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Thread: CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

  1. #1

    CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

    CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

    The Most Concise Definition of God:
    The most concise definition of God in Islam is given in the four verses of Surah Ikhlas which is Chapter 112 of the Qur’an:

    "Say: He is Allah,

    The One and Only.


    "Allah, the Eternal, Absolute.
    "He begets not, nor is He begotten.
    And there is none like unto Him."
    [Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]



    The word ‘Assamad’ is difficult to translate. It means ‘absolute existence’, which can be attributed only to Allah (swt), all other existence being temporal or conditional. It also means that Allah (swt) is not dependant on any person or thing, but all persons and things are dependant on Him.



    Surah Ikhlas - the touchstone of theology:

    Surah Ikhlas (Chapter 112) of the Glorious Qur’an, is the touchstone of theology. ‘Theo’ in Greek means God and ‘logy’ means study. Thus Theology means study of God and to Muslims this four line definition of Almighty God serves as the touchstone of the study of God. Any candidate to divinity must be subjected to this ‘acid test’. Since the attributes of Allah given in this chapter are unique, false gods and pretenders to divinity can be easily dismissed using these verses.

    Thus, the ‘acid test’ cannot be passed by anyone except the One True God.
    The following verse of the Glorious Qur’an conveys a similar message:

    "No vision can grasp Him


    But His grasp is over
    All vision: He is
    Above all comprehension,
    Yet is acquainted with all things."
    [Al-Qur’an 6:103]



    By what name do we call God?

    The Muslims prefer calling the Supreme Creator, Allah, instead of by the English word ‘God’. The Arabic word, ‘Allah’, is pure and unique, unlike the English word ‘God’, which can be played around with.

    If you add ‘s’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Gods’, that is the plural of God. Allah is one and singular, there is no plural of Allah. If you add ‘dess’ to the word God, it becomes ‘Goddess’ that is a female God. There is nothing like male Allah or female Allah. Allah has no gender. If you add the word ‘father’ to ‘God’ it becomes ‘God-father’. God-father means someone who is a guardian. There is no word like ‘Allah-Abba’ or ‘Allah-father’. If you add the word ‘mother’ to ‘God’, it becomes ‘God-mother’. There is nothing like ‘Allah-Ammi’, or ‘Allah-mother’ in Islam. Allah is a unique word. If you prefix tin before the word God, it becomes tin-God i.e., fake God. Allah is a unique word, which does not conjure up any mental picture nor can it be played around with. Therefore the Muslims prefer using the Arabic word ‘Allah’ for the Almighty. Sometimes, however, while speaking to the non-Muslims we may have to use the inappropriate word God, for Allah. Since the intended audience of this article is general in nature, consisting of both Muslims as well as non-Muslims, I have used the word God instead of Allah in several places in this article.

    God does not become a human being:
    God does not take human form:

    Some may argue that God does not become a human being but only takes a human form. If God only takes a human form but does not become a human being, He should not possess any human qualities. We know that all the ‘God-men’, have human qualities and failings. They have all the human needs such as the need to eat, sleep, etc.

    The worship of God in human form is therefore a logical fallacy and should be abhorred in all its forms and manifestations.
    That is the reason why the Qur’an speaks against all forms of anthropomorphism. The Glorious Qur’an says in the following verse:

    "There is nothing whatever like unto Him."
    [Al-Qur’an 42:11]



    God does not perform ungodly acts:

    The attributes of Almighty God preclude any evil since God is the source of justice, mercy and truth. God can never be thought of as doing an ungodly act. Hence we cannot imagine God telling a lie, being unjust, making a mistake, forgetting things, or having any such human failings. Similarly God can do injustice if He chooses to, but He will never do it because being unjust is an ungodly act.

    The Qur’an says:
    "Allah is never unjust In the least degree."
    [Al-Qur’an 4:40]



    God can be unjust if He chooses to be so, but the moment God does injustice, He ceases to be God.

    God does not forget


    God can forget if He wants to. But God does not forget anything because forgetting is an ungodly act, which reeks of human limitations and failings.

    The Qur’an says:

    "…my Lord never errs, nor forgets."
    [Al-Qur’an 20:52]

    God only performs Godly acts:

    The Islamic concept of God is that God has power over all things. The Qur’an says in several places (Al -Qur’an 2:106; 2:109; 2:284; 3:29; 16:77; and 35:1):

    "For verily Allah has power over all things"

    Further, the Glorious Qur’an says:

    "Allah is the doer of all that He intends."


    [CENTER][Al-Qur’an 85:16]

    We must keep in mind that Allah intends only Godly acts and not ungodly acts.

    I think that is good enough for now.

    Thanks

    Skill.
    Last edited by satay; 25 August 2006 at 02:07 PM.

  2. #2

    Re: CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

    The One and Only
    - Correct

    Allah, the Eternal, Absolute
    - Correct

    He begets not, nor is He begotten
    -He begets the universe, no?

    And there is none like unto Him.
    -Might say there is none like unto "IT".

    No vision can grasp Him
    - Correct

    But His grasp is over All vision
    -- Allright

    Above all comprehension
    --Correct

    Yet is acquainted with all things
    --OK

    God does not become a human being.
    -- True, but nothing prevents God from becoming anything. He can be a human being - why not?

    God does not take human form:
    --Disagree, God can take any form as he is omnipotent. Being formless is his essential nature though. Even when he takes a human form, he is eternally situated in the universal consciousness. He can take such a form because there is no one to object or create an obstacle to his wishes.

    God does not perform ungodly acts:
    -- What is meant by "ungodly"? Evil and good are purely relative, and in a system where God is immanent, evil is even more relative.

    God does not forget
    --The law of Karma, eh? Yeah, your deeds are never forgotten.

  3. #3

    Re: CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

    Quote Originally Posted by TruthSeeker

    God does not become a human being.
    -- True, but nothing prevents God from becoming anything. He can be a human being - why not?
    Why does he need too?

    God does not take human form:
    --Disagree, God can take any form as he is omnipotent. Being formless is his essential nature though. Even when he takes a human form, he is eternally situated in the universal consciousness. He can take such a form because there is no one to object or create an obstacle to his wishes.
    Again why does he need too?

    Second, God does not take a form or come down to earth because he does not need to. And Secondly it invalidates the these
    Say: He is Allah,
    The One and Only.
    "Allah, the Eternal, Absolute.
    "He begets not, nor is He begotten.
    And there is none like unto Him."
    [Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]

    I give you an example.
    ""What does Islam say about ‘god-men’?
    India is often called the land of ‘god-men’. This is due to the abundance of so-called spiritual masters in India. Many of these ‘babas’ and ‘saints’ have a large following in many countries. Islam abhors deification of any human being. To understand the Islamic stand towards such pretenders to divinity, let us analyze one such ‘god-man’, Osho Rajneesh.


    Peace.

    Skill

    large portions of this post were deleted by me for breaking site rules...the 'god-men' may not mean anything to others but they mean something to dharma adherents.
    satay
    Last edited by satay; 25 August 2006 at 06:12 PM.

  4. #4

    Re: CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

    Namaste.

    Quote Originally Posted by Skillganon
    Why does he need too?
    But why shouldn't he? He had interest in creation, and it is natural to assume that he would want to mingle with it. We dont beleive in some God somewhere in the sky and watching us here.


    Quote Originally Posted by Skillganon
    Again why does he need too?

    Second, God does not take a form or come down to earth because he does not need to. And Secondly it invalidates the these
    Say: He is Allah,
    The One and Only.
    "Allah, the Eternal, Absolute.
    "He begets not, nor is He begotten.
    And there is none like unto Him."
    [Al-Qur’an 112:1-4]
    Firstly, God does take human forms to establish righteousness in the world. Secondlly, he had not need to create either. If he created, then there is no reason why he should not come here. Thirdly, the quoted Sura is invalidated by our scripture Bhagavad Gita where in God promises to take birth here whenever there is decline of rightheousness. Why would a Hindu beleive otherwise?


    ""What does Islam say about ‘god-men’?
    India is often called the land of ‘god-men’. This is due to the abundance of so-called spiritual masters in India. Many of these ‘babas’ and ‘saints’ have a large following in many countries. Islam abhors deification of any human being. To understand the Islamic stand towards such pretenders to divinity, let us analyze one such ‘god-man’, Osho Rajneesh.
    Means nothing to Dharma followers. Rajneesh would be an exceptionally poor choice.

    Let us put this candidate, ‘Bhagwan’ Rajneesh, to the test of Surah Ikhlas, the touchstone of theology:

    The first criterion is "Say, He is Allah, one and only". Is Rajneesh one and only? No! Rajneesh was one among the multitude of ‘spiritual teachers’ produced by India. Some disciples of Rajneesh might still hold that Rajneesh is one and only.
    All self realised sages have the same consciousness, so they are indeed only one.

    The second criterion is, ‘Allah is absolute and eternal’. We know from Rajneesh’s biography that he was suffering from diabetes, asthma, and chronic backache. He alleged that the U.S. Government gave him slow poison in prison. Imagine Almighty God being poisoned! Rajneesh was thus, neither absolute nor eternal.
    Rajneeh, as indicated earlier is not a contender. When God incarnates here, nobody can touch him without his will. There have been many people here in India like that. Want proof? First prove that this absolute eternal Allah exists first, then I will show proof.


    The third criterion is ‘He begets not, nor is He begotten’. We know that Rajneesh was born in Jabalpur in India and had a mother as well as a father who later became his disciples.
    In May 1981 he went to U.S.A. and established a town called ‘Rajneeshpuram’. He later fell foul of the West and was finally arrested and asked to leave the country. He came back to India and started a commune in Pune which is now known as the ‘Osho’ commune. He died in 1990. The followers of Osho Rajneesh believe that he is Almighty God.
    That Sura means nothing to Dharma followers. God is not begotten, but if he decides to take birth, he could be born with parents, or born without them. He is omnipotent.


    At the ‘Osho commune’ in Pune one can find the following epitaph on his tombstone:
    "Osho – never born, never died; only visited the planet Earth between 11th December 1931 to 19th January 1990."
    They forget to mention that he was not granted visa for 21 countries of the world. Can a person ever imagine ‘God’ visiting the earth, and requiring a visa to enter a country! The Archbishop of Greece said that if Rajneesh had not been deported, they would have burnt his house and those of his disciples.
    God would need no visas, as he is omnipresent. There is no reason why he will violate all the laws in the world. So he could still go to the consulate and get the visas if he wants.

    The fourth test, which is the most stringent is, "There is none like unto Him". The moment you can imagine or compare ‘God’ to anything, then he (the candidate to divinity) is not God. It is not possible to conjure up a mental picture of the One True God. We know that Rajneesh was a human being, having two eyes, two ears, a nose, a mouth and a white flowing beard. Photographs and posters of Rajneesh are available in plenty. The moment you can imagine or draw a mental picture of an entity, then that entity is not God.
    Are you thinking that God(in incarnation) or a God realized sage is the physical body? So the logic does not hold water. One situated in God consciousness is no longer the physical body he is associated with.

  5. #5
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    Re: CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

    Admin Note
    namaste,
    new members on this thread are requested to familiarize themselves with the site rules.

    You are not allowed to promote 'other' religions especially the religions that we consider adharmic this includes christianity and islam.

    This is nothing personal and we ask that you don't take this personally. The site rules apply to all members equally.

    Insulting, belittling other members or 'god-men' of india or elsewhere is not allowed and neither is 'my dad can beat up your dad' kind of attitude.

    Thanks,
    Last edited by satay; 25 August 2006 at 06:17 PM.
    satay

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    Re: CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

    The Archbishop of Greece said that if Rajneesh had not been deported, they would have burnt his house and those of his disciples.
    and the Archbishop is supposed to be a holy-man?
    perhaps the archbishop of greece who wanted to murder rajneesh and his followers was a holeee man instead...
    satay

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    Post Re: CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

    Namaste Satay,

    There seems to be some confusion about the idea of “promotion”. Surely there can be no objection to the positive presentation of ANY spiritual path.

    There is no reason, however, for the promotion of one path to necessarily involve the denigration of any other path!

    And Dharma is a very personal matter. What is Dharma for one may be Adharma for another. Brahmacari Dharma is quite distinct from Grihasti Dharma, and Vaishnava Dharma is different from Shaiva Dharma, for example.

    In one breath we say that Jesus Christ was a veritable Vedantic Yogin, and yet “we” consider that Christianity is by definition “Adharmic”.

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    Re: CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

    Quote Originally Posted by sarabhanga
    Namaste Satay,



    In one breath we say that Jesus Christ was a veritable Vedantic Yogin, and yet “we” consider that Christianity is by definition “Adharmic”.
    namaste,
    I see your point. However, in my humble opinion, 'christianity' is not Jesus Christ!
    satay

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    Post Re: CONCEPT OF DHARMA

    Namaste Satay,

    Christianity is not Christ, but it is supposed to be the path that Jesus himself followed. If some misguided followers have departed from the true path of their Guru, that does not have any bearing on the path of Christ himself, which is true Christianity.

    If some Hindus have similarly strayed from the true paths that have been well marked by our Rishis and Munis, would we also say that Hinduism is Adharmic?

  10. #10

    Re: CONCEPT OF GOD IN ISLAM

    Hinduism.

    But why shouldn't he? He had interest in creation, and it is natural to assume that he would want to mingle with it. We dont beleive in some God somewhere in the sky and watching us here.
    Firstly, God does take human forms to establish righteousness in the world. Secondlly, he had not need to create either. If he created, then there is no reason why he should not come here. Thirdly, the quoted Sura is invalidated by our scripture Bhagavad Gita where in God promises to take birth here whenever there is decline of rightheousness. Why would a Hindu beleive otherwise?
    “The almighty God does not have to take a form and come down. Many religion at some point believe in the philosophy of anthromorphism. (God becoming a Human).
    The contention is that almighty God is so pure and holy that he is unaware of the hardships, shortcoming, feeling of the human beings. In order to set rules for human being he needs to come down to earth as a human.
    Why does he need to come down, if God wanted he can make you come up?
    “To him it is the return.”
    Next importantly, FIrst there is one God, Next God is not begotten.

    Remember God is unborn. It is mentioned in the Yajurved.
    Meaning he is not born.
    Soon as one say he is born in any sense. One is going again one’s scriptures.


    Means nothing to Dharma followers. Rajneesh would be an exceptionally poor choice.

    This is a fallacy. People think they have a choice who God is. So they choose their God according to their whim and desire , meaning they attribute to God of their own choosing. One can’t choose a man to be God, even if they claim themselves of it.

    All self realised sages have the same consciousness, so they are indeed only one.

    I doubt it.
    How so? If they have the same conciouseness than they should be all-knowing. This is clearly not so, when it comes to any creation claiming themselves as God.

    When God incarnates here, nobody can touch him without his will. There have been many people here in India like that. Want proof? First prove that this absolute eternal Allah exists first, then I will show proof.
    Are you saying the creator of the universe is not absolute and eternal?

    What does hindu scripture say?
    Since you already accept “the creator” I do not need to make you believe Allah exist.

    That Sura means nothing to Dharma followers. God is not begotten, but if he decides to take birth, he could be born with parents, or born without them. He is omnipotent.
    but remember God is unborn, neither he has parents.

    Check one’s own scriptures.

    God would need no visas, as he is omnipresent. There is no reason why he will violate all the laws in the world. So he could still go to the consulate and get the visas if he wants.

    but he is God, he does not need to. He can get a Visa without violating the Law, there is nothing beyond his reach because he’s god. He wanted to go to that country but was refused. He has no power.

    Are you thinking that God(in incarnation) or a God realized sage is the physical body? So the logic does not hold water. One situated in God consciousness is no longer the physical body he is associated with.

    but he is subject to the need of that physical body, where ever his conciouseness one think is.
    Secondly there is “non-like unto him”, if one that makes a claim they have or in someway has God conciouseness than they are not God.

    Peace

    Skill.

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