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I admit I haven't checked recently but last time I looked women outnumbered men. Of course, the large majority of immigrants recently have been male, so that may have redressed the balance.
However, that is not really relevant as of course it is by no means to be assumed that all of those women want to be married. But then I guess that Islam would require that they should be. Perhaps Woodrow who has given some excellent responses could answer that one.
While marriage is highly recommended, it is no sin not to marry if there is a reason a person does not marry. However a person can not choose to not marry simply because they do not want the responsibility of marriage. There are reasons a person is encouraged to delay marriage, such as a man should not marry until he is able to support a family.
We consider a person to be incomplete without marriage. Marriage is 1/2 of our De'en(Life/Religion) and each person should seek marriage. Men and women are equal, but each has an equal number of strengths and weaknesses. The strengths a man has compensates for the weaknesses a woman has and the strengths a woman has compensate the weaknesses a man has. An unmarried person will go through life with unnecessary weaknesses that they can not compensate for. This in turn will reduce the fullness of life they can ever achieve.
World wide the number of woman does outnumber the number of men. Although in the US the ratio is close to equal with 51% Female, 49% male. but, in most countries the differences are quite significant. World wide it seems to be 52% Female 48% male overall. In undeveloped and war torn nations the women greatly outnumber the men.
The only country in which men outnumber woman is China and that is because of the 1 child per family law and the legalization of aborting female fetuses. Sons are favored, so females are often aborted.
No matter what a person's personal opinion is regarding polygamy, it seems to be the easiest way to assure that every woman will have the opportunity to be married.
Some early Polynesians had a social structure that seemed to work. A person was permitted only one spouse but there had to be a great age difference. A young man could only marry an old woman whose husband had died and a young woman could only marry an old man whose wife had died. Everybody had a spouse. but the birth rate was so low, the people who practiced this became extinct.
Both monogamy and polygamy have drawbacks. Monogamy guarantees that some women will never be able to marry. Polygamy guarantees that some women will have to share a spouse.
Woodrow, since this is the month of Ramadan (Aug.1,-Aug.29) perhaps you could explain to us the meaning of Ramadan and why it is so important to all Muslims.
Woodrow, since this is the month of Ramadan (Aug.1,-Aug.29) perhaps you could explain to us the meaning of Ramadan and why it is so important to all Muslims.
Peace ptsum,
We consider fasting to be one of the requirement of Islam as by doing so we learn to control our desires, learn the value of all that has been given to us, and open the path for spiritual renewal. While fasting is always encouraged Ramadan is the only time it is an obligation to fast. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Hijr (Islamic) calender and considered to be the most sacred month as it was the month in which the Angel Jibreel first came to Muhammad. the Hijr calender does not correspond with the Western calender as it is a Moon based not Sun based calender. Each month begins with the first sighting of the crescent moon after the night with no visible moon. The hijr year is about 11 days shorter than the Western year, so each year our months start about 11 days sooner in relation to the Western Months. Next year in the USA it will begin on or about July 20th. The day it starts will vary slightly by locality, depending on the visibility of the first Crescent. There is usually a day difference in the start and end between those on the equator, North of the equator and those South of it.
During the month of Ramadan we fast from sunrise to sunset. We are permitted 2 light meals one just before sunrise the other just after sunset. We also abstain from sex, drinking water, saying unkind words and try to put ourselves back in peace with the world. war is also forbidden during Ramadan. During this time we should pray as often as possible, avoid all temptations, learn more about our faith, engage in activities such as reading the Qur'an. The Qur'an is divided into 30 Juz if a person reads 2 Juz a day for the first 2 days of Ramadan and one per day for the rest, they will read the entire Qur'an during Ramadan.
Also during Ramadan we are to engage in charity and give the money we would spend on food to the poor in our community. We are also to share our evening meal with our neighbors, especially seeking those with no food or very little food.
Traditionally the morning meal is 3 dates and water. the Evening meal should be large enough to share with others, but we should not fill our stomach over 1/3 full. Our stomach should be 1/3 food, 1/3 water and 1/3 empty.
So Ramadan is basically a month of prayer, charity,fasting, sharing, peace making and seeking forgiveness for our short comings. A time to start making positive changes in our lives and try to keep them after the end of Ramadan.
Our fasting also must take into consideration our health. We are forbidden to fast to the extent it endangers our health. Pregnant woman, Nursing mothers, and the sick are forbidden to fast. The elderly and very young need only fast to the extent that it poses no hardship or health risk.
We consider fasting to be one of the requirement of Islam as by doing so we learn to control our desires, learn the value of all that has been given to us, and open the path for spiritual renewal. While fasting is always encouraged Ramadan is the only time it is an obligation to fast. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Hijr (Islamic) calender and considered to be the most sacred month as it was the month in which the Angel Jibreel first came to Muhammad. the Hijr calender does not correspond with the Western calender as it is a Moon based not Sun based calender. Each month begins with the first sighting of the crescent moon after the night with no visible moon. The hijr year is about 11 days shorter than the Western year, so each year our months start about 11 days sooner in relation to the Western Months. Next year in the USA it will begin on or about July 20th. The day it starts will vary slightly by locality, depending on the visibility of the first Crescent. There is usually a day difference in the start and end between those on the equator, North of the equator and those South of it.
During the month of Ramadan we fast from sunrise to sunset. We are permitted 2 light meals one just before sunrise the other just after sunset. We also abstain from sex, drinking water, saying unkind words and try to put ourselves back in peace with the world. war is also forbidden during Ramadan. During this time we should pray as often as possible, avoid all temptations, learn more about our faith, engage in activities such as reading the Qur'an. The Qur'an is divided into 30 Juz if a person reads 2 Juz a day for the first 2 days of Ramadan and one per day for the rest, they will read the entire Qur'an during Ramadan.
Also during Ramadan we are to engage in charity and give the money we would spend on food to the poor in our community. We are also to share our evening meal with our neighbors, especially seeking those with no food or very little food.
Traditionally the morning meal is 3 dates and water. the Evening meal should be large enough to share with others, but we should not fill our stomach over 1/3 full. Our stomach should be 1/3 food, 1/3 water and 1/3 empty.
So Ramadan is basically a month of prayer, charity,fasting, sharing, peace making and seeking forgiveness for our short comings. A time to start making positive changes in our lives and try to keep them after the end of Ramadan.
Our fasting also must take into consideration our health. We are forbidden to fast to the extent it endangers our health. Pregnant woman, Nursing mothers, and the sick are forbidden to fast. The elderly and very young need only fast to the extent that it poses no hardship or health risk.
Do-hi-yi tso-s-da-nv-tli.
Thank you for enlightening us about this. It is always good to learn about other cultures and religions to dispel the misconceptions.osay
Do-hi-yi tso-s-da-nv-tli.
Thank you for enlightening us about this. It is always good to learn about other cultures and religions to dispel the misconceptions.osay
What is interesting is I find the traditional Lakotah Beliefs to have much in common with Islam. fasting is a part of their belief also. I think it also plays a part in the belief of the people of your Nation. While I learned a lot about the Tsalgi from my second wife, her family had been swallowed by Christianity and no longer followed the old road.
The more similarities I find among people the more I know we all have the same creator.
Where does the name "Islam" come from? I know it means submission, but muslims used to be called Muhamuddists so does the name come from Muhammud or from the smart Caliphs? Also, I was wondering what Quran means.
Where does the name "Islam" come from? I know it means submission, but muslims used to be called Muhamuddists so does the name come from Muhammud or from the smart Caliphs? Also, I was wondering what Quran means.
Good Questions.
Islam is a verb and means "The act of submitting to God(swt)" The word Salam or shalom in Hebrew comes from the same root and means Peace. Submitting to God(swt) is Peace.
A Muslim is a person who does Islam, in other words a person who submits to God(swt) the female equivilant is Muslimah a woman who submits to God(swt). During the Crusades the English Crusaders coined the names Mohammedans, called the religion Mohammadism as they believed we followed Muhammad. there are no equivalent words in English for Islam or Muslim. The Pope chose to call us "In Fidelis" (the Unfaithful) which became infidel and was used for all non-Catholics. Our Religion actually has no formal name if you think in terms of things like Catholic, Protestant etc. All people who submit to God(swt) are Muslim.
We believe submission is by following the 5 pillars of Faith and all who did so going back to the creation are Muslim. In other words all who followed the true scriptures up to their time were Muslim, the Jews who followed the original Torah, were Muslim, the people who followed the Injil revealed through Jesus were Muslim. they stopped being Muslim when they stopped following the original scripture, they stopped submitting to Allah. We do not call the Jews, and Christians of today Muslim, as we believe they no longer submit to Allaah(swt) But we also acknowledge some may still be Muslim and we do not know it. That is why we say we do not know who will go to heaven, but we believe all Muslims (Everbody who truly submits to God) will go to heaven.
Who truly does his best to submit God(swt) as evidenced by following the pillars of faith is Muslim and known only to the person and God(swt) No man knows the intentions of another or what is in the hearts of another. that is strictly between the person and God(swt). We can visibly see if a person is following the 5 pillars, but we do not know if they are doing so sincerly. We also can see if a person is not following the 5 pillars, but we do not know if they are not doing them deliberately. We have no ordained clergy any central leader or any membership, nothing to join. A person either is or is not a Muslim. We believe all people are born Muslim, some stray away, or get misguided and never return. to us nobody converts to Islam, they revert back to what they always were.
The word Quran simply means "recitation" although as Muslims we use it only for the recitation from God(swt) some non Muslim Arab speakers use it to mean any Book that is from a recitation, some Christian Arabs call the Bible the Qur'an
Thank you Woodrow for explaining everything so nice to us.It's very interesting.May I ask what an Injil is?
We believe the Injil was the Scripture given to Jesus(as) by God(swt). But it was ignored very early and after Jesus ascended to Heaven, it was pretty much gone except some quotes attributed to Jesus(as) may be parts of it such as "the Sermon on the Mount" and When Jesus(as) taught the people how to pray. It is our belief that when following Jesus(as) became Christianity the Injil was ignored and all attention was turned from the Message(Injil) to the Messenger (Jesus[as])
If the people had kept the Injil and followed it there would have been no reason for Allaah(swt) to send the Message a final time in the Qur'an. The Qur'an is not a new message it is the same one that has been given many times to all people of all lands and times. but always ignored or changed to suit the church leaders. The Qur'an we believe is mankind's last chance to finally get it right and keep it.
We believe the Injil was the Scripture given to Jesus(as) by God(swt). But it was ignored very early and after Jesus ascended to Heaven, it was pretty much gone except some quotes attributed to Jesus(as) may be parts of it such as "the Sermon on the Mount" and When Jesus(as) taught the people how to pray. It is our belief that when following Jesus(as) became Christianity the Injil was ignored and all attention was turned from the Message(Injil) to the Messenger (Jesus[as])
If the people had kept the Injil and followed it there would have been no reason for Allaah(swt) to send the Message a final time in the Qur'an. The Qur'an is not a new message it is the same one that has been given many times to all people of all lands and times. but always ignored or changed to suit the church leaders. The Qur'an we believe is mankind's last chance to finally get it right and keep it.
Now I understand it and Thank you for explaining it to me.
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