Women, as wives, are the reproductive sources of mankind, and the Qur’an brings attention to this in the analogy of the earth, which is the source of all sustenance and creation as we see them...

Marriage as an institution is under attack from various angles in our world. During the time of the prophets, Muslims were in constant conflict with polytheists and people of other faiths and had to exercise caution in how they formed family unions through marriage in the formative stages of their own personal journeys as new Muslims and create the society based on the new Islamic values and principles…

Three important things are mentioned here and give guidance for the benefit of the Muslim community as well as for society. First is the matter of addiction to wine and drugs that affects human perception and capability. In addition, any kind of gambling or superstition based on games of chance is strongly discouraged…

As we know from 2:190, God has asked us not to be an aggressor and to always be inclined toward peace, even at the point of temporary humiliation (e.g., the Hudaibiya Treaty—please research Prophet Mohammad’s life story for more information). But to defend one’s right to worship God and to be free to follow his way of life are universal human rights and should be defended, even if that means going to war with the perpetrator…

This is an important aspect of God’s world and for those among His creatures who aspire to be close to Him and be successful as His agents on this earth. We need to prove to God through adversities and difficulties that we truly believe in God, have trust and reliance in God, and have conviction of our faith and confidence in our work, whereby we are truly committed to serving mankind.

The examples of the Jews is an apt application to any people, including Muslims and Christians, of those who were favored by God in certain times and given an abundance of materials and spiritual sustenance and who, after giving initial recognition and gratefulness, were indifferent and forgot the essence of the true message.

Islam encourages a unique blend of spirituality and material well-being. On Fridays, we are encouraged to earn a living outside the time of the noon prayer (Zuhr salat), unlike the Jews who consider Saturday to be a day of worship alone and of no worldly activities. In Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, some people live in monasteries, escaping from the outside world altogether.

It is important to understand that every act of worship has a significant human component to it. God mentioned in the Qur’an that Hajj is a debt owed by the faithful to God and that in paying off this debt (performing Hajj) God wants us, as people of understanding who think before we act, to recognize the presence of so many people during Hajj and ensure a meaningful experience by respecting the space and rights of our fellow men.

In these verses we find additional details on the conduct of fighting and aggression. One should respect social norms that are healthy and supporting of peace, such as the sacred months where all forms of aggression are forbidden. It would be helpful if we created a global understanding where we agreed on these sacred months to be months of peace all over the world.

These two verses have become a source of much abuse by both Muslims and non-Muslims. Some Christians (especially Evangelicals) and media personalities jump to seriously misleading conclusions that God encourages Muslims to fight and kill people without any justification.