Re: Islam as a last religion on earth
Peace Psyah,
Actually I don't think we agree that much, as you'll see...
I agree that our emotions have to be governed by intellect, but the first step is to get rid of them. If someone hits us, our reaction is to hit back in anger. Instead of giving in to our anger, we can take a deep breath and first THINK, then we can use that anger to do something that we want to do. So it is the case of the emotion of anger submitting to us rather than us submitting to it.
Peace Kid A
If we get rid of our emotions then they cannot be governed. You can't agree with me and then make a statement that destroys the premise of that agreement. When I said that I agree with you, I did not mean that our intents are aligned. Of course you have no idea what it means to have the emotion govern the intellect. If you did know then you would not disagree with me. In your statement about how we are supposed to control our anger ... well that is exactly what I mean. So hopefully we are in agreement ... you can disagree with me here if you wanted to, but it would not be logical to do so.
That is how I interpret the story of Adam and Iblees where Iblees refused to bow down. Adam is us, and the hidden beings (jinn) are our emotions. They are supposed to submit to us. When they do, we can use them for good. When they don't, they become destructive. The quran likens them to fire...if we have fire as a controlled flame, we can use it, but if it grows out of control, it becomes harmful.
funny you sound very much like someone I once knew ...
Muslims are obliged to believe in the reality of Jinn. They are not part of us as none of the references to Jinn say that they are part of us. How would the prophet Muhammad (SAW) be an emissary to Jinn if you are right about them being metaphors for our own emotions? Have you heard of Surah Jinn? Have you been to Masjid Jinn near Makkah? We are also obliged to believe in the reality of the Fire.
Islam to me is not the way either. It is just a description of a particular state of being. It does not encompass anything other than the state of peacefulness as I described.
Have you read the verse in the Qur'an that calls the Deen (The Way) Islam?
Also, I don't know how you can be emotionally attached to god. but we certainly can't be emotionally attached to the messenger. That's wrong. We should believe in the message, not the messenger. Who says something is not important. What's important is what is said. Even liars can sometimes tell the truth, and even the best, most knowledgeble of us all can make mistakes.
By Loving God we can be emotionally attached to Him. Don't you love God more than anything Kid A? Don't you love Muhammad (SAW) more than anyone Kid A? If you didn't then you that it a dangerous position to be in.
I don't know if I believe in a physical heaven and hell. People beleive that Adam was in heaven, but he wasn't. Adam was a human on earth, and he represents us. Satan tempts him with immortality. If he were in heaven, he would not be tempted by anything let alone immortality because he would get whatever he wanted, and people live forever in heaven. So he had to be on earth. And I believe that heaven and hell are mental states that are experienced on earth. We can go in and out of these states depending on what we think and believe. There is no judgement day. And maybe there is an afterlife but I really can't say if it exists or what it will be like (since no one has come back from the dead).
He Adam (AS) was in heaven according to legacies. The reality of Heaven and Hell is part of the Muslim aqeedah ... we can't be Muslims without that belief. Why can someone not be tempted in Heaven in a time prior to this world? Satan tempts Adam(AS) and he (AS) fell into the trap. Then Satan, Man and Women fell and were sent to Earth. People don't live forever in heaven if Allah (SWT) does not want it.
Coming back from the dead is another requirement to be called a Muslim.
We are required by the Muslim 'aqeedah to believe in Judgement Day and the Qur'an is full of description of the Afterlife so we can truly say what it will be like ... have you actually read the Qur'an with meaning Kid A ... I seriously recommend doing that before coming to a discussion like this.