:bism: Bismillah Ir-Rehman Ir-Raheem (In the Name of God, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful)
format_quote Originally Posted by
Khanali12
Allah is not so great if he threatens to throw people in hell 'forever' if you don't pray to him 5 times a day
I've heard the quote 'allah doesn't need you, but you need him' then why does he 'need' us to pray to him 5 times a day? and if not then you simply are thrown in hell?
Sounds pathetic of him if you ask me.
That's a
great question. And so I want to take apart the different layers of this question and answer accordingly if Allah wills. :)
First, you seem to be under some misapprehension that Allah's "Greatness" is dependent on perception. It is
not. For example, if you don't like George Washington, can you take away from the greatness of the title that he's endowed with which is the first president of United States? No, right.
Secondly, the literal translation of the Arabic words, "AllahuAkbar," is "God is Greater" and translators use "God is great" or "God is greatest" to denote or express this truth.
Thirdly, whatever you may imagine in the cosmos as having the attribute of "great," the phrase "AllahuAkbar" is a reminder that Allah is indeed Greater than that (thing).
Fourthly, please know that the decision is
discretionary on the part of Allah as to what to do with the one who does not pray as the following authentic hadith
(prophetic tradition) shows: "
There are five prayers which Allah has prescribed on His servants. If anyone offers them, not losing any of them, and not treating them lightly, Allah guarantees that He will admit him to Paradise. If anyone does not offer them, Allah does not take any responsibility for such a person. He may either punish him or admit him to Paradise."
Fifthly, you assume that utilizing fear as a tool to motivate someone to act rightly is an incorrect or negative action. However, that is a subjective assumption and not based in any agreed upon objective truth.
Examples: Schools use fear of a student potentially receiving a failing grade in classroom/report cards to motivate students generally to study. Policemen use the fear of potentially giving drivers a speeding ticket to ensure that drivers do not drive beyond the posted speed limits. Bosses use fear of potentially firing a person for incompetence to motivate staff persons to work competently. In all those cases, fear is used as a tool. However, that is only one aspect. In all those situations, schools, policemen, and bosses are using fear as a tool, yes. But on the opposite spectrum, schools, policemen, and bosses use rewards as well for those deserving. So, for example, schools do give A's or B's for students who do their work and do well on tests. Policemen also do have programs in place in which taking online or real-life driving classes enables any points given due to speeding tickets to be deleted. Bosses do give promotions or great references or bonuses to employees who do well. Similarly, Allah not only uses fear as a tool to motivate but also uses rewards' program such as alleviating worldly difficulties with praying the 5 daily prayers to motivate people into trying their best to fulfill their duties and also Allah erases any mistakes or sins with the words of
istighfar ("forgive me Allah") should a person be unable to fulfill his/her duties as a Muslim.
Sixthly, in all of the above situations, what does fulfilling best efforts as a student, a driver, or an employee gain the individual? It gains in the case of a student the potential to go to a better college, in the case of a driver safeguards against accidents, and in the case of an employee enables rise on the office ladder. So, in all these situations, the school does not gain if the student is diligent because the school has many other students, policemen do not gain if that specific driver does not speed because there will always be some other driver who does speed, and the boss does not gain if the employee is diligent because the boss can in place hire another employee who will fulfill his best efforts towards the company. So, in all cases, the individual who does the best efforts gains. Similarly, the obligation of 5-times daily prayer is a spiritually beneficial vehicle for us as human beings towards which we should be sincere because it has the following benefits for us and
none for Allah: 1) spiritual blessings, 2) gaining of divine forgiveness, 3) asking of anything as a wish directly in or after prayer which is guaranteed to be fulfilled, 4) enabling peace in the heart from divine remembrance, 5) enables better control specific to distraction, negligence, and evil from the
nafs (ego), 6) removes laziness from the heart, 7) engenders humility and modesty, 8) gives the reminder to be grateful for all the worldly blessings, 9) purifies the soul, 10) is a medley of specific
movement and exercise that imitates acts known to be beneficial from a scientific point of view.
As the last point,
while Allah does need us to worship Him because Allah is Self-Sustaining and His Greatness is not dependent on our worship, Allah has commanded this worship because this physical and spiritual remembrance is the best connection to the hereafter through which we can attain closeness to Allah and experience the same
Miraj in spiritual terms that Prophet :saws:
(peace and blessings be upon him) was allowed to experience in physical terms. So, in spiritual terms, your soul experiences something in the vein of a heavenly ascension even if your eyes are unable to see that's what's happening. And can connecting even worth a pentaquark to true Paradise whilst we're trapped in our earthly ephemeral bodies be discounted as being in vain?
Sincere Regards & Best Wishes, :statisfie