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Allah (swt) has no beginning, no end, was neither begot nor does he beget and has no partners in association with him. From a theological and philosophical perspective, this is the only way a God can exist. There can not be more than one infinite and all-powerful being (as what happens if the two all-powerful being go against each other) and God does not create other all powerful beings (as in the Christian concept of Trinity) as that is philosophically impossible.
Ironically an Atheist Philosophy professor taught me a lot about Tawhid (the infinite and oneness of God). While he was not a believer he accepted that the God of Islam and the Jews was the only possible way for a God to be.
All of what you said makes as certain amount of sense conceptually. What real reason is there to suppose that it is not simply a product of your imagination from beginning to end however? Concepts produced entirely by the human imagination have absolutely no obvious or necessary connection to anything physically real. Imagining things and then declaring them to be true has no necessary effect on physical reality.
All of what you said makes as certain amount of sense conceptually. What real reason is there to suppose that it is not simply a product of your imagination from beginning to end however? Concepts produced entirely by the human imagination have absolutely no obvious or necessary connection to anything physically real. Imagining things and then declaring them to be true has no necessary effect on physical reality.
Once I had accepted that a purely monotheistic God was the only way for God to be...I started researching and digging in to my Quran to see where it possibly contradicts science or itself. What I found instead were quite startling agreements with science, including full explicit agreement with the Big Bang theory (Allah stated in the Quran that the Universe, the Earth and the Heavens were once as one until he split them apart), no abject denial of evolution (Allah states that every living thing came from water), and explicit agreement to embryological development to the degree that modern non-Muslim doctors have stated that it was impossible for Muhammad (saw) to have stated in such detail what was in the Quran based on 7th Century medicine.
When I put together that this book was theologically/philosophically sound, free from contradiction and was supported by modern scientific discoveries I could no longer have any doubts. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) was an illiterate goat herder from a pagan tribe in desolate 7th century Arabia...I could not see a way that he came up with this on his own or through any guide or teacher other than God.
Once I had accepted that a purely monotheistic God was the only way for God to be...I started researching and digging in to my Quran to see where it possibly contradicts science or itself. What I found instead were quite startling agreements with science, including full explicit agreement with the Big Bang theory (Allah stated in the Quran that the Universe, the Earth and the Heavens were once as one until he split them apart), no abject denial of evolution (Allah states that every living thing came from water), and explicit agreement to embryological development to the degree that modern non-Muslim doctors have stated that it was impossible for Muhammad (saw) to have stated in such detail what was in the Quran based on 7th Century medicine.
When I put together that this book was theologically/philosophically sound, free from contradiction and was supported by modern scientific discoveries I could no longer have any doubts. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) was an illiterate goat herder from a pagan tribe in desolate 7th century Arabia...I could not see a way that he came up with this on his own or through any guide or teacher other than God.
It IS a beautiful way of conceptualizing the universe. And it does more or less correspond to some of what can actually be observed concerning the operation of the universe. According to Hindu belief "everything is one." This concept seem to be verified in the observation that the universe was once all one thing, in the form of what physicists call "the singularity." Everything was one thing. Do these things serve to confirm religious concepts, or are they simply generalizations that happen to be coincidentally close? However, if religious documents attributed to divine origin really are of divine origin then they should be consistently and obviously valid.
Are the various religious works which the various religious disciplines hold to be true believable? Is the "long day" by which the Earth apparently stopped turning for about 24 hours found in the Jewish OT REALLY a believable story? Christianity stands or falls on the assertion that the corpse of Jesus came back to life and then subsequently flew away. Is that REALLY believable? According to the Holy Qu'ran the prophet took a trip to heaven known as the night journey astride a flying steed called Al-Baraq. Is this REALLY a believable story, or is it fair for non believers to be skeptical? And if the various holy works of the various religious beliefs seem to be rife with very unrealistic claims, is it fair to consider them as little more than the genuinely held but ultimately misguided musings of ancient superstitious and largely, by modern standards, ignorant people?
It IS a beautiful way of conceptualizing the universe. And it does more or less correspond to some of what can actually be observed concerning the operation of the universe. According to Hindu belief "everything is one." This concept seem to be verified in the observation that the universe was once all one thing, in the form of what physicists call "the singularity." Everything was one thing. Do these things serve to confirm religious concepts, or are they simply generalizations that happen to be coincidentally close? However, if religious documents attributed to divine origin really are of divine origin then they should be consistently and obviously valid.
Are the various religious works which the various religious disciplines hold to be true believable? Is the "long day" by which the Earth apparently stopped turning for about 24 hours found in the Jewish OT REALLY a believable story? Christianity stands or falls on the assertion that the corpse of Jesus came back to life and then subsequently flew away. Is that REALLY believable? According to the Holy Qu'ran the prophet took a trip to heaven known as the night journey astride a flying steed called Al-Baraq. Is this REALLY a believable story, or is it fair for non believers to be skeptical? And if the various holy works of the various religious beliefs seem to be rife with very unrealistic claims, is it fair to consider them as little more than the genuinely held but ultimately misguided musings of ancient superstitious and largely, by modern standards, ignorant people?
I can't speak to other religions...however if we accept that there is an all powerful, omnipotent God than yes, it is believable that *anything* could be possible.
Where the difference lies between us and the other Abrahamic religions is that the Quran has clear and *explicit* agreements to modern science, is philosophically defendable and is without contradiction (unlike the OT and NT). Where Allah (swt) has made clear specific revelations about the world around us, it's nature and how Allah (swt) made certain things the way they are...it's very difficult to deny these as the musings/thoughts of an illiterate goat herder from a pagan tribe in 7th century Arabia. I simply don't see the Prophet Muhammad (saw) randomally being accurate about the Big Bang, evolution and embryological development.
I can't speak to other religions...however if we accept that there is an all powerful, omnipotent God than yes, it is believable that *anything* could be possible.
Where the difference lies between us and the other Abrahamic religions is that the Quran has clear and *explicit* agreements to modern science, is philosophically defendable and is without contradiction (unlike the OT and NT). Where Allah (swt) has made clear specific revelations about the world around us, it's nature and how Allah (swt) made certain things the way they are...it's very difficult to deny these as the musings/thoughts of an illiterate goat herder from a pagan tribe in 7th century Arabia. I simply don't see the Prophet Muhammad (saw) randomally being accurate about the Big Bang, evolution and embryological development.
But this is my point. YOU MADE IT ALL UP! You imagined the existence of a creator Being who can do anything, and then declared it to be true. What are the probable chances that your creator Being actually exists? Since you just made it all up, virtually none. You certainly have every right to believe in whatever appeals to you. But your argument that "I imagine this to be true therefore it must be all true" is not a particularly convincing argument. Believers invariably argue that the existence of God is only obvious. But yet there is very little that is less obvious then an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent INVISIBLE Being! Especially now that we have come to realize that the universe works perfectly fine for perfectly natural and reasonably understandable reasons.
But this is my point. YOU MADE IT ALL UP! You imagined the existence of a creator Being who can do anything, and then declared it to be true. What are the probable chances that your creator Being actually exists? Since you just made it all up, virtually none. You certainly have every right to believe in whatever appeals to you. But your argument that "I imagine this to be true therefore it must be all true" is not a particularly convincing argument. Believers invariably argue that the existence of God is only obvious. But yet there is very little that is less obvious then an omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent INVISIBLE Being! Especially now that we have come to realize that the universe works perfectly fine for perfectly natural and reasonably understandable reasons.
But *I* didn't make anything up. *None* of this came from my imagination. If there was no Quran, I highly-highly doubt I would have imagined anything even resembling the guidance of who God is in the Quran.
Note your ignoring a few things...most notably the perfect theological/philsophical conception of a monotheistic God (infinite, omnipotent and always existing) as well as the Quran itself being so closely tied to modern science, which is nearly impossible for a 7th century Arabian goat herder to come up with on his own or with the resources given to him at that place and time.
Now Allah (swt) says in the Quran,
"And they swear by Allah their strongest oaths that if a sign came to them, they would surely believe in it. Say, "The signs are only with Allah ." And what will make you perceive that even if a sign came, they would not believe. And We will turn away their hearts and their eyes just as they refused to believe in it the first time. And We will leave them in their transgression, wandering blindly. And even if We had sent down to them the angels [with the message] and the dead spoke to them [of it] and We gathered together every [created] thing in front of them, they would not believe unless Allah should will. But most of them, [of that], are ignorant." - Quran (6:109-111)
But *I* didn't make anything up. *None* of this came from my imagination. If there was no Quran, I highly-highly doubt I would have imagined anything even resembling the guidance of who God is in the Quran.
Note your ignoring a few things...most notably the perfect theological/philsophical conception of a monotheistic God (infinite, omnipotent and always existing) as well as the Quran itself being so closely tied to modern science, which is nearly impossible for a 7th century Arabian goat herder to come up with on his own or with the resources given to him at that place and time.
Now Allah (swt) says in the Quran,
"And they swear by Allah their strongest oaths that if a sign came to them, they would surely believe in it. Say, "The signs are only with Allah ." And what will make you perceive that even if a sign came, they would not believe. And We will turn away their hearts and their eyes just as they refused to believe in it the first time. And We will leave them in their transgression, wandering blindly. And even if We had sent down to them the angels [with the message] and the dead spoke to them [of it] and We gathered together every [created] thing in front of them, they would not believe unless Allah should will. But most of them, [of that], are ignorant." - Quran (6:109-111)
First however, you must simply declare the Quran to be the Word of God, and not the word of the man it was derived from. That is an assumption and a choice on your part which makes sense to you, but is not an obvious conclusion to the rest of us. We tend to notice things, like the fact that the Quran, like EVERY OTHER religious document, was derived from man. No actual God was ever obvious.
But *I* didn't make anything up. *None* of this came from my imagination. If there was no Quran, I highly-highly doubt I would have imagined anything even resembling the guidance of who God is in the Quran.
Note your ignoring a few things...most notably the perfect theological/philsophical conception of a monotheistic God (infinite, omnipotent and always existing) as well as the Quran itself being so closely tied to modern science, which is nearly impossible for a 7th century Arabian goat herder to come up with on his own or with the resources given to him at that place and time.
Now Allah (swt) says in the Quran,
"And they swear by Allah their strongest oaths that if a sign came to them, they would surely believe in it. Say, "The signs are only with Allah ." And what will make you perceive that even if a sign came, they would not believe. And We will turn away their hearts and their eyes just as they refused to believe in it the first time. And We will leave them in their transgression, wandering blindly. And even if We had sent down to them the angels [with the message] and the dead spoke to them [of it] and We gathered together every [created] thing in front of them, they would not believe unless Allah should will. But most of them, [of that], are ignorant." - Quran (6:109-111)
So, if we were to find any verse in the Quran that is inconsistent with science, would you agree that the Quran is unreliable and cease your belief in Allah?
So, if we were to find any verse in the Quran that is inconsistent with science, would you agree that the Quran is unreliable and cease your belief in Allah?
That hasn't happened so I'm not sure what my reaction would be.
First however, you must simply declare the Quran to be the Word of God, and not the word of the man it was derived from. That is an assumption and a choice on your part which makes sense to you, but is not an obvious conclusion to the rest of us. We tend to notice things, like the fact that the Quran, like EVERY OTHER religious document, was derived from man. No actual God was ever obvious.
How would you explain the Prophet Muhammad (saw) understanding concepts of scientific fact and theory that were not only explicit in nature but stated at a time when the common thought was that the earth was flat and medicine amounted to little more than voodoo?
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