- discoveringclouds:
- @ Alex; periphery.
No no, not eternal life, I mean life after death. People will likely do more good if they believe that they will benefit more from it. If they do good deeds, they might do more so they can gain in their accounts so they can go to Heaven after this life. That's what I meant, I hope it makes sense?
That does make sense, yes, although I must again disagree with the sentiment. I think doing good deeds is better encouraged for altruistic reasons rather than reasons of self-gain.
- discoveringclouds:
- As for capital punishments and such, America has death row does it not?
Yes, and I'm against it. Killing another person is never okay (unless in cases of euthanasia, i.e. when the person in question has consented to his/her life being ended).
- discoveringclouds:
- So if someone did steal and have their hand cut for that as punishment, how many people do you think would steal after that? Just look at Dubai. There are no security guards guarding the jewellery stores, the owners just leave to pray and their merchandise is completely open. And stealing is wrong is it not, so having fear of something wrong is actually good.
Of course I'm not saying go chop of someone's hand if they steal. I'm saying that within the law I have heard that is part of the reasoning. And I have also heard that that punishment is not for a first time offence. So although it sounds horrible, you have to consider that things are a little deeper. They do have explanations as well.
I also consider that wrong, whether being used as a deterrent/punishment or not. Then there's stoning and beating.
- discoveringclouds:
- I haven't ever heard anything about maltreatment of women? I believe you mean the time before the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammed (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him), the time of jahiliyya. The time of jahiliyya was the time of ignorance, before Islam. Islam specifically gave women lots of rights, you can read them in the Quran and the hadith if you like.
In jahiliyya times women were treated like slaves, feminicide, the killing of baby girls was extremely and horrifically common.
And in the Quran it states that those people will be answerable to killing their baby girls.
Women in Islam were given rights 1400 years ago.
I'll give you some examples.
First of all women do not have to contribute anything to their family income, their husband must provide everything for them. If they wish they may contribute, but what they earn is entirely theirs.
Women have a right to do business, the Prophet's wife had a successful business.
And so many other things.
Of course men have rights too. Everyone has rights, even children, even orphans, even everyone.
I almost went to a course about how a will is supposed to be divided up. The subject included step children, adopted children, girls, boys, family, and charity, but first it said to pay off all debts.
This is not meant to be complicated, these are just further dealings into faith. Once you begin reading there are so many things regarding the rights of individuals.
What about the passages that state that a woman is inferior to her husband? And that a woman is equal to half a man? And the instruction for women to cover themselves up? There are plenty of examples mentioned in the Islam thread, which is where this discussion should probably continue, as we seem to be going off-topic.