NUST Business School

Islamiyat
Misconceptions About Islam

Submitted to;
Mr. Asad Mehmood
Submitted by;
Ruhma Khalid
BBA (A)

Date: 1st March 2018

Misconceptions of the Religion Islam
Jihad
The first misconception regarding the religion Islam is that it orders its followers to go for
jihad. The word jihad is translated to The Holy War by those who have not studied the religion
carefully. The Jihad is an Arabic term, and its meaning is “to strive or work hard for
something”. Hence it does not mean to fight wars. According to the Quran there are
several types of jihad:
o Jihad against one’s self:  Jihad bil Nafs is concerned with fighting against “evil” (un-
Islamic) desires and the devil in the attempt to escape his inducement to evil. We can say
this is the “internal” jihad.
o Jihad against Satan: we should fulfill Allah’s commands with patience and have proper
faith on Almighty Allah no matter what’s the situation we are facing .Satan will try to break
our faith but we have to stick against Satan.
o Jihad by the tongue/pen: This type of Jihad is concerned with spreading the word of
Islam with one’s tongue or writing and the verbal (or written) defense of Islam.
o Jihad by the sword: This form of Jihad is referred as “the lesser jihad”. Sometimes it is
necessary to undertake Jihad by the sword. This would include the use of armory and
engage in an action. Jihad by the sword is the use of arms to engage in a combat. It is not
the misuse of arms to create violence.
Therefore it can be concluded that jihad is more importantly struggling peacefully for Allah
than fighting with swords.
“Should I join the jihad?” The Prophet asked, upon him peace, “Do you have parents?” The
man said yes. The Prophet said: “Then do jihad by serving them!

Shariah Law
It is assumed by people that shariah law is cruel and oppressive. However this is not the case
since shariah law is about protecting the innocent and upholding Islamic values. This includes
prayer, charity and fasting (to remember those in the world who don’t have enough to eat)
during the holy season of Ramadan. Islamic scholars in the USA see no conflict with Muslim
values and the US constitution and the bill of rights. Professor of law Marshall Breger at
Catholic University suggests Jewish law Halacha is very similar to Islamic Sharia law.
Interestingly as well, a study was done at George Washington University to see which
countries closely uphold Islamic values. Ireland, Denmark, Luxembourg and New Zealand were
the top 4. The first country with a Muslim majority, Malaysia is at number 33, and Kuwait is at
48. Hossein Askari, an Iranian-American scholar is quoted by saying “We must emphasize that
many countries that profess Islam and are called Islamic are unjust, corrupt, and
underdeveloped and are in fact not ‘Islamic’ by any stretch of the imagination.”

Shariah is comprised of five main branches: adab (behavior, morals and

manners), ibadah(ritual worship), i’tiqadat (beliefs), mu’amalat (transactions and contracts)
and ‘uqubat(punishments). These branches combine to create a society based on justice,
pluralism and equity for every member of that society. Furthermore, Shariah forbids that it be
imposed on any unwilling person. Islam’s founder, Prophet Muhammad, demonstrated that
Shariah may only be applied if people willingly apply it to themselves—never through forced
government implementation. Therefore it can be concluded that shariah does not actually
comprise of the punishments but rules for daily life activities for those who wish to follow.

Tolerance towards other religions

It is believed that Islam is intolerant towards other religions. However religious scholars
convey that Islam is a religion of peace. The word Islam is derived from an Arabic word
meaning peace. Firstly Islam does not believe in forcibly conversion to the religion. The Quran
says: “There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned.” Secondly Quran refers to the
Jews and the Christians as “The People of The Book” therefore raising their status in front of
idol worshippers. Thirdly the Quran says: “We have appointed a law and a practice for every
one of you. Had God willed, He would have made you a single community, but He wanted to
test you regarding what has come to you. So compete with each other in doing good. Every
one of you will return to God and He will inform you regarding the things about which you
differed.” (Surat al-Ma’ida, 48). Therefor it is clear from this verse that Allah intends that the
rights of non-Muslims should also be preserved in order for a peaceful society to persist.

Rights of Women

It is believe that Islam oppresses the women, often due to the fact that they are made to cover
their body and faces. Apart from that it is assumed that in Islam women have no rights as they
are considered a property of their male counterparts. However this is not true. Islam promotes
rights of every living being from slaves to women, from non-believers to animals. However we
as Muslims misinterpret the teachings of Islam and so we forcibly marry our women believing
that it is a duty for a women to obey its male relations. The Quran says: “O you who believe, it
is not lawful for you to inherit the women by forcibly/unwillingly…” [4:19]. The prophet in
his last sermon preached that: “O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to
your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as
your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right then
to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and
be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that
they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be
unchaste.”

It is however sad to know that despite everything given in the Quran not just the non-muslims
but the muslims as well do not completely know the religion Islam. Many assumptions have
been made by people who do not completely know the religion hence the rising of the hatred
towards muslims. It should however be noted that it is not the religion that is corrupt but us
human beings, and it is not the religion that promotes terror but the people who fail to
understand the teachings of Islam. Islam never promoted any kind of terror, it is the extremist
groups of muslims who misinterpreted, changed or edited the Quran to suit their needs and
justify their acts of terror. However one can not completely stop these misconceptions
because every human has a point of view and an argument, but these misconceptions can be
reduced if we teach the people what Islam teaches us so that they get a closer look at Islam
and its teachings. The purpose of Islamic scholars as well as every individual is to represent
their religion in front of people. They not just have to clarify verbally that Islam is a religion of
peace but also through their actions. Peace, love, respect and kindness towards other people,
no matter what their religion is, can clarify that Islam is the religion of peace and stability.