Age wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:47 pm
If 'islam' means
peace, and, 'muslim' means
follower of islam/peace, (which I say they do) then EVERY one is born a 'muslim', and naturally embraces/wants peace.
That is correct indeed. In Islam, the belief is that every child is born as a Muslim. When someone embraces Islam, we say that he/she is reverting back to this natural state in which he/she was born into. This natural disposition to follow Islam in every newborn child is known in Arabic as the ''fitrah''. Some Muslims say that the correct technical term to qualify someone embracing Islam would be reversion instead of conversion.
____________________________________
Age wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:47 pm
Averroes wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 12:43 pm
Age wrote:
By the way, what is a so called "good death" to you?
Dying as a Muslim in a state/condition that is pleasing to Allah, the Almighty. For example, like the death of prophet David(pbuh). When the Angel of Death came to Prophet David(pbuh), the latter welcomed him, and was ready to die on the spot. Or like the future death of Angel Gabriel (pbuh), who will die in prostration to Allah, the Almighty. These are the deaths that I aspire to, and I always ask Allah, the Most Merciful in my prayers for a good death and not a shameful return.
You may now be asking, what is a shameful return for me? If that be so, then examples of shameful deaths in my judgement are: the death of Pharaoh, the death of Nimrod, and the future death of Satan, the cursed, among others. And I ask Allah, the Almighty to preserve me, the Muslims and my loved ones from such deaths.
Why do you separate, and select, only some human beings to be preserved?
This is a very good question, thank you for asking that.
In Islam, I am forbidden by my Lord, the Almighty from imposing Islam on anyone, as Allah says in the following verse in the Holy Quran that there is no compulsion in religion:
- There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Taghut (the Rebel, the Satan) and believes in Allah, then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And Allah is All-Hearer, All-Knower. [Quran, interpretation of meaning 2:256]
That also means that I cannot impose what I consider to be good and bad on other people who do not share in my faith. For example, as I already said, I consider the conditions in which Pharaoh and Nimrod died to be shameful, but not everyone will share my point of view. So for the latter people, I cannot impose on them my belief of what I consider to be shameful by asking for them to be preserved from something they might not consider bad! For example, some people might consider the destiny of Pharaoh to be good, thus if I were to ask for them to be preserved from the shameful death of Pharaoh, then I would be imposing my beliefs on them. Another example as I already said is the future death of Satan, the cursed which I consider to be utterly shameful and disgraceful. You must already know that there are many people nowadays who, in the exercise of their freedom of conscience, are openly worshiping Satan, the cursed. For these people, I am forbidden to go against their freedom of conscience by imposing on them to be preserved from the destiny of their chosen false god. As a last example, as I said, I consider the future death of Angel Gabriel to be a great death. Angel Gabriel(pbuh) will die in prostration to Allah, the Almighty. There are many people who do not want to worship and prostrate to Allah, the Almighty. So for these people I cannot impose on them something that they are continually refusing to do by asking for them what I consider to be a good death. Would you want me to impose my beliefs on you? Not many people would want that. But in any case, I can't do that, even if you wanted me to. I can only humbly advise. I hope these clarifications answer your pertinent question.
_____________________________________
Age wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:47 pm
Is 'your' Allah the exact same as "christians" God
Again this is a very good and pertinent question. Thank you for asking that. For me to be able to answer your question correctly, it is important for us to first consider that Christianity is not a monolithic religion. All those who call themselves Christians do not worship the same deity. There are Christians who consider Prophet Jesus (Pbuh) to be God and others who do not. For example, Trinitarian Christians worship Jesus(pbuh) as God while Unitarian Christians do not consider Jesus to be God, but consider him to be only a human messenger of God.
In Islam, Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is considered to be a human messenger of God, the Almighty. In Islam, only God, the Almighty should be worshiped and no one else. Worshiping other than God, the Almighty is considered the greatest sin in Islam. So for those Christians who worship only God, the Almighty and no one else, then we worship the same God. But for those Christians who worship Prophet Jesus or the Trinity or whatever else besides God, then we do not worship the same deity.
______________________________________
Age wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:47 pm
Have you or "christians" never considered that Allah/God does NOT care one iota about any one of 'you' over another one?
With all due respect to you, thinking that Allah, the Most Merciful does not care about us is not part of my belief. Allah, the Almighty created us, and provides for us our sustenance and Allah forgives us when we sincerely ask for His forgiveness. It is because Allah, the Almighty cares for us that Allah has favored us with so much blessings that we cannot even count these blessings.
Moreover, Allah, the Most Merciful says in Quran that those who are most righteous have a higher status in His sight.
- O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. [Quran, interpretation of meaning, 49:13]
Please, I do not want to offend anyone by replying in their place. So I will have to decline answering for the Christian part of your question. Please, see no disrespect to you or anyone in that reservation.
___________________________________
Age wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:47 pm
Have any of you ever thought that God loves and cares for ALL of 'you' in the exact same way, shape, and form, no matter what anyone of you assumes or believes?
Again, I do not believe that. Allah, the All-Knowing says in the Quran in chapter 4 verse 107 that He does not love one who is an habitually sinful deceiver. For example, Satan, the cursed who is an habitual sinful deceiver is completely removed from the mercy of Allah, the Almighty.
__________________________________
Age wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:47 pm
I thank you also, for at least trying to answer my questions. Most do not even notice them, or will not even consider them when reading them, let alone even trying to answer them.
You are most welcomed. I try to do my best but as I told you I am not a scholar. So I ask for your understanding for any shortcomings in my answers.
________________________________
Age wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 3:47 pm
By the way, I had no wish to "embrace" islam,
Thank you for the clarification. In case you change your mind in the future, I hope that the information I presented here will be of help to you or at least give a sense of direction of how to proceed.
And if someone else reading this had a similar query, then I hope that you have benefited.
I thank you for taking the time to inquire about Islam.
Have a nice day forum members.