This book is specifically written for non-Muslims to help them better understand Islam. Some of the topics in this book are: – Evidence that Islam is a true religion. – Proofs that the Qur’an is the literal word of God. – Scientific miracles in the Qur’an with scientific illustrations. – Why Muhammad is truly a prophet sent by God? – Some benefits of Islam. – General information on Islam. – Pillars of faith. – Correction of some misconceptions about Islam. – The status of women in Islam. – What Islam says about terrorism. Features of the book: 43 illustrations (39 in color); 76 colorful pages on glossy, coated, 115 gm paper; Laminated 350 gm cover; High quality printing; More than 375,000 copies have been printed.
I don’t think those contents are what people expect when they see that title. (Also, doesn’t the combination of “illustrated” and “Islam” earn you a fatwa?)
As far as I know, Islam prohibits depicting people and animals, so illustrations of buildings etc. might be 100% halal (and there have been different workarounds available).
BTW, a fatwa is a legal opinion, not necessarily a sentence. E.g. there might be a fatwa stating that certain kinds of illustration are OK after all.
Whether or not it’s okay to feature illustrations of people and animals appears to be up to debate, which I guess makes sense, considering the way religions work. Maybe there’s a Muslim reader of the site who can clarify? Obviously I’m no expert either.
There are different denominations and varied degrees of orthodoxy, and also different Islamic scholars will give different opinions on the subject, so it’s far from centralized. It seems the general consensus is that God should never be depicted, while everything else depends on all those variables I’ve mentioned (e.g. Mughal artists had no qualms showing lots of people and horses).
“The status of women in Islam. – What Islam says about terrorism”
“Some benefits of Islam”
Okay, I’m going to take this on a personal level.
One of my best friends is ex-Muslim. She left her family and Islam behind because of the shit she had to endure as a woman in this context.
If you’re so DAMN SURE your religion is full of benefits and that everyone should be a part of it, then why do you have to affirm it like this?
“Evidence that Islam is a true religion. – Proofs that the Qur’an is the literal word of God. – Scientific miracles in the Qur’an with scientific illustrations”
Thanks but no thanks. There’s a difference between explaining what your religious beliefs entail as-is and obviously trying to not-so-subtlety convert people. This applies to all religions by the way.
Rant over.