The Nature of God
Religions have different views on the nature of God. Who is He, what is He like?
As Muslims, we believe that He is the one God, who has no partner. He is the Creator. Nothing is like Him. He is neither created, nor a part of His creation. He is All-Powerful, absolutely Just. There is no other entity in the entire universe worthy of worship besides Him. He is the All-Knowing, All-Merciful, the Supreme, and the Sovereign. He knows what is in our hearts.
Safi Khan, the imam of Dar-us-Salaam in College Park, MD, will speak this Saturday at the Beltsville Seventh Day Adventist Church on “The Nature of God”. Join faith leaders from Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Sikhism, as they discuss their various views on the nature of God. Take this opportunity to ask your questions.
Where: Beltsville Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 4200 Ammendale Rd, Beltsville, MD.
When: Saturday, June 28 from 5-7 p.m.
For more information contact: Elisha B. Pulivarti, 240-432-9612, www.beltsvillesda.org.
Hi, I’m taking an introduction to islam course at BYU, and I had a couple of questions.
In some of the readings we’ve done from the Qur’an and Hadith, forgiveness of sins seems kind of arbitrary. How does that work? Is there some kind of a law of justice that the final judgment is based on, or does Allah simply decide? Also, I can’t figure out exactly what different Muslim leaders are saying when the talk about Muslim sinners–do Muslims have to repent of their sins, or does simply being Muslims and worshipping assure them of salvation?
Thanks,
Victoria
Hi Victoria, forgiveness is entirely up to God, who is known as “Allah” in Arabic. Allah (glory to Him the Most High) is the Just, the Wise, the All-Knowing, and He is also the Most Merciful, the Compassionate. He evaluates each person on the Day of Judgment, looking at their beliefs, intentions, and actions, and then according to His Mercy He decides what to forgive. One can strive to do what is good and avoid what is evil, and to ask Allah to forgive one’s sins.
Muslims do not have a guarantee of salvation. We ask Allah for forgiveness of our sins. Human beings frequently commit sins, even though we may not always be aware of them. Even the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, who is our role model, asked Allah for forgiveness 70 times a day. So we, who are nowhere near his level of righteousness, also ask regularly for forgiveness.