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  1. Home
  2. Critical Examination of Islam
  3. What is the nature of God?
  4. FEARING "ALLAH"

FEARING "ALLAH"

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved What is the nature of God?
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  • N Offline
    N Offline
    nadeem
    wrote on last edited by
    #5

    Hi there,

    Brother Danish,

    I understand your concern, and understand your logic regarding "fear of allah".

    I haven't looked into this thoroughly yet, however these are my initial thoughts.

    For me "fear" is simply the acknowledgment of uncertainty. For some people, such acknowledgement is hard and it makes them act irrationally. However, for those who are patient, understanding and for those who try to consider the facts, their fears only humbles them, keeps them "down to earth" - they are not disabled or paralyzed by it.

    Consider a situation in which a bomb is found. Two individuals are present. They cannot escape. One being an average joe, whereas the other is bomb-squad personell. The average joe, of course, freaks out when he discovers the bomb. He is totally out of control, and becomes just another "ticking bomb". The bomb squad mister however, is calm, he gathers himself, and tries to disarm the bomb. He knows it might explode, so he is cautious, thinking it over hundreds times. When he opens the cover, he finds that the structure of this bomb is nothing like he has ever seen, he realises that he might fail, yet he is calm and tries to figure it out.

    Now, under this whole ordeal, both the average Joe and Mr. Bomb Squad are scared and afraid. They fear the bomb might go off. They are both frightened.

    In our case, the "explosive" part of the bomb represents the average joes interpretion of god. He sees god as psycho trying to fry him. Therefore, our average joe blocks out reason and rushes to do whatever he comes to think "his god commands of him".

    Our Mr.Boombastic however, realizes both the explosive part and the non-explosive part of the bomb, and he realises that he is capable of at least trying to disarm it. He knows that submitting to his fears will do him no good, but if he tries to ignore his fears, he might become too sure in himself and to something in haste. His fears are making him see this situation clearer, they are making him consider over and over again. And the fear has such an effect on him as opposed to our Joe, because he is patient and trusts himself.

    Patience is one of the main qualities of a believer/submitter. Impulsivity is one of the main qualities of the rejecter.

    In our example, the average joe is the rejecter. He has no knowledge of god, and is only familiar with the bad sides such as hell.

    Mr. Bomb squad is the believer. He knows the basics ways of how god works, but he admits that he doesn't know everything. This is what keeps him down to earth. He knows that he cannot become to sure in himself and start believing that whatever he does it the right thing to do. Therefore, admitting his lacks, he finds his powers which are his thinking, wisdom and whatever knowledge - he uses them. He does not submit to fears that his powers might fail, but admits his fears to motivate him in a struggle to perfect his powers.

    The bomb in this case represents gods negative and positive reactions all depending in our actions.

    Try reading 728-29. It's about those who became too sure in themselves and did evil believing that god commanded. Now these are the people who have submitted to their fear of god, rather submitting to god alone.

    I hope i wasn't unclear. Again, these are my initial thought, I'm always open for improving them.

    Nadeem

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    • M Offline
      M Offline
      mquran
      wrote on last edited by
      #6

      Salaamun alaikum,

      Fearing an "Allah" is historically correct but realistically, scientifically and logically incorrect

      Please note the italicised words above to compare with the explanations given by Danish below.

      The word ?fear? means to be afraid or frightened of, a feeling of agitation and uneasiness caused by the presence or imminence of danger. Thus, fear is a feeling inherited from any known physical entity or event, examples of which are infinitely plentiful and not exclusive to a deity.

      Is this explanation 'realistic, logical or scientific' ? No, it's simply a semantic definition. An opinion about what fear should be about. There's nothing realistic, logical or scientific about it. One wonders if the author knows the meaning of the three terms at all.

      In essence then, ?Allah? of our cosmological realm which encompasses everything within and everything beyond (unknown), cannot be a ?danger? to cause fear on His own creation and claim to become ?most merciful? and ?most gracious?. That is outrageously insane

      Yes, if one reads the very first ayat of Al-quraan in a poor translation, stops there and proclaims one has read AQ, sure it is. Sadly, in a research, one actually needs to read the whole book, analyse its semantic roots and then make a decision. A shallow analysis like this is unacceptable.

      Allah of the Quran must only be compared to other man-made gods in order to become ?all powerful?, ?most merciful? and ?most gracious?. Obviously there were all sorts of man-made gods/deities whom the un-tamed worshipped and still witnessed today in cults of various forms, each claiming their ?all powerful?, ?most merciful? and ?most gracious? one. The Allah of the Quran is just one such Supreme man-made idol whom Muhammad took advantage of, destroying and claiming victory over other idols that were worshipped in its vicinity to become all powerful, most merciful, most gracious, omnipresent, omniscient, etc. to bring about an organized religion called Islam. The fear factor, therefore, is associated directly to this man-made physical deity and carried its burden onto humans to enforce a man-made belief system.

      This is utter nonsense. Please provide evidence that Allah 'must only be compared to other man-made gods in order to become ?all powerful?, ?most merciful? and ?most gracious since the definition of 'fear' is EXCLUSIVELY yours and has NO REALISTIC, LOGICAL OR SCIENTIFIC correctness at all.

      The Quran arbitrates that ?Allah? is as close to our jugular veins and proclaims to call upon Him, yet at the same time this ?Allah? created angels as body guards to overcome distress and demons to overcome comfort. If one fears anything or something, then by default one is restricted and confined to a ?danger zone? limiting man?s capability to use his/her senses to advance and reason. In other words, if Allah of the Quran commands us to do something, then we must obey without any disregard because if we don?t, we?ll be condemned and thrown in hell. And that is exactly what happened. Muhammad condemned people for their disbelief in his system in association with the One Supreme Allah and punished them by throwing them into hell fire along with throwing stones while slaughtering others. Quran also proclaims that ?to each his own? and ?there?s no compulsion? which becomes meaningless in the context of this fear-factor which the Quran brings about. This is due to the fact that some were more powerful than Muhammad and many fled away from him, thereby proclaiming 'to each his own' and 'there's no compulsion'. Hence, it is not an Allah, or a Supreme Being, but Muhammad who called upon his people to disassociate with their idols and disregard their belief systems and to believe only in his system which is superior to theirs, promising them victory over all others by the might of his and his follower?s swords and wealth. We know from historical facts that Muhammad fought many wars and was very rich due to his marriage with Khadija and gained sufficient support, more so, after her death when her entire enterprise became the sole property of Muhammad.

      The logical flow in the above paragraph is non-existent.

      Lets sum it up for everyone

      a. Fear limits our reasoning capacities.

      b. So when Allah commands, we must obey without reasoning (his 'without disregard' , apparently) because if we don't, we'll be thrown in hell.

      This is LOGICAL ?

      Al-Quraan seperates the period when one is an-naas/humankind and when one has already believed/alladhina aaamanoo. This is not a gameshow, Danish where God sends u a Quran and says , you have 30 seconds until the fire descends on you! You have time to contemplate the ayaat, accept it or reject it. This is called 'ajl'.

      My dear believers in this forum, I humbly advise you. QUESTION ALL NOTIONS. Ask him to prove 'realistic, logic and scientific'. So far, they are nothing but empty words. Long paragraphs do not necessarily make arguments. Danish has excuses not to answer me, but you guys can still keep asking. Thanks.

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      • M Offline
        M Offline
        mquran
        wrote on last edited by
        #7

        Danish"Labels" do not imply infinity but a limitation.

        What is one's label was 'the most best in absolutely everything' ? Is that a limitation or a DElimitation?

        Edit I must mention that all human affairs are self-administered and dictated by the very essense and reality of circumstance in time immemorial. No one knows how man began and no one knows where we will end up. All we have today is to exercise reason by our senses to live within the means of human affairs, in good or bad. Everything is subjective and advances with time.

        Wonderful stuff. Can we actually do that instead of reading 'bismillahirahmaaniraheem' and then making a 'realistic,logical, and scientific' judgement which either defies or ignores the aforementioned 3?

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        • U Offline
          U Offline
          unknownuser
          wrote on last edited by
          #8

          Hi there,

          Brother Danish,

          I understand your concern, and understand your logic regarding "fear of allah".

          I haven't looked into this thoroughly yet, however these are my initial thoughts.

          For me "fear" is simply the acknowledgment of uncertainty. For some people, such acknowledgement is hard and it makes them act irrationally. However, for those who are patient, understanding and for those who try to consider the facts, their fears only humbles them, keeps them "down to earth" - they are not disabled or paralyzed by it.

          Consider a situation in which a bomb is found. Two individuals are present. They cannot escape. One being an average joe, whereas the other is bomb-squad personell. The average joe, of course, freaks out when he discovers the bomb. He is totally out of control, and becomes just another "ticking bomb". The bomb squad mister however, is calm, he gathers himself, and tries to disarm the bomb. He knows it might explode, so he is cautious, thinking it over hundreds times. When he opens the cover, he finds that the structure of this bomb is nothing like he has ever seen, he realises that he might fail, yet he is calm and tries to figure it out.

          Now, under this whole ordeal, both the average Joe and Mr. Bomb Squad are scared and afraid. They fear the bomb might go off. They are both frightened.

          In our case, the "explosive" part of the bomb represents the average joes interpretion of god. He sees god as psycho trying to fry him. Therefore, our average joe blocks out reason and rushes to do whatever he comes to think "his god commands of him".

          Our Mr.Boombastic however, realizes both the explosive part and the non-explosive part of the bomb, and he realises that he is capable of at least trying to disarm it. He knows that submitting to his fears will do him no good, but if he tries to ignore his fears, he might become too sure in himself and to something in haste. His fears are making him see this situation clearer, they are making him consider over and over again. And the fear has such an effect on him as opposed to our Joe, because he is patient and trusts himself.

          Patience is one of the main qualities of a believer/submitter. Impulsivity is one of the main qualities of the rejecter.

          In our example, the average joe is the rejecter. He has no knowledge of god, and is only familiar with the bad sides such as hell.

          Mr. Bomb squad is the believer. He knows the basics ways of how god works, but he admits that he doesn't know everything. This is what keeps him down to earth. He knows that he cannot become to sure in himself and start believing that whatever he does it the right thing to do. Therefore, admitting his lacks, he finds his powers which are his thinking, wisdom and whatever knowledge - he uses them. He does not submit to fears that his powers might fail, but admits his fears to motivate him in a struggle to perfect his powers.

          The bomb in this case represents gods negative and positive reactions all depending in our actions.

          Try reading 728-29. It's about those who became too sure in themselves and did evil believing that god commanded. Now these are the people who have submitted to their fear of god, rather submitting to god alone.

          I hope i wasn't unclear. Again, these are my initial thought, I'm always open for improving them.

          Nadeem

          Nadeem, peace bro. In the 'ordeal' above, several assumptions come into account. I am not going into lengthy details about bombs, but if I understood you correctly as per the underlined above, is the 'bomb' given as an analogy of a 'god'?

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          • N Offline
            N Offline
            nadeem
            wrote on last edited by
            #9

            Hi brother,

            Yes, that was a conscious decision to see your reaction. I wanted to know what was most important to you,; the bad analogy of god, or the analogy of a godfearing person being patient and humble.

            Why do you think you chose to focus on the former?

            Brother, ask yourself "In which state of mind am i? Am I simply out to defame and debunk?". No need to answer me if you don't want to cause it's not my buziness.

            But again, as I said, I haven't researched this fully, so maybe I'm wrong. At this point, I agree with you that fear has the power to irrationalize a man, but I disagree that it is impossible to let fear have an postive effect on you.

            Nadeem

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            • U Offline
              U Offline
              unknownuser
              wrote on last edited by
              #10

              Hello Nadeem,

              Yes, that was a conscious decision to see your reaction. I wanted to know what was most important to you,; the bad analogy of god, or the analogy of a godfearing person being patient and humble.

              You see, a bomb is a fearful and merciless device regardless of one diffusing it or not. The analogy of a bomb to that of 'god' becomes abnormal and dangerous. Now then, if Mr. Bomb Squad manages to diffuse this bomb (god) before exploding, then the question of FEAR is permanently removed, not only for himself but for the average joe as well. Get the drift.

              Why do you think you chose to focus on the former?

              Because the focus is on how this Book of God came about and with that you need to research and understand the historicity of Allah, Muhammad, Kaba, Islam and finally the compilation of Quran rather than blindly proclaiming a man-made written book to automatically become Allah's words. The Quran is not only Muhammad's words, but mixture of folklore, poetry, prior history and so forth, all collected by men and put together to become the best hadith, alongwith inconsistencies, contradictions, etc.

              Ofcourse, by all means, there are lessons to learn from this book and no doubt there many good verses, but then again, aren't there any other similar books for that matter well deserved and justified.

              I kept my eyes open and tried to see
              The point of what went on in front of me
              I kept what moved me, forgot about the rest
              And took my young imagination to the acid test

              And it was easy then to say what love could do
              It's so easy when your world is new

              It's been so hard sometimes to find my way
              I let my pleasure lead my little world astray
              And if I'm truthful I'll say that I was blind
              To everything about this life but what I had in mind

              And it was easy then to say where love could go
              It's so easy when there's so much you don't know

              About my imagination, it got me through somehow
              Without my imagination, I wouldn't be here now

              And it was easy then when love was guaranteed
              It's so easy when love is all you need

              About my imagination
              I'm making this investigation
              Into my imagination
              According to my computations
              We're overdue for a transformation
              Or is it my imagination?

              I keep my eyes open and try to see
              This life in terms of possibility
              With so much changing, and changing for the worse
              You got to keep your head up, Baby
              From the cradle to the hearse

              And it was easy then to say where love could go
              It's so easy when love is all you know

              About my imagination
              I'm getting ready for the celebration
              I'm bringing my imagination
              Taking charge of my elevation
              No fear, no trepidation
              Register my affirmation
              No doubt, no hesitation
              People get ready for the embarkation

              About my imagination
              Calling out across the nation
              It's time for some kind of re-dedication
              Not talking 'bout just my generation
              I'm sending out this invocation
              I keep getting these excitations
              More light, more love
              More truth, and more innovation

              by Jackson Browne.

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              • U Offline
                U Offline
                unknownuser
                wrote on last edited by
                #11

                Perhaps it would be beneficial to re-evaluate the definition of the phrase Fear God and the context in which this term is used in the quran. I believe you're taking it as if you must fear the boogey monster and it simply isn't the case. Try to read the quran with the mindset of a critical researcher if you don't wish to read it as a believer. Use it's own definition of terms and not Hollywood's.

                Peace

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                • U Offline
                  U Offline
                  unknownuser
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #12

                  Perhaps it would be beneficial to re-evaluate the definition of the phrase Fear God and the context in which this term is used in the quran. I believe you're taking it as if you must fear the boogey monster and it simply isn't the case. Try to read the quran with the mindset of a critical researcher if you don't wish to read it as a believer. Use it's own definition of terms and not Hollywood's.

                  Listen, don't come barging in blowing your tantrums. Discuss and explain my concerns yourself, like Nadeem did very diligently discussing in an ethical manner directing the subject matter. If you're not capable, then stay out.

                  All one needs to do is to explain with reason that 'fearing Allah' or any other god for that matter is certainly justified. There's no need to get off-track. I've done my part as mentioned earlier and I personally don't believe that anyone must live in fear.

                  Want to live your life,
                  As per Quranic rife;
                  Make sure you travel in time,
                  Only then you?d be in chime;
                  Obey Muhammad?s commands,
                  For they are Allah?s demands.

                  Give yourself in fears,
                  For the sake of no more tears;
                  Do not hesitate or resist,
                  Nor disobey or desist;
                  You?ll be massacred, right on spot,
                  Or thrown in hell, molten hot.

                  by Danish Khan.

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                  • E Offline
                    E Offline
                    Elena
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #13

                    Peace

                    The word ?fear? means to be afraid or frightened of, a feeling of agitation and uneasiness caused by the presence or imminence of danger. Thus, fear is a feeling inherited from any known physical entity or event, examples of which are infinitely plentiful and not exclusive to a deity.

                    'fear' doens't mean just 'afraid' or 'frightened'. In God, religions context means

                    reverence, awe, veneration, a profound emotion inspired by a deity, http//www.wordreference.com/definition/fear
                    or
                    to have a reverential awe http//www.m-w.com/dictionary/fear

                    This is the meaning among Christians and also the meaning me and people around me always heard and understood. Not sure about muslims but I suppose it must be the same.

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                    • U Offline
                      U Offline
                      unknownuser
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #14

                      Peace All

                      Thank you, Sis Elena for your enlightening definition. This is exactly what I wished Danish to discover, but he was too busy trying to attack

                      Danish, you said

                      Listen, don't come barging in blowing your tantrums.

                      I haven't had a tantrum since I was 2 so I'm not sure what you're referring to. I didn't know posting on a public forum constituted as "barging in" either. Maybe it's time you get a break from the computer a bit.

                      Discuss and explain my concerns yourself, like Nadeem did very diligently discussing in an ethical manner directing the subject matter.

                      Bro Nadeem did an excellent job in his analogy and showed your true intentions quite brilliantly actually. I read your "subject matter" and realized your definition of fear is faulty in the context of the reading of the quran. You must translate by its own terms. You cannot arbitrarily choose a definition for concepts based on your understanding of Hollywood screenplays or fiction novels' definition of fearing the unknown. What you could have done, instead of attack me is actually bring forth some verses in their context to prove that your idea of fear in the quran is accurate - but that would be an impossible task so it was easier to talk about barging in and staying out as if it's your playground )

                      If you're not capable, then stay out.

                      Danish, if you're not capable of holding a mature debate, then by all means, you stay out.

                      Peace All

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                      • N Offline
                        N Offline
                        noble
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #15

                        Bro Nadeem, Peace unto you,
                        I found your analogy most refreshing..., and as always I find Danish attacks on other members most childish and irritating...
                        Thank you
                        God bless
                        Noble

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                        • U Offline
                          U Offline
                          unknownuser
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #16

                          Peace

                          The word ?fear? means to be afraid or frightened of, a feeling of agitation and uneasiness caused by the presence or imminence of danger. Thus, fear is a feeling inherited from any known physical entity or event, examples of which are infinitely plentiful and not exclusive to a deity.

                          'fear' doens't mean just 'afraid' or 'frightened'. In God, religions context means

                          reverence, awe, veneration, a profound emotion inspired by a deity, http//www.wordreference.com/definition/fear
                          or
                          to have a reverential awe http//www.m-w.com/dictionary/fear

                          Hello Elena,

                          Appreciate your response and an excellent point.

                          Reverence, veneration and awe towards a deity have a mixed or rather a dual personality/feeling. Is this feeling coming out of fear and dismay OR out of respect and love? Do you think that "GOD" is a known or and unknown deity? This question directly relates to "fearing Allah".

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                          • U Offline
                            U Offline
                            unknownuser
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #17

                            Bro Nadeem did an excellent job in his analogy and showed your true intentions quite brilliantly actually.

                            Yes, what a brilliant analogy!!! Analyze your "Allah" to the semblance of a "bomb" and try diffusing it. elektro If you can't, seek help from Bush.

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                              U Offline
                              unknownuser
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #18

                              I guess the point of his analogy was lost on you . It's understandable ...

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                                U Offline
                                unknownuser
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #19

                                I guess the point of his analogy was lost on you . It's understandable ...

                                I guess the 'bomb' mistakenly got implanted into you and now Nadeem must come forward to diffuse it before it explodes.

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                                  U Offline
                                  unknownuser
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #20

                                  lol Danish, Danish, Danish .. when will you learn

                                  ok enough antics back to the topic dear Danish

                                  It's interesting that you agree with sis Elena's definition of "fear God" but yet you have this thread... please explain

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                                  • U Offline
                                    U Offline
                                    unknownuser
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #21

                                    It's interesting that you agree with sis Elena's definition of "fear God" but yet you have this thread... please explain

                                    I never did. What are you reading into, LOL? As a matter of fact, I'm still awaiting their responses to my last posts addressed to both of them and shall then rebut. If you can explain yourself better to essentially accomodate "fearing Allah", then please join in.

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                                      Elena
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #22

                                      Peace soul2squeeze, Danish, all

                                      soul2squeeze, I understood Danish didn't agree, he is asking if that reverence or admiration comes from fear-fear or from love and respect.

                                      Danish, the fear of God I learnt came out of awareness of God + respect. Love was not involved in this part of the doctrine.

                                      The fear-frigthtened is another component of the religion yes, it was present during the time of the adoctrination, but for some reason it was not as hard as that if we couldn't overcome it. We could.

                                      The two kinds of 'fears' were clearly separated. In fact they should have different words, so different they are.

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                                        unknownuser
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #23

                                        soul2squeeze, I understood Danish didn't agree, he is asking if that reverence or admiration comes from fear-fear or from love and respect.

                                        Thanks for clearing that up.

                                        Danish, the fear of God I learnt came out of awareness of God + respect. Love was not involved in this part of the doctrine.

                                        The fear-frigthtened is another component of the religion yes, it was present during the time of the adoctrination, but for some reason it was not as hard as that if we couldn't overcome it. We could.

                                        The two kinds of 'fears' were clearly separated. In fact they should have different words, so different they are.

                                        Reverence, awe and veneration does NOT mean two kinds of fears but carry dual components which conveys opposite meanings. I agree that one of its meanings convey fear and dismay, hence needs an explanation relevant to "Allah" in order to accomodate and exercise its legitimacy. In other words, why must one FEAR Allah and if reverence has two meanings, why choose one over the other?

                                        Do you think that "GOD" is a known or and unknown deity? This question directly relates to "fearing Allah".

                                        This crucial question got left out.

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                                          unknownuser
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #24

                                          Easy danish. Nice topic... bravo sun

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