So someone posted a comment on another person's blog today that really worried me.
It was actually a comment from Um Abdullah on Alabaster Muslim's post. She was very helpful in asking her husband for clarification on some of the issues sister's were prompted to ask about based on Alabaster's post. Everything she said made sense, but then I read this line, and read it again, and again.
*note, it's out of context so words in parenthesis are added by me for your understanding.
He himself (Muhammad, pbuh) told us that if we want God to love us, we should follow his (Muhammad's) example.
I have no problem with following the prophet's example, what I just can't get past is " if we want God to love us."
Again, I come from a Christian understanding of God, and when I was converting to Islam, I viewed it as a progression of my Christianity, not a turning away from it. I know there are differences, obviously, but to me the God I was/am worshiping always has the same character.
The God I knew in Christianity, and yes, I felt I had a relationship, loved unconditionally. We did good deeds and followed his commands, etc. etc. etc. to PLEASE him, not to gain his love. Like my parents, only on a larger scale. They are certainly not always pleased by my choices and my actions, but they ALWAYS love me.
Is it really the standard view in Islam that God's love has to be earned? God is the epitome of everything good we are able to experience in this world, so if parents have the ability to love unconditionally, shouldn't God's love go even beyond that of our parents?
12 comments:
Hmm I actually didn't read too much into it...I guess because you cannot be a muslim if you don't follow/believe in Prophet Mohammed sws, rather you are considered a Kaafir. And the reasoning for that is because he is the one who was chosen from Allah swt to have brought the religion of Islam so of course we have to follow him.
Did that make sense?
Oh, and honestly I've never even thought of trying to 'earn' Allah swt's love...instead I've just tried really hard in pleasing him and following his laws and trying to stay away from sin.
Maybe I should think of it the other way? idk.
There does, in my experience, seem to be a slight difference btwn the love of the Christian view and the Islamic view. In Christianity you are to view God like a parent. Unconditional love, and you have to try to please Him. He will never stop loving you, even if you are horrible. The kicker in Christianity is your salvation, even if you are loved, may be in jeopardy if you do not believe in Jesus as God. But in Islam I see a slight variation of that. It seems more that God does love the people, but you kinda have to prove to him why he should love you more than someone else, especially if you've done something sinful. There is a larger emphasis on doing things to please God and doing things to avoid Hellfire but that may be because there are more things in Islam with the potential to send you to Hellfire than there are in Christianity (ignoring Halal food requirements or daily prayers for example). However, both use their main prophets (Jesus and Muhammad PBUT) to emphasize how one can please God but there is, in my experience, more emphasis put on copying Muhammad move for move than that of copying Jesus. But we also have less information about Jesus and what he did, where with Muhammad we have a lot of information so he is much easier to copy. Generally if you know someone is a great example of what you are suppose to be, following them exactly would be a pretty easy way to guarantee you do the right thing. Neither system is perfect because both are somewhat clouded by specific requirements of each religion. It boils down to which way you truly believe.
God loves us all more so than our parents ever could regardless of religion. Entering paradise is another story.
taken from ibn kathir's tafsir.
The meaning of ar-rahman ar-rahim.
Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim are two names derived from Ar-Rahman (the Mercy), but Rahman has more meanings that pertain to mercy than Ar-Rahim...
...Al-Qurtubi said, "It was said that both Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim have the same meaning, such as the words Nadman and Nadim, as Abu 'Ubayda has stated. Abu 'Ali Al-Farsi said 'Ar-Rahman, which is exclusively for Allah, is a name that ecompasses every type of mercy that Allah has. Ar Rahim is what effects the believers, for Allah said,
And He is ever Rahim (merciful) to the believers. 33:43
Also ibn 'Abbas said -about Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, they are two soft names, one of them is softer than the other (meaning it carries more implications of mercy).
Ibn Jarir said: As-Surri bin Yahya At-Tamimi narrated to me that 'Uthman bin Zufar related that Al-'Azrami said about Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, "He is Ar-Rahman with all creation and Ar-Rahim with the believers." hence Allah's statements,
Then He rose over (Istawa) the Throne (n a manner that suits His majesty), Ar-Rahman.25:59 and,
Ar-Rahman (Allah) rose over (Istawa) the (Mighty) Throne (in a manner that suits His Majesty). 20:5.
Allah thus mentioned the Istawa- rising over the Throne along with His name Ar-Rahman, to indicate that His mercy encompasses all of His creations. Allah also said,
And He is ever Rahim (merciful) to the believers. Thus encompassing the believers with His Name Ar-Rahim. They said, "this testifies to the fact that Ar-Rahman carries a broader scope of meanings pertaining to the mercy of Allah with His creation in both lives. Meanwhile, Ar-Rahim is exclusively for the believers."
Like you said, you never had to earn your parents' love and God is far more loving and merciful than your parents. So that is mistaken to think you must EARN His love somehow. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding how she wrote it on that other blog.
Great thought-provoking post. :)
I just read this to my Syrian friend and he said his understanding as one who grew up in Sunni Islam is that God's love is conditional. God is not a parent so that example you gave won't hold. He said you have to earn God's love by your good deeds. It's not for free like in Christianity.
I'm sure there are other points of view, but that is his.
I remember when I first met him and we started talking about our various faiths, I asked after a while if God loved me even though I was not a Muslim. He didn't want to say because HE loved me, but didn't believe God loved nonMuslims. Yet he didn't want to tell me that and hurt my feelings. :)
I'm in the process of reading Jeffrey Lang's "Even Angels Ask." I read this passage a couple months ago, and at the time it made sense, but now I'm having a hard time reconciling it with my previous conceptions of an all-loving God. But then again, do Christians believe God loves ALL, (including Hitler, Sadaam, Osama binLaden, etc.) or just that he loves those who have accepted Christ in both faith and action?
And from my understanding, Susanne, even if God's love does have the conditions I'm about to post, you still fall into the first (loved) category.
Again, this is Jeffrey Lang's work, not mine, and not a scholar's.
"...Therefore, we find that the relationship between the sincere believer and God is characterized consistently as a bond of love. God loves the good-doers (2:195; 3:134, 3:148, 5:13, 5:93), the repentant (2:222), those that purify themselves (2:222, 9:108), the God-conscious (3:76, 9:4, 9:7), the patient (3:146), those that put their trust in Him (3:159), the just (5:42, 49:9, 60:8), and those who fight in his cause (61:4). And they in turn, love God."
He then goes on to give some verses, which I don't have time to type. (but there are many verses listed above that can be looked up for those interested)
He continues with the flipside..."On the other hand, tyrants, aggressors, the corrupt ones, the guilty, rejectors of faith, evil-doers, the arrogant ones, transgressors, the prodigal, the treacherous, and the unjust will not experience this relationship of love. )2:190, 2:205, 2:276, 3:32, 3:57, 3:140, 4:36, 4:107, 5:64, 5:87, 6:141, 7:31, 7:55, 8:58, 16:23, 22:38, 28:76, 28:77, 30:45, 31:18, 42:40, 57:23)."
I think it's important to note that he's (Jeffrey Lang) is referring to a RELATIONSHIP of love. Love going both ways, from God to a man/woman, and then back to God. My own understanding, is that God's offer of love is to all, even that second list, but they DO have to want it. In Christianity, to "earn" it (were you to be on the second list) you have to accept Christ as your savior. In Islam, to earn it, some seem to think you have to do various acts, a constant striving if you will, but I believe it's easier than some make it out to be. Of course we need to TRY, but we'll always fall short/be imperfect and God will love us anyway. I am a big believer in God recognizing good intentions.
So God doesn't love all, but he CAN love all. His love is offered as a wonderful undeserved gift, but if we don't want it, we don't get it. So if you aren't willing to work on your end of the relationship, there won't be one, get it? Again, I know my understanding of Islam is HIGHLY affected by my Christian upbringing. This causes a lot of my wording to often sound rather Christian, but that's because that's the terminology I'm familiar with.
I think I've resolved my internal issues. And I hope all of you have gained something from this dialogue, as well.
Like you, I come from a Christian background, so I understand where you are coming from.
I have always believed in God's love for me. I have never felt abandoned. Whenever I HAVE felt distanced from God, it was MY doing...but I knew innately that God loved/ loves me.
God may not love all that we do, but I firmly believe that He loves all of us.
Oh Nikki brilliant! God loves us all but we have to ACCEPT His love. We have to receive it, and return it. Develop a relationship. Otherwise how can you love one another?
I have to agree with LK that your last comment is absolutely brilliant Nikki, I couldn't agree more. I'm from a Christian background myself, and you managed to put how I feel about this issue into words, much more eloquently than I could do myself. Thank you for a very thought-provoking post, I've added you to my reader :)
This is a great post! Good discussions and good points indeed.
and i didn't have a christian background that is affected by my agreement because i think people of the book similarity is uncanny. Which i believe LOVE between people is to share the similarity and accepting differences.
God made us all,so why can't HE LOVE us all? the question is, why can't WE love everything HE had blessed us with? In Which of God's Mercy are we denying? A lot of questions for all of us...for our own sake. Like He mentioned a lot of time, He is not effected by our sins, because we had only wronged ourselves but yet He is Merciful, and His blessings is to those who seek Him.
again, great post. good job!
What a great conclusion. It really does resolve the issue for me as well to see it that way.
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