Thread by @Aal_Moalim

How you can defend Islam with incorrect arguments that opens the door for us to be attacked by the enemies of Islam.

Here are 100 widespread mistaken responses that many accounts dedicated to calling to Islam make in their attempts at defending the Deen from doubts thrown at it

1- There are cases in which the inheritance of a woman is greater than that of a man

2- Qawaamah (stewardship) only means to serve your wife.

3- Islam came to abolish slavery in a gradual process

4- The lack of a woman’s intellect was identified by the Messenger ﷺ and he limited it to only cases of bearing testimony

5- Slavery is solely based on reciprocity, so if the disbelievers stop capturing us, we will stop capturing them.

6- In the time of the Prophet, the economic system was based on slavery, which is why slavery could not be abolished immediately

7- Lincoln's liberation of slaves caused wars, famine, and homelessness which is why the Prophet was wise to not liberate slaves immediately

8- Underage marriage was socially acceptable in the time of the Prophet

9- Women in the time of the Prophet reached puberty faster than now

10- Women reach puberty faster in hot environments

11- Islam gave the woman her right, but the problem is with men + the lack of application of Islam + customs and traditions

12- Islam guarantees for a human his right to freedom

13- If we apply Islam completely, the feminism that appeared due to the oppression of women would disappear.

Comment:

Injustice cannot be completely prevented, otherwise what good is patience!

The Prophet commanded the companions to be patient and told them they would not be able to fulfill all their rights.

see:

sunnah.com/bukhari:3603
sunnah.com/bukhari:3793

14- Dhimmis pay a Jizyah amount less than the Zakat

Comment:

Some of these people talk as if the dhimmi is higher and better than the Muslim, the woman is higher than the man, and the slave is higher than the free, and they see this as a great response to doubts against Islam!

15- Angela Merkel is not the actual leader of Germany

Comment:

This argument implies that it would be correct to say the Prophet ﷺ could possibly describe a nation of unbelief and prostitution such as Germany as a successful one!

16- Women can stipulate no polygyny in the marital contract

Comment:

This is a bad argument in the context of responding to doubts against polygyny as a concept.

17- The definition of a Murtad is one who is a perpetrator of high treason which is why he is killed

18- The conditions for stoning the adulterer are difficult or even impossible to fulfil

19- If the homosexual practices sodomy in private, no one will hold him accountable, but the problem is if he violates the system and does it publicly or spreads it publicly

20- You are free to be an atheist, just don't insult Islam

21- Islam was not spread by the sword

22- Jihad Al Talab merely refers to pre-emptive war (commenced in an attempt to repel/defeat a perceived imminent offensive or invasion, or to gain a strategic advantage in an impending (allegedly unavoidable) war shortly before that attack materializes)

23- Hijab increases your beauty

24- We don't have a problem as Muslims in accepting the theory of evolution, except for that which is related to Adam & Eve (Adamic Exceptionalism) and we also have no problem as Muslims accepting the directed evolution model.

25- Hijab is not an obstacle to scientific progress and success

26- Some Islamic countries have outperformed the West in empowering women

27- Islam is compatible with science not like Christianity

28- Western scholars stole the research of Muslim scholars and it was Muslim scholars who first said that the Earth is round

Comment:

My problem with this is giving this topic more importance than it is

Secularism took down Christianity because Christianity is corrupt

29- Previously, the woman was not educated and did not work, so the jurists and commentators interpreted the Qur’an and based their rulings on this reality that they lived through.

But now the woman is educated and is working.

30- May God be sufficient for us from those who spread weak hadiths and hence alienated people from religion. We are free from them & dissociate from them

31- Many Hadith that discuss women are not authentic

32- Islam did not come with slavery, rather it came whilst slavery already existed and so interacted with it

Comment:

It is sufficient that Islam approved it.

But what prevents slavery from being the first thing that was legislated and revealed of one of the prophets?

We know that the law of some of the prophets was to enslave the thief.

Whilst the law of the king of Egypt did not include this law

See:

quran.com/12/76

33- Our problem is that men do not know anything about the Deen except x and y (i.e. whatever "serves" them)

34- The Prophet, peace be upon him, married 9 women in order to form alliances

Comment:

This argument makes you seem embarrassed of verses such as:

while concealing within yourself what Allah was going to reveal. And ˹so˺ you were considering the people, whereas Allah was more worthy of your consideration.

See:

quran.com/33/37

35- Women are superior to men because the Prophet said they can go straight into the heart of a cautious sensible man such that she leads him astray

See:

sunnah.com/bukhari:304

36- Qawaamah (guardianship/stewardship) does not mean that a man has power over a woman

37- Do whatever you wish as long as it remains in private, but if you speak out and hurt the feelings of Muslims, you must bear the consequences

38- Guardianship is a mandate/responsibility, not an honor

39- The marriage of the Prophet to Aisha was by divine arrangement

40- There is a valid view saying that Aisha got married at the age of 18

41- Pedophilia does not mean marriage under the age of 12, but rather it means marriage without the age of puberty, as such and such scholar said

42- Secularism is not derived from science and I challenge anyone to show this.

Go back to all the dictionaries you will never find secularism being derived from the word science.

My comment as @Aal_Moalim:

Because in Arabic science is العلم whilst secularism is العلمانية

which may seem like secularism is derived from science

43- Secularism appeared in the West because their religion is corrupt

44- What distinguishes Islam from Christianity is that Christianity is anti-science, while Islam is pro-science

Comment:

No one says it as bluntly as this, but with the spread of this argument and the reliance of many on it, you really feel that there are those who believe that!

45- When Europe was sinking into the dark ages, Muslims were doing such and such in the golden ages

46- An atheist said to Ahmed Deedat: What if you died and discovered that the Hereafter is not real?

Deedat said: Not any worser than you if you find out that it is real!

Comment:

Whoever does not firmly believe in the Last Day will be in Hell, even if he prays and fasts.

Therefore, answering such a question, even for argument's sake, should be avoided.

47- Islam is valid for every time and place.

Comment:

This is true, but some of those who use this point use it to mean that we can distort Islam to fit our modern time & place!

This is false

48- Ibn Taymiyyah is one of the scholars who most excused his opponents

49- Darwin was a Christian

50- Most scholars are religious

51- The legalization of homosexuality is the first step in the legalization of pedophilia

52- We don't suffer from homophobia. Islam doesn't punish mere homosexual tendencies, but rather prohibits the practice that has been scientifically proven to cause harm and transmission of diseases

53- Our society doesn't benefit from openness!

54- You see, this isn't equality

55- Your understanding of freedom is wrong! Freedom does not mean detachment from values

56- Islam is the religion of humanity

57- Islam is the religion of peace.

Comment:

Comment: This word, although correct, is used to deny jihad and to woo the West

58- Islam means peace

59- Openness must be regulated in order to suit rules of Sharia

60- Openness does not mean complete dissolution from the religion

61- Freedom does not mean detachment from values

62- Freedom must be regulated

Comment:

These arguments are problematic because they rely upon their terms hence strengthening them. Thus, the usage of such terms should be abandoned in the discussion.

63- Just as we respect your religion, respect ours

64- Be an atheist, but don't put doubts in the people's religion by asking questions

65- Don't encroach on the sanctities of people and then become upset when they retort

66- Infringement of religious customs is unacceptable

67- Terrorism has no religion

68- The niqab should not be banned because it is freedom

Comment:

This argument is bad when used to glorify freedom and freedom of choice.

But this argument is good as a form of revealing their double standard/contradictions

69- I wear a Niqab by choice

70- We apply [Insert some Western value] more than the West themselves!

Example:

We implemented equal pay before the West knew it

71- [Insert a Western value here] does not mean [Insert something forbidden in Islam]

Example:

Freedom does not mean bringing doubts against the sacred sanctities of the Deen.

72- A Christian:

Islam contains terrorism / capital punishments / slavery / child marriage etc.

The Muslim responds: Even Christianity includes that.

Comment:

If you want to use this argument, you must have a clear position towards these matters.

And also beware that your words strengthen the arguments of the atheists and those christians still stuck in the dark ages.

73- It is not from the [Insert a Western value] to do [Insert a forbidden command]

Example:

It is not from nationalism to dance and listen to songs

74- Let us take advantage of the National Day to remember God's grace and not deny God's grace by committing sins

75- [Insert a legal duty] is from [Insert a western value]

Example:

Forbidding the evil is from nationalism and loving one's country.

76- Any speech that can be read as:

The principles of the west are sound. Their problem is that they did not put it into practise correctly.

77- We must preserve our Islamic identity [not because it is true, but because it is our identity and nations/communities must preserve their identity]

78- This is against our customs, traditions & religion

79- People don't want this (a democratic form of forbidding the evil)

80- This is against people's freedoms (a liberal form of forbidding the evil)

81- This is against humanity and tolerance (a humanist form of forbidding the evil)

82- Silence is neutral (some use this to forbid music using a human rights based method)

83- Forbidding the evil with modernist tactics

Example:

We are in 2021 and you are still circumambulating around and kissing graves?

Points to contemplate over:

1- Not every argument mentioned is on the same level of error

2- In fact some of these arguments are sound but used in an incorrect fashion such that it makes us Muslims appear in a weak position and appear meek which is not befitting for us

3- Some of these arguments work on some but not others. The problem is that we will use the arguments across the board even if it does not work on certain individuals

4- Many of these arguments are done "for argument's sake" and that is understood but there is a fine line between that and submitting to the opponent's introductory principles and assumptions.

Arguing for arguments sake is temporary. It becomes a problem when you make such arguments permanent because it makes it seem that you are submitting to their introductory principles and assumptions.

Take for instance:

If a slave of the west says: "Islam contains pedophilia"

A, who is arguing for arguments sake will retort: "I forbid you to hold pedophilia against me, because I am not the one who believes that it is a crime, and these are not my premises."

B, who has submitted to this slave's introductory assumptions and principles will see this statement as a doubt against Islam that he has to try and prove the opposite being the case.

What would be best and safest for everyone's religion is to mention that you are arguing for the sake of argument not that you've internalised the introductory assumptions and principles thrown against you.

This will then make the argument clear and the intent understood.

85- The Hanbali Madhab is the furthest Madhab away from being stern, severe. Rather, it is quite easygoing.

86- Being obligated to show the manifestations of (Islamic civilization) such as buildings, decorations, inventions and worldly sciences

87- Look how people line up around the Kaaba regularly

88- Knowing the attributes of the constellations (horoscopes and astrology) is forbidden because it is pseudoscience.

Comment:

The reason for the prohibition must be separate from the ruling of the Kafir scientific

community, which we know may change its opinion overnight, in addition to the fact that it may in the future describe things established by religion with this same description "pseudoscience".

89- [Neglecting monotheism when mentioning the greatest characteristic of Islam.]

Example: Islam has developed the best solutions to combat harassment (with no mention of monotheism in its account).

90- Neglecting to mention disbelief and polytheism when talking about the reasons for the misguidance of the West

91- The West is commodifying women.

But when the Mahr is mentioned in reply, he shyly says:

Dowry is not considered a commodity!

This is a consequence of arguing whilst having submitted to the introductory principles and assumptions of the opponent.

And Allah knows best.

not incorrect arguments but an incorrect manner****

92- Trying to defend the Hadith "most of the inhabitants of the fire will be women” by saying it’s just percentages that the Prophet was using because there will be more women than men in general.

93- Hating polygyny is like the Sahaba hating Jihad like Allah said