format_quote Originally Posted by
Mr.Black
I'm guessing you don't mean through different religions here, as Islam and Christianity both claim to be the only true religion.
Mmm (smile), it depends on how you define different words and concepts. According to the Qur'an, God has sent His Words and instructions through Prophets all through human history, from the first Prophet Adam, through to Jesus and Muhammad (May God Bless them all). Recognition that He is the Lord, our God, and surrender to His Will has been the consistent message through time. The word
Islam in Arabic means “state of surrender to God's Will and in which the one who surrenders thereby finds security and inner peace and harmony”. A
Muslim actively struggles with his or her Self to surrender to God.
This is not something new since the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). The Qur'an states that all the people who behaved this way through time have been
Muslims. So, for example, Adam and his wife were Muslims. Abraham was a Muslim. Jesus was a Muslim (Peace be upon them all)
format_quote Originally Posted by
Mr.Black
I think this may be an area where Islam and Christianity differ. I believe there's a difference between understanding the truth and submission to the God who gives that truth. I think a person can understand his own nature (and that entails that he understands himself as the creature that God made him to be---which means he has at least some understanding of the God who made him), but at the same time, the person who understands that may also refuse to submit toGod.
(smile) No, I do not think we disagree on this. In the Qur'an, it is clear that each human being has an inner connection with God. It is inbuilt in our nature. However, we may chose to deliberately ignore our heart's promptings about what we should and shouldn't do, that is, what is pleasing to God, and what is not. When we cover our hearts, we become increasingly unable to feel this distinction. One who covers his/her heart and rejects God's Will is a Kaafir. Such a person is deeply ungrateful to his/her Creator.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Mr.Black
I think this statement is true in one sense, but maybe not in another sense. I agree with this in the sense that "Muslim" means a person who has submitted to God. I think where one of the main conflicts lies is in the question of who God is. When that question is asked, and if it's shown that two different people who claim to submit to God actually refer to two different Gods, then must be an idolater.
(smile) How many different infinite, all-Mighty, all-Knowing, all-Creating entities can you have? ...Really, we all worship the same God. But we do have different names for the concept. You know, Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews say
Allah when referring to God. The French say
Dieu, the Spanish say
Dios, the Russians say
Bog, Chechens say
Del, Iranians say
Khoda…
You say tom-ah-to, and I say tom-ay-to... whatever you call God, if the definition is the same, we are surrendering to the same Creator.
format_quote Originally Posted by
Mr.Black
I think I can agree with most of this as a Christian, only since one does not get to heaven because of works in the Christian worldview (but rather does good works because he loves the God who's taking himto heaven) the order, and cause & effect may be a bit different.
(smile) This is an interesting point. I have read of Christian debates on the necessity of good works or not. (twinkle) And you know, Muslims can be a little fractious on these points, too.
At the end of the day, no matter what good works we do, we can never be worthy of God's Love and Mercy. He Forgives us and has Mercy on us because He is the Compassionate, Merciful One.
But someone who does
destructive acts, and merely mouths pious platitudes...is this person really surrendering to God's Will? If someone has true faith, would not this reflect itself in their behaviour?
You talk about doing good for the love of God. I think this would be
Ihsaan. There are actually 3 levels of faith. The first, and lowest, level is
Islam. You do the minimum of what God has asked. For those who are cognizant of His Last Instructions, you :acknowledge God and his final messenger, pray, pay your taxes,fast in Ramadan, and go to Mecca to fulfil certain symbolic rites and go through the difficulty of this trip (if you are able to do so), in a self-restrained way.
The second level is
Iman. This means you actively trust in God, His Angels, His messages, His messengers, the Day of Judgement and the fact that God Knows all (including what we perceive as past, present and future).
The highest level is
Ihsaan. This is when you really have a sense of God. You worship God as if you can see Him. And you do what He Loves, because you love Him, and you want to be loved by Him. And when you do these extra good works, God says: ... I become his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks...(Bukhari, Book 1, Hadith 95).
So when you talk about doing good for the sake of God because you love Him, I think we would call this
Ihsaan.
But only God truly Knows.
May He Bless us and Guide us towards what is most Loved by Him.