Universality of Islam
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After reading an article by Bilal Philips
http//www.nd.edu/~nduma/messege.htm
I began to question who really is a Muslim (submitter)?
"Whenever man comes to the realization that Allah is one and distinct from His creation, and submits himself to Allah, he becomes a Muslim in body and spirit and is eligible for paradise. Thus, anyone at anytime in the most remote region of the world can become a Muslim, a follower of God's religion, Islam, by merely rejecting the worship of creation and by turning to Allah (God) alone-It should be noted however, that the recognition of and submission to Allah requires that one chooses between right and wrong and such a choice implies accountability. Man will be held responsible for his choices, and, as such, he should try his utmost to do good and avoid evil."
If I am a peasant in a central American Indian village, yet realize that there is an all-present and all-knowing creator, yet have no idea about Abraham, Muhammad, and all the other stuff, can one be labled as "Muslim?" Does being an up-right submitter and attaining Paradise really hinge on direct knowledge of the Qur'an? I find the Qur'an (and many other religious texts) to contain universal truths that most people can deduce without the aid of texts (treat your neighbor as your treat yourself, etc.) Therefore, I view the purest monotheism as a monotheism without a Qur'an, Bible, Torah, etc. and simple, unadorned, self-devotion to the all-knowing and all-seeing ever-present God. Truly, Abrahamic monotheism. Does anyone see this way?
Thanks.
DCS
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peace DCS,
You are onto something big.
I strongly recommend the following article
http//www.free-minds.org/articles/gods_system/mumin.htmmuslim = one who complies
complies to what? the answer is already in the horizons and within ourselves , it all points to the truth. Abraham came to this realisation without any scriptureWakas
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Peace all.
Im glad I came across this thread and the articles within it. I recently asked this question in another thread
"I personally believe in the Quran and Quran alone, but I have a friend who believes in one God......and thats it. She is open minded and doesnt "know" if she believes in angels, scripture, etc. My question is, using Quranic evidence, what is her place? I liken her faith to that of Abraham's who came to believe in one God on his own? But did Abraham have to believe in scriptures, messengers, etc.? And if he didnt, is her case different from Abraham's, perhaps because he didnt have exposure to these things (much like a tribesmen in the middle of the jungle) while she did have exposure but still didnt believe?"
It seems from the muslimeen/mumineen article, that she would be considered a muslim/submitter but not a mumin? I guess Ive always wondered the difference between 1) someone on a remote desert island who comes to know God by looking inward and looking at nature, but who is obviously not exposed to texts, and 2) someone who is on our society and comes to know God the same way, but who does not follow any texts, messengers, etc. even though he or she is exposed to them.
What do you guys think? I guess Im asking if it is "bad" to be exposed to, say, the Quran and yet not follow it (for whatever reason), even though the person still believes in one God and strives to do good (good, which is imprinted in our very nafs)?
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I really enjoyed the Muslims vs. Mumins article and completely advocate the view taken here
"The Submitter is not required to perform any obligatory Worship/Salat, nor give his annual Charity, nor fast for 1-month, nor perform any pilgrimage! The Submitter is not required to accept the Quran, or any of the previous Books, or any of the messengers?He simply a) accepts One GOD, and b) does good works...We should not be looking to the 'Sunnis' or 'Shia' or even 'Quran' followers to find the Submitters/Muslims?We should be looking to any person who has taken the path of 'Monotheism' and has devoted himself/herself to GOD Alone and to doing good works."
However, for the author to go on and suggest that a higer level of reward is only available for people who have Quranic knowledge I find to be absurd. Referring back to the jungle tribesman analogy, what makes a person in Egypt who believes in God alone, performs good works, and has knowledge of angels, prophets, the last day, etc. better than the jungle tribesman who performs good works and believes in God alone, yet lacks historical details due to the fact that he doesn't have access to a Qur'an?
"Righteousness is not turning your faces towards the east or the west. Righteous are those who, have faith in GOD, and the Last Day, and the angels, and the scripture, and the prophets."
I cannot fathom that God would give one person a higher status in Paradise over another due to simply knowing the story of the flood of Noah, angels, or the last day, when God, if truly all-knowing, knew/chose what society we would be born into and our access to the said religious materials.
Access to the Qur'an is not universal, yet good works, honesty, love, charity, and selflessness are.
Please let me know if my logic is flawed.
DCS
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Peace DCS, All,
I agree with your sentiments with exception, in that, I do believe there is a higher level of awareness and thus reward available to all. Access to the Qur'an is not required to comprehend or even contemplate this level.
You used the terms "angels, prophets, the last day, etc."
Ask yourself, does one need the Qur'an or any text to grasp these concepts? Perhaps, at face value it would seem so. However, I'm of the opinion that "angels" are not entities but emotions and forces, that the last day is not necessarily a day, but an ultimate recompense or effect of our daily choices, and that "messengers" are simply people/things that deliver truth.Surely, the tribesman has access to these concepts. However, not all will be willing to contemplate them.
Peace,
Tay -
"Righteousness is not turning your faces towards the east or the west. Righteous are those who, have faith in GOD, and the Last Day, and the angels, and the scripture, and the prophets."
One is not a Muslim/Mumeen if they dont believe in the above,and one cannot believe in the true forms of those things if they havent read the Quran..
A person can believe in one god,but that doesnt mean they believe in the true God,The Egyptian King Akhenaten believed in one god the Aten,it wasnt the true God though.
If you have never read the Quran you wouldnt know what the Last day is,who the true God is,what angels really are and who the prophets are,UNLESS Allah reveals it to you like he did Abraham.
The beliefs would be corrupted in some way,like christians,jews and others are today...A person can believe in one god but still believe in human sacrifice,does that mean human sacrifice is acceptable to God,no I dont think it does.As for Abraham,yes its true that he was a monotheist prior to knowing about the True God,but God selected him and guided him to the true way..Abraham then Submitted to Allah and his ways..It was only after that Abraham was guided in the truth that he was awarded anything..
"Abraham was a nation, humble to GOD, he was not of those who set-up partners. Thankful to what provisions he was provided; He(Allah) selected him, and guided him to a Straight Path. And We have given him good in this world, and in the hereafter he is one of the upright. Then We inspired you 'follow the creed/religion of Abraham/Millat Ibrahim, he was not from those who set-up partners." (16120-123)
"Millat Ibrahim"
The Religion of Abraham
2130, 135; 395; 4125; 6161; 1237-38; 16123; 2173;2278The religion of Abraham was not only monotheism,it consists of all that Allah revealed to him after God chose Abraham...
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peace All,
I think some of the concepts discussed wthin this thread are some of the most vital in one's understanding. these should be carefully considered. It personally took me a while to appreciate the significance of them.
if i may answer some of the questions raised in this thread by use of analogy...
when i sit a test, the higher mark i get, the better the grade, i.e. the better the reward. not all people sitting the test will have an equal outcome.
some people do not revise and take the test but get a good mark. whilst some can revise and take the test and fail. some can revise and take the test and get an excellent grade. there are different outcomes no matter what method you approach the test.
I hope we can realise there are many ways. applying 'al quran' is simply one way. It is written by the one who set the test, thus surely it is one of the best guides, but not the only guide as 'al quran' states itself (e.g. 4153)
When i buy a desk from Ikea, sure i could assemble it without reading the instructions by the creator of the desk, the instructions are just one way of acheiving the goal. If my inner reasoning is correct, i will assemble the desk myself (like the story of Abraham).
I hope this is of help.
Wakas
ps - remember, whilst stories in 'al quran' (the reading) are apparently in the past, they have been preserved for future generations. why is that? it is because they can provide lessons. specific lessons are not exclusive to a specific experience, i.e. the same lesson can be gained from many experiences. if you happen to learn a lesson from your experience rather than from 'al quran' brilliant, but if you got it from 'al quran' thats also good. ayatin/signs are not only within 'al quran', they are also outwith it. The significance of 4153 is awesome.
