I was in the midst of the suicide bombing attacks on the London tube on July 7th 2005 and these people were ALL Muslims NONE of the were Christians Jews Hindus or Jedi (as I am )

I dont if you were anywhere close to london or know anything about the london bombing. Because if you did, then you'll also know that Muslims happened to be among the victims of that event.

4:89 They long that ye should disbelieve even as they disbelieve, that ye may be upon a level (with them). So choose not friends from them till they forsake their homes in the way of Allah; if they turn back (to enmity) then take them and kill them wherever ye find them, and choose no friend nor helper from among them

Please read the verse again and understand it. This is talking about a precise moment during the time of prophet muhammed. The quran was not revealed in one go. It was revealed to prophet Muhammed at a specific time and due to a specific reason. This verse talks about those who disbelieved and made the lives of muslims difficult, torturing, killing them and taking their property. They wanted Muslims to turn back to idol worship instead of worshipping only One God.

4:76 Those who believe do battle for the cause of Allah; and those who disbelieve do battle for the cause of idols. So fight the minions of the devil. Lo! the devil's strategy is ever weak.

Same as above. As you can see, idol worship and not the people of the book is what is being refered to. The people of the book are Christians and Jews.

5:33 The only reward of those who make war upon Allah and His messenger and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be killed or crucified, or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land. Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom; (Anyone who resist Islam is deemed to be making war with Allah)

The statement in brackets are your own or a comment made by someone trying to press a point which is just bogus. Read the first verse. Those who figh Allah, will fight not HIM directly but the believers hence as a believer, you have the right to defend yourself. This is not "turn the other cheek" sort of justice. I and certainly any person with reasonble common sense will defend themselves when physically abused. There's no compulsion in religion. Why is it that Islam is the fastest going religion in the world? Look at the U.S., why are they converting en-masse? because american muslims have daggers underneath their throats or sending them mail bombs? no. Unlike many, they buy the quran, read it and understand it.

5:72 They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. The Messiah (himself) said: O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord. Lo! whoso ascribeth partners unto Allah, for him Allah hath forbidden paradise. His abode is the Fire. For evil-doers there will be no helpers.

Whats your point?

good to know that. You are right, there's no justification to killing people and tormenting other religions because of some act that happened far away. Besides that, God will protect his messenger and save him from any embarrassment.

But you should also understand that your feelings are deliberately being controlled by other non-muslims. Allow me to explain. How often do you see pictures of refugee camps in gaza and west bank on your teli? How often do you hear about Chechnya and how they are tortured to death, and gassed defending their homeland? What did the poor children of Iraq and Afghanistan do to be bombed and lead to living a suicidal life? Now observe a very good muslim friend and see how his emotions and intelligence are both synchronized. We care for other human beings no matter what color, faith, background they come from. All these on going events (iraq, israel, Afghanistan etc) touch us all muslims and a lot of non muslims too, the latter much much deeper. What some lack is a control of their emotions and not letting it transcend the use of common sense. Dont you think this is understandable if you consider that we all muslims are brothers and sisters to one another? Not trying to justify anything and i agree with you, its all out of control and some (not all) Muslims should learn how to get emotional hand brakes.

I dont read the bible looking for faults. I started questioning the concept of religion and why we are all divided since childhood, which lead me to studying different religions and coming across some illogical things which made me believe that The teachings of Islam is the simplest and most correct way of worshiping my creator. Believe in One God, pray five times a day, fast 30 days and help the poor. forgive me if i've insulted or said anything about your religion. Let me get back to your points.

1. When Jesus said, "I can of mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30), you took that out of context to mean that He was impotent - as if He was actually not able to move a limb. If you had read that verse in its context, it is clear that He was pointing to the fact that He was not acting on His own initiative. He did not come of His own accord, neither did He come to do His own will. It was the Father's will He came to do; and that is why He could not do anything that would conflict with the will of the Father. That is why in that same verse, Jesus said: "I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." I see that you only quoted part of the verse so that it sounded to you like Jesus was powerless to even breathe. No wonder you missed the point.

There are two issues here which we might have a different understanding of. Who or what are the attributes of God? It seems to me that you believe God begets (procreates, has/had sexually relationship) and from that act came Jesus. From my understanding and even according to the bible, the "sonship" attributed to God is not SON as in father/son relationship, but it was used by previous prophets and religious people to mean being holy or pious. Establishing some sort of bond with God that isnt human in nature. Spiritual bond. What many christians and even you will fail to explain is why Jesus is given a special privilage of being son, begotten son of God whilst the rest are treated as spiritual in relationship?

SONS BY THE DOZEN IN THE BIBLE

(a) 'Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the SON OF GOD." LUKE 3:38
(b) "That the SONS OF GOD saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took wives of all which they chose. ". . when the SONS OF GOD came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." GENESIS 6:2 and 4
(c) " . . Thus- saith the Lord, Israel is MY SON even my FIRSTBORN." EXODUS 4:22
(d) " . . and Ephraim is my FIRSTBORN," JEREMIAH 31:9
(e) " . . Thou (o David) ART MY SON; this day have I (God) BEGOTTEN thee. " PSALMS 2:7 (TONS A ton is 2000 lbs weight, that is about a thousand kilograms.) ("FIRST BORN:" How can there be two "firstborns"?) ("BEGOTTEN" How can God beget David at the age of forty? "This day'?)

If Jesus is the biological Son of God, then God has dozen of sons.

kismat:
Did Jesus ever say "I'm God"? If you quote me that directly from the bible, i'll become a Christian. No Joke.

2. When you argue this way, you will continue to miss the point. How many things do Muslims do in the name of Allah that he categorically or directly stated in the Qur'an that we see happening today? One example is the killings and rampage that we've seen the last few weeks under the facade of 'protecting the honour of the prophet.' Now my challenge has always been that any Muslim quotes just one verse in the Qur'an that directly says, "Muslims should kill anybody who cartoons Muhammad." I'm still waiting ever since I posed that question. See? That's not how to argue a case - you will not find a verse saying verbatim what you're asking the Bible to state.

You are trying to mix up two issues here. I can address your point and show you irrefutable statements which explicitly states what Islam's position is on reprinting images. Open up another thread with your question for discussion and ask what you want to know.

In short, majority of the Muslims dont share this view of killing whoever draws up the image of God. God will protect his messenger and save him from any embarrasment. I and Most muslims are concerned with our own deeds. I wont be asked "did you protect the messenger" during the final day of judgement but rather "Who is your God?, did you pray five times a day". Every religion, country, community however you want to disect, has its pact of imbiciles, ignorant people who do not contemplate on their actions. Dont use these vulgar acts to justify why you are a christian or why Jesus never said he wasnt a God.

As for Jesus being the son of God, this is

But then, why do I as a Christian believe that Jesus Christ was more than a man?

(a) Because Jesus called Himself the "Alpha and Omega", and "the First and the Last" in Revelation 1:11 & 17. Notice that "First and Last" is the very title that God used for Himself in Isa.41:4. Apart from several other verses in both the Old and New Testaments that show clearly that Jesus Christ was God Himself, perhaps for many people (like me), no other verse speaks more effectively than one in which Jesus Christ was heard calling Himself by divine titles - as in the verses above.

Again this comes back to my previous question (attributes of God). So you are saying JESUS=GOD=FIRST AND LAST.
Well how can God have a beginning and an End? Is this one of the attributes of God in christianity? A born God and Died God? If he was born, then he certainly had a mother and on goes the chain of paternal relationship. But this isnt the case. God has no Beginning and no end. The book of revelation is the ONLY book in the NT that states this. Who wrote the book of Revelations? Well, according to the NIV Bible Commentary, page 1922:

"Four times the author identifies himself as John (1:1,4,9; 22:, In the third century, however, an African bishop named Dionysius compared the language, style and thought of the Apocalypse (Revelation) with that of the other writings of John and decided that the book could not been written by the apostle of John. "

(b) Because Jesus claimed equality with the Father in John 10:30 when He said, "I and my Father are one." No man has ever claimed the same status as Jesus did like in this very provocative and yet profound statement. It was clear that Jesus claimed to be God in that verse, because the reaction of the Jews showed that they got exactly that meaning in His statement, and therefore wanted to stone Him (see John 10:31ff). Now if Jesus thought He was misunderstood, would He not have attempted to correct their impression by denying the claim of divinity? But no, He did not deny the meaning of His statement, but rather challenged the Jews.

This is you, the same person who posted:

you took that out of context to mean that He was impotent

Well then, lets look at the context of this message (i and my father are one):

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

John 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 10:29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

As can be seen from John 10:28 and John 10:29 that Jesus is telling the Jews that he and God share something in common, and that is; that no one can pluck the faithful from either of their hands. This is what is common between Jesus and God in this case, and not that Jesus is himself is God, or that they are exactly the same.

Let us go on to see what Jesus says:

John 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.

John 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?

John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

John 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?

John 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

John 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

John 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

John 10:39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

John 10:40 And went away again beyond Jordan

In John 10:31 we see that the Jews misunderstood what Jesus had meant by "I and my Father are one." (John 10:30). And in John 10:33 they accuse him of blasphemy. Now, had Jesus been God, or had he and God been one in a literal sense then he should not hesitate to clarify the matter at this point. Jesus at this point says, "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?" What he is trying to say that if you call "I and my Father are one" blasphemy then you should call what is written in your law "Ye are gods" blasphemy also (i've quoted these verses above). The reasoning here is that "Ye are gods" does not mean that you, the Jews, are Gods, it is rather an expression. It just means that you are godly people. The same with "I and my Father are one." It does not mean that I am God or that we are the same literally. It is just an expression. The same goes for calling himself "the Son of God." This statement should not be taken literally either.

(c) Because Jesus claimed the same status in divine worship as the Father in John 5:23. He could not have claimed the same honour as with the Father if He was merely a man. In effect, Jesus was saying that anyone who brings honour to God (the Father) without honouring the Son in exactly the same way, has infact not honoured the Father.

This is the same with Muslims and Jews. How are we suppose to get closer to God, have his mercy etc when we dont listen, believe and obey his messiah/prophet/messenger? Thats why HE has sent them to us. To remind and show us how to worship, obey HIM.

"Say: Obey Allah and the Messenger, but if you turn away, Allah loves not the disbelievers." (Quran 3:32)

In fact there are some verses in the quran that command the obedience of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) but does not mention the obedience of Allah alongside it

"And establish regular prayer and pay the poor-due and obey the Prophet so that you may be blessed." (Quran 24:56)

BUT we dont worship Muhammed (pbuh). We only worship the God he, Jesus, Abraham, Moses and all other believers worship. Allah.

Lo! I come unto you with a sign from your Lord. Lo! I fashion for you out of clay the likeness of a bird, and I breathe into it and it is a bird by Allah’s leave. I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I raise the dead, by Allah’s leave. And I announce to you what you eat and what you store up in your houses. Lo! herein verily is a portent for you if you are to be believers.
And (I come) confirming that which was before me of the Torah, and to make lawful some of that which was forbidden unto you. I come unto you with a sign from your Lord, so keep your duty to Allah and obey me. Lo! Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is a straight path. (Qur’an 3: 49-51).

Is Jesus a prophet or your son?

Islam (Submission) condemns suicide as much as it condemns oppression and aggression against others. While the Muslims  (Submitters) are commanded to stand for their rights and defend themselves, their properties and their freedom they are told to first resort to peace advocate tolerance and disregard the ignorant. The following verses from the Quran show how the Quran describes suicide, such an important issue in our life that was made the center of the conflict in the Middle East lately.

[2:195] You shall spend in the cause of GOD; do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction. You shall be charitable; GOD loves the charitable.

[ 4:29] O you who believe, do not consume each others' properties illicitly - only mutually acceptable transactions are permitted. You shall not kill yourselves. GOD is Merciful towards you.

[ 4:30] Anyone who commits these transgressions, maliciously and deliberately, we will condemn him to Hell. This is easy for GOD to do.

Suicide bombing by young uninformed Muslim youths has been  carried out almost  routinely  as a mean of revenge in the Middle East conflict. It is mainly done to avenge their oppression, occupation and loss of freedom they have been experiencing all their life. It is carried out by the youth who lost all the hope to a peaceful settlement as they witnessed their families, loved ones, neighbors, and the innocent bystanders die or tortured at the hand of a merciless occupying force. Despite these intolerable situation no permission can be found in Islam to avenge by suicide bombing or  by targeting the innocent civilians.  These young desperate Muslim youth have been taught what is NOT in the Quran, and what was never promised by God in the Quran.

Somethings are good to hold on to and not post and your hate, anger and ignorance falls under this category.

@Seun

Whether God existed or didnt is something that can only be addressed by your sincere understanding and reasoning of what's surrounding you. Look at a sperm (whatever means necessary ) and imagine that sometime back, you were exactly of something similar. Not breathing, eating, talking, reasoning. Helpless. Lifeless. You are questioning the existance and trying to understand whoever gave you the chance to be who you are now. And Guess what, you'll die, thrown six feet under and be brought back to life to answer why you failed to use your logic to appreciate your creator.

Just picture how pissed you get when your kids/young ones dont listen to you. You didnt create them or give them life. Just taking care of them. Helping, wanting to make their life as easy and beautiful as you can and they go about not listening to you, drinking, stealing, commiting all sorts of vulgar acts.

Thats exactly how we human beings are behaving towards our creator. Trying to question, challenge, argue, understand and reason as if HE is a human being like us (knowingly how limited our intelligence is).

lol, maxflame

Thank you choice for the clarification.

@exu

Is that (use of logic to understand things) what i'm addressing in:

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-7053.0.html

@exu

And your point being?

You just answered your question, kismat. 'If Jesus is not good, then how can He be God?' Since Jesus was good, then He was God! More than that, He did what no man could do and clearly displayed the attributes of God. Jesus is both good and God, and He is a good God. Only those who disagree to the veracity of Jesus being God will turn round and say that He was 'bad'. So, by your own summations, if He was good, He was God.

You know its amazing how christains read the bible and do the total opposite of it. totally opposite in the sense that if it says do this, you dont do it.

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is[b] good–except God alone[/b]."

Did Jesus ever say "I'm God"? If you quote me that directly from the bible, i'll become a Christian. No Joke.

1. Ok, If Jesus displayed the attributes of God, then how come he cried on the Cross "oh God, why have you forseeken me?"

Your God has no Knowledge of himself. Who was he crying to? Himself? A "God" that doesnt is unaware of himself. That he was going to die for all your sins.

2. Did jesus ever say I am doing this (healing the born blind, leapers and raising the dead) or did he say its by the grace of his father that he's capable of doing all those miracles? Read what Jesus said.

3. A God with Geneology? Two different Genenology? Matthew 1:1-16 and b. Luke 3:23-38.

4. If Jesus is God, then all those around him SAW God right? But according to your Bible;

"No man hath seen God at any time John 1: 18 (b) " (God) whom no man hath seen, nor can see .,."I TIMOTHY 6:16 (c) "And he (God) said, Thou canst see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. EXODUS 33:20

5. If Jesus is God and possessed Godly powers, then he should be able to do everything right? As you rightly said, he possessed Godly attributes. But according to the Man/"God" himself;

"I can of mine own self do NOTHING . . ." JOHN 5:30

How shameful. Your God says he cant Do NOTHING. So you are lying too. He didnt possess Godly powers. For Jesus to make such a statement, there must be someone who is more powerful than him.


I mean can you see the flaws in these belief? You believe in onething and Jesus says the opposite of that. Dont you have the intelligence to realise that what you believe in is not actually a belief but program ingrained in your system/thought/feeling since childhood and doesnt pass any test when properly looked at?

Tell you what. Tonight right before you go to Bed, Get down on your knees, put your face on the ground (just as jesus did up the mount) and pray. Just say "God, show the right path. Enlighten me. Bring me close to you and save me from hell fire".

With sincerity and with no reference to anything. No Jesus, no facial images of Jesus. No nothing. Just Pray and dont try and picture anything.

@myname

Instead of Rick warren, what does your God say on this subject?

lack of knowledge about the subject is why you are missing the point and In the Qur'an, it is stated that the unbeliever is one who neither recognizes nor appreciates the signs of God. The distinguishing mark of a believer is his ability to see those signs and proofs. He knows that these are not created in vain, and can realize the power and great art of God everywhere and find ways to revere Him.

Based on his calculations, Led Adleman of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles has stated that one gram of DNA can store as much information as a trillion compact discs.

Now compare that to the sky, do you see any pillars holding it? The stars (milky way), the moon, planets the Sun. Should the earth move just a centimeter to wards the sun and we all melt and should it pull back just a little from the sun and we all freeze. Look up the sky again at night and contemplate on the relativity of time! How we share the same darkness (night) and yet it takes millions of years to travel to the nearest star. How great is HIS creation. Compare yourself with this great and glorious universe, which is full of order and regularity.

"celebrate the praises of God, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (and say): 'Our Lord! not for naught have You created (all) this! Glory be to You! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire.' " (Surat Al'Imran 3:191)

"It is God Who causes the seed-grain and the date-stone to split and sprout. He causes the living to issue from the dead, and He is the one to cause the dead to issue from the living. That is God: then how are you deluded away from the truth?" (Surat al-An'am, 6:95)

If Jesus is not Good, then how can he be God?

Which is great, creation of the universe or creation of Man?

I don't think Jesus being black, white or yellow will change anything. This only shows how ignorant my fellow brethren are about God and don't fully comprehend why we exist. What should be important is getting the correct message and teachings of Jesus. That will get you closer to Allah.

Not only muhammed but you also have to believe that Adam, Moses, Abraham, Jesus, Muhammed (peace be upon them)are all prophets/messengers of Allah, because they came with the same message and preached the samething Muhammed did (believe in One God, fasting, praying, helping the needy).

As a muslim, the inward transformation is also the fundamental building block to any action you plan to undertake. For example:

If your intention is to do something good and you end up not doing it, you get a reward from Allah.
If your intention is to do something good and later commit this good act, the reward is 10 to several hundred times great.
If your intention is to do something good and later on avoid commiting this act, you get rewarded for not doing it.
If your intention is to do something good and commit the act, its recorded as one error and Allah is most forgiving most merciful.

Eddy,

Can you two behave and stop this childish one to one battle. Post something meaningful or go watch jerry springer.

In regards to the description of the Paradise and the delights that it contains (from Quran and Sayings of the Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him):

"And if you ask about its ground and its soil, then it is of musk and saffron.

And if you ask about its roof, then it is the Throne of the Most Merciful. 

And if you ask about its rocks, then they are pearls and jewels.

And if you ask about its buildings, then they are made of bricks of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its trees, then it does not contain a single tree except that its trunk is made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its fruits, then they are softer than butter and sweeter than honey.

And if you ask about its leaves, then they are softer than the softest cloth.

And if you ask about its rivers, then there are rivers of milk who's taste does not change, and rivers of wine that is delicious to those who drink it, and rivers of honey that is pure, and rivers of water that is fresh.

And if you ask about their food, then it is fruits from whatever they will choose, and the meat of whatever birds they desire.

And if you ask about their drink, then it is Tasneem, ginger, and Kaafoor.

And if you ask about their drinking cups, then they are crystal-clear and made of gold and silver.

And if you ask about its shade, then a fast rider would ride in the shade of one of its trees for a hundred years and not escape it.

And if you ask about its vastness, then the lowest of its people would have within his kingdom and walls and palaces and gardens the distance that would be travelled in a thousand years.

And if you ask about its tents and encampments, then one tent is like a concealed pearl that is sixty miles long.

And if you ask about its towers, then they are rooms above rooms in buildings that have rivers running underneath them.

And if you ask about how far it reaches into the sky, then look at the shining star that is visible, as well as those that are far in the heavens that the eyesight cannot possibly reach.

And if you ask about the clothing of its inhabitants, then they are of silk and gold.

And if you ask about its beds, then its blankets are of the finest silk laid out in the highest of its levels.

And if you ask about the faces of its inhabitants and their beauty, then they are like the image of the Moon.
And if you ask about their age, then they are young ones of 33 years in the image of Adam, the father of humanity.

And if you ask about what they will be hearing, then it is the singing of their wives from among the Hoor al-'Ayn, and better than that are the voices of the Angels and the Prophets, and better than that is the Speech of the Lord of the Worlds.

And if you ask about their servants, then they are young boys of everlasting youth who resemble scattered pearls.

[b]And if you ask about their brides and wives, then they are young and full-breasted and have had the liquid of youth flow through their limbs; the Sun runs along the beauty of her face if she shows it, light shines from between her teeth if she smiles; if you meet her love, then say whatever you want regarding the joining of two lights; he sees his face in the roundness of her cheek as if he is looking into a polished mirror, and he sees the brightness from behind her muscles and bones; if she were to be unleashed upon the World, she would fill what is between the Heavens and the Earth with a beautiful wind, and the mouths of the creation would glorifiy, praise, and exclaim greatness, and everything between the East and the West would be adorned for her, and every eye would be shut from everthing but her, and the light of the Sun would be outshone just as the light of the Sun outshines the light of the stars, and everyone on the face of the Earth would believe in the Ever-Living, the One who Sustains and Protects all the exists.[/b]

And the covering on her head is better than the World and all that is in it, and she does not increase with age except in beauty; free from an umbilical cord, childbirth and menses, and pure of mucous, saliva, urine and other filthy things; her youth never fades, her clothing is never worn out, no garment can be created that matches her beauty, and no one who is with her can ever become bored; her attention is restricted to her husband, so she desires none but him, just as his attention is restricted to her so she is the sole object of his desire, and he is with her in utmost safety and security, as none has touched her before of either humans or Jinn.

And if you ask about the Day of Increase (in reward) and the visit of the all-Mighty, all-Wise, and the sight of His Face - free from any  resemblance or likeness to anything - as you see the Sun in the middle of the day and the full Moon on a cloudless night, then listen on the day that the caller will call: 'O People of Paradise! Your Lord - Blessed and Exalted - requests you to visit Him, so come to visit Him!' So they will say: 'We hear and obey!'

Until, when they finally reach the wide valley where they will all meet - and none of them will turn down the request of the caller - the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will order His Chair to be brought there. Then, pulpits of light will emerge, as well as pulpits of pearls, gemstone, gold, and silver. The lowest of them in rank will sit on sheets of musk, and will not see what those who are on the chairs above them are given. When they are comfortable where they are sitting and are secure in their places, and the caller calls: 'O People of Paradise! You have an appointment with Allaah in which He wishes to reward you!' So they will say: 'And what is that reward? Has He not already made our faces bright, made our scales heavy, entered us into Paradise, and pushed us away from the Fire?'

And when they are like that, all of a sudden a light shines that encompasses all of Paradise. So, they raise their heads, and, behold: the Compeller - Exalted is He, and Holy are His Names - has come to them from above them and majestified them and said: 'O People of Paradise! Peace be upon you!' So, this greeting will not be responded to with anything better than: 'O Allaah! You are Peace, and from You is Peace! Blessed are You, O possessor of Majesty and Honor!' So the Lord - Blessed and Exalted - will laugh to them and say: 'O People of Paradise! Where are those who used to obey Me without having ever seen Me? This is the Day of Increase!'

So, they will all give the same response: 'We are pleased, so be pleased with us!' So, He will say: 'O People of Paradise! If I were not pleased with you, I would not have made you inhabitants of My Paradise! So, ask of Me!' So, they will all give the same response: 'Show us your Face so that we may look at it!' So, the Lord - Mighty and Majestic - will remove his covering and will majestify them and will cover them with His Light, which, if Allaah - the Exalted - had not Willed not to burn them, would have burned them. 

And there will not remain a single person in this gathering except that his Lord - the Exalted - will speak to him and say: 'Do you remember the day that you did this and that?' and He will remind him of some of his bad deeds in the Worldy life, so he will say: 'O Lord! Will you not forgive me?' So, He will say: 'Of course! You have not reached this position of yours (in Paradise) except by my forgiveness.'



All that is required of us is four simple things.

1. declare there is only one God (once and for all)
2. Fast during ramadhan
3. Pray five times a day.
4. Charity


May Allah makes us among those who will get to experience this day.

Human beings were created and given free will and that's confusing a lot of people (like this ex-catholic chick and Seun). The other important and distinct feature we have that differentiates us is our frontal lobe, the ability to think and come up with rational decision. That has not been given to any other creature except Man and Jinn.

So lets stop making excuses of being ignorant and coming up with conclusive remarks about God (believing in him etc) whilst little time is spent on constructive reading, research and deep thinking.

Seun, if you believe whatever you say about the bible is right, why not study the Quran/torah and try and apply the same deductive reasoning. See what they says and whether they appeal to you. Bashing the bible won’t get you anywhere hence spend your valuable time studying something else.

Alije,

You owe everyone here an apology. What kind of a Muslim are you? Where do you get these behavior/attitude of insulting people you don't even know? Some here might be old enough to be your mom/dad and some young which makes you take a leadership role. Do not continue using such vulgar language, especially when dealing with topics related to Islam. People will tend to judge the religion by your actions, which isn't helpful at all. How can you tell someone believe in one God, pray five times a day, fast and observe charity but before all that, call them IDIOTS?

Let not emotions transcend the use of common sense.

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered.  "No one is good–except God alone."

@layi

maybe you should turn your attention to our needy brother/sister instead of trying to decipher my words and look for anger. Why not ask a pastor or priest and post their comments here? Isnt that (trying to save a life) more helpful and better than posting a sarcastic comment?

"And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)". (Surah Adh-Dhariyat Verse 56)

From an islamic point of view, worshipping Allah encompasses everything you do thats not forbidden i.e. praying, helping the poor, fasting, going to work, loving your wife, feeding your family, having kids and guiding them and teaching them good manners, reading, teaching, eating, conteplating on Allah's creation, sleeping etc. All thse are acts of worshipping Allah, our creator.

If you think Islam is violent, please set some time aside and watch this program.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/israel/view/

dont forget to fast on the 9th and 10th of Muharram....which is 7/8th of Feb. (inshallah)

ceekay wants you to quote the bible and not your personal opinions. Answer the questions...or is it that hard to find suicide in the bible?

Ceekay, you were once a muslim (when born) and believed in one God hence allow me to explain it from a religion which you will hopefully get to know and understand the why we were created.

Out of all the bounties Allah has bestowed upon human beings, the most precious is the gift of life. Each one us should remember that this life Allah has granted us, it is not our personal possession or our personal property. In-fact it is a trust from Allah, making us merely trustees. Because we are trustees we should utilise each and every moment of our lives in the paths that please Allah.

"And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)". (Surah Adh-Dhariyat Verse 56)

From this verse we can learn the reason why Allah created mankind.

In the Quraan Allah has mentioned the call for help of Prophet Ayyub (Jacob) (AS). Allah says:
"And (Remember) Ayyub (Job), when he cried to his Lord: "Verily, distress has seized me, and you are the Most Merciful of all those who show mercy". So We answered his call, and removed the distress that was on him, and We restored his family to him (that he had lost) and the like thereof along with them as a mercy from Ourselves and a reminder for all those who worship Us. (Surah Al-Anbiya Verse 83-84)

Like Prophet Ayyub, each and every one of us is tested by Allah in someway or another. Some turn to Allah and seek help, as in the case of Prophet Ayyub and others turn completely to the opposite side, which leaves many in grief.

Within the Judaeo-Christian tradition, there are eleven instances of suicide described in the Bible's Old Testament and one in the New Testament. Perhaps the most famous death in the former is the suicide of King Saul following his defeat in the hands of the Philistines, heard in David’s lament, and ‘how are the mighty fallen’. Saul had sought the assistance of his bodyguard to help kill himself. The soldier was horrified at the irreligious notion of killing his appointed King, and turned the sword upon himself. Saul, apparently aided by such an example, then followed suit. It appears that the avert prohibition against suicide was first formerly pronounced by Saint Augustine, who in his City of God describes the action as a ‘moral sin’.
The Church did not always condemn suicide when, for example, following some severe assault, such as rape, the victim took a ‘virtuous’ or honourable way out. She could then claim sympathy and the forgiveness of her society and family, in both Roman and Christian times.

As shown, neither the Judaic nor Christian parts of the Bible are there direct injunctions against suicide. However, this is not the case in the traditions of the true religion, Islam, which continues to be a major influence upon many Islamic people.
There are a few quite specific sanctions expressed in the Quraan against self-killing. The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) also assigns suicide to the lower levels of Hell.
Allah says explicitly in the Quraan,
"And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you". (Surah An-Nisa Verse 29)
In another verse of the Quraan, Allah says:
"And do not throw yourselves in destruction". (Surah Al-Baqarah Verse 195)

In islam, "Whoever intentionally swears falsely by a religion other than Islam, then he is what he has said, (e.g. if he says, 'If such thing is not true then I am a Jew,' he is really a Jew if he is a liar). And whoever commits suicide with a piece of iron, he will be punished with the same piece of iron in the Hell-fire."

Also "A man was inflicted with wounds and he commited suicide, and so Allah said: My slave has caused death on himself hurriedly, so I forbid Paradise for him."

What i've quoted are sayings of the last messenger of Allah, prophet Muhammed Saw.

Allah doesnt give you a load/test that he knows you cant bare. Be strong, and may Allah save us from this sin and give us all guidance to the straight path.

I'm a muslim. I believe there is only one God and that Abraham, moses, solomon, jesus and mohammed are all His messengers. I believe in what was reveled to them and that God does not begot neither is he begotten. He neither sleeps or is overcomed by tiredness. And most importantly, there is non like Him.

Depends.....who wrote the bible?