What exactly is believing in Allah? Usually when things dont workout in our favor they say “believe in God” , “Have faith” , “Have patience” etc. These are few of the phrases everyone of us have heard in the time of distress. Of course there is no boundary of difficult times that when it would end; it would? Or it will never? Again no one knows! So how come we can have faith that Allah exists, he is very close to us, listening to our prayers, feeling our pain; he loves us more than our mothers; your mother would never let you go through any pain yet Allah says wait, have patience, go through the hard times..clear difference! Sometimes it feels like believing in God is a myth.
This post is not to offend anyone but just asking few questions that arise in my mind from time to time. I am a Muslim, i should not doubt on the existence of Allah and i do not but still in the end i am a human being, questions do arise in my mind when i see people are suffering left, right, center; where is khuda at that time? There is never ending pain/problems; where is HE?
This path is the lightest course and the brightest lamp. Guidance towards virtuous actions is sought through faith while guidance towards faith is achieved through virtuous actions. Knowledge is made to prosper through faith, and death is feared because of knowledge. This world comes to an end with death, while the next world is secured (by virtuous actions) in this world. With the Day of Resurrection, Paradise is brought near and “hell will be brought into view for the perverse” (26:91) For people there is no escape from resurrection. They are heading for this last end in its appointed course.
@Mindless , your question is not unique. i have them, everyone has them. Then we ponder and inquire, and most of the time it is our pre-conceived false ideas that hinder us getting to the obvious simple and clear answer. Everytime we think we look at the problem in a different way, so let me give you something that will help you when you ponder over this the next time…
Consider which creature or creatures in the universe is so awesome, great, high that it is undeserving and free of pain, and accidents, and hurt, and loss? Instead, this creature must ONLY gain, incur no loss, incur no damage, incur no pain, and must only maximize happiness constantly while enjoying free-will. Is that high awesome creature human? or it ought to be human?
The rosy, fantastical conjectures of constant material and emotional wealth maximization without any measure of loss or pain is an unrealistic, motivating ideal which must always be grounded in the reality of the fundamentals of nature of humans, and world of humans
There is literally so much God-given free will given to man, that he can fly around the world within hours, change flow of rivers with damns and reservoirs, convert deserts into green gardens, build structures with foot on ground and top above the clouds, reject God, reject all of His prophets and messengers and angels at will
In the Quran, God does NOT ask for “faith” and belief. The Quran puts knowledge, reflection, critical thinking, reasoning, and action as the pre-requisite to “faith”. Quran asks only to ponder, study, and reflect on the signs around us and within us, and then puts forward the question:" Do you not believe, then?"
Your thoughts and questions are also among the signs of God within yourself that He is showing you; and you are required to ponder, reflect, inquire until you reach satisfaction and continue to ask for His guidance in the process. The mullah will never guide you. just remember that. Allah guides, and he is actually much closer than this monitor you are staring at, even closer than your eye-lids over your eyes , and closer than your closest innate organ within your physical proximity. He is next to your soul actually.
The common error in your thought is the ancient yearning of a saviour, or messiah. The rescue from a more powerful, super hero messiah. Every ancient culture, and religion has that element. It is a natural and simplistic yearning from a desperation. So people expect “son of god”, or god himself or other demigods, or avtars of god, or holy man to step in and just fix everything. The truth is, God gave all those abilities, capabilities to every individual in varying capacities, and made everything on all the worlds directly or indirectly subdued to man. So while man may directly control animals birds, weather, earth, seas, and when he hits his limits, a Dua from man invoking God will have The Responder/Answerer dispatch more agents in all worlds to submit to man’s intent.
Allah did not say I am here so there wont be any suffering.
Lets assume small suffering, if a girl had car tire which never punctured, how would you know that helping her changing tire was in you ?
If people only procreated on earth and there was zero issue, how would have humanity started growing ?
Advance mathematics developments started because people were curious about stars moon etc…
I think it was part of the design for humanity to grow.
One example, one revert mathematician ponder along with his small daughters
“why kids suffer”
Then they reversed the question
"What if kids never suffer any thing "
After little while his daughter came up with answer, which was "then there wont be any need for parents "
Dude check out quran.. and ponder .. it can knock your socks off… you would know whos talking.
Also in quran it say to think in order to believe. I think we all have those moments when we say “a God in the skies really ?”
But then We sitting here talking to each other really ? I don’t which is more strange… out of nothing we came and became so much… Hard to believe too.
welcome, mindless. fact of the matter is, most of us are in faiths we were born into and are inherently brought to believe that is what the nature of the world is like after death etc. there is no proof for any of this, it is all blind faith. if you want logic and answers, religion is not the place for it. all you will get is circular logic in many fancy varieties. good luck.
Monk, most responses above are from people who like to take the leap of blind faith. once you accept the dogma blindly, you will be happy within the realm of scripture justifying this faith. but that is not what the OP is asking.
Most conversions in which sense? There are over 7 billion people in the world, and about 1.9 are muslims. Among these 1.9 there are millions who belong to sects (ahmadi for example) which are not considered muslims, by the majority.
But even if we do conceed there are indeed 1.9 billion muslims, more than 95% of these are people who were born into the religion. In other words Islam, like all other religions, rely on a certain conditioning of the mind from child hood of, to be believeable, for the vast majority of its believers.
Scary thought I know, but like all other faiths, there is nothing unique about your inherited faith. It is not capable of convincing majority of mankind (the 5 billion who remain non-muslims), through its theology and teachings alone. It is indeed, just another faith, among many.
Then there is the small matter of many renouncing Islam too.
Obviously not possible to get any reliable statistics on this, given the stigma, taboo and threats of violence associated with renouncing Islam, among muslims.
Personally, I prefer to remain agnostic about the question of “God”. But not on the question of religion.
Maybe whatever you have said is right, that’s what we have learned to believe that God is the most nearer one. He tests people according to their tolerance level. That’s what we have learnt. But my question remains, where is HE when HE is most needed? where was HE when the school incident happened in Peshawar? The bus incident in Karachi? Can a mother see her child suffering like this? Why are people suffering everywhere in the world? What type of test is that which is never ending? People are losing their lives day and night and then there is this test which never ends Their world ends but the test does not! Maybe one of the reasons people are turning into atheists?
Monk I cant argue with the examples you quoted. The blind faith has to be there to believe in all this but then again, every religious book needs to be studied with blind faith no?
Except this part “if you want logic and answers, religion is not the place for it” I agree with every word you said. My disagreement could be my blind faith maybe…but I like the flower you put it there
You know you don’t know the absolute purpose and meaning of things and events that happen around us. They understood subjectively. It could explain one aspect but mother child analogy is not the perfect example to understand the complete relation between God and Human. When I was sent to school in childhood, I thought my parents are the most cruel human beings that they sending me to such a “horror” place. Today I realize the benefit of going school. It may sound odd to you if I ask you to compare sending to school for test and sending to earth for test. But since it is subjective so if you ask me about my feeling of my childhood I would say it was most difficult thing to leave home. For never ending test, time is again subjective. My childhood schooling was of 6 years, human life on average is around 70 years, goat’s life 10 year. Now even if you are vegetarian, what gives you right to kill a plant to take as food? they smile, can smell and sense colors. So if you think “rationale” of all these things, you would end up taking everything around you unjust.
True.
But please pay attention.
Unlike other books, With quran we have luxury to ponder, it ask us to pay attention.
It ask us to think over and over and over and more…
It puts down its argument clearly … it tells if the argument was wrong you would find different results.. etc .. its a huge thing to just over look…
If one group over look and other appreciate it we will arrive on different conclusions.
About the suffer part.. which seems to bother you a lot. Well wars bother(ed) me so much that I thought human beings were all mad.(seriously)
Two important point one only for you:
“And [recall] when We saved your forefathers from the people of Pharaoh, who afflicted you with the worst torment, slaughtering your [newborn] sons and keeping your females alive. And in that was a great trial from your Lord.”
God did not say.. his system broke down and he could not save them!
Second for point:
when humanity had to make a start on earth God said to them.
"And We said, “Go down, [all of you], as enemies to one another, and you will have upon the earth a place of settlement and provision for a time.”
So its by design. There are jahil nations and there are extremely educated ones… but they all KILL!!!
There are 60million men women children were killed since UN was created(or in last century)
There were 26 days when there was no armed conflict on earth…since then..
PS: in same passage it hints about people’s anti evil tendencies too. (so no need to be too sad)
PS2: A teacher who give you final exam is not your enemy. God gives test and rewards. The idea we only deserve rewards is Christian idea… Way our brains work is.. Some one mentions it… and muslims start defending it… when its not their teachings.
can you list some of your actions you are NOT accountable for and your actions that you consider yourself accountable for?
and by accountability I also mean consequential outcome as well
BigdaNawab first of all I am not He! Secondly stop accusing! Nobody is forcing you to give your input, if you dislike something, dont comment. Thank you
