@Greatest I am,
First of all thanks for being respectful. Your questions are valid and I will try to answer those below.
Quote:To say that any god knows this or likes that or wants us to do this or that or anything else is to put your standards of understanding onto god.
God is a mystery and to even suggest that he or a supernatural realm exists is a fools game.
Is Seeing God Enough to Believe?
What would happen if we could see God? Would it bring an end to all doubt about His existence and unite human beings into one religious family? Would it herald the start of a utopian society on earth? Imagine the average individual was able to see God. How long would they need to see Him to be convinced? Would they need to talk to God? Would other people believe that they had seen Him? And after seeing God, how can we be sure their mind would not play tricks on them and they would begin to doubt again? Would they sometime later need to see God again?
Do We Need to ‘See’ to ‘Know’?
I touched upon this in my previous post but it seems like my explanation was not good enough as you still had hard time to understand. I will give it one more try.
‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ is a dismissive statement that we say when we are not convinced of the ‘it’ under discussion. We don’t need to ‘see’ in order to believe. We are perfectly capable of being convinced by being given the right proof, and if this was not the case our lives would be chaotic.
For example, before setting out on a trip, people check the weather and traffic conditions. If the most direct route is gridlocked, they would happily take a longer route. They do not need to ‘see’ the traffic to be convinced and change plans according to the information available.
In the same way, in every aspect of our lives, from working to socializing, we act according to the information available. We connect with other human beings without ‘seeing.’ We don’t need to have a video chat or see visual proof of our online colleagues, though we might be curious about them. We don’t doubt they are real because although we don’t see them, we see evidence like their mail, texts and documents.
The same point was made eloquently by a Bedouin in Arabia, when he was asked how he could be convinced of God when he had never seen him.
He replied: “Camel dung indicates camels, donkey dung indicates donkeys and footprints indicate travel. So the sky, with its constellations and the seas with its waves, do not these indicate the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful?”
The analogy may be simple – maybe even crude, but the point is profound. As humans, we are amazed by our own advancements in all spheres of knowledge, be it in architecture, technology or creativity. But we never ascribe our achievements to chance or a natural process. We accept our inventions all have inventors or manufacturers. Yet despite all advancements, they are insignificant when compared to the wonders of the ‘natural world.’ The tallest structure cannot compare to the tallest mountain; the brightest light is insignificant next to the sun; and the mighty civilization is miniscule compared with the mind-blowing vastness of the universe.
If we cannot accept small creations could come into being spontaneously, is it not unreasonable to suppose the mountains, the sun and all of the universe does not have a powerful creator?
The Proof of God is All Around Us
The Quran tells us:
Quote:“Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allah has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and the earth are signs for a people who use reason.” [Noble Quran 2:164]
We have proof of an all-mighty Creator all around us. The Quran invites us to use our greatest faculty of reason to see the evidence of a Creator in His creation. Without seeing God, we can be firmly convinced of His existence.
Take any part of our world or the universe that fascinates you and you will not fail to find proof of the existence of God. From the harmonious functioning of the universe to the complex process that occurs in our own bodies. From the depths of the ocean to the clouds in the sky. From diversity of human language, food and culture to the world of animals that are perfectly designed for their specific environment. The evidence does not show any accidents or evolutionary adaptations taking place but rather it shows a carefully planned, designed, sustained and beautiful universe by a Supreme Creator.
In other words, in the creation, we can ‘see’ God.
Our Innate Nature Knows God Exists
A belief in the Supreme Creator of all that exists is ingrained in human nature. Even if we choose not to see God in the evidence that is around us, our true nature cannot deny it. At times of distress and disaster in our lives, our true nature shines through; when we are faced with the imminent prospect of our own death or of our child or other loved one, even the hardest atheist is forced to cry out to God (probably that's why you are still agnostic, means by definition you are not denying existence of God even though it is hard for you to believe) .
Despite all our advancements, we cannot control life and death, or control the rainfall or the wind, let alone alter any part of the revolving universe even by a tiny fraction. In the face of our own limitations, when we deny that God exists, we fumble for a word to describe the Power and wisdom of God that we can see and feel. We resort to words like ‘mother nature,’ ‘laws of nature,’ ‘natural process’ or even ‘order of the universe.’ It is a reluctant acknowledgement that there is a power controlling the universe.
Quote:The Quran asks those who don’t believe:
“Or were they created by nothing, or were they the creators [of themselves]? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Rather, they are not certain.” [Noble Quran 52:35-36]
Quote: “Is Allah better or what they associate with Him?” [More precisely], is He [not best] who created the heavens and the earth and sent down for you rain from the sky, causing to grow thereby gardens of joyful beauty which you could not [otherwise] have grown the trees thereof? Is there a deity with Allah? [No], but they are a people who ascribe equals [to Him].” [Noble Quran 27:59-60]
In the face of all the evidence around us and within us, it is entirely reasonable to believe in the existence of God and being firmly convinced of His power and wisdom without ever having seen God.
Quote:You have a Golden Rule in your ideology. What doe it tell you to treat women and gays like?
Would you like to be considered second class if you had happened to be born a woman or a gay?
The Muslim immoral attitude would have to be taken out of Islam before I, as a moral man, would ever consider changing my more moral religion.
If women in the Muslim World today don’t have their rights, it is not because Islam didn’t give them rights. Alien traditions have overshadowed the teachings of Islam, either through ignorance or the impact of colonialism.
Numerous verses of the Qur’an state that men and women are equal in the site of Allah; the only thing that distinguishes people in His site is their level of God-consciousness.
Islam teaches that a woman is a full person under the law, and is the spiritual equal of a male.
Women have the right to own property, to operate a business, and to receive equal pay for equal work. Women are allowed total control of their wealth. They cannot be married against their will, and they are allowed to keep their own name when married. They have the right to inherit property and to have their marriage dissolved in the case of neglect or mistreatment.
Islam does not consider woman an “evil temptress,” and thus does not blame woman for Original Sin (a doctrine that Islam rejects). Women in Islam participate in all forms of worship that men participate in.
In his Farewell Sermon just weeks before his death, he summarized the teachings of Islam to the believers in a final farewell. His last words were “Be kind to women!”
Nowhere in the Quran do we find any trace of any notion of blaming Eve for the first mistake or for eating from the forbidden tree. Nowhere, even though the Quran speaks about Adam, Eve, and the forbidden tree, but in a totally different spirit. The story is narrated in 7:19-27, and it speaks about both of them doing this, both of them are told that both of them disobeyed, both of them discovered the consequences of their disobedience, both of them seek repentance and both of them are forgiven. Nowhere in the Quran does it say woman is to be blamed for the fall of man. Furthermore, when the Quran speaks about the suffering of women during the period of pregnancy and childbirth, nowhere does it connect it with the concept of original sin, because there is no concept of original sin in Islam. The suffering is presented not as a reason to remind woman of the fall of man, but as a reason to adore and love woman or the mother. In the Quran, especially 31:14, 46:15, it makes it quite clear God has commanded upon mankind to be kind to parents and mentions, "His mother bore him in difficulty or suffering upon suffering." [Noble Quran 31:14, 46:15]
Financial security for women in Islam:
Islamic law is more tilted in many respects towards women. These are seven examples:
1. During the period of engagement, a woman is to be on the receiving side of gifts.
2. At the time of marriage, it is the duty of the husband, not the bride's family. He is supposed to pay for a marital gift. The Quran called it a gift, and it is exclusively the right of the woman. She doesn't have to spend it on the household, she doesn't have to give it to her father or anyone else.
3. If the woman happened to own any property prior to marriage, she retains that property after marriage. It remains under her control. Also, in most Muslim countries, the woman keeps her own last name, and her own identity.
4. If the woman has any earnings during her marital life, by way of investments of her property or as a result of work, she doesn't have to spend one penny of that income on the household, it is entirely hers.
5. The full maintenance and support of a married woman is the entire responsibility of her husband, even though she might be richer than he is. She doesn't have to spend a penny.
6. At the time of divorce, there are certain guarantees during the waiting period and even beyond for a woman's support.
7. If the widow or divorcee has children, she's entitled to child support.
In return for these listed securities, it is clear why the Islamic laws pertaining to inheritance give men a higher share.
As a daughter
• We find that credit goes to Islam for stopping the barbaric practice of pre-Islamic Arabs of female infanticide. These ignorant people used to bury female daughters alive. The Quran forbade the practice, making it a crime. Surah 81 additionally, the Quran condemned the chauvinistic attitudes of some people who used to greet the birth of a boy with gladness, but sadness in the case of a girl.
• The duty, not the right, the duty of education, as the Prophet said, is a duty on every Muslim, male and female.
• As far as treatment of daughters is concerned, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
Quote:"Anyone who has two daughters, and did not bury them, did not insult them and brought them up properly, he and I will be like this," holding his two fingers close together. Another version adds, "And also did not favor his sons over daughters."
Quote:One time the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was seated. A companion was sitting with him. The companion's son came. He kissed his son and put him on his lap. Then his daughter came, and he just sat her by his side. The Prophet told the man, "You did not do Justice," meaning he should have treated the daughter equally, kissed her and put her in his lap also. Indeed, whenever the Prophet's daughter Fatimah came to him, in front of everyone, he stood up, kissed her and let her sit in his favorite place where he'd been sitting.
• From the marital standpoint, the Quran clearly indicates in Surahs 30:20 and 42:11 that marriage is not just an inevitable evil, marriage is not somebody getting married to his master or slave, but rather to his partner.
•
Quote:"Among His Signs is this, that he created for you mates from among yourselves, that they may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): Verily in that are signs for those who reflect." [Noble Quran 30:21]
In England and America less than fifty years ago, a woman could not buy a house or car without the co-signature of a male “guardian”! In Contrast, Islamic Law guaranteed rights to women over 1400 years ago that were unheard of in the West until the 1900s.
Homosexuality
The first point to make clear is that as Muslims, we accept Allah (The Exalted) and His Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as the authority and final word on what is right and wrong. This is in important point to be grasped. Otherwise, there is little use in discussing the issue. This is exactly where the people who try to justify homosexuality, and other practices and beliefs, from the Quran go wrong. The point of this post is to make clear the position of Islam on homosexuality so that there will be no doubts about it.
Homosexuality is a moral disorder. It is a moral disease, a sin and corruption... No person is born homosexual, just like no one is born a thief, a liar or murderer. People acquire these evil habits due to a lack of proper guidance and education.
There are many reasons why it is forbidden in Islam. The laws of other religions were similar until not so long ago. Homosexuality is dangerous for the health of the individuals and for the society. It is a main cause of one of the most harmful and fatal diseases. It is disgraceful for both men and women. It degrades a person. Islam teaches that men should be men and women should be women. Homosexuality deprives a man of his manhood and a woman of her womanhood. It is the most un-natural way of life. Homosexuality leads to the destruction of family life.
One of the criteria or litmus test of a behavior that is beneficial to humanity at large is, "what if the action that you are promoting is exercised by a majority of the people of the world? Will it advance humanity or will it retard it?" In this case human beings will cease to exist. If there is any truth to the claim that the male homosexual behavior could be genetic, how about the bisexuals and the lesbians. They for sure are making a choice and by our standards a wrong one too.
Your defense of homosexuality is without merit because it has destroyed every civilization it has touched and that is shameful. Like gambling, porn, alcohol and drug abuse, and sex addition, homosexuality destroys the family like nothing else, and eventually the soul that God turns over to a reprobate mind. No wonder you look so lost. The fact that you failed to see the evil homosexuality can bring to a society proves that we need Divine guidance to differentiate between good and bad.
