 when Rumi died, representatives of every major religion---the Pope, etc.---attended his funeral.

 

[OLUWATOYIN ADEPOJU]

Religious Bigot, I Am Not! - Consul General of Nigeria, New York

http://elombah.com/index.php/articles-mainmenu/12242-religious-bigot-i-am-not-consul-general-of-nigeria-new-york

On Wed, Aug 15, 2012 at 12:41 AM, OLUWATOYIN ADEPOJU <toyinvinc...@gmail.com> wrote:

Please lets know when your Rumi book comes out. Rumi is sublime

On Wed, Aug 15, 2012 at 12:40 AM, OLUWATOYIN ADEPOJU <toyinvinc...@gmail.com> wrote:

i will post the official's response

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[Anunoby, Ogugua]

The allegation made against Nigeria's Consul General (NCG) in New York is that he categorically stated that he will never enter a church even in the course of his well paid employment. The familiar arrogance and unprofessionalism of some of Nigeria's senior public servants cause one to believe that some of them are very capable of such a reckless statement. 

What the NCG needs to do now if he wants more Nigerians and others to believe his denial of the allegations, is to  make clear whether or not he would enter a church or other place of non-Muslim worship if his current employment calls for him to do so in the future.

Then again did the NCG reach out to the victims' families or/and their immediate community before the church service or after? Has his office assisted them in any meaningful or practical way? His office is after all a consular office.   

One hopes that more of Nigeria's government employees everywhere now know if they did not before this time, that they are employees of the Nigerian people regardless of each Nigerian's class, ethnicity, profession, or religion.

 

oa    

---

From: usaafric...@googlegroups.com [usaafric...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of OLUWATOYIN ADEPOJU [toyinvinc...@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2012 6:47 PM
To: usaafric...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Muslims And Entering A Church

[Abdul Karim Bangura]

If what the Consul General states is correct, then Mr. Onyeani owes him an apology. From the Consul General's account of his past participation in events organized by other faiths and the fact that he sent a representative who would be more versed at doing something substantive at the event, I am inclined to believe the Consul General's account.

[Ayo Obe]

If you read the statement by the Consul General which are presumably his own direct words, he said (categorically) that he has entered churches on many occasions:

"I wish to point out, for the avoidance of doubt, that since my arrival in New York, I have had the pleasure of attending meetings, dedications, baptismal in churches not only in New York but in other states under the Jurisdiction of the Consulate General. I never ever told Mr. Onyeani that “I can never enter a Church”. I have had the pleasure, both in Nigeria and USA, of joing my friends in all their events held in churches. But I have never attended a church service. This statement can be checked with the leadership of the Organisation for the Advancement of Nigerians, (Organisers of New York Parade) and others whom I have had the pleasure of joining in their events organized in various churches. I have never been, and will never be, a Religious bigot. Anybody that had ever had any direct contact with me will vouch for me on this."

Ayo

I invite you to follow me on Twitter @naijama

[Cornelius Hamelberg]

“All the world's a stage” ?

“Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of
Religion.” (from Blake's “ Proverbs of Hell” )

“I have never attended a church service.” ( Habib Baba Habu, Consul
General of Nigeria )

We must respect his personal decision. Surely, it is not a criminal
offence to prohibit oneself ever attending a church service. As
Consul-General it is expected that he should be responsive when
tragedy befalls Nigerians as he is there to serve Nigerians and so he
does. He is surely, exonerated from any charge or suspicion of “
bigotry” after he says,

“ My prayers go to the families of those who lost their loved ones.
May the Almighty accept them unto His keeping and grant their families
fortitude to bear this irreparable sad loss. May God also quicken the
recovery of the wounded ones and provide their families succor.” And
adds, “ I have never attended a church service. However, I sent one of
the most senior staff of the Consulate General, who incidentally, is
an Igbo man and a Catholic, to represent me and the Consulate
General....I wish to point out, for the avoidance of doubt, that since

my arrival in New York, I have had the pleasure of attending meetings,
dedications, baptismal in churches not only in New York but in other
states under the Jurisdiction of the Consulate General. I never ever
told Mr. Onyeani that “I can never enter a Church”. I have had the

pleasure, both in Nigeria and USA, of joining my friends in all their
events held in churches. But I have never attended a church service. “

It's been a storm in a tea cup, probably being whipped up by those
still reeling under the impact of Boko Haram and would like to see all
Muslims in that dim light....

Of course, it would not be politically expedient for a would-be
president of Nigeria to say that he would never attend a Church
Service or a mosque service, although it is well within his rights to
be free to choose whether to enter or not to enter a church – for
whatever purpose, to pray, to talk peace or to hustle votes. A normal
Muslim would not like to view or to pray to any of the effigies of
Jesus and his mother, that are usually there as ornamentals/idols in
some of the churches. But then again, it's not all Muslims that are
normal. Isn't one of the functions of the Madhi (a.s.) to break the
crucifix?

We could also avoid conflating Sufism with Islam, especially the
sufisms of pantheism which contrast with Islam's strict monotheism.

Recently, when that earthquake hit Tabriz in Iran, my first thought
was Shams’uddin of Tabriz, Rumi's special friend, because my first
Iranian Sufi teacher Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh would often talk about the
Rumi-Shams relationship and my next teacher (also Iranian) Hazrat
Sultan Husayn Tabandah Rida Ali Shah's disciples would chant verses of
Mathnavi, Hafez etc in Farsi. Hazrat Agha did enter a church here in
Stockholm and dear Dr. Nurbakhsh said it was OK for his journal “Sufi”
to be sold by London Tobacconists as the journal would “purify” such
shops (I had suggested to Dr. Nurbakhsh that it was not a good place
since those shops also sold pornographic materials.....

A Malaysian prince bought the Church at , 277 St Anns Road, Seven
Sisters, in London and gave it to Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani who
converted it to a meeting place of his Sufi students. And there I met
them once.

These few examples serve to illustrate that some people have the
attitude that with the sky as roof, the whole world is a mosque or
Church...

By the way and just for the record Mwalimu Bangura, what's this that
the Pope was at Rumi's funeral?
Which Pope?
Did he take off his shoes?
http://www.shaykhabdalqadir.com/content/articles/Art093_11052009.php

The Qur'an says :http://quran.com/50/16

The poet-saint Kabir asks and answers:

“O servant, where dost thou seek Me?
Lo! I am beside thee.
I am neither in temple nor in mosque: I am neither in Kaaba nor
in Kailash...”

https://www.google.com/search?q=O+servant%2C+where+dost+thou+seek+Me%3F+Lo!+I+am+beside+thee.&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=rcs

At Kabir's his death at the age of 129 years, both his Hindu and
Muslim devotees claimed him.
http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&sugexp=cghsbq&gs_nf=1&cp=14&gs_id=7&xhr=t&q=Kabir%27s+poetry&pf=p&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&oq=Kabir%27s+poetry&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=861f8e23df00fca0&biw=1024&bih=656

[Abdul Bangura]

Mine is not a sermon, just the empirical facts:

 

Not so fast, Agba Behmankhan, as I demonstrate in my book titled Introduction to Islam:  A Sociological Perspective,  even the Torah and the Bible abhor graven images as idolatry. We must not conflate crosses, paintings, prayer beads, etc. with idols of worship if the people do not worship them. It is akin to some Christians and Jews who say that Muslims worship the Kaaba and the tasbir, a claim that is patently false.

 

As I have also stated in some of my many other books on Islam, especially Keyboard Jihad:  An Attempt to Rectify Misperceptions and Misrepresentations of Islam,  the Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem is located across from the southern courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, they keys of which are in the custody of two Muslim families---the Nashashibis and the Nusaibehs---in the Muristan. After the siege of Jerusalem by Rashidun's army under the command of Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, Patriarch Sophronius refused to surrender except to the Caliph Omar himself. Omar traveled to Jerusalem to accept the surrender. He then visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Sophronius invited him to pray inside the Church, but Omar declined to pray in there so that he does not set a precedent and thereby endanger the Church's status as a Christian site. He also opined that he does not want Muslims to one day claim the church as an Islamic holy site and replace it with a mosque. Instead, he prayed outside in the courtyard, in a place where David was believed to have prayed, and the site is where the Mosque of Omar stands today.

 

Besides, don't Islam adamantly define the sacred as being �Allah (SWT) The Almighty, His prophets (PBUT), the sacred books---the Torah, the Bible and the Qur'an, the Sunna of his last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Kaaba, mosques, churches and synagogues"? In essence, the competing schools of thought on the issue are not based on the revelations or the Hadith.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Behmankhan

To: leon...@lists.umbc.edu;abub...@gmail.com

Sent: 8/15/2012 11:32:09 AM

Subject: Re: [Leonenet] Muslims And Entering A Church

So Alpha Abu-Bakarr,
Not to drag you into some religious discourse. You are saying that because Sierra Leone is "Mecca of Religious tolerance"; (I don't know what that means) that we should therefore be tolerant towards that which sound hadiths have forbidden us from doing; particularly the Sanad and Matn of Omar Bn' Khatab's narration about images in churches? One must be very careful as a Muslim in allowing religious tolerance to cloud our judgements; particularly if the Prophet from whom all sacred knowledge emanates; sanctions or forbids us from it. Islam is not rooted in Christianity. However all Religion whose prophets were given Scriptures as guidance, including Christianity (ingeel), Judaism (Tauraat) and Islam (Furkhan) are supposedly rooted in the beliefs and practices of Ibraheem (May Allah be Pleased with him). Each of the other two Religions (Christianity and Judaism) came at particularly prescribed time, and to a particular people but Islam came to the entire human race and the Jinn. To therefore say that Islam is rooted in Christianity are you suggesting also that you are a student of Christianity? I don't know where you read that Islam is rooted in Christianity. Suratul Iqhlas alone is proof positive that the Lordship of Jesus as proclaimed by Christianity unequivocally contravenes Islam (the total submission to nothing but the will of Allah). This is how I see religious tolerance as stated by Allah in Sura tul Kafiroun: To you your religion and to me mine. That's how far tolerance should go without going around condemning other peoples religion but also not allowing yourself to be absorbed into beliefs that would send you to Hell Fire. But when it comes to other tolerances as defined by us; i.e. entering Churches and singing hymns and praising Jesus as the Son of God; you tell me Alpha whether this kind of tolerance is not your tacit support of the gravest sins by associating partnership with Allah. We all went to Christian schools because we had no choices but as we come about the true knowledge of Islam, it would be incumbent upon us to distance ourselves from those actions that displeases Allah. Sierra Leone is not the Mecca of Religious tolerance; it is however where ignorance of the true teachings of Islam has been passed on from generation to generation; with the politically correct label of religious tolerance.

Behmankhan

-----Original Message-----
From: Abdulai ABU-BAKARR <abub...@gmail.com>
To: leonenet <leon...@lists.umbc.edu>; Abdul Bangura <th...@earthlink.net>
Cc: USAAfricaDialogue <USAAfric...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tue, Aug 14, 2012 4:10 pm
Subject: Re: [Leonenet] Muslims And Entering A Church

I found your topic very interesting and decided to look it up. As a student of Sierra Leone Grammar School and a Muslim , I read the bible and sang the hymns and went to thanks giving services. Islam is deeply rooted in Christianity and Christ is one of our prophets.

But the Nigerian case is more politics thank religion. Sierra Leone is indeed the Mecca of religious tolerance. See link below.

 

http://islamqa.info/en/ref/111832

 

Praise be to Allaah.

Entering churches for meetings and to listen to lectures is not free of a number of haraam things, some of which have been discussed in the answer to question no. 82836. 

The scholars differed concerning the ruling on a Muslim entering a church in the first place. There are a number of opinions: 

1-

That it is haraam. This is the view of the Hanafis and Shaafa’is, but the Shaafa’is limit the prohibition to churches in which there are images, as it says in Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj (2/424), Nihaayat al-Muhtaaj (2/63) and Haashiyata Qalyoobi wa ‘Umayrah ‘ala Sharh al-Muhalla (4/236). 

The Hanafis regard it as haraam in all cases, and they gave as their reason the fact that they are abodes of the devils, as the Hanafi Ibn Nujaym said in al-Bahr al-Raa’iq (7/364) and in Haashiyat Ibn ‘Aabideen (2/43). 

2-

That it is makrooh. This is the view of the Hanbalis, but some of them limited this to churches in which there are images. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Fataawa al-Kubra (5/327): The view which most of our companions hold is that it is makrooh to enter churches in which there are images, and this is the correct view concerning which there can be no doubt. End quote. 

See: al-Furoo’ (5/308), al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah (3/415) and al-Insaaf (1/496). 

They quoted the following as evidence:  

(i)

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw images in the Ka’bah and he did not enter until he had ordered that they be erased. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3352). 

(ii)

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Jibreel promised to come to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) but he was late and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) grew concerned. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out and saw him, and he told him of his concern and he said to him: “We [angels] do not enter a house in which there is an image or a dog.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5960). 

(iii)

It was narrated that Aslam the freed slave of ‘Umar said: When ‘Umar went to Syria, one of the leaders of the Christians made food for him and called him. ‘Umar said: We will not enter your churches because of the images that are in them – meaning the statues. Narrated by ‘Abd al-Razzaaq in al-Musannaf (1/411 and 10/398). 

3 – The third view is that it is permissible to enter churches in general. This is the view of the Hanbalis, as it says in al-Mughni (8/113) and al-Insaaf (1/496). 

It is also the view of Ibn Hazm al-Zaahiri as it says in al-Muhalla (1/400). 

They quoted the following as evidence: 

(i)

What was narrated about the conditions stipulated by ‘Umar to the people of the Book to expand their churches and monasteries so that the Muslims could enter them to spend the night or pass through them.

Al-Mughni (8/113). 

(ii)

Ibn ‘Aa’idh narrated in Futooh al-Shaam that when ‘Umar came to Syria, the Christians made food for him and called him, and he said: Where is it? They said: In the church, and he refused to go. He said to ‘Ali: Take the people to eat lunch. So ‘Ali took the people and entered the church, and he and the people ate lunch, and ‘Ali looked at the images and said: What would be wrong if the Ameer al-Mu’mineen entered this place?  

Al-Mughni (8/113). 

By studying the evidence quoted above, it does not seem that there is any clear evidence that it is haraam to enter churches. The fact that there are images and statues in them or any other place does not mean that it is haraam to enter it. The sin is on the makers of the images and those who make the statues; the one who enters a place where those statues are should advise and explain, but he does not have to leave that place. 

Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

With regard to entering a house in which there is an image, it is not haraam. Rather it is permissible to refuse an invitation because of it as a rebuke to the host and to show that he has lost respect because of his introducing something evil into his house. The one who sees it in the host’s house does not have to leave, according to the apparent meaning of Ahmad’s words. He said, according to the report of al-Fadl: If he sees an image on the curtain that he did not see when he entered, that is less serious than if it was on the wall. It was said: If he did not see it until the food was placed before them, should he leave? He said: Do not make things too difficult for us; but if he sees it he should rebuke them and tell them not to do that. End quote. 

Al-Mughni (8/113) 

But at least it is makrooh to enter churches unnecessarily, because the fact that the angels and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not enter the house in which there were images indicates that it is makrooh. 

Moreover this being makrooh may reach the level of being haraam if entering the church will lead to any bad consequences such as if it means approving of the Christians’ shirk and their claim that Allaah has a wife and son, exalted be Allaah far above that. Or if entering the church is a sign of taking the Christians as friends and loving them, and so on. 

It says in Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (2/115): 

If your going to the church is just to show tolerance and lenience, then it is not permissible, but if it is done to call them to Islam and create opportunities for you to do so, and you will not be taking part in their worship and you are not afraid that you may be influenced by their beliefs or customs, then it is permissible. End quote. 

 See also the answer to question no. 11232. 

And Allaah knows best.

[deha...@uic.edu]

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

---

From: "Abdul Bangura" <th...@earthlink.net>

Sender: usaafric...@googlegroups.com

Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2012 12:29:02 -0400

To: USAAfric...@googlegroups.com<USAAfric...@googlegroups.com>

ReplyTo: usaafric...@googlegroups.com

Cc: Behmankhan<behma...@aol.com>; <leon...@lists.umbc.edu>; <abub...@gmail.com>

Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: [Leonenet] Muslims And Entering A Church

[Cornelius Hamelberg]

Wikipedia states :

636–7: Siege of Jerusalem (637) – Caliph Umar the Great conquers
Jerusalem and enters the city on foot, following the decisive defeat
of the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of Yarmouk a few months earlier.
[3] Patriarch Sophronius and Umar are reported to have agreed the
Covenant of Umar I, which guaranteed Christians freedom of religion
but prohibited Jews from living in the city according to Muhammad ibn
Jarir al-Tabari. Jerusalem becomes part of the Jund Filastin province
of the Arab Caliphate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Jerusalem
From the Arab conquest to the First Crusade (636-1099)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08355a.htm

As to the history of Umar not praying in that church, well, just
listen to Sheikh Yasser Habib who has other ideas

“ Their (Sunni) historians say that Omar arrived, entered the church,
and prayed in it.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox1oUjsnFRI&feature=relmfu

To believe Omar or his detractors?

Reminds me of this Mulla Nasruddin joke:

“A neighbor who Nasruddin didn't like very much came over to his
compound one day. The neighbor asked Nasruddin if he could borrow his
donkey. Nasruddin not wanting to lend his donkey to the neighbor he
didn't like told him, "I would love to loan you my donkey but only
yesterday my brother came from the next town to use it to carry his
wheat to the mill to be grounded. The donkey sadly is not here." The
neighbor was disappointed. But he thanked Nasruddin and began to walk
away. Just as he got a few steps away, Mullah Nasruddin's donkey,
which was in the back of his compound all the time, let out a big
bray. The neighbor turned to Nasruddin and said, "Mullah Sahib, I
thought you told me that your donkey was not here. Mullah Nasruddin
turned to the neighbor and said, "My friend, who are you going to
believe? Me or the donkey?”

http://ncronline.org/blogs/eco-catholic/nasruddin-and-his-donkey-tales-holy-fool

On 15 Aug, 18:29, "Abdul Bangura" <th...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Mine is not a sermon, just the empirical facts:
>
> Not so fast, Agba Behmankhan, as I demonstrate in my book titled Introduction to Islam:  A Sociological Perspective,  even the Torah and the Bible abhor graven images as idolatry. We must not conflate crosses, paintings, prayer beads, etc. with idols of worship if the people do not worship them. It is akin to some Christians and Jews who say that Muslims worship the Kaaba and the tasbir, a claim that is patently false.
>
> As I have also stated in some of my many other books on Islam, especially Keyboard Jihad:  An Attempt to Rectify Misperceptions and Misrepresentations of Islam,  the Mosque of Omar in Jerusalem is located across from the southern courtyard of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, they keys of which are in the custody of two Muslim families---the Nashashibis and the Nusaibehs---in the Muristan. After the siege of Jerusalem by Rashidun's army under the command of Abu Ubaidah ibn al-Jarrah, Patriarch Sophronius refused to surrender except to the Caliph Omar himself. Omar traveled to Jerusalem to accept the surrender. He then visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Sophronius invited him to pray inside the Church, but Omar declined to pray in there so that he does not set a precedent and thereby endanger the Church's status as a Christian site. He also opined that he does not want Muslims to one day claim the church as an Islamic holy site and replace it with a mosque. Instead, he prayed outside in the courtyard, in a place where David was believed to have prayed, and the site is where the Mosque of Omar stands today.
>

> Besides, don't Islam adamantly define the sacred as being �Allah (SWT) The Almighty, His prophets (PBUT), the sacred books---the Torah, the Bible and the Qur'an, the Sunna of his last Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Kaaba, mosques, churches and synagogues"? In essence, the competing schools of thought on the issue are not based on the revelations or the Hadith.

>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Behmankhan
> To: leone...@lists.umbc.edu;abuba...@gmail.com
> Sent: 8/15/2012 11:32:09 AM
> Subject: Re: [Leonenet] Muslims And Entering A Church
>
> So Alpha Abu-Bakarr,
> Not to drag you into some religious discourse. You are saying that because Sierra Leone is "Mecca of Religious tolerance"; (I don't know what that means) that we should therefore be tolerant towards that which sound hadiths have forbidden us from doing; particularly the Sanad and Matn of Omar Bn' Khatab's narration about images in churches? One must be very careful as a Muslim in allowing religious tolerance to cloud our judgements; particularly if the Prophet from whom all sacred knowledge emanates; sanctions or forbids us from it. Islam is not rooted in Christianity. However all Religion whose prophets were given Scriptures as guidance, including Christianity (ingeel), Judaism (Tauraat) and Islam (Furkhan) are supposedly rooted in the beliefs and practices of Ibraheem (May Allah be Pleased with him). Each of the other two Religions (Christianity and Judaism) came at particularly prescribed time, and to a particular people but Islam came to the entire human race and the Jinn. To therefore say that Islam is rooted in Christianity are you suggesting also that you are a student of Christianity? I don't know where you read that Islam is rooted in Christianity. Suratul Iqhlas alone is proof positive that the Lordship of Jesus as proclaimed by Christianity unequivocally contravenes Islam (the total submission to nothing but the will of Allah). This is how I see religious tolerance as stated by Allah in Sura tul Kafiroun: To you your religion and to me mine. That's how far tolerance should go without going around condemning other peoples religion but also not allowing yourself to be absorbed into beliefs that would send you to Hell Fire. But when it comes to other tolerances as defined by us; i.e. entering Churches and singing hymns and praising Jesus as the Son of God; you tell me Alpha whether this kind of tolerance is not your tacit support of the gravest sins by associating partnership with Allah. We all went to Christian schools because we had no choices but as we come about the true knowledge of Islam, it would be incumbent upon us to distance ourselves from those actions that displeases Allah. Sierra Leone is not the Mecca of Religious tolerance; it is however where ignorance of the true teachings of Islam has been passed on from generation to generation; with the politically correct label of religious tolerance.
>
> Behmankhan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Abdulai ABU-BAKARR <abuba...@gmail.com>
> To: leonenet <leone...@lists.umbc.edu>; Abdul Bangura <th...@earthlink.net>
> Cc: USAAfricaDialogue <USAAfric...@googlegroups.com>
> Sent: Tue, Aug 14, 2012 4:10 pm
> Subject: Re: [Leonenet] Muslims And Entering A Church
>
> I found your topic very interesting and decided to look it up. As a student of Sierra Leone Grammar School and a Muslim , I read the bible and sang the hymns and went to thanks giving services. Islam is deeply rooted in Christianity and Christ is one of our prophets.
> But the Nigerian case is more politics thank religion. Sierra Leone is indeed the Mecca of religious tolerance. See link below.
>
> http://islamqa.info/en/ref/111832
>
> Praise be to Allaah.
> Entering churches for meetings and to listen to lectures is not free of a number of haraam things, some of which have been discussed in the answer to question no. 82836.
> The scholars differed concerning the ruling on a Muslim entering a church in the first place. There are a number of opinions:
> 1-

> That it is haraam. This is the view of the Hanafis and Shaafa’is, but the Shaafa’is limit the prohibition to churches in which there are images, as it says in Tuhfat al-Muhtaaj (2/424), Nihaayat al-Muhtaaj (2/63) and Haashiyata Qalyoobi wa ‘Umayrah ‘ala Sharh al-Muhalla (4/236).
> The Hanafis regard it as haraam in all cases, and they gave as their reason the fact that they are abodes of the devils, as the Hanafi Ibn Nujaym said in al-Bahr al-Raa’iq (7/364) and in Haashiyat Ibn ‘Aabideen (2/43).

> 2-
> That it is makrooh. This is the view of the Hanbalis, but some of them limited this to churches in which there are images. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Fataawa al-Kubra (5/327): The view which most of our companions hold is that it is makrooh to enter churches in which there are images, and this is the correct view concerning which there can be no doubt. End quote.

> See: al-Furoo’ (5/308), al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah (3/415) and al-Insaaf (1/496).

> They quoted the following as evidence:
> (i)

> It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw images in the Ka’bah and he did not enter until he had ordered that they be erased. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (3352).
> (ii)
> It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Jibreel promised to come to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) but he was late and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) grew concerned. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) went out and saw him, and he told him of his concern and he said to him: “We [angels] do not enter a house in which there is an image or a dog.† Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5960).
> (iii)
> It was narrated that Aslam the freed slave of ‘Umar said: When ‘Umar went to Syria, one of the leaders of the Christians made food for him and called him. ‘Umar said: We will not enter your churches because of the images that are in them – meaning the statues. Narrated by ‘Abd al-Razzaaq in al-Musannaf (1/411 and 10/398).
> 3 – The third view is that it is permissible to enter churches in general. This is the view of the Hanbalis, as it says in al-Mughni (8/113) and al-Insaaf (1/496).

> It is also the view of Ibn Hazm al-Zaahiri as it says in al-Muhalla (1/400).
> They quoted the following as evidence:
> (i)

> What was narrated about the conditions stipulated by ‘Umar to the people of the Book to expand their churches and monasteries so that the Muslims could enter them to spend the night or pass through them.
> Al-Mughni (8/113).
> (ii)
> Ibn ‘Aa’idh narrated in Futooh al-Shaam that when ‘Umar came to Syria, the Christians made food for him and called him, and he said: Where is it? They said: In the church, and he refused to go. He said to ‘Ali: Take the people to eat lunch. So ‘Ali took the people and entered the church, and he and the people ate lunch, and ‘Ali looked at the images and said: What would be wrong if the Ameer al-Mu’mineen entered this place?

> Al-Mughni (8/113).
> By studying the evidence quoted above, it does not seem that there is any clear evidence that it is haraam to enter churches. The fact that there are images and statues in them or any other place does not mean that it is haraam to enter it. The sin is on the makers of the images and those who make the statues; the one who enters a place where those statues are should advise and explain, but he does not have to leave that place.
> Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

> With regard to entering a house in which there is an image, it is not haraam. Rather it is permissible to refuse an invitation because of it as a rebuke to the host and to show that he has lost respect because of his introducing something evil into his house. The one who sees it in the host’s house does not have to leave, according to the apparent meaning of Ahmad’s words. He said, according to the report of al-Fadl: If he sees an image on the curtain that he did not see when he entered, that is less serious than if it was on the wall. It was said: If he did not see it until the food was
>
> ...
>
> läs mer »

[Cornelius Hamelberg]

Re - “Rumi said "I go into the Muslim mosque and the Jewish Synagogue

and the Christian church and see one altar."

Good for him.

As the librarian at the synagogue library explained to some visiting
school kids, “There are some people who have never been to a synagogue
before and are surprised when they do not find Jesus hanging on the
cross over an altar.”

In the spirit of ecumenism some of the participants are in a
hurry(leap-frogging) to equate religions (the good, the bad or veil) –
and mind you, Ninian Smart could think of gardening as a possible
religion, linking man to his maker, lump together all the religions
that you can think of including San Francisco's First Church of
Satan, lump them all together as equals in the one basket under the
same God !

But, pluralism/Universalism to the extent that a synagogue or the Beit
Hamikdash or the Temple Mount can replace the Muslim house of prayer?
In that case, in a spirit of goodwill Muslims can start praying in
churches en masse, fraternity with Christianity! Share the bread !
Skip the wine! (Haram!) Pay no attention to the holy rap especially
when it gets intense at collection time.

In the church instead of the mosque? The Church with all it's lights
and paraphernalia incorporating the mortal flesh cast in marble, the
holy water, the holy Eucharist etc. surely comrade,the Muslim must
feel ill-at-ease with all the heavily loaded symbolism to the full
glory of all of its representative arts...

Of some relevance :

http://www.momentmag.com/moment/issues/2011/04/opinion_may.html

http://www.momentmag.com/moment/issues/2011/12/rabbis.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_and_antisemitism

http://ohr.edu/ask/ask272.htm#Q1

On 14 Aug, 20:05, "Abdul Bangura" <th...@earthlink.net> wrote: