Human destiny Flashcards
What is the meaning of worship?
In the Qur’an, God says “Glorify the praises of your Lord…” (15:98).
In Arabic, Worship is called Ibaadah (slave). As a slave follows every command of their master, a Muslims must follow every command of Allah. So obedience to divine law is the foundation of worship.
What is the need for worship?
Because obedience to divine law is the key to success in this life and the next. The first human beings (Adam and Hawwa) were created in paradise and later were expelled for disobeying the divine law. The only way for human to return to paradise is by obeying Allah.
Divine law represents guidance for humankind in all walks of life. They define right and wrong for them and offer human beings a complete system governing all of their affairs.
Mankind is responsible for belief in God, which is imprinted on each soul. It’s based on this inborn belief that God defined the purpose of mankind’s creation. In the Qur’an “I have created the jinn and humankind only for My worship.” (51:56).
Is worship misunderstood by Muslims?
Worship is everything one has or does for the pleasure of Allah. This includes rituals as well as beliefs, social activities and personal contribution to the welfare of one’s fellow human beings.
“… righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels, and the Book and the Prophets… it is those who have proved truthful and it is those who are the God- fearing” (2:17).
Salah is one of the most important forms of worship in Islam. Firstly, it’s the distinctive marks of a believer. Secondly, it encourages Muslims to stay in contact with Allah five times a day.
Decent work is considered in Islam a type of worship. The Prophet said “whoever finds himself at the nightfall tired of his work, God will forgive his sins”. The Prophet told his companions that “seeking knowledge is a (religious) duty on every Muslim”. In another saying he said “Seeking knowledge for one hour is better than praying for seventy years”.
After Salah, Zakah is an important pillar of Islam. In the Qur’an, Salah and Zakah have mostly been mentioned together. Like Salah, Zakah is an indicator of faith that affirms that God is the sole owner of everything in the universe. “Believe in Allah and His messenger and spend of that over which He made you trustees.” (57:7). Apart from this, Zakah is a means of redistribution of wealth in a way that reduces differences between classes and groups. It makes a fair contribution to social ability. By purging the soul of the rich from selfishness and the soul of the poor from grief.
Explain morality in Islam
o Islam has established some universal fundamental rights for humanity as a whole, which are to be observed in all circumstances. To uphold these rights, Islam has provided not only legal safeguards, but also a very effective moral system.
o A believer must be humble with God and with other people. The key to virtue and good conduct is a strong relation with God Almighty, who sees all, at all times and everywhere. Allah knows the secrets of the hearts and the intentions behind all actions. “Indeed, the Most honourable among you in the sight of God is the most God-conscious” (49:13).
o Then come deeds of charity, especially sharing and giving things which we become attached to and even love. This, like acts of mandatory worship and prayer, is an integral part of worship. A righteous person must be reliable and trustworthy.
o Finally, faith must be firm and shouldn’t diminish when it’s observed against one’s own desires or anger. “… God loves the doers of the good deeds”. (3:133).
Explain control of passion and desires
Believers should not be attached to temporary pleasures of this world as they should keep God Almighty in their hearts and the material world in their hands.
In the Qur’an it says: “The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail, but only he (will prosper) that brings to God a sound heart (firm in faith).” (26:88-89).
Explain life after death
o Islamic doctrine holds that human existence continues after the death of the human body in the form of spiritual and physical resurrection. A day will come when God will resurrect and gather the first and the last of His creation and judge everyone justly. People will enter their final abode, Heaven or Hell.
o Faith in life after death urges us to do right and to stay away from sin. Faith in life after death is one of the six fundamental beliefs required of a Muslim to complete his faith.
o The Prophet (PBUH) informed us about events occurring after death.
Explain the beliefs of events of the grave
Muslims believe that upon dying, a person enters an intermediate phase of life between death and resurrection known as Barzakh. During Barzakh, the dead will be questioned by Angels about their religion, Prophet and God. This trials of questioning is called Fitnah.
Explain paradise (heaven)
Paradise is the eternal garden of physical pleasures and spiritual delights. Suffering will be absent and bodily desires will be satisfied. All wishes will be met. Palaces, servants, riches, streams of wine, milk and honey and etc. The greatest delight will be the vision of their Lord of which the unbelievers will be deprived. Paradise is for those who worshipped God alone, believed and followed their Prophet, and lived moral lives according to the teachings of scripture.
Explain hell
Hell is an infernal place of punishment for unbelievers and purification for sinful believers. Torture and punishment for the body and the soul, burning by fire, boiling water to drink, scalding food to eat, chains and chocking columns of fire. Unbelievers will be eternally damned to it, whereas sinful believers will eventually be taken out of Hell and enter Paradise.
What is the significance of the belief in the afterlife in the Islamic tradition
Islam teaches that Allah has full control over everything that happens. ‘Nor can a soul die except by Allah’s leave. The term being fixed as by writing’. (Surah 3:145)
In the Qur’an and one of the important teachings of Muhammad (PBUH), tells us that, the world will be destroyed and Allah will move up all people and supernatural creatures (Jinn) from the dead, to be judged on how they lived their life and their deeds.
Allah has given human being free will, where they are able to decide whether to perform good deeds or bad which, they are responsible for doing so.
This life is the preparation for the eternal life that will come (Akhirah) where humans have only one chance to choose how they will live their life.
The resurrection that will take place on the day of judgement is physical, is explained by signifying that Allah will re-make the decayed body ‘Could they not see that God who created the heavens and earth is able to create the like of them?’
Allah will balance the good deeds a person has done in their life against the bad deeds. ‘And to every soul will be paid in full (the fruit) of its deeds; and Allah knoweth best all that they do.’ (39:70) if the good deeds outweigh the bad, the person will go to paradise (Jannah), a place of joy and bliss. ‘Of the good that they do nothing will be rejected of them; for Allah knoweth well those that do right.’ (Surah 3:115)
Explain the role of divine justice and mercy in Islamic eschatological teachings
“And be patient, for indeed, Allah does not allow to be lost the reward of those who do good” (11:115).
Injustice in this world can only be justified with the existence of an afterlife where those who were oppressed received justice. If we are to trust in the mercy and justice of our Creator we cannot believe He restricts the rewards of piety and the punishments of transgression to this worldly life, for the inequities of life are clear.
God doesn’t directly permit the commission of a cruelty against any person. However, the freedom of action, grants some criminal oppressor the freedom and power to act as he wills and in the end exempts him from all punishment is in itself a clear form of injustice. The link between God’s justice and the need for a precise accounting of our deeds thus makes it clear the necessity for resurrection. In addition, certain crimes and evils are so extensive in their effects that they cannot be adequately punished in this world, with its limited time span.
What are the strengths (for) for free will?
When living in the world, by having a belief in the afterlife we will know that if we have lived a peaceful life on earth, we will be rewarded and enter paradise.
By believing in the afterlife, it provides human beings with a purpose of life which is that they are being tested by Allah. So on earth, all their actions depends on what Allah judges them on whether they go to heaven or hell.
Some people might argue that, even if evil does provide strong evidence against the existence of all-good and powerful God, there’s also strong evidence that such a God exist. There’s not just evil in the world, but also goodness, beauty and love. It could be argued that in total, the good still outweighs the bad and pushes the probability in God’s favour.
It could be argued that even if we don’t know a plausible reason for God allowing evil, there could still be a reason.
It could be argued that we shouldn’t expect to understand God and what he does. It should be enough for us to know that there’s an all-power and loving God who doesn’t make mistakes; we shouldn’t require of God that he explains himself to us. It might be argued that theism is about faith in the unknown, and not about the rules of deductive logic or the balance of probabilities.
What are the weaknesses(against) for free will?
However, this can cause problems to some people as they might believe that the scientific evidence that is out there is correct. By believing this, they will think that afterlife do not exist as when you die, everything dies in your body.
When people die, no one has come back into the world from the dead to tell us about life after death.
By believing in the scientific evidence, they might argue that when the body dies the soul also dies so it is impossible for the afterlife to exist.
