Please read LR, pages 386 392.
Basic beliefs of Islam are five (or six) – God, Angels, Books, Messengers, Judgment, and Predestination also known as the Supremacy of the Divine Will –
Muslims believe that God is all knowing and all-powerful and therefore from this has led some Muslims to believe in the “supremacy of the divine will and predestination”. There are the other Muslims put greater emphases on “human free-will”, which may down play, the predestination.
Tawhid – Oneness or Unity of God
Stated in Sura 112: “Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.”
Hence a Muslim is expected to declare this oneness of God. The declaration is known as shahadah – la ilaha illal lah, there is no god beside God.
(The second part – muhamadur rasulullah, Muhammad is only a prophet – may carefully guard that none deify Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.)
The word Allah occurs over 2500 times in the Qur’an. There are many other names used to refer to this reality Muslims identify as God. They include Al Rahman and Al Rabb. In fact there are 99 names for God.
Sample Names from “99 Beautiful Names of God”
The Beneficent; The Merciful; The King; The Holy; The Peaceful One; The Faithful One;
The Protector; The Strong One; The Mighty One; The Most Great; The Creator; The Great Forgiver; The Thankful, etc.
(Al-asma al-husana, beautiful names, of God! A pious Muslim finds his/her awareness of God is increased by the “utterance” of the beautiful names of God! It is a way to get connected to the otherwise a “transcendent God”. To do this a pious Muslim – like a Sufi - may use a “tasbih” - meaning, “to praise God” - a prayer rosary. Go to www.farsinet.com/tasbih/ for more details!)
a. Muslims assume the existence of God; believe in God, and to become “aware” of the “unseen”. 2:3; 5:94; 21:49; 35:18; 36:11; 50:33; 57:25; 67:12.
b. Since God is “unseen”, God through “revelation” to Prophets makes known God’s presence. Cf. 81:24; 68:47; 52:41; 53:35; 12:102; 11:49.
Basic beliefs of Islam are five (or six) – God, Angels, Books, Messengers, Judgment, and Predestination also known as the Supremacy of the Divine Will –
Muslims believe that God is all knowing and all-powerful and therefore from this has led some Muslims to believe in the “supremacy of the divine will and predestination”. There are the other Muslims put greater emphases on “human free-will”, which may down play, the predestination.
Tawhid – Oneness or Unity of God
Stated in Sura 112: “Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.”
Hence a Muslim is expected to declare this oneness of God. The declaration is known as shahadah – la ilaha illal lah, there is no god beside God.
(The second part – muhamadur rasulullah, Muhammad is only a prophet – may carefully guard that none deify Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.)
The word Allah occurs over 2500 times in the Qur’an. There are many other names used to refer to this reality Muslims identify as God. They include Al Rahman and Al Rabb. In fact there are 99 names for God.
Sample Names from “99 Beautiful Names of God”
The Beneficent; The Merciful; The King; The Holy; The Peaceful One; The Faithful One;
The Protector; The Strong One; The Mighty One; The Most Great; The Creator; The Great Forgiver; The Thankful, etc.
(Al-asma al-husana, beautiful names, of God! A pious Muslim finds his/her awareness of God is increased by the “utterance” of the beautiful names of God! It is a way to get connected to the otherwise a “transcendent God”. To do this a pious Muslim – like a Sufi - may use a “tasbih” - meaning, “to praise God” - a prayer rosary. Go to www.farsinet.com/tasbih/ for more details!)
a. Muslims assume the existence of God; believe in God, and to become “aware” of the “unseen”. 2:3; 5:94; 21:49; 35:18; 36:11; 50:33; 57:25; 67:12.
b. Since God is “unseen”, God through “revelation” to Prophets makes known God’s presence. Cf. 81:24; 68:47; 52:41; 53:35; 12:102; 11:49.
c. But despite the “revelation” there is much that is “hidden” to humans – fuller knowledge is only with God – 72:26; 64:18; 59:22; 49:18; 39:46; 35:38; 32:6; 27:65; 23:92; etc.
d. With all the “hidden-ness” of God, those who care to reflect know God!
e. God is creator, sustainer, and judge of humans. Humans come from God and return to God. God is sovereign. God is one and unique. God is merciful. God is very near for the humans to turn to and seek after God (50:33; 50:37; 41:44; 50:16). At the end the whole purpose of the belief in God is not to talk about God but to provide guidance and order human life. In that sense, the Qur’anic meaning of “finding God” is “transformation of human life”.
Angels
Angels are special creation of God – created from fire (or light) – to perform specific functions. Angels have no free will. They serve and obey God. Angels may appear in the form of humans as angel Jibrail appeared to Muhammad. There are host of angels but only a few are named – Jibrail, Mikail, Izrail, and Israfil. Satan is also an angel.
Prophets
Muslims believe in “prophets of God”. Immaturity of humans with regard to ethical perceptions and motivation along with the hidden-ness of God necessitates “revelation” from God.
Further, God due to his mercy does not abandon humans. Therefore, continuously provides humans with “guidance” (divine messages) that comes through “wahy” and “nazala”, to the “nabi” and “rasul”, usually translated as prophets and messengers.
God’s messengers to the humanity, Muslims believe are numerous and they are not confined to the Qur’an alone – some are mentioned in the Qur’an and many are not mentioned there. Cf. 4:164f and 40:78. There is a “universality of prophethood”, according to the Qur’an – that way the Qur’an opens up a space for both “plurality” and “singularity” of “religions”; that way the Qur’an can justify the existence of many religions, but in the same time argue for one religion “Islam”!
All messengers – “nabi” and “rasul”-essentially preached the same message – the oneness of God, “tawhid”, and humans are basically the servants, “abd” of God. Hence human worship and services are only due to God.
All prophets and messengers of God prohibit worship of, and service to “false gods”! The stories of prophets in the Qur’an are witness to this.
Muslim scholars do not accept the belief, that the concept of “tawhid” was borrowed from Judaism.
d. With all the “hidden-ness” of God, those who care to reflect know God!
e. God is creator, sustainer, and judge of humans. Humans come from God and return to God. God is sovereign. God is one and unique. God is merciful. God is very near for the humans to turn to and seek after God (50:33; 50:37; 41:44; 50:16). At the end the whole purpose of the belief in God is not to talk about God but to provide guidance and order human life. In that sense, the Qur’anic meaning of “finding God” is “transformation of human life”.
Angels
Angels are special creation of God – created from fire (or light) – to perform specific functions. Angels have no free will. They serve and obey God. Angels may appear in the form of humans as angel Jibrail appeared to Muhammad. There are host of angels but only a few are named – Jibrail, Mikail, Izrail, and Israfil. Satan is also an angel.
Prophets
Muslims believe in “prophets of God”. Immaturity of humans with regard to ethical perceptions and motivation along with the hidden-ness of God necessitates “revelation” from God.
Further, God due to his mercy does not abandon humans. Therefore, continuously provides humans with “guidance” (divine messages) that comes through “wahy” and “nazala”, to the “nabi” and “rasul”, usually translated as prophets and messengers.
God’s messengers to the humanity, Muslims believe are numerous and they are not confined to the Qur’an alone – some are mentioned in the Qur’an and many are not mentioned there. Cf. 4:164f and 40:78. There is a “universality of prophethood”, according to the Qur’an – that way the Qur’an opens up a space for both “plurality” and “singularity” of “religions”; that way the Qur’an can justify the existence of many religions, but in the same time argue for one religion “Islam”!
All messengers – “nabi” and “rasul”-essentially preached the same message – the oneness of God, “tawhid”, and humans are basically the servants, “abd” of God. Hence human worship and services are only due to God.
All prophets and messengers of God prohibit worship of, and service to “false gods”! The stories of prophets in the Qur’an are witness to this.
Muslim scholars do not accept the belief, that the concept of “tawhid” was borrowed from Judaism.
This objection is perhaps a theological necessity more than a historical accuracy!
Why two words, “nabi” and “rasul”? The traditional answer is: “nabi means a divine envoy without a law (sharia) and, presumably, without a revealed book”. And “rasul means one with a law and a revealed book”. Fazlur Rahman believes that “such sharp distinctions are somewhat doubtful”.
Why two words, “nabi” and “rasul”? The traditional answer is: “nabi means a divine envoy without a law (sharia) and, presumably, without a revealed book”. And “rasul means one with a law and a revealed book”. Fazlur Rahman believes that “such sharp distinctions are somewhat doubtful”.
Qur’an uses nabi and rasul for certain personages. Moses and Ismail 19:51, 54. Muhammad 7:158. Jesus 4:171 (rasul), 19:30 (prophet).
Read 6:74-88. God chooses the prophets and guides the humanity in the straight path. These are Hebrew Prophets. The celebrated Hebrew Prophets in the Qur’an are: Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.
Shu’aib (Prophet of Midyan) and Salih – tribe of Thamud, and Hud – tribe of Ad (Prophets of Primal Arabs) are those not found in the Judeo-Christian Bible.
Books of God
Muslims believe in the revealed books of God, (or from God) brought by the prophets of God. Qur’an mentions four: Tawrat, (Torah) brought by Moses; Zabur, (Psalms) brought by David; Injil, (Gospel) brought by Jesus; and Qur’an, brought by Muhammad. There are other holy books alluded to in the Qur’an and the Islamic traditions – one such is “Scrolls of Abraham”. However, most Muslims also believe that of “the divine books, only the Qur’an exists in its original form, unchanged and unmixed”. More discussion on Qur’an is to follow soon!
Day of Judgment
Akirah, the judgment day, is a fundamental Muslim concern! It is one of the recurring themes in the Qur’an.
Read 6:74-88. God chooses the prophets and guides the humanity in the straight path. These are Hebrew Prophets. The celebrated Hebrew Prophets in the Qur’an are: Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.
Shu’aib (Prophet of Midyan) and Salih – tribe of Thamud, and Hud – tribe of Ad (Prophets of Primal Arabs) are those not found in the Judeo-Christian Bible.
Books of God
Muslims believe in the revealed books of God, (or from God) brought by the prophets of God. Qur’an mentions four: Tawrat, (Torah) brought by Moses; Zabur, (Psalms) brought by David; Injil, (Gospel) brought by Jesus; and Qur’an, brought by Muhammad. There are other holy books alluded to in the Qur’an and the Islamic traditions – one such is “Scrolls of Abraham”. However, most Muslims also believe that of “the divine books, only the Qur’an exists in its original form, unchanged and unmixed”. More discussion on Qur’an is to follow soon!
Day of Judgment
Akirah, the judgment day, is a fundamental Muslim concern! It is one of the recurring themes in the Qur’an.
Qur’an frequently speaks of “garden” and “punishment”. Muslims consider the “life here” as “temporary” and a preparation for the “life hereafter” and “eternal” – “never ending”. For Muslims “life here” becomes meaningless without “punishment” or “reward” in the “hereafter”.
Belief in judgment increases a sense of responsibility and accountability in the mind of a Muslim – “Allah is watching”!
There are at least 15 chapters of the Qur’an that carry a title related to judgement and the last day – Does this not suggest the importance of this particular theme for the Qur’an? Some examples: Sura 75 – Al Qiyamat (Resurrection); Sura 56 – Waqi’a (Inevitable Event); Sura 111 – Al Lahab (The Father of Flame); Sura 88 – Al Ghaashiyah (The Overwhelming Event).
The Qur’anic teachings on “hereafter”, refers to a “moment” – the hour (as saat) – every thing will be shaken up and humans will come to know their “doings” – doings, misdoings, not-doings!
The Qur’anic teachings on “hereafter”, refers to a “moment” – the hour (as saat) – every thing will be shaken up and humans will come to know their “doings” – doings, misdoings, not-doings!
Since humans are generally absorbed in the “immediate” and “materiel concerns” have the tendency to ignore concerns of the “end times” (al akhirah). Hence these can come as a shock!
Some passages that deal with as saat or al akhirah are 79:34f; 50:22; and 81:1-14. The last one speaks more of the horrors connected with the end times! It will be horrible, according to the Qur’an, for those who perpetrated “evil” in this life! The others will be seen, of course, as those who welcome the hour!
There are several images connected with the “happenings” of the last day (yawm al din) – weighing scales, record-book given, body-organs testifying, and questionings!
Questions to Explore:
1. Briefly discuss the five basic beliefs of the Muslim community.
2. Explain in detail the Muslim understanding of God.
Some passages that deal with as saat or al akhirah are 79:34f; 50:22; and 81:1-14. The last one speaks more of the horrors connected with the end times! It will be horrible, according to the Qur’an, for those who perpetrated “evil” in this life! The others will be seen, of course, as those who welcome the hour!
There are several images connected with the “happenings” of the last day (yawm al din) – weighing scales, record-book given, body-organs testifying, and questionings!
Questions to Explore:
1. Briefly discuss the five basic beliefs of the Muslim community.
2. Explain in detail the Muslim understanding of God.
