God (Allah)

Allah (الله‎, romanized: Allāh) is the Arabic word for God in Abrahamic religions. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam.

62067

Qur'anic Verse . God (Allah)

Does the Qur'anic verse 70:4 suggest that a day with God is equal to 50,000 years? If so, how does that reconcile with the belief that Allah (swt) is beyond time and space?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 days ago

Allah (SWT) is beyond time and space as He created every thing including time and space. The verse is mentioning the period of one day which has specific importance and not like our usual days. It is for angles and it is equal to our fifty thousand years. This day is created by Allah and never rule over Allah (SWT).

There are many days mentioned in Quran with different periods. Day in Quran does not always mean the usual day in our understanding which is 24 hours, but it is a time unit, with different periods depending on the nature of the Day.

Allah (SWT) is beyond any timing, though He created the time foe us and ordered us to act according to these timings.

Wassalam.

62043

Wisdom . God (Allah)

Is it true that we are in almost total darkness regarding the nature and extent of God's wisdom? If so, how is that not a significant handicap in our understanding of God whose laws we are obligated to follow for salvation?

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answer updated 1 week ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. While we cannot know the full Wisdom of God that does not prevent us from understanding something of the wisdom of God as it pertains to the creation. There are some laws that we can understand the wisdom behind and others that we do not know the wisdom of. But following those laws is not contingent on us understanding the wisdom behind them once we confirm the Wisdom of God and it's unlimited nature.

To give an example to illustrate the point, many times small children do not understand the wisdom of their parents when they prevent them or encourage them towards certain things. But if the parents are truly wise then it is in the benefit of the child whether that child understand the wisdom or not. Indeed to take this example further, in any relationship when one person is wise and the other is in need of wisdom, the one that needs wisdom is by definition he who does not understand that wisdom unless the wise person is able to explain it to them as part of their advice. That is a normal handicap for one that lacks wisdom even if it is not Divine Wisdom.

May you always be successful

60414

Death . Fear . God (Allah)

I feel like I only believe in God because I am afraid of death. I really want to believe but the fear of death comes so suddenly that I do not eat or sleep well. Could this feeling be a message from Him to come back? What if there is no salvation for me?

Shyrose Jaffer Dhalla, Zakira Shyrose Jaffer Dhalla is a graduate of York University in Canada from where she obtained a BA in Psychology and Sociology and a Masters in the field of Education. She lectures on Islam at... Answered 1 week ago

The constant remembrance of death and the fear of facing Allah swt is, in fact, not only encouraged by the Holy Quran, but is an essential quality that must exist in a true momin. To find oneself in such a state of reflection is, in actuality, a blessing rather than a burden.

Imam Ali (a.s) in Nahjul Balagha (saying #44) explains,

"Blessed is the man who always kept the life after death in his view, who remembered the Day of Judgment through all his deeds, who led a contented life and who was happy with the lot that Allah swt had destined for him."

However, it is important to understand that the fear of death and God is not encouraged in Islam simply in order to create a debilitating and paralyzing anxiety in the human being; rather, it is to allow for us to detach from the transient world and to galvanize us into preparation for the everlasting life.

To be consumed with thought of one's mortality should be the goal of every believer and it is this very state of being that elicits true asceticism in the human soul. It not only paves the path towards God Consciousness, or Taqwa, but it also allows for the essential task of detaching oneself from the world ie. Dunya.

Imam al-Baqir (a.s) has said,

'Remember death frequently, for no sooner does man increase his remembrance of death than he begins to renounce this world's life.’

الإمامُ الباقرُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): أكثِرْ ذِكرَ المَوتِ ، فإنّهُ لَم ‏يُكثِرْ إنسانٌ ذِكرَ المَوتِ إلّا زَهِدَ في الدنيا

Bihar Al-Anwar, V. 73, P. 64, No. 31

As to the concern whether one’s imaan has come from fear of Allah swt rather than the love of Allah swt, it is important to understand that faith or imaan, in true essence, has to actually include a combination of the two. True love means one is always working for the Pleasure of one’s Beloved and is always worried about causing, even inadvertently, the Displeasure of the Beloved. True love, in its most elevated form, means that the concern and anxiety over disobedience comes from a prevailing need to please the Beloved rather than the fear of possible punishment from the Beloved.

Is there hope for us? Is it possible for us to get salvation? Should we dare to even dream of being forgiven? These are valid questions, indeed. As a matter of fact, a true believer must always be asking themselves this question. And their state of being should always be in a perfect balance between fear and hope.

According to Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a.s.), “A believer cannot have belief till both fear and hope are present in him. Nor can he be called as fearful and hopeful till he makes it evident in his actions.”

Staying in this state between anxiety and optimism prevents a believer from sins, protects them from developing a sense of invincibility and keeps them safe from becoming completely discouraged, demoralized and disheartened.

Remembering death often, fearing Allah swt, staying between the states of hope and fear is the quality of the ambiya and truly worth emulating for the Holy Qur’an praises the Prophets (peace be upon them) in the following words:

“Surely they used to hasten, one with another, in deeds of goodness and to call upon Us, hoping and fearing; and they were humble before Us.”

(al-’Anbiya’ 21:90)

May Allah swt infuse us with these towfiqaat (ilaahi ameen).

Remember that fear is often a result of a lack of knowledge. Thus, it is important to work on increasing our knowledge so that we can learn more about Allah swt and His ways. The more we can understand how Merciful and Loving our Lord truly is, the better we can learn to view the remembrance of death and the fear of God as a blessing rather than a source of anxiety, ilaahi ameen.

Death . Fear . God (Allah)

Death for the believer is a blessing and happiness, as it is the start of reward and happy everlasting life, and for the disbeliever is a start of punishment. The believers are transferred when they die from the this life which has difficulties and pain and sufferings, to the life of peace, pleasure and happiness.

Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba was asked about death, he replied: Death is the happiest day for the believer, and the hardest day for the hypocrite.

In Ziyarat Ameen Allah which is recommended to be recited in visiting every Imam, we read a great Du'a which includes: O Allah, make me always longing for the happiness of meeting your mercy (death) مشتاقة إلى فرحة لقائك

Real believer seeks from Allah (SWT) to grant him martyrdom because it is the best way to die then live everlasting happy life, and even those who do not die in war, their readiness to be martyr and longing for martyrdom , makes them get the degree of the martyrs.

The Prophetic Hadeeth says: Surely, any believer dies loving The Progeny of the Prophet, will die as Shaheed.

Loving Allah ( SWT) and serving his servants ( especially the children ) will make death a really happy day for the family.

Wassalam.

61894

Shirk . Sin . Forgiveness . God (Allah)

Why is Shirk such a major sin against God that He will not forgive, despite His unlimited compassion and mercy, when for sins against other people we are asked by God to seek their forgiveness?

Abbas Di Palma, Shaykh Abbas Di Palma holds a BA and an MA degree in Islamic Studies, and certifications from the Language Institute of Damascus University. He has also studied traditional Islamic sciences in... Answer updated 1 week ago

as salam alaikum

the Qur'an says: "Surely Allah does not forgive that a partner be associated with Him but He forgives everything else to whomsoever He wills" (4:48). On the other hand, He says: "Do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed He forgives all sins: (39:53).

To understand this, we need to understand that Allah forgives anyone who believes in Him: "Surely I am Forgiving to him who turns in repentance to Me and believes and do righteous deeds and sticks to the guidance" ( (20:82).

Shirk is not something to be forgiven by Allah in the sense that it is the mushrik to put himself out of Allah's mercy. A wrongdoing committed against yourselves can be forgiven through Allah's mercy, a wrongdoing committed against another person also can be forgiven in a similar way, as long as we are pure enough to turn to Him and be receivers of His mercy. Shirk however cannot be forgiven in such way because by limiting Allah's presence in your heart, you are limiting Allah's mercy on you as well. It is reported in a hadith qudsi that Allah said:

أنا عند ظن عبدي بي

"I am as My servant thinks I am"

It is only through faith and by fully relying on Him, that we can uproot shirk and hope in His mercy and Forgiveness.

In conclusion we can say that there is no limit to Allah's mercy as long as the servant does not limit himself and turns away from it.

With prayers for your success.

61881

Mankind . Universe . God (Allah)

Is it correct to say that mankind and the universe are perfect creations of God and that they could not have been in a better form or function? If so, can we also say that exploring and understanding the universe is like reading the mind of God?

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. The scriptural sources are clear in the fact that God cannot be known in His entirety with the faculties that humans possess. This is because a being limited to time and space cannot expect to understand a Being who is unlimited in every way. The system of creation is perfect in the sense that there is no imperfection in the way it functions and that indicates towards the Attributes of God, but those Attributes are only comprehended to the extent of our ability. The further one is able to explore the creation the better they will comprehend the Attributes from that perspective. The level of that investigation depends also on the epistemological tools that they are using. There is no way to fully understand the mind of God, especially through a process of induction from His creation.

May you always be successful

61946

God (Allah) . Divine Mercy

Is it true that the majority of people born from the time of Adam till the day of resurrection will end up in hell on account of their beliefs or deeds? If so, then couldn't God, out of His infinite mercy, have avoided creating them in the first place?

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. It is not established that the majority of people will end up in hell. As for the avoidance of creating those who God knew would end up in hell, that is an issue of Divine Wisdom for which we can try to reasonably understand with the assumption that we can know something of that wisdom. The issue could then be understood with reflection into the meaning and implications of free will. There would be no meaning to the creation of beings with free will if none of them had the choice to end up in hell. In this instance it is not accurate to frame the question from the perspective of Divine Mercy alone.

May you always be successful

61422

Consent . Mankind . God (Allah)

How can we believe that Allah took our consent before our creation if no one remembers it? How can we respond to the challenge that there was no need for the creation of mankind and putting them in a trial?

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. God didn't take the concent of His creation before creating it. Perhaps you are referring to His pact with humans when they responded positively to Him being their Lord? If that is the case then this is one of the specifics found in the Quran and once the Quran has been established as being the book of guidance from God then there is no need to prove each and every specific. Further, this issue can be interpreted as the natural disposition of the human to seek God. If the atheist is not willing to accept that they have that disposition, that doesn't matter as this position is a theological one and so there is no need to convince an atheist as long as the issue is consistent within the theological framework.

As for the second question, God created mankind out of His Mercy and that included the creation of vicegerents on the earth. The necessity of trial is due to the nature of reward which is given for praiseworthy action. There is no praiseworthy action if it hasn't really taken place or if it is forced. Therefore a human has to be free to act and this is the meaning of trial.

May you always be successful

61421

Evil . God (Allah)

If Allah (swt) has unlimited and infinite love and compassion and He also has full knowledge of the future, then why did He create all the evil people about whom He knows that they will end up in Hell?

Zeinab Donati, Zeinab Donati has been studying books about various Islamic subjects for more than 19 years. She is deeply interested in history and politics as well as social issues in particular those pertaining... Answered 2 weeks ago

In addition to what have been nicely replied, I would like to share a list of texts that discuss about evil in relation with Divine Justice, hoping that they will be interesting read that will bring a lot of reflections and a deeper understanding on this subject inshaAllah.
Divine Justice and the Problem of Evil, by Ghulam Husayn Adeel
https://www.al-islam.org/message-thaqalayn/vol11-n2-2010/divine-justice-...
Divine Justice or The Problem of Evil, by Javad Shayvard
https://www.al-islam.org/divine-justice-or-problem-evil-javad-shayvard
Discursive Theology Volume 1, Lesson 25: Evil and the Justice of God
https://www.al-islam.org/discursive-theology-volume-1-dr-ali-rabbani-gul...
Evils, An Excerpt from Ayatullah Murtadha Mutahhari's Divine Justice
https://www.al-islam.org/articles/evils-excerpt-ayatullah-murtadha-mutah...
Ultimate Questions in Philosophy of Religion, by Shaykh Mansour Leghaei, chapter 17 & 18
https://www.al-islam.org/ultimate-questions-philosophy-religion-shaykh-m...
https://www.al-islam.org/ultimate-questions-philosophy-religion-shaykh-m...

Evil . God (Allah)

Allah, The Glorious, created human beings and granted them the ability to be good if they want, or to be bad if they insist on doing bad. In Quran ( We Have guided the human being to the right path, to chose whether to be grateful or disgraceful) Sura Al-Insan, Verse 3.

Allah (SWT) gives all human beings the option to choose their faith and deeds, after guiding them to the Truth. They will meet the results of their option in this life and hereafter.
No doubt that Allah knows who will be grateful and who will be disgraceful, but His knowledge does not make Him cancel the existence of those who will be bad, or stop their creation, because it will be against justice to punish the sinners to be before committing the sin.

Evil people prove the qualities of good people and with out bad people, it will be difficult to identify the good persons.

Wassalam.

Evil . God (Allah)

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. The problem of evil is an issue that has been discussed extensively in philosophy of religion but unfortunately the issue is primarily framed in a way that emphasises certain Attributes of God based on the Christian tradition. There is also much confusion on the relation of God and time as well as on what knowledge actually is in relation to God.

In summary evil people are such through their own choice and it would be unjust for God to sentence them to eternal punishment without them actually choosing evil.

May you always be successful

61424

God (Allah)

How would one respond to the suggestion that God is not absolutely without need if He created us because of His desire that He be known and so that He does not remain a hidden treasure?

Bismillah

Thank you for question. If we accept the authenticity of the hadith used for this claim, the desire is not out of need but out of love and mercy for the creation. So there is no contradiction between God being needless and desiring what is good for His creation.

May you always be successful