Hi friends

I'm looking forward to hearing your comments about this discussion.

Regards

Hossain

Hey, Hossain! I want to ask about the Islam belief about virgins & heaven. It seems a bit one-sided . . . I don't think the women would care about having a virgin, so what do they get out of going to heaven (& is that what it's called)?

Are there any other afterlife benefits for being a Muslim?

Thanks,

Judi

Judi, I can't pre-empt the answer that Hossain will make, but I think you will find that this is a myth perpetuated by western agencies - particularly Faux News.

It has as much credence as the story that there will be chocolate in heaven.

There will be no chocolate in heaven Judi and you like chocolate don't you?

Hi, Brit! I've missed you lately, but knew you'd eventually locate me.

I'd like to think chocolate would be available in heaven, especially since we will have perfect bodies & not be able to gain weight. : - ) Yummy!

Hossain, what would you say to someone who believed that Allah is the same God as the Christian God?

Hello everyone,

I would like to respond to this question, as it is an issue which has been discussed at my masjid in our Islamic Studies class.

The term used in the Quran is pure companions. Pure in the sense of goodness and the pursuit of godly knowledge. It does not refer to virginity, contrary to popular opinion. That translation is, as Britscot says, as credulous as the chocolate myth, or the jihad equaling terrorism. Jihad is an internal struggle, against one's own base natures. It is a struggle to live up to the standards set by Allah (swa).

It is good of you to ask for accurate information rather than to make assumptions based on contemporary mythology.

As to your other question-there is only one God. Allah is His name in Arabic, but He is the God of Abraham and of Moses and of Jesus and of all People of the Book (Torah, Gospel, Qu'ran). Islam is the continuation, correction and completion of the message brought by all the Prophets.

Thank you for your thoughtful answer, Queenkarimah.

The Christian God is so very different than the one you call Allah. How is it that you say they are the same?

If they were the same god, then why does the Quran state that your enemy is the Christian & the Jew, aka "infidels"? Does your faith believe you should kill the people with the same god, assuming that to be true?

Judi, before you start commenting on the "infidels" issue with the Islam believers, I suggest you read your own Bible.

2 Cor 6 v 15

1 Tim 5 v 8

The "infidels" mentioned there are to be treated in the same way as the Koran says infidels should be treated - and that's YOUR Bible.

Just for the record, I do think that Allah and God are the same to each of those religions - it's just that I don't personally believe in Allah or God - but I do not say they do not exist.

Remove the mote from your own eye Judi, remove the blinkers and see the wider world.