Can Muslims go to church and put candles?

Our world is multifaceted. In the soul of each person is hidden a real cosmos in miniature, which is reflected in the large number of religious beliefs that exist on the planet. The most common religions are the following:

• Christianity;
• Buddhism;
• Islam.

They are basic and have long been called world ones. And Buddhism belongs to the most ancient, and Islam - to the youngest. Residents of one country do not always follow a single faith, therefore representatives of different faiths can live in one city and religious constructions related to different cults can be built. In this connection, the question is more and more often whether it is permissible for people to enter the temples of the Gentiles. There are endless discussions on this subject. Today we chose Islam as the topic of our conversation and decided to look for answers to several questions of concern to Christians and Muslims. Can Muslims come to church? Is this a sin?

Islam and Christianity: the point of view of theologians

Unfortunately, in modern society Christians are often opposed to Muslims. In the society there was a clear idea of the difference between these religious beliefs and their dissimilarity. If you hold a social survey on the street with the participation of young people of both religions, then surely they will confidently talk about how impossible it is to coexist people with such a different worldview.

But both Christian priests and Muslim imams say that there is not much difference between our religions, and even give examples that are reflected in the hadith and the Koran.

First and foremost, young people who unequivocally negatively answer the question of whether it is possible for Muslims to enter the Orthodox Church should turn to the Koran. In it, more than once Christians are called "people of the Scripture" and speak about them with great respect.

For those who do not have this information, one can recommend finding in the Qur'an a line that tells that Christians from all religions are closest to Muslims. After all, they preach obedience and humility before God. And such should be the faithful Muslim.

In addition, it is known that the Prophet Muhammad sent his followers to Ethiopia in order that Christians should protect them from the Gentiles. Those who hid the Muslims in their homes for a long time, than they saved their lives. And then they sent us off in peace.

Therefore, we should not particularly focus on how different our religious beliefs are. It is better to live with the feeling that we all believe in one God who expects us to fulfill certain rules. Now we have come close to the question of whether Muslims can enter the church. Let's try to deal with this rather difficult for understanding issue, considering it from all sides.

The ban on visiting the church in the Koran: does it exist?

Many of those who seek an answer to the question "can Muslims go to church," refer to the words of the Prophet Muhammad, stated in one of the hadith, where he forbids the faithful to perform rituals in pagan temples. For some reason modern people automatically refer to Christian churches as well. But is this true?

If we refer to the above facts, then in the eyes of the prophet Muhammad, Christians stood on a different level than the pagans. Therefore, it is simply impossible to compare temples and temples. What else can you find in the Quran on this issue?

Interestingly, you will not see any direct prohibitions on entering the Christian church. The Prophet Muhammad never spoke about this, that is, Muslims have not left instructions on this account. How to be? What should be guided by the orthodox?

There is much evidence that the Prophet himself, traveling to different countries with his followers, prayed in religious buildings of other faiths. At the same time, when asked about the nature of this act, he replied that he did not see any sin in this act.

In addition, both religions in some countries are so closely related that they have profound influence on each other. For example, in Azerbaijan there are mosques, where you can put candles on the output. And if the fire burns steadily, then it speaks of a pure soul. But when the flame oscillates and quickly fades, then the candle was put by a sinful man with unkind thoughts. Such beliefs confirm that God is one for all people and is equally disposed toward kind and pure souls.

So can a Muslim go to church? How can you be sure that you do not commit a sin? If we conclude from all of the above, then we can say that the house of God is always His receptacle, regardless of the confession. After all, what is important is what kind of intentions a man enters into the vaults of the temple. This topic requires more thorough analysis.

Sightseeing: can a Muslim go to church?

To see what constitutes a cult object in terms of architecture, or to become acquainted with the interior of the faithful is not forbidden. If you have Christian friends, and you are absolutely coincidentally near the church they want to visit, you do not need to stay outside its walls. Yes-yes, Muslims are not forbidden to enter orthodox, Catholic or Buddhist temples.

Crossing the threshold of the religious structure of the Gentiles is not considered a sin, there is not a single mention of it anywhere. The only condition is that the service should not be in the temple. After all, in this case you will become an involuntary participant in serving a different cult, and this already falls under the category of prohibitions.

Therefore, if you are deeply concerned about the question of whether it is possible for Moslems to enter the church to simply inspect the building, then do not worry: visiting the temple will not be a sin.

Excursions to churches and other sacred places

Is it possible for a Muslim to go to church on an excursion? In principle, the issue is closely related to the issues raised in the previous section. It is interesting, but many believers confidently answer that a Christian can not enter the mosque, and a Muslim can not enter the temple. Therefore, when traveling, people often miss the opportunity to visit certain places, because they are connected with the religious cult of the infidels.

But in fact, there are no prohibitions on this score. Any devout can visit Christian holy places for the purpose of acquaintance. This is perceived as gaining new experience and knowledge, and the Muslim should strive to receive them. After all, only an educated and knowledgeable person in different spheres of life can bring light of faith to other people. Do not forget that this is one of the most important missions of Islam.

Proceeding from the above, any devout can go on a trip and in the framework of the excursion program visit Catholic churches in Europe and Orthodox churches in Russia. All these actions are not considered a sin.

Can Muslims go to church and put candles?

This topic is most acute in the modern world. The fact is that even the heads of some primordially Muslim countries come to Orthodox churches and put candles. Let's recall the case with the head of Kazakhstan Nazarbayev six years ago. Then he visited the cathedral in Astana and put a candle on Christmas. This caused severe condemnation from the Islamic world. However, many believers considered this act as a tribute to Christianity and a symbol that representatives of different faiths can perfectly negotiate among themselves and live in peace.

So who is right in this dispute? Can we unambiguously answer the question of lighting candles in the temples? Let's approach the explanation from afar. Despite the fact that there is much in common between Christianity and Islam, there is a certain difference in religious rites. However, most rituals are invented by people, not by God, though they are based on His covenants.

Based on the foundations of Islam, he forbids the performance of rites of other religious cults and singles out idolatry as an especially grave sin. Since the Prophet Muhammad did not talk about the need to light candles, and such a tradition does not exist, then putting candles in the temple, you commit a sin by conducting a Christian rite. The only exception is ignorance, but it can not completely cleanse the soul of sin.

The sign of the cross in the church: is it permissible?

Is it possible for a Muslim to go to church and be baptized? This question is also often asked on the forums. And the answer is categorical: no! If a simple visit to the church is not a sin, then the creation of the baptismal banner carries a very different spiritual load. This is considered a serious misconduct, because in Islam it is not customary to be baptized. So, this process is haraam.

Kissing icons in the church

Can Muslims go to church and worship icons? There can not be two opinions. Islam sees icons as idols, and we already know that this religion denies and condemns idolatry.

Therefore, do not get carried away by other faith and perform other people's rituals. Nobody forbids the faithful to enter Christian churches, but you should not keep traditions that are alien to you.

Namaz in the church

It is difficult for many to imagine that prayer can be performed in God's house belonging to a different religion. However, even the performance of prayer in the church, when there is no more suitable place (mosque) nearby, is not forbidden, but is welcomed. You only need to ask for permission from the clergyman. As practice shows, this does not raise any problems: the house of God is open to all of His children.

A few words in conclusion

We hope that our article sheds light on the problem of the Muslim's stay in the Orthodox Church, and now you have all the necessary information.