IsmailaGodHasHeard
Well-Known Member
I am just curious.
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Do Muslims believe that God loves them?
- Thread starter IsmailaGodHasHeard
- Start date
Elm Nehmara
Currently Muslim
I would say yes.
IsmailaGodHasHeard
Well-Known Member
That is good that you guys believe that God loves you.
tariqkhwaja
Jihad Against Terrorism
There are two types of love that God has for human beings.
Ar Rahmaan: is the type of love that refers to compassion that one has regardless of the other's attitude. So, for example, God has given us life, sun, moon, etc. and all human beings regardless of their religious affiliations and even those who hate God and actively work against the concept of God benefit from these favors. So in that sense God loves everyone.
Ar Raheem: is the attribute of God from which only those benefit who strive in Allah's cause and work towards His nearness and pray to that effect. So such people benefit from Allah favors. And although Allah's favors are far greater than any effort on a human's part but still it must be said that the favors of Allah originating from Ar Raheem involve some sort of effort on the part of a human being. So in the spiritual world only those benefit from these favors who make some effort towards attaining the path of truth and walking on it.
Being a Muslim DOES NOT guarantee this. In fact no human can know which individual is or is not on the straight path. Only God knows that information. So for any Muslim to think God loves him/her is quite big of him/her unless God explicitly tells them as such.
Al-Hujurat Chapter 49 : Verse 15
The Arabs of the desert say, ‘We believe.’ Say, “You have not believed yet; but rather say, ‘We have accepted Islam,’ for the true belief has not yet entered into your hearts.” But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not detract anything from your deeds Surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.
Ar Rahmaan: is the type of love that refers to compassion that one has regardless of the other's attitude. So, for example, God has given us life, sun, moon, etc. and all human beings regardless of their religious affiliations and even those who hate God and actively work against the concept of God benefit from these favors. So in that sense God loves everyone.
Ar Raheem: is the attribute of God from which only those benefit who strive in Allah's cause and work towards His nearness and pray to that effect. So such people benefit from Allah favors. And although Allah's favors are far greater than any effort on a human's part but still it must be said that the favors of Allah originating from Ar Raheem involve some sort of effort on the part of a human being. So in the spiritual world only those benefit from these favors who make some effort towards attaining the path of truth and walking on it.
Being a Muslim DOES NOT guarantee this. In fact no human can know which individual is or is not on the straight path. Only God knows that information. So for any Muslim to think God loves him/her is quite big of him/her unless God explicitly tells them as such.
Al-Hujurat Chapter 49 : Verse 15
The Arabs of the desert say, ‘We believe.’ Say, “You have not believed yet; but rather say, ‘We have accepted Islam,’ for the true belief has not yet entered into your hearts.” But if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not detract anything from your deeds Surely, Allah is Most Forgiving, Merciful.
A-ManESL
Well-Known Member
Some verses/hadith I wanted to share:
He loves them and they love Him.-Quran 5:54
To God belong the most beautiful Names.-Quran 7:180
God, ever mighty and majestic is He, says:
"O child of Adam, it is thy right from Me that I be a lover for thee. So, by My right from thee, be for Me a lover." -Hadith
God is beautiful and He loves beauty.- Hadith
The intelligent are the turning point of the protractor of existence,
But love knows that they are confounded in this circle.-Hafiz, Diwan
He loves them and they love Him.-Quran 5:54
To God belong the most beautiful Names.-Quran 7:180
God, ever mighty and majestic is He, says:
"O child of Adam, it is thy right from Me that I be a lover for thee. So, by My right from thee, be for Me a lover." -Hadith
God is beautiful and He loves beauty.- Hadith
The intelligent are the turning point of the protractor of existence,
But love knows that they are confounded in this circle.-Hafiz, Diwan
GURSIKH
chardi kla
i was just reading Quran ,
i felt " Fear" of Allah is mentioned more frequently than "love" ,
The Holy Quran - Yusuf Ali Translation
i felt " Fear" of Allah is mentioned more frequently than "love" ,
The Holy Quran - Yusuf Ali Translation
A-ManESL
Well-Known Member
It is because of the context. The social and cultural climate of 7th C Arabia was of semi-barbaric kind and verses of these kind were probably emphasized because they had more impact on them. It is important to note that any revelation (or divine message/link with God) is always within the context and language of the society that it appears in. Beyond the outward expression of these verses however you will find universal meanings(fear of God in a human being is really a call to the human being to take the Absolute Reality seriously; it is couched in the language of 7th C Arabia).
The Quran itself comments upon this in verse 14:4 saying,
"And we never sent a messenger save the language of his folk".
In other words all of God's messengers (people who spread God's message) always spoke in the language of the people they were in (i.e. related to them in the way that was relevant and proper to that society).
Regards
The Quran itself comments upon this in verse 14:4 saying,
"And we never sent a messenger save the language of his folk".
In other words all of God's messengers (people who spread God's message) always spoke in the language of the people they were in (i.e. related to them in the way that was relevant and proper to that society).
Regards
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tariqkhwaja
Jihad Against Terrorism
Just a couple of points. True that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sent to Arabia but let it be no mistake that he was a Prophet and Messenger sent to all mankind.
Secondly, the word "Taqwa" oft mentioned and translated as "Fear of God" also means the fear of losing God's love and in fact fundamentally refers to honesty. That is what is expected by God of all human beings and really, it is those who make their honest judgement based on the fear of losing Allah's love ... those are the ones who would find the truth.
Definition by Lane:
http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000346.pdf
http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000347.pdf
"God loves you" is a very general statement. I like to get into the details.
Yes if they are good. It revolved around good and bad. God loves good for people generally.
However, in Islam, a believer is to between fear and hope. Just like you'd fear getting an F in an exam, but hope to pass. Yes God loves good for you but thats not an open invitation to sinning etc. Or any statements about "God loves you" , as love is always connected to beliefs and actions. So one is to be between fear and hope.
Thats why you find verses that say "Allah loves not the proud and the boastful"
But also says "And He is the Forgiving and Loving"
"Say: O My slaves (mankind) who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgives all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful..." (39:53-58).
Yes if they are good. It revolved around good and bad. God loves good for people generally.
However, in Islam, a believer is to between fear and hope. Just like you'd fear getting an F in an exam, but hope to pass. Yes God loves good for you but thats not an open invitation to sinning etc. Or any statements about "God loves you" , as love is always connected to beliefs and actions. So one is to be between fear and hope.
Thats why you find verses that say "Allah loves not the proud and the boastful"
But also says "And He is the Forgiving and Loving"
"Say: O My slaves (mankind) who have been prodigal to their own hurt! Despair not of the mercy of Allah, Who forgives all sins. Lo! He is the Forgiving, the Merciful..." (39:53-58).
GURSIKH
chardi kla
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tariqkhwaja
Jihad Against Terrorism
Because it is the reality. We should worship Allah. He is our Master and we should accept Him and submit to Him. Islam means submission to the One True God.Why Allah call us Slave ,Servants ?
But yes He definitely does not treat us like slaves. He gives us freedom of choice and countless other blessings and rewards us way beyond our comprehension.
GURSIKH
chardi kla
ok , but way these are mentioned , seems bit harsh to me
In English sometimes the word has certain connotations that dont exist in Arabic. Now especially, when one says "slave" the mental image you get is chains and whips and picking cotton in fields. We dont have such connetations. In Arabia when slaves were freed decades ago, some decided to stay at the homes of their owners because they were practically like family.
ِAlso, the very word "abd" (slave) comes from humility and obedience. When a road is paved and becomes smooth, the word is used also to describe that, meaning theres no stones or anything that would hold someone back. So its like saying the road became smooth/obedient. (its hard to translate but hope this makes sense)
That said, its still different. Slavery to God, is highness, nobleness, and honor. Slavery to any human being whoever it is, is the opposite.
Even the prophet peace be upon him said "Do not overpraise me like the Christians overpraised Jesus the son of Mary, for I am the slave of Allah and His messenger.
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Peace
Quran & Sunnah
GURSIKH
chardi kla
hi Muslim
,"i am your slave " represent humility of Speaker .
"O my Slave/Servant " shows arrogance of Speaker , we find same in that Quranic verse
Calling others Slave / servant is harsh , As per Sikhi GOD never never speaks harshly .
Raag Soohee, Fifth Mehl, Chhant:
One Universal Creator . By The Grace Of The True Guru:
My Dear Lord and Master, my Friend, speaks so sweetly.
I have grown weary of testing Him, but still, He never speaks harshly to me.
He does not know any bitter words; the Perfect Lord God does not even consider my faults and demerits.
It is the Lord's natural way to purify sinners; He does not overlook even an iota of service.
He dwells in each and every heart, pervading everywhere; He is the nearest of the near.
Slave Nanak seeks His Sanctuary forever; the Lord is my Ambrosial Friend. ||1||( Guru Granth Sahib )
hi Muslim
"i am your slave " represent humility of Speaker .
"O my Slave/Servant " shows arrogance of Speaker , we find same in that Quranic verse
Calling others Slave / servant is harsh , As per Sikhi GOD never never speaks harshly .
First of all, if somebody says "My God says we're the best humans, and we're so great etc etc" This is marketing and playing peoples ego, and has nothing to do with truth.
Sikh God vs Jewish God vs Muslim God, this all has no real meaning. God is God, the Creator of the Universe. We might differ in description and understanding of attributes etc, but we don't differ in the idea that God is the Creator of the Universe and the almighty etc. Beyond this, talking about "My God vs your God" doesn't really make sense and has no real content, unless if one calls a chair his God (just an example), then this is a different topic.
As for comparing human concepts to Godly ones. "So do not assert similarities to Allah . Indeed, Allah knows and you do not know." (Qur'aan 16:74)
But still, lets assume He did decide to be harsh (harsh is relative, so its really only what you perceive as harsh) ,once we acknowledge God, who are we to say no? "Be nice to me or I will not worship You" is arrogant. Of course, all this is hypothetical. As God is the most merciful and this isnt about harshness, because harshness is about things God would do. So when speaking about harshness in the way of talking to you, this is about human ego.
Humans are literally nothing next to God, aside from whatever status and honor He decided to give us.
Anyhow, the word actually used is Abd. This is why some translate it into servant, others into slave, but the original meaning is the one I explained in the reply before this one. I will add to the meaning something very important I forgot to mention, which is that Abd is where the word Ibadah (worship) comes from, this is why "servitude" is translated to Uboodiyyah, which can mean human servitude (slavery), or worship of God. In Arabic it can be (and is, in this case) a combination of the two. If it were merely "my slaves" then the Arabic word would have been "Abeedi", if it were merely "worshipers" it would have been Ubbadi, but you find the verses using "ibaadi" which is has both meanings"
People take pride in it and name themselves "Abd Allah, Abd Al Azeez, Abd Al Ghafoor, AbdulRahman " etc because there is no shame associated with it. If there were shame, could one mock the other and say hes a slave/servant of God? Nobody can. The only one who might do so is Satan by playing ones ego.
So when theres a verse that says "Oh my slaves" then says despair not the mercy of Allah, it also contains the meaning of worship. and is normally connected to mercy of God etc and other similar ideas in many verses, not just the one you selectively mentioned due to its effect on the ego of some. "Say: 'O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves ! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, verily Allah forgives all"
The difference between our approach and the one you mention, is that ours revolves around God and respect for Him, while the one you mention, revolves around ones self, and a persons ego, even when talking about God.
When talking about Truth, we hear, and we obey. No room for ego. There is no place for "marketing" of "My God vs your God" when its at the cost of total submission to God. We submit to God, and take pride in it, and have no problem. If others take pride in raising their status relative to God by how they are addressed, we take pride in accepting total submission to God, and that, is what we believe truly raises our status, and gives us honor.
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Very well said brother :clap
Jazaka Allah khayran
Jazak Allah khair sister. Also thanks for the welcome messege. Sorry I couldn't reply... I think new members cant reply until after a certain period of time or something.
A-ManESL
Well-Known Member
A great thought. Reminds me of what Gurunanak said,
On an occasion Guru Nanak exhorted a Muslim congregation to follow the Quran (he referred to as the holy script) do righteous action, truthfulness, earn lawfully etc. If you can grab hold of the book "The great humanist Guru Nanak" by Singh, I recommend you read it.
Regards
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