Islam and Christianity

Allah did habitually are called sunnat-i-zâida, or mustahab. An
example of these acts is to begin from the right-hand side and to
use the right hand when you are to do something useful, such as
building a house, eating, drinking, sitting down, standing up,
[going to bed,] putting on your clothes, using tools, etc. It is not
dalâlat (deviation from Islam) not to observe this kind of sunnat
or to observe acts of custom established in the course of time after
the establishment of Islam and which are termed bid’at in
convention, e.g. using new gadgets such as sieves, spoons, etc.
Acts of this sort are not sinful.” Hence, it is permissible to eat
meals at a table, to use forks and spoons, to sleep on comfortable
beds, to use radios, television sets, tape recorders at conferences,
in schools, during classes of ethics and science, to use all sorts of
transportation, and to utilize technical facilities such as spectacles
and calculators. These things are within the area of bid’at in
convention. Something that was established afterwards is called
bid’at. It is harâm (forbidden) to use things and inventions that
are within the area of bid’at in convention in committing acts that
are harâm. There is detailed information in the (Turkish) books
Se’âdet-i Ebediyye (Endless Bliss) and Islâm Ahlâk› (Ethics of
Islam) about using radios, loud-speakers and tape recorders
during prayers of namâz, azân (adhân), preaches and khutbas. It
is a grave sin to invent bid’ats or to make even the slightest
alteration in the acts of worship. Jihâd, Holy War, is an act of
worship. And it is not an act of bid’at to use all sorts of technical
implementations in a war. On the contrary, it brings about many
blessings. For it is a commandment of Islam to use all sorts of
scientific media in a war. It is necessary to invent facilities that will
be helpful in performing acts of worship. Yet it is an act of bid’at
to invent facilities that will encourage forbidden acts or to invent
any changes in worships. For instance, it is necessary to climb the
minaret to call the azân (adhân, the call to prayer). Yet it is an act
of bid’at to call the azân through a loud-speaker. For it is not a
commandment (of Islam) to call it through an implementation.
The commandment dictates that human voice should be used in
calling it. Moreover, Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’alaihi wa
sallam’ prohibited to announce the prayer times or to perform
other acts of worship by ringing bells, sounding horns, or playing
musical instruments.]
40– Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ would not grow
his beard longer than one handful. He would have it shortened
when it exceeded that limit. [It is sunnat to keep your beard one
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