Hi ikamp,
Good day and thanks for your question.
Islam is a religion which is very strict as far as clothing and food
are concerned.
The holy book for Islam is the Quran.
According to the Quran,
Clothing
--------
The Quran tells Muslims to be modest. Men should not wear silk and
gold at all. There is no single style for clothing. Some women wear
veils, some don't. Quran says :
- Cleanse yourself, for Islam is cleanliness.
- If you can afford it, it is befitting that you wear garments other
than your working clothes to Friday prayer.
- Do not wear silk, for those who wear it in this life shall not wear
it in the Hereafter.
- This is the dress [referring to a silken garment] of a man who has
no character.
There are a lot of sites on clothing :
Islamic Clothing - Why do Muslims dress in distinctive, modest
clothing?
http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa020900a.htm?PM=ss14_islam
The Veil
http://www.megastories.com/islam/glossary/veil.htm
A brief look at the concept of the Islamic veil from 'Out There'.
Hijab in the Workplace
http://www.islam101.com/women/hijabfaq.html
Questions and answers regarding Muslim women's attire and the issues
that Muslim women and employers of Muslim women might face.
JPEG Images of women (some veiled, some not - in Afghanistan):
http://geogweb.berkeley.edu/GeoImages/Powell/Afghan/010.html
http://geogweb.berkeley.edu/GeoImages/Powell/Afghan/012.html
http://geogweb.berkeley.edu/GeoImages/Powell/Afghan/014.html
Food
----
Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan. They fast from dawn to dusk.
During this time, they cannot eat or drink. They are not supposed to
even swallow saliva. Not everyone follows this though.
Extracts from the Quran (in English) pertaining to food and drink :
- Mention God's name, eat with your right hand and eat from what is
next to you.
- When any of you eats, he should eat with his right hand and when he
drinks he should drink with his right hand.
- Do not eat reclining.
- The Prophet never expressed disapproval of food; if he desired it he
ate it and if he disliked it he left it alone.
- God's messenger used to breathe three times in the course of a
drink.
- The Prophet forbade that a man should drink standing.
- The Prophet forbade breathing or blowing into a vessel.
- Do not leave a fire burning in your houses while you are asleep.
- Feed the hungry, visit the sick and free the captive.
Certain foods and products are forbidden (haram) to Muslim according
to the Quran and the Hadith (the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad).
"Allah, the Almighty is pure and accepts only that which is pure. The
Almighty has said, Eat of the pure things, and do righteous actions.
Oh, you who believe! Eat of the pure things that Allah has given you."
[Hadith quoted by Abu Huraira.]
"Haram" is Arabic for "Forbidden" and "Unlawful". These foods are
"haram" for Muslims:
- Alcohol
- Pork
- Carnivorous Animals (Lion, Tiger etc...)
- Other Animals - Donkey, Monkey, Elephant
- Any animal that has died due to natural causes, killed by some wild
animal, by a fall or blow
- Blood
- Drugs (except medical drugs)
There are two important feast days for Muslims. One is Eid Al-Fitr
following the long fast of Ramadan and Eid Al-Adha. Eid Al-Adha is a
four day celebration when Muslims from all over the world offer a
sacrifice by slaughtering a sheep, cow, or goat following the
traditional Islamic customs. It is also called the Festival of
Sacrifice. It commemorates Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son
Ishmael in the name of God. But God sent him a ram instead, sparing
his son's life. The act of sacrificing an animal, most likely a sheep,
represents repentance and a solemn promise to do good on earth. The
meat is shared with neighbors and sent to the needy. The sheep is
revered as the creature of God that gives its life for a higher
purpose.
Foods which are advised by the Prophet
- Milk: Wipes away heat from the heart, strengthens the back,
increases the brain, augments intelligence, renews vision and drives
away forgetfulness.
- Honey: Considered to be the best remedy for diarrhea when mixed in
hot water.
- Olive oil: excellent treatment for skin and hair, delays old age,
treats inflammation of the stomach
- Mushroom: The Prophet(SAW) said that mushroom is a good cure for the
eyes, it also arrests paralysis.
- Grapes: The Prophet was very fond of grapes, it purifies the blood,
provides vigor and health, strengthens the kidneys and clears the
bowels.
- Dates: The Prophet(SAW) said that a house without dates has no food,
also to be eaten at the time of childbirth.
- Figs: It is a fruit from paradise and a cure for piles
- Barley: Good for fever in a soup form
- Melon: Melon contains 1000 blessings and 1000 mercies, The Prophet
SAW said "None of your women who are pregnant and eat of water melon
will fail to produce off spring who are good in counterance and good
in character.
- Pomegranate: The Prophet(SAW) said it cleanse you of Satan and evil
aspirations for 40 days.
- Water: the Prophet(SAW) said the best drink in this world and the
next is water, when you are thirsty drink it by sips and not gulps,
gulping produces sickness of the liver.
Related Links
=============
Quran (full text)
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/
Index to the Quran
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/quran/quranindex.html
I hope this answers your question. If you have any clarifications to
make, then please don't hesitate to ask, and don't rate the answer
until it has been clarified |
Clarification of Answer by
aditya2k-ga
on
16 Nov 2002 14:54 PST
Looks like the last part wasn;t copy-pasted... here it is
Thank You for using this service and have a nice day
Warm regards,
aditya2k
Search terms : islam food, islam clothing, quran full text, muslin
clothing, muslim food
|
Clarification of Answer by
aditya2k-ga
on
16 Nov 2002 20:43 PST
Hi again,
I noticed you put clothing, food, "etc..", so I have done a bit more
research on your question.
Here are some other key facts about Islam :
- Islam is based on five things: there is no God but Allah and that
Muhammad is His servant and messenger, the observance of the prayer,
the payment of Zakat, the pilgrimage, and the fast during Ramadan.
- The major sins are associating other objects of worship with God,
disobedience to parents, murder, and deliberate perjury.
- Avoid the seven noxious things.(1) Associating anything with God,
(2)
magic,(3) killing one whom God has declared inviolate without a just
cause, (4)
devouring usury, (5) consuming the property of an orphan, running back
from the
battlefield and, (7) slandering chaste women who are believers but
indiscreet.
- Young men, those of you who can support a wife should marry, for it
keeps you
from looking at strange women and preserves you from immorality, but
those who
cannot, should devote themselves to fasting, for it is a means of
suppressing
sexual desire.
- He who begs the property of others to increase his own is asking
only for
live coals, so let him ask little as much.
- None of you must point a weapon at his brother for he does not know
whether the devil may draw it out while it is in his hand as a result
of which he will fall into a pit of hell.
- He who believes in God and the Last Day should honour his guest; he
who believes in God and the Last Day should not annoy his neighbours;
and he who believes in God and the Last Day should say what is good or
keep silent
All the rules can be found in the Hadith
(http://www.yildun.com/hadith/had5/had51.html) A hadith is a narration
about the life of the Prophet (saas) or what he approved as opposed to
his life itself.
You can find "Practices and Beliefs of Islam" in a nutshell at
http://www.islam-australia.iinet.net.au/BeliefsAndPractices.html
This should cover what you're looking for. If you have something else
in mind, please ask a clarification and I will attend to it.
Regards
Aditya2K
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
lkamp-ga
on
18 Nov 2002 09:55 PST
The "etc." would apply to anything else like the diet and clothing
that would make the followers of Mohammed distinctive from other
religious people and make the stand out or be distinctive.I know that
this is somewhat vague and that you have given some information in
this area, but are there other things like this that are visible and
noticable to non-Islamic people.
In one of your discussions posted you refer to "The Prophet (SAW)
said...." what is the significance of "(SAW)?
|
Clarification of Answer by
aditya2k-ga
on
18 Nov 2002 11:34 PST
SAW expands as Sallalahu Alaihi Wasallam (Holy Prophet Muhammad)
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
lkamp-ga
on
29 Nov 2002 08:01 PST
Other than the examples that you have given (wearing gold and silk
forbidden and cleanliness commanded), is there any precise definition
of modesty in Islam?
What is the significance of the "Burqa" (sp?)? Is there distinctive
dress for men which would be comparable?
What is the meaning of "Hijab"?
What is the reason if any for eating and drinking only with the right
hand? Is being left handed forbidden under Islamic teaching?
What is the proper way to cite quotations from the Quran? from the
Hadith? When you quoted the Hadith once you have "Hadith quoted by Abu
Huraira." Who is Abu Huraira and of what significance is he? How many
others like him are there from whom quotes are made in the Hadith?
Regarding the fast of Ramadan, you state that "They are not supposed
to even swallow saliva," Are there specific instructions regarding
this somewhere? If it is forbidden then how can it be that "Not
everyone follows this though"?
In terms of "haram" what of the camel? Is it haram for Muslims? How is
haram discerned in light of "The Prophet never expressed disapproval
of food; if he desired it he ate it and if he disliked it he left it
alone"?
What is "payment of Kakat"?
Regarding Eid Al-Adha, do "Muslims from all over the world offer a
sacrifice by slaughtering a sheep, cow, or goat" include Muslims for
example in the United States? Is this a universal practice?
In "A hadith is a narration about the life of the Prophet (saas),"
what is meant by "saas"?
Thanks for your help,
Lester
|
Clarification of Answer by
aditya2k-ga
on
30 Nov 2002 19:39 PST
Hi again ikamp,
This is going a bit out of scope from the original question. On
another day, I would've advised you to post another question, but I'm
happy to answer your clarifications now.
Q. Other than the examples that you have given (wearing gold and silk
forbidden and cleanliness commanded), is there any precise definition
of modesty in Islam?
A. See this -
THE IMPORTANCE OF MODESTY IN ISLAM
http://www.geocities.com/athens/parthenon/4482/article40.htm
Thoughts On Modesty - by Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood.
http://www.islamfortoday.com/ruqaiyyah05.htm
Q. What is the significance of the "Burqa" (sp?)? Is there distinctive
dress for men which would be comparable?
A.
Woman in Islam: Dress
http://www.jamaat.org/islam/WomanDress.html
Islamic law regarding dress
www.wponline.org/vil/Books/SH_SL/ islamic_law_regarding_dress.htm
Q. What is the meaning of "Hijab"?
A. The word "hijab" comes from the Arabic word "hajaba" meaning to
hide from view or conceal. In the present time, the context of hijab
is the modest covering of a Muslim woman.
Hijab
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/humanrelations/womeninislam/whatishijab.html
Hijab Articles on Islamzine.Com
http://www.islamzine.com/hijab/
Q.What is the reason if any for eating and drinking only with the
right hand? Is being left handed forbidden under Islamic teaching?
A.In Islam, the left hand and everything associated with it is seen as
unclean. Being left-handed is not a sin, but one should not eat with
it. The left hand is normally used for unclean things (such as
cleaning the nose or excretory organ)
Eating with Left Hand
http://www.understanding-islam.com/related/text.asp?type=question&qid=576
Q. What is the proper way to cite quotations from the Quran? from the
Hadith? When you quoted the Hadith once you have Hadith quoted by Abu
Huraira." Who is Abu Huraira and of what significance is he? How many
others like him are there from whom quotes are made in the Hadith?
A. Quotations from the Quran or Hadith are cited like how it is done
for the Bible or any other religious books.
Abu Huraira: The Beloved Narrator
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/9958/hurairah.html
Q. Regarding the fast of Ramadan, you state that "They are not
supposed to even swallow saliva," Are there specific instructions
regarding this somewhere? If it is forbidden then how can it be that
"Not everyone follows this though"?
A. The Quran states it.
"O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed
to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint."
(Al-Qur' an, 2:183)
Not everyone follows it in the sense that, some people break their
fast midway. Not all people of a religion follow all rules. It is
difficult not to swallow saliva. Most sportspeople don't follow
fasting either.
Ramadan: the Month of Fasting
http://www.soundvision.com/info/ramadan/
Ramzan (Fasting)
http://www.urday.com/isramzan.htm
Q. What is "payment of Kakat"?
A. Are you sure that its kakat? I've found just one reference to this
term, and it doesn't seem to be very related
" They do not sell toilet paper here. Like everywhere in the East,
people use water instead. So these who insists on doing their number
two (kakat), a Western way have to postpone with this till returning
home."
( http://www.bromptonbike.com/CurrentEvents/Story/tunisia.html )
Q.Regarding Eid Al-Adha, do "Muslims from all over the world offer a
sacrifice by slaughtering a sheep, cow, or goat" include Muslims for
example in the United States? Is this a universal practice?
A.Yes, this is a universal practice
Q. In "A hadith is a narration about the life of the Prophet
(saas),"what is meant by "saas"?
A. SAAS = Salla Allahu 'Alaihi Wa Sallam (Arabic: may the blessing and
the peace of Allah be upon him)
You may also want to have a look at this :
A BRIEF ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING ISLAM
http://www.islam-guide.com
|
Request for Answer Clarification by
lkamp-ga
on
03 Dec 2002 20:35 PST
I promise not to ask anything further, but need to know this:
I appreciate your willingness to clarify the items listed the last
time. I note that one question I raised was not commented on: “In
terms of “haram” what of the camel? Is it haram for Muslims? How is
haram discerned in light of “The Prophet never expressed disapproval
of food; if he desired it he ate it and if he disliked it he left it
alone”?
Also a word of apology and a word of commendation regarding my
question on “the payment of kakat.” That was a typo. I meant “Zakat.”
I commend you on finding a reference (a rather interesting one)
regarding Kakat, but I was wondering about the payment of Zakat. Could
you offer help on this?
|
Clarification of Answer by
aditya2k-ga
on
04 Dec 2002 04:44 PST
Hi again
"ZAKAT: (Alms) The Zakat is a form of giving to those who are less
fortunate. It is obligatory upon all Muslims to give 2.5 % of wealth
and assets each year (in excess of what is required) to the poor. This
is done before the beginning of the month of Muharram, the first of
new year. Giving the Zakat is considered an act of worship because it
is a form of offering thanks to God for the means of material
well-being one has acquired"
[ http://www.zpub.com/aaa/zakat-def.html ]
Chapter 216
The Excellence and Obligation of the Payment of Zakat
http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/hadeeth/riyad/08/chap216.htm
As far as camel being haram is concerned,
The following foods are permissible for Muslims
* Fish
* All types of poultry, partridges, pigeons, etc.
* Goats, sheep, cattle, camel and all types of buck, buffalo.
* Rabbits
The above must be slaughtered by a Muslim according to Islamic rules,
otherwise their meat will be considered Haram. Fish does not have to
be slaughtered. A fish that has died a natural death is not
permissible to eat.
I hope this clarifies your question
Cheers,
aditya2k
|
The best source of Islam is to read the Qur'an directly and translate
it yourself, and not relied on 'translations', nor also Qur'an
commentary by 'experts'.
However, it should be note that the Qur'an is not arranged in such way
that it's easy to find what you should do and what you should not, so
you have to read surat by surat. And also the rules in the Hadits
aren't exactly the eternal rules, since some of the stuff mentioned
are sometimes just temporary rules and/or minor rules, so it's best to
rely only in the Qur'an. Of course, if you want to also follow the
Hadits, it's okay, but just remember the Qur'an is the lowest common
denominator).
Anyway, for diet, there are only around these things that were
forbidden (listed in Al-Maidah ayat 3):
- Carcass
- Blood
- Pork
- Anything that was slain not in the name of God (anything that was
slain not in anyone's name is okay though).
- Anything killed by strangling.
- Anything killed by violent blow.
- Anyhing killed by a headlong fall.
- Anything being gored to death.
- Anything eaten by a wild animal, unless one is able to slaughter it.
- Anything which is sacrificed on stone.
- Rationing food by lottery.
However, if you must eat and there's no other food source, there's
nothing wrong of doing the things mentioned above, as long that you
have desire to do things beyond what is needed.
Besides the things above, all foodstuff are allowed. Al-Maidah ayat 4
mentioned what is lawful are things that are good and clean.
It should be noted that contrary to what some said, alcohol was never
prohibited in the Qur'an, what is prohibited is the way it is consume,
and that way is too much consumption beyond what is needed. The same
goes for drugs. And so on. One of the main princples in Islam is,
don't do things beyond what is needed.
Above is just an example, for the rest like clothing, way of talk, how
to deal with children, and so on, I recommend you read the Qur'an
yourself. Just remember, do not use the thought 'official' education
of Islam, instead just look at yourself, think for yourself, and find
out for yourself.
One of the things that were mistranslated is this line from An-Nur
ayat 31, which said "And say to the believing women that they should
lower their gaze and guard their modesty". When it supposed to said
somehing like "And say to the believing women that they should be
fresh and soft in appearance and guard their secrets/hole." 'Hole'
probably means secret/weakspot/defect/and so on, since it's said that
believeing men also have a 'hole' that they should guard. |
