IslamiCity.org Homepage
Forum Home Forum Home > Religion - Islam > Islam for non-Muslims
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - How I understand God  What is Islam What is Islam  Donate Donate
  FAQ FAQ  Quran Search Quran Search  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

How I understand God

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Message
jonlondon View Drop Down
Starter
Starter
Avatar
Male
Joined: 04 August 2011
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 6
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonlondon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: How I understand God
    Posted: 07 August 2011 at 4:36am
I am part way to finding islam after living for mny years as agnostic. This is what I have taken fromreading the Quran - would you agree this is inline with Islamic thinking? Thanks


God is what defines good from bad, right from wrong, joy�from sadness pleasure from suffering and a a clear concience from guilt.
Not the cause but the embodiment of these things, the enabler and the result of good deeds. The pleasure gained from beauty and the wonder that only the most natural can deliver. He is unquestionable, witnessed by everyone - it is up to them to recognise this. He is the cause and the consequense of these things, the option to act justly and charitably and the inevitable result of those actions. He should not be disguised or misguided by elaborations or fabrications these only distract attention from his simplicity. He is not an idol to worship but an existence that should be accepted and invited into ones self. He is everywhere by definition, all knowing and seeing, actions cannot be hidden from him because all actions have effects. His power is infinite because there is no limit to what is good. He exists in your consciousness, in the consciousness of others and in the past and the potential. He is the smallest thought in a single mind and united in the combined conciense of every living creature.

True happiness and contentment is achieved from within, by maintaining awareness of these things and keeping them at the forefront of the mind. All decisions should be made with the best of intentions, any other decisions may linger and haunt the soul whether now or as the last thought to pass through your mind. Take actions that inspire pride so that you are remembered for the positive reasons and that others after you may benefit from your caring behaviour. Good deeds will reciprocate and earlier sacrifices will be repaid with things far more valuable. �Value your neighbours emotions before your own and your actions will guide you to happiness and steer you away from shame. Do not have expectations - they will inevitably be let down, instead be thankful and appreciative for what life has brought you. Do not ask for intervention but maintain hope and remain best prepared to accept good things with gratitude.�

Heaven and hell exist in this life, whether an afterlife exists is irrelevant. The actions you take in this life will lead you to torment or contentment. Only by maintaining a clear concience can peace be found. Those who are not aware of what is right can never find joy in what they do, they are destined for an unfulfilling life and could never experience the rewards of good deeds. You do not need to take actions based on what is required in the next life. Act according to what you understand to be right and just and you will enjoy the rewards in this life. Use this life as an opportunity to establish and maintain a soul that is �selfless and good. Ensure that you, along with others, feel satisfaction from your actions and can find contentment in belief that these actions were good. This will bring you peace.
Back to Top
isra_om2008 View Drop Down
Starter
Starter
Avatar

Joined: 08 August 2011
Status: Offline
Points: 2
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote isra_om2008 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 August 2011 at 10:52am
Allah means the perfection in every thing
Back to Top
isra_om2008 View Drop Down
Starter
Starter
Avatar

Joined: 08 August 2011
Status: Offline
Points: 2
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote isra_om2008 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 August 2011 at 10:54am
i would like to have ur email to discuss many Islamic issue
Back to Top
aatif View Drop Down
Starter
Starter
Avatar
Male
Joined: 08 August 2011
Location: India
Status: Offline
Points: 2
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aatif Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 August 2011 at 2:31pm
May peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.
I am a Muslim and am happy to see that you have tried to understand Islam by reading the Quran. Brother most of the things you mentioned are inline with Islamic thinking.
you said "Heaven and hell exist in this life, whether an afterlife exists is irrelevant." Brother the only thing relevant is the afterlife. We are muslims only because we desire the best of the afterlife. We will be held accountable in the afterlife on the day of judgement for our every action in this world.�Every one shall taste death�. The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception (a deceiving thing)� (Quran)(3:185)
you also said "Act according to what you understand to be right and just"
Brother only Quran can teach you what is right because human interpretation of things can sometimes be misleading. Allah never wants you to interpret things incorrectly. That is why he revealed for all mankind The Quran which is light and guidance. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said :Allah has stretched a rope from heaven to earth and this rope is the Quran and if you hold onto it, You will never be misguided.
Brother, the rest of the things you mentioned I believe are mostly inline with islamic thinking. If you have any other questions feel free to ask them.
I have a question for you also. I want to know what made you to live a life of an agnostic and now how you have come near to Islam?
Back to Top
jonlondon View Drop Down
Starter
Starter
Avatar
Male
Joined: 04 August 2011
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 6
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonlondon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 August 2011 at 5:39am
Thank you all for your time to answer my post.

The reason that I beleive that an afterlife is not as relevant as you suggest is this : consider that it was not the case, that when you die, nothing were to happen, would you then life a life less noble? I would like to think not. I can see my effects on others in this life and would still want to live my life on the right path. To consider you are only doing these good things for your own sake sounds somewhat selfish and takes away from the good deeds that you are actually doing. Please understand that I mean no offence by saying this and am in no way accusing anyone of selfishness, Islam is clearly far from that and i have huge respect for it. But I have also lived a good life as an agnostic as I did not need the motivation of an afterlife to act in a just and caring way.

In regards to questioning, you are right that what is written should be adhered to completely. But surely questioning and doing your best to understand the reasons will help you to become a better person and interpret the lessons for other situations. Without understanding the underlying message are you not more likely to make mistakes?

Back to Top
Hayfa View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior  Member
Avatar
Female
Joined: 07 June 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 2368
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hayfa Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 August 2011 at 12:30pm
For we Muslims we are aware we are just passing through this world-Dunya- back to our Creator. The afterlife is what is important...

Aatif: he has another post in this section about how he came to be reading the Quran..
When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. Rumi
Back to Top
mrs shadab View Drop Down
Groupie
Groupie


Joined: 16 July 2011
Status: Offline
Points: 57
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote mrs shadab Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 August 2011 at 5:16am
brother her we living nor for  only our life sake,,but its the rewards that is kept hidden from us by our GOD ALLAH SWT,,life here after is more important than this this for every muslim,cause we r sent here for our judgment,,who i s good and who is not good ,, who fulfillsALLAH commants n who just live his own life according to his mind sets n according to his wishes and according to  his pleasure  n happiness,,ALLAH SWT isour creator and knows each n evry thing about us,,what we wanna do ,what we dont ,what will happen to us and what not ,, all is already written by ALLAH SWT for us,,n all we r doing  is according to that written in lohe mahfooz,,but wer human beings and ALLAH SWT has given us wisdom that what we have to choose for us ,, what is good for us n what is bad for us,, which  thing is gona make our LORD UN HAPPY,n which thing is gonna make our CREATOR   happy ,every thing belongs to ALLAH,,we cant even take asingle breathe with out  HIS  permission.ALLAH swt  has already design a great life style for us,,n this is all n quran  and in the life of our beloved prophet pbuh,, we just have to understand and fulfill these comanments by obeying them all..
Back to Top
aatif View Drop Down
Starter
Starter
Avatar
Male
Joined: 08 August 2011
Location: India
Status: Offline
Points: 2
Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote aatif Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 August 2011 at 3:21am
brother . lets take the example you mentioned where there is no afterlife.
would one lead a less noble life?? But one question which arises out of this is how would you know what is noble and whats not? Do you think that mankind came to know about good and evil just by its own experiences? The answer is NO. Religion was always there since the beginning  of mankind.
I agree some may do good deeds for their own sake and this makes them selfish. But there are those in the world who do really care. one may call the other selfish , greedy or pious but what one really is , only ALLAH knows that. He knows all the secrets of out hearts. It is He who will judge us. Dont you see that this is why this life is a test. You have lived a good life as an agnostic and u didnt need motivation to act in a caring way. You think you have done so by your own will and you have not been motivated. well i would have to say thats wrong . You see the environment which one lives in also has a huge role to play in this. Since childhood you like everyone else must have been taught by the parents about good and evil and you must have had experiences in your own life while growing up. There are billions of people who believe in God and the agnostics and atheists are all surrounded by them. Dont you see that as much as they have denied God they still live by following some if not all the principles of a religion. Consider  from the very beginning    there were only atheists and there was no heavenly law on earth, what would have stopped us from lying, stealing, drinking , adultery etc. people would have even committed adultery  with their mothers and sisters (i am sorry for saying this) I mean what would stop them from doing so? in their minds they would have been answerable to no one and no one could ever tell them that this is forbidden.  
I am sorry again if i have gone too far but i thought that this is the best way it could be explained. feel free to ask questions again brother because like you mentioned it would help one to interpret things more correctly.

Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
  Share Topic   

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Forum Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 12.03
Copyright ©2001-2019 Web Wiz Ltd.