Quran surah 1 verses 3 to 7:
“Most Gracious, Most Merciful; 001.003
Master of the Day of Judgment. 001.004
You do we serve, and Your aid we seek. 001.005
Show us the straight way, 001.006
The way of those on whom have bestowed your Grace, those whose
(portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray”. 001.007
The above is part of the surah called “Fathiha” which every Muslim recites every time he prays five times a day
He says that he serves God and asks God to show him the straight Way.
Does he serve any other than God – for example, his ego, vested interests, leaders, clergy, etc?
Does he try to find out what is the straight way? If he prays 5 times a day for a year, he would have asked God to show him the straight way 17 x 365 = 6,205 times!!!
Having asked 6,205 times in a year, does he make an effort to find the Way? If he does not, is he not taking God in jest?
Learning.
of God and Religion,
ReplyDeleteGod is always with us, is he not? Even until the end of time, is he not? Yet God will not impose His will on us, ever.
Has God choose our highest good for us? But above that, God choose our Will for us? God gave us free will? Is that true? If that is true, wouldnt that be the surest measure of love?
The proposition is: Would it be true that religions could not exist if the whole human race understood that God doesnt have preferences, because a religion purports to be a statement of God's preferences?
God has never made the statement that one person or one religion is more special to HIM than any other. Yet, in order to justify our human fears, we have imagined a God who acts like us? Is this true? Could it be really true?
Is that why we speak of God's "promise" to his "chosen people" and of covenants between God and those God loves, in a special way?
Could it be true, i ask, that we cannot stand the thought of a God who loves no one in a way which is more special than any other, and so we create fictions about a God who only loves certain people for certain reasons?
And is it possible, just a little but possible we call these fictions Religions? Wouldnt it rather be called Blasphemies?
For any thought that God loves one more than another is false, isnt it? I hope so. And any rituals which asks us to make the same statement is not a sacrement, but a sacrilege?
selamat berpuasa bro.
Bulan of Puteras
anoynymous, r u a prophet? u sound like one.
ReplyDeleteYes God nearer to us than the veins in our neck (Quran 52:16). This maybe gives u an idea what God is. No God will never impose His will on us. Quran 2:256 says 'there is no compulsion in your way of life'
'Will' is not the best word. In-sya, ya-sya, ma-sya refers to 'the way it is set'. God's 'Will' should actually be 'the way God has set something'. I think it is quite different from 'Will'. The word 'will' conjures up notions of closing your eyes and wishing something then kazoom! it is - ala David Copperfield.
'Kun Fa Ya Kun' is not a David Copperfield thing. It is a product of Intelligence.
I say that you have hit upon the truth. 'Religions' have no place at the sight of God. God only accepts our obedience, obeisance, submission, willingness (aka 'islam' in arabic) to follow a Way (Syariah in Arabic, Tao in Chinese).
The Quran says 'We have prescribed for you a Way (Syariah in arabic, Tao in Chinese). Sorry cant give u the reference just now.
Yes any ritual that seeks to say that God loves one more than another is false, a sacrilege. Worse it cannot be from God. It has to be from that other fellow.
anonymous,
ReplyDeletewhat i mean was God's Will is to give man Free Will, to decide and to think himself what is the correct path to take, that is the concept of Free Will, as in to do anything we please. Not "willing" or "wishing" something ala David Copperfield.
also i am not a prophet, just one soul.
Bulan of Puteras
Anon,
ReplyDeleteMy feeling is that 'God's will' ala David Copperfield has been the overarching and dominant idea in most 'religions' esp. Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism (karma or fate). Esp the Christians. Following from the centuries of such indoctrination today we continue to think in terms of God's will, free will etc.
To me this question should never arise. We dont will anything, free or otherwise. Neither does God. We just do, and so does God.
If we step off a cliff, both God and we will know it will be fatal. What if we hold our cell phones close to our brains and talk on it for years? Do we get tumours? We (the whole) may not know the results of that yet. But God will know. So will our brain cells (ie whether they are healthy or being diseased by the cell phone)
What then is God in practical terms? I think we may have to ponder this question.
to both anonymous,
ReplyDeletei will like to seek further clarification on the WILL. i think what i meant and what was perceived is not entirely accurate, maybe the world WILL is not the best choice of words.
Coming back, what i meant was, God gave us the freedom to make our own choices (replacing WILL)with regards to everything we do. we always have choices or options, so the term "i had no choice but to..." is irrelevant.
we chose the decision on that point in time that was best for us.
i hope i have clarified the term WILL.
on why God gave us the freedom to chose and then he takes it way will be coming in the next chapter.
adious and may peace be on earth.
bulan of puteras.
Friends, friends,
ReplyDeleteIf you have to post as anonymous, can you please, please find a nickname and post it using your nickname. It helps disucssions..intead of us getting confused which anonymous said what!
Thanks.
bulan of puteraas,
ReplyDeleteYou wrote : "on why God gave us the freedom to chose and then he takes it way will be coming in the next chapter".
I am eagerly waiting.
jabar,
ReplyDeleteaihoy...so much pressure...
bulan of puteras