format_quote Originally Posted by
Guestfellow
:sl:
I have been thinking...sometimes when you learn stories from the Qur'an or even the Bible, did you ever doubt their authenticity? For example, Angels, Jinns, etc. I admit I did not take them seriously when I was agnostic; I used to find them amusing. I associated them with fantasy stories and movies.
At the time I did not understood why I used to do that until now. I suspect many writers and film makers get their ideas from religion. These people get ideas from religious, cultural and historical sources and create fiction out of them. So when you read books or watch movies or play computer games based on fantasy, you know that it is not true but you then start to associate with your own religious beliefs...
I will use my example again. None of us know what an angel looks like but in movies, books or computer games, angels look like humans with big white wings. So could this have an affect on people that view Islam or Christianity when it talks about angels?
Has anyone else experience what I've written? Is this why many people do not take religion seriously because they start to associate fictional stories to religious stories?
Share your views...
Assalaamu Alaaykum
I know a group who use the same or has the same thinking, and they usually use it to mock.
I personally never doubt the authencity but instead it got me thinking and got me to learn more.
It almost reminds me of people who have never heard of Jinn, but instead they name them 'ghosts', there are people who believe that the ghosts are something when people die and come back as ghosts, i wonder where this belief came from.
As far as i am aware, according to Qur'aan angels are made of light, they have also appeared as a man on earth according to the Noble Qur'aan. I must say i find their mention in the Qur'aan to be amazing, there are those who may find it to be fairy tale, but the truth is it is actually the media who has done that or man and their imagination for most of it. The best way i can put it is that Allaah is able to do everything. You can look at the creation of Allaah and think it is amazing, but yet you dont know how it was created, what technique, skills etc were used in making it unimagineable. For example see the sky, it looks beautiful, it is impossible for man to create such a thing/creation, look how day turns to night, it is also impossible for man to do this or change it in any way. But to us humans it may seem strange or some may find it amazing. The truth is we have never seen an angel and yet people make movies about them according to their minds or what they've read. There is certainly wisdom behind all that he created.
Allaah says: "They (i.e. the angels) glorify His Praises night and day, (and) they never slacken (to do so)."[Al Qur'aan 21:20]
we as humans are weak to do that, we need sleep etc, Allaah swt created them that way.
Also most of the things have been proven to exist, like the Jinn, their have also been many encounters. The belief of simply believing you come back to life after death as a ghost isnt part of Islaam but it may be part of some other religion, maybe from the belief of reincarnation or the shaytaan.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Guestfellow
Is this why many people do not take religion seriously because they start to associate fictional stories to religious stories?
They also have superman and all these other characters, and stuff like genie and the magic lamp stuff where you rub a lamp and a genie/fairy flys out or something , im not aware of any religion that teaches about this, talking cats, and other animals it can be also be from their own imagination, so doesnt necessarily mean its because of religion and also definetly not Islaam. But i do agree that religion may play some part in some cartoons and stuff Allaahu Alam. But if they do, they make it seem fairy taley, as we as humans have not seen them.
However, you may doubt the authencity, when you havent been given knowledge regarding it and what is the wisdom behind it etc. Its like telling a little girl to wear the Hijaab but without telling her why so, she will never understand even the basics of wearing the Hijaab. Or why do we have sleep, well, so that we increase in energy to live for the next day and work hard and various other reasons, or why do we eat, so that we have energy to go on in the day. without sleep and food we would be quite lifeless in the day and many other reasons.
And Allaah knows best.
If i said anything wrong please correct me and i hope someone with knowledge can post up insha'Allaah and sorry if it seemed i went off topic a little bit just my opinions.
.. peace ..