I am so lost...
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Peace to all,
Joe, I dont think this verse means that if somone calls themselves a christian they will be rewarded, in fact, theres also a verse in the Quran that says those that say God is a part of the trinity are not believers and will be punished, and this is what the vast majority of christians believe, even pvb, she keeps saying that christians onlybelieve in one God, but then also say that its three different manifestations of him, father,son, holy spirit,, this is not believing in One God, therefore, according to the Quran they are not believers and will be punished. Though there are a very few so called christians who only believe jesus was a messenger, prophet but that GOd is not part of the trinity, its these that are probably talked about in the Quran.
Kurt
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salaam,
perhaps you may want to ponder on the requirement, i.e. 'waAAamila salihan' which in my understanding is 'and they are actively reforming themselves'.
many people claimed to have the faith in God and the last day (in earth or the physical body), yet they resisted the call to reform their ways. to reform their ways means to adhere to the call to correct our understanding of God, our reverence of God, our understanding of how the message is delivered to us, etc. in the Qur'an we are warned against jumping into conclusions before sure verifications by God, but how many of us are really following the guidance contained in the Qur'an?
everyone must implement reforms, except perhaps the one who claims to be 'maksum' or one who commits no sin forever. is there anyone out there so audacious to ever claim as such?
thus, everyone must implement reforms, the very least is to frequently (every moment of remembering God, for example) seek forgiveness from God and ask God to restore or reinstate His 'rahmah', since most people have no knowledge on whether what they have accumulated in opinions are the absolute truth according to God, or merely perceived truth limited by their intellectual capabilities.
everyone of whatever label of faith (christian, jewish, hindu, (pop) islam, etc.), as long as the faith is in God and the last day AND (for emphasis, since it is a prerequisite) 'actively reforming themselves' or mend their ways to conform to the will of God, then 'they have no fear, and they do not grieve' or 'wala khawfun AAalayhim wala hum yahzanoona.'
the Qur'an is merely a guide, or a collection of lectures uttered by muhammad the 'nabiy' which is essentially materials for ponderings in our search of the correct method or way to serving God. when one follows the methods explained in the Qur'an, then one will discover how easy is the path to God, though not necessarily the same in its implementations. there are too many billboards, marbles and what nots that could make one oblivious of the original intent or aim which is to serving God. 'khalifah' is a loaded word indeed. yes, most people who claimed to be 'muslims' are oblivious of the basic or fundamental requirement of acknowledging, appointing and revering God as God, or God as 'rabb', etc.
so if there are christians who today claim to have the faith in the singularity God and the last day, who are we to question them?
even if there are christians who today claim to have the faith in the trinity of God and the last day, AND (again as emphasis) 'AAamila salihan', who are we to question them?
the worry is to each and everyone of us indeed, whether we implement 'the reforms' or otherwise. isn't it a shame when those who were presumed to be in 'the wrong' implement 'the reforms' while those who were presumed to be in 'the right' are too arrogant to implement 'the reforms'? are we oblivious of the fact that 'arrogance' is the trait of 'iblees'? and it is in the mind?
'the reforms'. that is the underlying message of the guidance contained in the Qur'an. it is the reforming of ways (originally in mind).
may God guide us all. insha-Allah.
peace.
mohammed noh
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Peace to all,
Qur'an is merely a guide, or a collection of lectures uttered by muhammad
Is this what you really believe the Quran is, just a collection of lectures? Doesnt the Quran say it is from God himself, and that it is only God that can produce it, and if it was from any other than GOd then produce a verse similar if you can, and call your assistants, but you wont be able to. So please try and prove me wrong first.
Kurt
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Peace to all,
well, the physical form of the book was written down by humans, printed on paper made of trees, ink, then sent out for us to read and use, the words were voclaized by Mohmmad using his vocal chords and tongue, but the message that was sent down to us was from God, he merely used a human instrument to materialize it.
K
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LOL!! Ironsky you and Muslims need to reform what you think Christiians believe.
Muslims keep saying the glass is half empty, Christians keep saying the glass is half full.
It is still the same glass!!
It is simply that the Christian perception of the One True GOD that is different then the Muslims.
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salaam ironsky,
thank you for explaining the implications of the words or phrase emboldened in this quote "... a collection of lectures uttered by muhammad the 'nabiy'...".
i took the liberty of emboldening the part of your post that explains the meaning of 'lectures uttered'.
may God guide us all. insha-Allah.
peace
mohammed noh
Peace to all,
well, the physical form of the book was written down by humans, printed on paper made of trees, ink, then sent out for us to read and use, the words were voclaized by Mohmmad using his vocal chords and tongue, but the message that was sent down to us was from God, he merely used a human instrument to materialize it.
K
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LOL!! Ironsky you and Muslims need to reform what you think Christiians believe.
Muslims keep saying the glass is half empty, Christians keep saying the glass is half full.
It is still the same glass!!
It is simply that the Christian perception of the One True GOD that is different then the Muslims.
Yes... some christians are obviously not reading the bible, but the Christians aren't known for reading, aren't they?
And when they do read, such as like Isaac Newton, they really learn of the truth, don't they?
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Peace to all,
Joe, I dont think this verse means that if somone calls themselves a christian they will be rewarded, in fact, theres also a verse in the Quran that says those that say God is a part of the trinity are not believers and will be punished, and this is what the vast majority of christians believe, even pvb, she keeps saying that christians onlybelieve in one God, but then also say that its three different manifestations of him, father,son, holy spirit,, this is not believing in One God, therefore, according to the Quran they are not believers and will be punished. Though there are a very few so called christians who only believe jesus was a messenger, prophet but that GOd is not part of the trinity, its these that are probably talked about in the Quran.
Kurt
We got to realize the bible was change...so some sincere christians might be allowed into heaven.....The bible was changed before the quran was sent so GOD knew what he was saying.....Think about it, if you were told all your life 2 + 2 = 5 should you get punished for thinking it was 5...the people that will be punished are the ones that deny the truth(quran) when it comes to them mostly...well that what I believe some other people say something different
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And yet again the 4 gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have not been changed. They are what was used by the earliest church.
The Quran validates the very Gospel. If this is not the case then the Quran is a lie!
Oh boy aren't you in dream land ;D
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LOL!! attacking the person RT you need to read your Quran!! LOL!!
How did I attack you? You ARE in dream land if in some kind of ironic-contradicting lying way, you are trying to tell me the Quran agrees with the Gospels belief on Jesus is GOD which is pure lies and no scripture to back up such a claim.
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Oh boy aren't you in dream land Is a stupid statment attacking me and not saying anything about the fact that I wrote.
Did I say that the Quran says that Jesus is GOD? NOPE LOL!!
Oh you must have missed the smiley face ) )
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The best advice I feel I could give you is to start praying. I don't think there is anything wrong with asking God to help us feel closer to him. And I've found the more I pray, the more I am able to feel that connection.
It just takes time. Be willing to ask god to guide you, and be willing to keep asking until it happens.
Even if you are unsure about how to pray... for now, just concentrate on praying whenever you can, however you are comfortable doing so. It is (in my opinion) better to just do it than not do it because you're unsure if you're doing it right. God willing, that part of it will come later.
For now though, just pray, about everything. Ask for Gods help when you need it, ask to become closer to him, and especially thank god. For everything, be it something big or something as small as a beautiful day outside. I can't explain the ways that recognizing and thanking God for all of the little things has made my life better.
Don't give up. One day, God willing, you will have the confusion wiped away and you will know for sure.
Peace and have a lovely day.
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Oh, dear. I?ve heard it said that some Abrahamic monotheists are in reality polytheists, because they imagine that there is something other than God ? for example human beings ? and that life is a test, God having created us so that He could reward us if we toed the line, and punish us if we didn?t. To what end, the sceptics ask?
The logic goes that such a God is modelled on a projection of the human ego, because this is how we deal with one another. He?s a gigantic ?man in the sky? who just happens to be a lot more powerful than we are, but thinks pretty much the same ? that He can only get us to do what He wants through manipulation by threat of punishment or hope for reward.
It is said that God is nearer than the jugular vein, or put another way, that the kingdom is within. That our true nature is godly; we are all sparks of the divine, all His sons and daughters. Does conventional religion sometimes lead us away from God rather than closer to Him? Does it matter to Him that we belong to different creeds or precisely how we conceive of Him, or, are we all expressions of God, all ways for him to explore Himself? Here?s one hadith (one of the few I personally think could be genuine), purportedly the words of God , that may be relevant
?I was a hidden treasure that loved to be known. So I created creation so that I could be known.?
If you have a more Christian ear, listen to Gerard Manley Hopkins from his sonnet, As kingfishers catch fire
I say more the just man justices;
keeps grace that keeps all his goings graces;
acts in God?s eye what in God?s eye he is?
Christ?for Christ plays in ten thousand places,
lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his
to the Father through the features of men?s faces.By the way, for me, both these examples hint at one possible meaning of the Trinity. Not three gods in one, but different aspects of the one God ? God as creator (i.e. father); God as explorer of Himself (i.e. son) through His countless manifestations; and God as the inspirational principle that brings joy of recognition whenever He (through the son) returns to Himself (i.e. holy spirit). Creative - exploring (?playful?) - inspirational. If God can have ninety-nine attributes, surely we can?t begrudge Him three?
Would God have any more interest in punishing us than he would Himself? As human beings, we tend to think in terms of reward and punishment. Our phenomenal existence is an adventure in time, and sometimes it has a flavour we call ?painful?. Never more so, perhaps, than when our body dies, and along with it ego (or nafs). Maybe then we can see more clearly how we spent most of our lives trying to separate ourselves from Him, trying to set ourselves up as partners to Him.
If there is ?punishment?, perhaps it will come from our own bitter realisation of this mistake. Maybe, as the Buddhists and Hindus have it, we will have to come back and try over again until finally we manage to ?die before we die? or be ?born again of the Holy spirit?; that is, discover our true nature while still alive. Then when we die, we won?t have to come back, because our final judgement of ourselves will be favourable but perhaps some do come back, to help others escape the cycle of death and rebirth. Some think Jesus, Mohammed and Buddha are conspicuous examples of such, though there may have been less famous ones.
The answer to your question may be that we don?t have to believe anything about God, nor ?worship? Him in the conventional sense of the term. To be near to God, maybe we only have to follow our true nature, obey what our innermost heart tells us. That could be what prayer is, what worship is ? being consciously aware of what we already are and always have been. Our indoctrination from birth, which includes much that conventional religion has to say, could be what gets in the way, stops us seeing the truth, that we are all one. Certainly, not seeing ourselves this way seems to have led to much animosity between faiths and sects within faiths, and we all know that has resulted in death and suffering for millions upon millions.
Does God love us because he loves Himself? Once we know who we really are, can God then take the greatest joy in His self-discovery through us? Is the true meaning of submission not to kow-tow to the man in the sky, but, on coming to know what we are, to realise there is nothing we could possibly do, or want to do, that would not be in accord with His will? Are our ?sins? in reality just mistakes that conventional religion encourages rather than discourages?
Perhaps one day, even if briefly and to only a small degree, we may experience a connection with God. Perhaps then we will understand, for the first time, why it is sometimes so difficult to connect through conventional religion. As Rabia of Basra said
"O Allah! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell,
and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise.
But if I worship You for Your Own sake,
grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty.?It seems to me that much of the wisdom of the Bible, Qur?an, and other scriptures, is in those four lines. Some readers here may detect that I lean towards Sufism, even though I am a Christian. But I don?t want to denigrate all conventional religion. It seems to me that in Islam, the best of the sects is the God alone one though I?m a little dubious about the validity of 19 in the Qur?an. But their humanity shines through even if in places they lack understanding of Christianity (which, to be fair, can be said of many Christians! -)). Speaking of which, for my money one of the soundest Christian sects is the Quakers, though I myself was brought up a Catholic. That was a dark age ago...
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It is not neccessary to feel God. Feelings can be illusive at times. I think what you are really seeking is a relationship to God. Islam does not provide the link to the Holy Spirit that Christianity does. However that doesn't mean there aren't ways to form that link through Islam, only that the link is more tenuous. Allah nailed this down for Mohammed by telling him that he just needed to hear and obey as Abraham did. That sounds simple but it takes faith to call upon God to speak to you and faith to believe that He will. To further complicate things, people have been known to hear the voice of the devil instead. How can you tell the difference? Jesus said that the Paraclete (Holy Spirit) would remind you of all things that He said. Therefore all things should be in harmony with scripture.
From your background you don't need to develop an antipathy to all things Jewish that Arabs tend to have. You can have the best of both worlds. The only caution I would throw in would be not to antagonize your husband if he has an antipathy to Jewish things. Jas 48 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.