What does 'islam' mean to you?

sawtooth

Being a non religious type (though extremely spiritual) my honest answer would be that islam means the same to me as any other religion. Taking what I and seemingly most people, see as the obvious way in which to live your life and adding a bunch of laws and punishments, the ultimate reward of heaven and punishment of hell. It is a way to SCARE people into civility.

That being said, I think any religion can be a good stepping stone or guide towards a good path, if used as such and not used as instructions without possibility for waivering.

I think the creator IS at the bone of all religions and that they are all based on the desire of the creator. Perhaps he sent many sons to live among man and teach by EXAMPLE not rule, but ultimately it is up to us to use our greatest gift (free will) to get the most out of life and even more importantly GIVE the most of our life as possible

unknownuser

Peace be upon you Sawtooth,

Being a non religious type (though extremely spiritual)

Me too. D

This proclamation(quran) states that the peaceful(al muslimeen) should have nothing to do with SECTS(religion/color of skin/etc).

(6159) Surely those who separated (divided) their order, and were groups/parties(sects) , you are not from them in a thing, but their matter/affair (is) to The God, then He informs them with what they were making/doing.

my honest answer would be that islam means the same to me as any other religion. Taking what I and seemingly most people, see as the obvious way in which to live your life and adding a bunch of laws and punishments, the ultimate reward of heaven and punishment of hell. It is a way to SCARE people into civility.

That would be contradictory to the statements of Peace being our nature, and never despairing. The "garden" and the "fire" are metaphors , not literal places you go to to get punished and rewarded. We punish and reward ourselves by going against or going with LAW that the God put in place. The strongest being the unifying force of life, the same force that has us here discussing this, the same force holding objects together, like our cells, and planets.

The effect you are getting is the years of literal interpretation that has plagued all behavior shaping systems. Re-ligion is the tying back of the person with the God, then we move to a place where those seperate groups come together, spirituality. This is where we start to deal with the spirit(nafs), start breaking it down and making it objective. When things remain subjective we cant agree (hot vs. cold) but when we make it objective (40 degrees), we must agree.

That being said, I think any religion can be a good stepping stone or guide towards a good path, if used as such and not used as instructions without possibility for waivering.

I agree.

I think the creator IS at the bone of all religions and that they are all based on the desire of the creator. Perhaps he sent many sons to live among man and teach by EXAMPLE not rule, but ultimately it is up to us to use our greatest gift (free will) to get the most out of life and even more importantly GIVE the most of our life as possible

I agree. My understanding is that our true identity is consciousness, and willing is what consciousness does, but there is another part of us, the spirit(nafs), which people call the soul, etc. It is the part of us that carries things out. The God creates in pairs, everything has a "yin" and "yang" side to it to. We have to understand that individuals (indivisable-duality) are two parts that complement each other, like day and night, they cannot be divided (when does day and end night begin?), but they are a duality (opposite ends of the ONE).

So we have consciousness that looks out on Spirit(energy/matter) and the job is for the consciousness to WILL the energy/matter to carry out what it wills. This was (and still is) metaphorized as "male" (consciousness/will) and "female" (energy/matter) to show an important thing, you can always WILL something (I want to stop eating the wrong food/stop smoking) but your Spirit(nafs/energy/matter) doesnt always carry that out. Thats because the consiousness has no divisions, it is all of the God(unity), blown(wind/breath) into mankind. The same air that is in your body is the same air in mine, we both enjoy the same SUN, etc. But the Spirit(nafs) has been divided, and is therefore under the LAWS of Energy/matter. Consciousness wills energy into matter. Our thoughts are very powerful, they submit to the intellect of man, except one of course.

The comparison to male and female is that the male can always give his seed, but the famale cannot always except the seed. And this is the same with the Spirit(energy/matter). It is time conditioned. Like the sun(always giving) and the moon(receptive and cyclical). Thats why the phases of the moon are means of telling certian times.

I am probably off topic by now so I will stop.

unknownuser

This is where we start to deal with the spirit(nafs), start breaking it down and making it objective.

Are spirit logical?

Regards,

sawtooth

Basically, I supose I believe that the creator sent teachers to different places at different times to lead poeple in times of need, not realizing that man would use his free will to take this information and use it as justification for hurting his fellow man. The words and wisdom sent by the creator, I believe are meant for our own individual need and not to be used in ANY way to inflict our personal interpretation onto others. I suppose this is why, in most cases, I will not begrudge anyone their faith. (that is until they either use it to tell my I am headed to hell or try to convert me into their image of what is right)

Anyway, it's still early for me ( kind of, I have been doing all kinds of Christmas things this morning and I am shot already) so I don't think I am quite making my myself clear, but it's close enough for now

unknownuser

Hi idolfree1,

The "garden" and the "fire" are metaphors , not literal places you go to to get punished and rewarded. We punish and reward ourselves by going against or going with LAW that the God put in place.

Honestly, ur understanding amazes me. )

Would like ur view on the following

Is ' day of judgement ' a metaphor too?
And r u implying God will not raise all beings to life one day, and have our deeds read out and judge us at all?

Peace!

sawtooth

I don't believe in any seperation of states of being after death, regardless of your actions in life.

unknownuser

Peace be upon you Lote Tree,

idolfree1 wrote
This is where we start to deal with the spirit(nafs), start breaking it down and making it objective.

Are spirit logical?

Yes, when you break it down. Take it out of the subjective. When we start to discuss bio kenetic energy. There is a whole science of acupuncture that deals with this. Next time you touch some metal and shock yourself, you get objective evidence. Next time you put a microscope on a cell, you get objective evidence.

unknownuser

Peace be upon you Sawtooth,

try to convert me into their image of what is right)

Thats the beauty sawtooth of objective evidence, no one has to convert anyone, we just show the evidence, and each can accept or reject. I can show two people who are arguing light vs dark that it is 6pm, there is no rrom for argument of the MEASUREMENT, we use SIGHT, not HEARING to measure. So we use KNOWING vs BELIEF as a rule.

Jaxal

SaLaM idolfree

Next time you touch some metal and shock yourself, you get objective evidence.

The only evidence you gather then is that dont walk on carpet bare footed. Wear some slippers. If the day of judgement was a metaphore, then God would have said it JUST the way it is. Quran is clear. Unless God is telling us that yea the Day of Judgement is a metaphore. But its not.

mquran

Salaamun alaikum Anwar,

Anwar It is this type of subjectivity that makes the real message incomprehensible. I've said it once and i'll continue to say it. You guys have an invested interest in the word ISLAM to the point where you will define it however you want to. As long as you have that type of loyalty to a word, your loyalty to the truth will never show up.

Interesting. When you say 'it is this type of subjectivity..', you are implying that your own method is objective ? If so, please see below

my questions

Your method is to see the most authetic dictionaries of Arabic and to filter its meaning therefrom, correct?
If this was the case, then why do you not accept definitions that
a. as-salaat means 'sectarian ritual prayer'
b. masjidil haraam means 'mosque in centre of mecca'
If your answer to the above is 'these are obvioulsy not the PRE-quranic meanings', may I ask you what you use as a criteria for history because you obviously know somehow what Muhammad did at a certain period?
Are the dictionaries which you refer to infallible?
If the answer is no, what arbitrates the correctness of each dictionary?
If the answer is yes, what is your evidence of thier infallibility?
Does al-quraan contribute to the precipitation of meaning of a certain quranic concept?
How is al-quraan al-furqaan if it itself is subject to the criteria of a dictionary? Shouldn't the dictionaries be then considered al-furqaan?

Many thanks for your attention. As you know, I've a deep respect for your scholarship but the questions above I believe will show that your method is as subjective as the methods (or lack thereof) which you denounced.

sawtooth

Peace be upon you Sawtooth,

try to convert me into their image of what is right)

Thats the beauty sawtooth of objective evidence, no one has to convert anyone, we just show the evidence, and each can accept or reject. I can show two people who are arguing light vs dark that it is 6pm, there is no rrom for argument of the MEASUREMENT, we use SIGHT, not HEARING to measure. So we use KNOWING vs BELIEF as a rule.

Yes and knowing and belief has lead me down the path I am on, and surely it will lead me further and perhaps change direction now and then. BUT.. It is the path for me and me alone There are billions of people in the world and even more ways to find the right way.

unknownuser

Peace be upon you Peaceful muslim,

Would like ur view on the following

Is ' day of judgement ' a metaphor too?

The TIME of judgement happens all the time, everytime you get to a crossroad in life and make a choice, you reap what you sow.

And r u implying God will not raise all beings to life one day, and have our deeds read out and judge us at all?

It happens all the time. The God is not some object out there whom we will physcically stand in front of. How can you stand in front of The Omnipresent? No, this is a metaphor about what happens when we make a choice in life and how we will reap what we sow (proper judgment).

This is a RIGHT NOW message, not back then, or someday message, a RIGHT NOW message.

unknownuser

Peace be upon you Sawtooth,

Yes and knowing and belief has lead me down the path I am on

I was pointing out the difference between knowing and believing. They both have thier place but I am making sure you did not miss that important concept. To "believe" is to not be able to reason something, so we just have to "trust" it will be so. Knowing is when you can reason it out, you can test it, you can verify it. Its very important to understand the difference.

and surely it will lead me further

Knowing definately, believing is hit or miss.

and perhaps change direction now and then. BUT.. It is the path for me and me alone There are billions of people in the world and even more ways to find the right way.

In regards to feeding the poor, what is your path regarding that and then share some other paths that others might have that are also correct. My path involves being at peace, is there another way, another path, besides operating from PEACE, that someone could use to get to the "garden"?

Yes, everyone has thier own experiences, thier own destiny, but the PATH back to the God is the same. ONENESS does not leave room for several paths, it is THE MAINTAINED/STRAIGHT PATH.

sawtooth

What I mean about individual paths does not mean that we DO things differently as much as how we get to doing those things. Some people need "god" to tell them that giving to the poor is good. Personally I think empathy is enough to tell me that.

My personal path has lead me all over the place to all kinds of people. It has lead me through various belief systems and faiths as well as different cultures and traditions. I find that my path lies very much in the stories and experiences of others. I seek out these stories and reach to learn from them. in seeking out those stories I gain the knowledge of experience. Others find their path and although we may end up in the same place, we take very different ways to get there

Some here may choose a path of religion, or complete lack of, and some even find their path lies in their chosen carreer choices. This is why, although I will discuss and debate certain aspects of religious philosophy, I will not debate the right or wrongs of religion. It is not my place to say what is right or wrong for other people (except in the few cases where I see choices becoming self destructive or destructive to others.

unknownuser

Peace be upon you Sawtooth,

What I mean about individual paths does not mean that we DO things differently as much as how we get to doing those things. Some people need "god" to tell them that giving to the poor is good. Personally I think empathy is enough to tell me that.

Sure, but what if "empathy" was one of the hidden forces of the God, and that your peaceful mindset has caused that hidden force to prostrate to you, therefore carrying out the correct response? (giving to the poor)

All you are saying is that the attribute of the God Empathy told me to feed the poor.

My personal path has lead me all over the place to all kinds of people. It has lead me through various belief systems and faiths as well as different cultures and traditions.

Your path is like any others, we wander around until we awaken and SEE and start to verify. There is no argument over objectivity.

I find that my path lies very much in the stories and experiences of others. I seek out these stories and reach to learn from them. in seeking out those stories I gain the knowledge of experience. Others find their path and although we may end up in the same place, we take very different ways to get there

The collecting of the pieces of the puzzle is the same. We may play for different teams and have a different lineup, but we are all playing football. You are viewing this from the life of this world, where things are seperated (different teams), I am trying to show you the football game itself. Its the same game, the same path to victory, even if we play different teams.

Some here may choose a path of religion, or complete lack of, and some even find their path lies in their chosen carreer choices. This is why, although I will discuss and debate certain aspects of religious philosophy, I will not debate the right or wrongs of religion. It is not my place to say what is right or wrong for other people (except in the few cases where I see choices becoming self destructive or destructive to others.

Yes, it is your right to deliver the message of correct behavior. It is not your right to FORCE it on others, but it is your right to proclaim correct behavior based on objective LAW. And this is why you felt compelled to add the exception

sawtooth

Hello Idol. I am confused here. I am not sure but you seem you believe that I somehow have stated that I do not believe in God? Quite the contrary actually. I am an extremely spiritual person who has a deep and very strong beliefe in the creator or "God". I am simply without a religion to attach the beliefe to. I have found my path to the creator DESPITE religion

mquran

Kyle It happens all the time. The God is not some object out there whom we will physcically stand in front of. How can you stand in front of The Omnipresent? No, this is a metaphor about what happens when we make a choice in life and how we will reap what we sow (proper judgment).

Kyle, I'm sure you agree that physical death is a reality and not a metaphor. If so, how do you take this passage

O mankind! if ye have a doubt about al-baath (the so-called resurrection), (consider) that We created you out of dust, then out of sperm, then out of a leech-like clot, then out of a morsel of flesh, partly formed and partly unformed, in order that We may manifest (our power) to you; and We cause whom We will to rest in the wombs for an appointed term, then do We bring you out as babes, then (foster you) that ye may reach your age of full strength; and some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the feeblest old age, so that they know nothing after having known (much), and (further), thou seest the earth barren and lifeless, but when We pour down rain on it, it is stirred (to life), it swells, and it puts forth every kind of beautiful growth (in pairs).

So if 'judgement' is an everyday thing, why does God point us to the biological phenomena of creation to build the analogy?

Also, how do you take this passage

But those endued with knowledge and faith will say "Indeed ye did tarry, within Allah's Decree, to the Day of Resurrection (ilaa yaumil baath), and this is the Day of Resurrection but ye - ye were not aware!" (30/56)

If judgement is immediate, the word 'ilaa' or 'towards' wouldn't be used.

Kyle, I'm sorry but I really think you're stretching it a bit here. It seems that the book's no longer your criteria being replaced by these fanciful notions. No offense.

mquran

Hello Idol. I am confused here. I am not sure but you seem you believe that I somehow have stated that I do not believe in God? Quite the contrary actually. I am an extremely spiritual person who has a deep and very strong beliefe in the creator or "God". I am simply without a religion to attach the beliefe to. I have found my path to the creator DESPITE religion

Sawtooth, some questions for you

You say you believe in God, will you allow God to legislate your life?
If your answer is 'yes' , then how will you go about seeking this legislation ?
If your answer to (2) is 'my heart tells me what to do', then what would you say to other human beings who also say the same ?
If your answer to (1) is no, what role does God play in your life? Is almighty God only fit for an abstract out there existence?

thank you for your attention.

Leyla

Salaam!

@mquran
Hey, you?re back at free minds. That?s good. You see, a lot of people are happy that you are back to the discussions here.

@mquran, idolfree1

Well, well, I would first suggest that we need to know what kind of quranic concept we mean when talking about the `day of judgement?.

Most often this is taken as a phrase translating the yaum id d?n, like in the first surah.
However, imho, I don?t think that yaum id d?n is the same as yaumil baath.
I would also suppose that there is a qualitative difference to the expression talking about the yaumil akhir.

All these terms have an interrelated quality, I would say. All these terms are frequently translated into English as `judgement day?.
But they are not the same and they are not used that way in the quran.

Talking about idolfree1?s hypothesis about a judgement day happening every time I would agree when it comes to yaum id d?n. I would translate this term as the period? (or maybe even flow? somehow) of the system of Allah, with d?n also having side meanings related to legislation, judicial rulings etc..
This period stretches across everything. It is the `flow? that we can not escape.

The term yaumil akhir definitely talks about termination and consequences, I would say. It is the las period? or the period of what follows?.Different from yaum id d?n. When the quran talks about believing in the akhirat? I take this to mean having conviction of the fact that this life and the actions therein are terminated but have consequences and are not just without responsibility?.
To believe this, it does not matter much how you believe this. If through karma or resurrection. You know that you have responsibilities. You don?t live just for the moment.

Then, with yaumil baath I strongly agree with mquran. This is definitely a severe future event for each of us. The quran is definit here.
I see no reason to doubt that this event will happen.
When you think about your current existence, it coming from supposed nothing is equally miraculous. If I would doubt in the possibility of resurrection I could also doubt in the possibility of creation. That?s what Allah tells us.
However, we don?t know exactly how resurrection will happen and proceed. We know that it is at least as real, no, more real than this creation. But what else?
The quran teaches us that paradise and hell are unlike this world.
Terms related to resurrection have to be understood with this in mind.

This world? does not only mean materia. It also means time. Modern physical thinking has found out a lot of interesting things with regards to time that one should study when interested in the concepts of ay?m in the quran. One of these things is that tiem is never absolute, it is relative, as we all probably know. We should also take this in mind when talking about a future event? of resurrection?. I am pretty sure of the reality of that future event?, it will be that way in the timed frame of our experience.
But that does not mean that from a certain angle it does not happen now? as well. Ok, I know, modern higher physics may change its opinion again, we don?t know. The quran itself is a better criterion than changing science. But it would be still worth thinking about the relativeness of time? when studying the ay?m and maybe taking this as a clue to find some new things from the quran itself.

Bye,

Leyla

sawtooth

Hello Idol. I am confused here. I am not sure but you seem you believe that I somehow have stated that I do not believe in God? Quite the contrary actually. I am an extremely spiritual person who has a deep and very strong beliefe in the creator or "God". I am simply without a religion to attach the beliefe to. I have found my path to the creator DESPITE religion

Sawtooth, some questions for you

You say you believe in God, will you allow God to legislate your life?
If your answer is 'yes' , then how will you go about seeking this legislation ?
If your answer to (2) is 'my heart tells me what to do', then what would you say to other human beings who also say the same ?
If your answer to (1) is no, what role does God play in your life? Is almighty God only fit for an abstract out there existence?

thank you for your attention.

Hmm, I am not sure god "legislates" my life. More like offers guidance and clues which all exist within creation, at least for me. I FEEL the creator in my heart, I see it in it's creation. I believe if the creator gave me free will, I should use it. It is in seeking that we find wisdom and to seek one MUST make use of free will

There is a fabulous movie out there called "The Power of One" that says that any question you have can be answered in nature if you know what question to ask and where to look for the answer. I believe it stars Stephan Dorf, if I recall correctly. I would HIGHLY suggest anyone rent it. It also dealls very profoundly, with the various forms of prejudice that have existed in South Africa.

The creator exists within every action I take. From my first breath to my last, as well as in everything I see, touch taste and experience