God is One

Question 1

What is tawhid

Answer 1

the oneness of God. there is no plural for allah in arabic, suggesting there is one

Question 2

What are the three types of tawhid and what do they mean?

Answer 2

• Ruboobeeyah-Lordship
• Sifaat-attributes
• Ibadah-worship

Question 3

why is the shahadah so important?

Answer 3

it is whispered into new born baby’s ears and dying people’s ears

Question 4

Turner - Tawhid is…

Answer 4

“uncompromising monotheism”

Question 5

Esposito - Tawhid is the …

Answer 5

“defining doctrine of Islam”

Question 6

Sherif - “Man kind is…

Answer 6

…the noblest object of divine creation”

Question 7

Surah 112 - “Say he…

Answer 7

…Allah, is the one and only, God the Eternal, Absolute….And none is like Him.”

Question 8

Quran 42:11 “He is …

Answer 8

…Creator of the heavens and the earth….There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the Hearing, the Seeing.”

Question 9

Quran 24:42 “To Allah…

Answer 9

belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; and to Allah is the final goal of all”

Question 10

Quran 21:22 “Had there been…

Answer 10

within the heavens and earth gods besides Allah , they both (heaven and earth) would have been ruined. So exalted is Allah , Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.”

Question 11

Shirk “yet there are…

Answer 11

men who take for worship others besides Allah as equal….if only the unrighteous could see, behold, they would see the penalty; that to allah belongs all pwer and Allah will strongly enforce the penalty”

Question 12

Sura 52:17 “Behold…

Answer 12

two guardian angels appointed to learn his doings, one sitting on the right and one on the left.”

Question 13

Sura 7:156 “With my…

Answer 13

punishment I visit who I will; but My mercy extends to all things”

Question 14

Which scholars support the Kalam argument?

Answer 14

Al-Kindi, Al Ghazali, William Lane Craig

Question 15

What are the two premises of the Kalam argument?

Answer 15

Everything that begins to exist has been caused to exist by something else.
The universe began to exist and so must also have a cause, which must be God.

Question 16

Surah 3:190 “Behold! …

Answer 16

…In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night and day, these are indeed signs for men of understanding”

Question 17

Teleological argument - Surah 2:29 “it is He who…

Answer 17

…created for you all things that are on earth; moreover His design comprehended the heavens.”

Question 18

Teleological argument - Quran “and certainly…

Answer 18

did We create man from an extract of clay. Then We placed him as a sperm-drop in a firm lodging.”

Question 19

what do muslims believe about creation?

Answer 19

Muslims believe that Allah created out of nothing (ex nihilo). He created everything including the angels, jinns and demons.

Question 20

What is shirk?

Answer 20

• The worst sin a Muslim can commit - to compare Allah to other Gods or to put anything above Allah in importance e.g. money, other humans, power
  ○ Major shirk - deliberate
  ○ Minor shirk - unintentional
  
  • Shirk is why there are no pictures in Mosques, to remove the danger of worshipping prophets etc

Question 21

what do muslims believe about the end of the world?

Answer 21

God has the power to bring the world’s end, and the power to judge humans on whether they go to heaven or hell. There are two angels sat on each shoulder - Raqib and Atid - who write down the actions of the human during their life time. This becomes the book of deeds which is handed to the person on the Day of Judgement - if it is in the right hand they are going to heaven, if in the left they will go to hell.

Question 22

What to Muslims believe about god’s immanence?

Answer 22

God is immanent; he is part of the universe so science and learning is a discovery of god

Question 23

What quote shows god’s immanence?

Answer 23

“We are nearer to man than his jugular vein.” Sura 50:16

Question 24

What does turner say on god’s immanence?

Answer 24

“The Koranic conception of Allah is as a Creator who is never absent from his creation…..he is one who manifests Himself constantly through His creation.”

Question 25

What do muslims believe about God’s mercy and compassion?

Answer 25

This is known through revelation - Muslims believe from the Qur’an that Allah created Adam and put him in charge of the earth (a vice-regent). However, as he is merciful, he sent Prophets to show humans how to be a vice-regent. They also believe that God will be forgiving of Muslims who try their best but commit sins.

Question 26

How does Craig support the Kalam argument?

Answer 26

The universe cannot be infinite as infinity makes no sense - If you add a book or borrow one from a library with an infinite number of books, it still has an infinite amount as you cannot add to or take away from infinity.

Question 27

What is Hawkings’ weakness of the Kalam argument?

Answer 27

the universe came from nothing - it appeared out of the laws of gravity, so there is no need for a God

Question 28

Teleological - what is oneness?

Answer 28

AHADIYYA - This can be seen when one looks at the human eye and can see the harmony and interconnections of between the different parts.
The fact that each human eye has the same purpose points to one God. If there were two equally omnipotent powers, then design would be chaotic because they would be fighting over design.

Question 29

Teleological - what is unity?

Answer 29

WAHIDIYYA - unity in the cosmos (eg the water cycle) points towards a creator, as different parts of the universe work together towards one purpose.

Question 30

What did Milani say supporting unity?

Answer 30

gives example of the watch. Everything is designed towards its purpose to keep you within time. Also gives painting example - though we have not met the artist, we can conclude that it has a designer.

Question 31

How does the sperm show unity?

Answer 31

As the sperm is simple, it should produce a similar simple effect. Yet it does not - it produces all the different organs of the human body and so it is not simple. Naturalists would explain this by saying that the sperm has components within it that that relate to the organ they produce. RAZI points out that even if this was the case and the sperm contains the components to produce the different organs, it does not contain within it the ability to ensure that the organs are always in the same place. This requires wisdom which a sperm which is a part of nature simply does not have. It requires an intelligent creator.

Question 32

How does Hume criticise the teleological argument? And what are the comebacks? (3)

Answer 32

• Design in the universe could be the work of several gods - but then created objects would not be the same so there would be disorder
• epicurean hypothesis - Milani and Saleem - we would not think this if we looked at a painting, we would say it has a designer
• designer could not be perfect due to flaws in the world - but evil allows humans to grow, and taqlif means god does not give humans more suffering than they can cope with

Question 33

how does mill criticise the teleological argument? and what is the comeback?

Answer 33

There is too much evil in nature for the designer of this world to be loving - “nearly all the things which men are hanged or imprisoned for doing to one another are nature’s every-day performance” - but Saleem says that “evil” is a part of the order e.g. a poisonous animal does not make all food they touch poisonous. It works within its own order - “Nor can goodness and evil be equal. Repel (evil) with what is better” - quran

Question 34

how does darwin criticise the teleological argument? and what is the comeback?

Answer 34

This world looks well designed due to natural selection and survival of the fittest. If a species does not adapt to its environment, then it will die out. Thus, everything will always look well designed - he Qur’an is the word of Allah and humans came from God making them out of clay not and then from God placing a sperm in the womb-not evolution.

Question 35

Do Mutazalites or Hanbalites believe the Qur’an was created? and why?

Answer 35

Mutazalites; because otherwise it could suggest there are two gods for if the quran is eternal it would be its own god

Question 36

What is the main teaching of the mutazilites?

Answer 36

Denied God’s attributes. God is transcendent and so cannot be like humans. They felt adjectives used to describe God took away from his oneness. Must use reason to work out metaphors, not read Qur’an literally as ‘hands’ etc anthropomorphise God

Question 37

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the mutazilite view?

Answer 37

Strengths - will not lead to shirk or anthropomorphising god, also maintains his oneness and transcendence
Weaknesses - reason can be wrong, less personal god, undermines qur’an’s authority, lost sight of immanence

Question 38

what is the main teaching of the hanbalites?

Answer 38

• God’s attributes revealed in the Qur’an. Should be believed, though their nature is secret as human reason is limited and cannot understand them. Debating them could compromise his transcendence.
• Ibn Badran said that “those curious about the nature of the divine attributes should reverently recognise that such matters are veiled from the workings of human reason. “ The bible should be read literally.

Question 39

what is the main teaching of the asharites?

Answer 39

They teach the middle way between the Hanbalites and Mutazilites. They emphasised the use of reason to know God, and used negation to define God. God’s attributes are a part of his essence but not the same, so do serve a purpose and say something about god. Attributes of action and attributes of essence. Did not say attributes and essence are the same as it denies his attributes, but did not say they are different as it could suggest multiple gods.

Question 40

what are the strengths and weaknesses of the hanbalite view?

Answer 40

strengths - understands mystery of god, doesn’t misunderstand him
weaknesses - anthropomorphises god, could lead to polytheism, appeals to much to mystery

Question 41

what are the strengths and weaknesses of the asharite vies?

Answer 41

strengths - Attributes are not the same as essence, so do serve a purpose and say something of God
weaknesses - how can we understand god if his attributes are nothing like humans?