Although God in the Qur’an
frequently condemns nonbelievers, such as polytheists or atheists, to torment
in the Fire, He accepts Jews and Christians. The Qur’an is the primary text of
Islamic worship, but it does not discriminate against “The [Muslim] believers,”
Jews, Christians, etc., because they all “believe in God and the Last Day and
do good” (2:62). From the Qur’an’s perspective, as long as one believes in the “one
true” god and does not do wrong, God will guide him/her to the Garden,
regardless of which religion s/he follows. Christians and Jews have no problem
going to the same Garden because, as the Qur’an states, “they both read the
Scripture…, follow it as it deserves,” and “truly believe in it” (2:113, 2:120).
Again, as long as a Jew or Christian is a steadfast believer who does good, God
in the Qur’an approves of him/her. Though Christianity and Judaism primarily
follow Jesus and Abraham respectively instead of Muhammed, God “[makes] no
distinction between any of [the prophets]” because each received the truth
directly from God, so each religion “devotes [itself] to Him” (2:136). God in
the Qur’an makes no distinction because there is nothing to distinct. Each
religion follows a different prophet, each prophet is a godsend, each is preaching
God’s truth. God directs the Prophet to ask “’How can you argue with us about
God when He is our Lord and your Lord?’” to a dissenting Jew or Christian (2:139).
The answer is that the Jew or Christian cannot argue except over which exact
practices of prayer are better than the other. God addresses these minute
differences in religious practice with the promise that He “will judge between
them of the Day of Resurrection,” whether a Jew or a Christian did enough good within
their own religion to enter the Garden (2:113). Again, different religious
practices are practically irrelevant, as long as a Muslim believes in the “one
true” God and does good. The Qur’an states though “Each [religion] has its own
direction to which it turns…God will bring [all followers] together” on the Day
of Judgment (2:155). God in the Qur’an looks upon all His followers with favor
as long as their belief is steadfast and they do good. God does not
discriminate between followers of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity because they
follow the same God and the same principles. Regardless these points, why do
these three religions seem to constantly fight?
As Eric states, God in the Qur'an welcomes Believers, and shuns those who reject Him. The definition of a believer goes beyond Muslims, Jews, and Christians. Sura 2:62 states"The [Muslim] believers, the Jews, the Christians, and the Sabians... will have their rewards with the Lord" The footnotes of this page define Sabians as a Monotheistic community. Also, "...God would never let faith go to waste [believers], for God is most compassionate, and most merciful towards people" (2:143).
ReplyDeleteI think this is significant because it is saying that God is merciful to more than just religions stemming from Abraham, and that "believers" may be a broader term than one would initially think.
Sadly the Sabians were actually Abrahamic. Though it is an interesting question whether or not God would accept any monotheistic religion that had similar values to the Abrahamic religions. It seems that anyone who believes in the one true God and shows qualities of charity and goodness should be accepted.
ReplyDeleteAn answer to the unanswered question posed at the very end might be that although the religions share ideals, they also share holy spots some relics. Though they can recognize that the other religions are at least partially correct, Jerusalem, for example, is supposed to be reserved for the true believers of each of the religions. As such, it is a point of contention. In a way, it is what they have been promised by God that divides them.
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