Is idol worship a religion?
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Did god said that idol worship is evil (whats so evil about eastern-buddhism and hinduism?) even if its teachings correspond to islamic moral imperatives?
?There is no compulsion in religion; the proper way has been made clear from the wrong way. Whoever rejects evil, and believes in God, has grasped the firm branch that will never break. God is Hearer, Knower.?
The way i understand 'believes in god' , is to follow god's commandments.
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Peace
Idol worship involves assigning partners to God when he has none. It involves creating a lie that God had beings partaking in creation with him when they themselves are created and cannot help nor harm themselves. God is the supreme being, he describes himself as having no help, no partners, no spouses/son/mother or pantheon along side him. So creating idols as such is a great slander. But it does not harm God if we worship Idols, it only harms ourselves.
Note that idols/gods do not have to be beings/statues/paintings/myths. We can make Gods out of our desire (hedonists or humanists) or call ourselves gods and worship ourselves. The main thing wrong with idol worship is IF there is one Supreme God who tells you to worship Him alone, it is pure insolence.
Peace
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Salam,
I would also add that idol worship (setting-up partners with God) is an unforgivable sin punishable by Hell.
Setting up partners with god but adhere to islamic morality by doing good deeds,is still an unforgivable sin ? That ain't right.
But i can see why worshiping an object is destructive. When you worshiped an object(statues,celebrities,money,ego) , you tend to be obsessed with it that you would do anything for it.But if a person worship something other than god,but still refrain from evil, what would that make him ?
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Setting up partners with god but adhere to islamic morality by doing good deeds,is still an unforgivable sin ? That ain't right.
But i can see why worshiping an object is destructive. When you worshiped an object(statues,celebrities,money,ego) , you tend to be obsessed with it that you would do anything for it.But if a person worship something other than god,but still refrain from evil, what would that make him ?
It would make him an idolater with morals.
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Salam,
I would also add that idol worship (setting-up partners with God) is an unforgivable sin punishable by Hell.
I don't much like this concept of 'unforgivable sin' - after all, weren't all the Meccan's before the Prophet's life pagans, they all worshiped idols, yet we're led to understand that those who converted to Islam found salvation. So surely their setting up of partners was forgiven? It all comes a bit too close to the theme of that film, "Dogma"
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Setting up partners with god but adhere to islamic morality by doing good deeds,is still an unforgivable sin ? That ain't right.
But i can see why worshiping an object is destructive. When you worshiped an object(statues,celebrities,money,ego) , you tend to be obsessed with it that you would do anything for it.But if a person worship something other than god,but still refrain from evil, what would that make him ?
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We took the Children of Israel (with safety) across the sea. They came upon a people devoted entirely to some idols they had. They said "O Moses! fashion for us a god like unto the gods they have." He said "surely ye are a people without knowledge. (13 "As to these folk the cult they are in a fragment of a ruin, and vain which they practise." (139) He said "Shall I seek for you a god other than the (true) Allah when it is Allah who hath endowed you with gifts above the nations?" (7-140)As you can note, they were Moslems and wanted a Figure that would represent God (Allah).
Peace
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Thanks for the quick replies,
The topic is misleading , i should have changed it to "are idol worshippers/polytheists evil ?"
1017 Who is more wicked than one who invents lies about God or denies His signs? The criminals will never succeed.
1018 And they serve besides God what does not harm them or benefit them, and they say ?These are our intercessors with God.? Say ?Are you informing God of what He does not know in the heavens or in the Earth?? Be He glorified and high above what they set up.
This has been bothering me. What do 'they' in verse 1018 specifically refers to ? It seems that "they" are polytheists and polytheists are being equated with criminals(zalimun,the wicked ones) . What about the polytheists who ceased and no longer transgressed ? Are they considered criminals/wicked as well ?
god bless
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Thanks for the quick replies,
The topic is misleading , i should have changed it to "are idol worshippers/polytheists evil ?"
1017 Who is more wicked than one who invents lies about God or denies His signs? The criminals will never succeed.
1018 And they serve besides God what does not harm them or benefit them, and they say These are our intercessors with God. Say Are you informing God of what He does not know in the heavens or in the Earth? Be He glorified and high above what they set up.
This has been bothering me. What do 'they' in verse 1018 specifically refers to ? It seems that "they" are polytheists and polytheists are being equated with criminals(zalimun,the wicked ones) . What about the polytheists who ceased and no longer transgressed ? Are they considered criminals/wicked as well ?
god bless
Well we know Allah is ever relenting, ever forgiving. And he tells us if we repent, amend and do good deeds, we will be forgiven. BUT if you die with shirk on your soul like Layth said it is an unforgivable sin punishable by hell. Remember the Arabs were polytheists before, then they became devoted to God alone, they changed what was within them and came back to the natural disposition God instilled in them. Abraham called the star, moon and sun God and then came to the conclusion later that God is in control of all of these and he is only ONE. So people can come to God alone after being polytheists. nothing tells you that you won't be forgiven.
Peace
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2193 And fight them(polytheists) so there is no more persecution, and so that the system is God?s. If they(polytheists) cease, then there will be no aggression except against the az-zalimun(wicked).
This prove that not all polytheists are wicked, only the ones who transgressed and oppressed and doing things that goes against god's system.
From the verses, we could see the kind of 'polytheistic beliefs' that is condemned.
6137 Thus, for those who set up partners their partners adorned the killing of born children, in order to turn them and to confuse their system for them. Had God willed they would not have done this, so ignore them and what they invent
6139 And they said ?What is in the bellies of these livestock is purely for our males and forbidden for our wives, and if comes out dead, then they will be partners in it.? God will recompense them for what they describe. He is Wise, Knowledgeable. (gender discrimination)
4221 Or do they have partners who decree for them a system which has not been authorized/verified by God(teaching that contradict islam)? And if it were not for the word already given, they would have been judged immediately. Indeed, the transgressors will have a painful retribution.
1834 Once, after harvesting, he boastfully told his friend "I am far more prosperous than you, and I command more respect from the people." (arrogancy)
Say if a person set up partners beside god and worship them,but whose beliefs coincide with god's, then these polytheists are not considered evil-doers?
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2193 And fight them(polytheists) so there is no more persecution, and so that the system is God?s. If they(polytheists) cease, then there will be no aggression except against the az-zalimun(wicked).
Peace,
The law is to not fight unless they started. Thus, the Zalimun are the ones who transgress and start another fight.
God never said to fight Polytheists for other reason than Self deffense.
Therefore, when God said no aggression, He is saying no aggression aginest Humans in General.
Salam -
Say if a person set up partners beside god and worship them,but whose beliefs coincide with god's, then these polytheists are not considered evil-doers?
Revile not those unto whom they pray beside Allah lest they wrongfully revile Allah through ignorance. Thus unto every nation have We made their deed seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their return, and He will tell them what they used to do.
6108We are not to take it upon ourselves to call polytheists evil-doers and hate them. They have their religion, we have ours. Only God can judge them as evil-doers. You are right, those who oppress and persecute and spread evil and misguide, it is for us to stop them where we can, but fight does not necessarily equal violence.
Peace
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Did god said that idol worship is evil (whats so evil about eastern-buddhism and hinduism?)
Buddhism doesn't contains ANYTHING and/or command anyone to worship an idol.
Siddharta never even suggest his follower to worship an idol or even himself.
And even today buddhist people build statue of him as a stature of respect and 'good example' but never pray to him and/or worship him. Evenmore the concept of "God" or "Gods" is obscure within Buddhism. Within Buddhism; 'salvation' (Nibbana attainment) is achieved by one's correct thought & act alone (not by faith or doing any worshiping ritual).There are many occurrence where Siddharta think that all of the gods/idol worshipping rituals (as practiced by common Hinduism at his time) is actually a worthless act, an act which practically useless and yield no value. Instead he recommends 'meditation' to his follower.
I see Siddharta Gautama as an "Indian/eastern version" of Abraham.
One of the thought reformer in his time...Salam
