Imbasan Di Ambang Ramadhan 1430H

Ramadhan 1430H, bakal menjelma. Setiap kali Ramadhan muncul, setiap kali aku akan terkenang seorang chatter yang aku pernah kenal di alam chatting di internet. Walaupun perkenalan kami tak sampai setahun, namun perkenalan ini amat bermakna dan meninggalkan kesan yang mendalam dalam kotak fikiran aku. Perkenalan ku dengan chatter tersebut telah mendorong aku untuk menjadikan oncology sebagai priority dalam research ku.

Kisahnya .......

Pernah satu ketika di chat room, telah masuk seorang chatter baru. Sambil speaking orang putih dia memperkenalkan dirinya sebagai seorang pemuda Melayu, usia sekitar belasan tahun. Berasal dari Malaysia, tetapi sejak usia 8 tahun telah mengikut ibu dan ayahnya berhijrah ke Ireland. Sejak berhijrah itulah dia terputus hubungan dengan ajaran Islam. Dia hanya tahu bahawa dia mempunyai darah Melayu dan beragama Islam. Tetapi sembahyang dia tak tahu, syahadah dia tak tahu, puasa dia tak tahu, bahasa Melayu pun dia tak tahu, malah Allah dan Rasul pun dia tak tahu.



Sewaktu dia introduce diri dia di chat room, ramai chatters yang sangsi dengan dia. Sampai yang ada menuduh dia penipu, kaki kelentong dan lain lain lagi. Tapi nasib baiklah dia tak faham bahasa Melayu, sebab kalau dia faham bahasa Melayu tentu dia terasa hati dengan kutukan dan hinaan dalam bahasa Melayu yang dilemparkan oleh "ustaz" dan "ustazah" di chat room.

Bila aku tengok dia macam tak ambil kisah chatters kutuk dia, aku pun menghantar Private Message di kotak chatting dia, dan tanya dia macamana dia boleh tersesat masuk kat chat room. Dia jawab dia nak belajar pasal Islam.

Aku tanya lagi apesal masuk chat room ? Dia tegaskan sekali lagi, bahawa dia sejak kecil tak pernah diajar pasal Islam. Dia hanyalah seorang Islam baka yang dilahirkan sebagai Melayu di Malaysia. Dia dah tak faham bahasa Melayu sebab speaking orang putih sokmo. Jadi dia masuk ke room kategori REGION, lepas tu masuk ke MALAYSIA barulah dia cari chat room yang ada bunyi2 cam Islamic sikit utk belajar tentang Islam.

Kemudia dia forwardkan kat aku PM-PM chatters yang mengutuk dia. Dia mintak aku terjemahkan PM tu dari bahsa Melayu ke bahasa orang putih sebab dia tak faham. Aku tak sampai hati nak terjemah, sebab budak tu confident jerk yang room tu Islamic, tapi dari aku tengok bahasa PM yang budak tu dapat, tak lak nampak chatters yang hantar PM tu Islamic. Budak tu introduce aje diri dia kat chat room, tak ada lak dia buat benda luar batasan syariat. Tapi PM yang dia dapat dan dia mintak aku translate, tak lak aku nampak cam chat room dan ahlinya Islamic. Jadi aku pun kata kat dia, tak yah layan PM tu. PM tu nak melawak aje dengan dia. Kalau aku translatekan pun lom tentu dia faham. Aku pun tak translatekan PM tu. Aku cakap kat dia, room yang dia masuk tu bukan room untuk belajar pasal Islam, room tu lebih kepada merapu. Tapi kalau dia nak belajar tentang Islam, aku & member2 aku boleh bantu. Dari riak tulisan dia, nampak yang dia betul2 happy dengan jawapan aku. Kendian dia ADD id aku dan aku pun ADD id dia dalam senarai rakan chatting.

Sejak hari itu, kami selalu berPM.Dia banyak cerita pasal diri dia pada aku. Dia sendiri mengaku dia tak pernah sembahyang, tak pernah puasa, tak kenal Allah dan Rasul. Masa yang sama aku susun program Fardhu Ain khususi untuk dia. Alhamdulillah dengan bantuan sahabat2 seperjuangan. Hampir setiap malam ada program Fardhu Ain untuk dia. Ajar sifat 20, taharah, bab pembahagian air, pembahagian najis, sembahyang, puasa, zakat. Siap ajar baca Fatihah guna tulisan rumi. Pasang webcam & voice chat. Tunjuk macam mana nak angkat takbir, ruku', sujud dan lain-lain lagi. Aku & sahabat2 yang lain yg mengisi program fardhu ain khususi, kalau terjumpa website yang berunsur Islam dengan penyampaian yang mudah dalam bahasa Inggeris, kami akan forwardkan kepada dia.

Satu hari dia PM aku. Dia kata kat aku "Bang Mat plz online tonite 8pm Dublin" ("Bang Mat tolong online waktu 8pm Dublin hari ni" (translation) )

Jadi aku pun online. Bila dah PM. Dia cakap kat aku.

adam : Bg Mat, plz make me a muslim (translation - Bg Mat tolong jadikan saya seorang muslim)

aku : u r a muslim ( ko kan dah jadi muslim )

adam : no i havn't. i havn't recite the syahadah (saya lom lagi Islam, saya belum ucap syahadah)

aku : ok I'm here lets do it ( oklerr aku kat sini, ko ucapler)

dia pun mengucapkan syahadah bersama terjemahannya dalm omputih

aku : alhamdulillah, now u r a true muslim ( alhamdulillah , ko seorang muslim sejati)

adam : i feel great ( saya rasa worldddddddddd )

adam : fr now on , i am ADAM ABDULLAH ( mulai dari sekrg saya ialah ADAM bin ABDULLAH )

selang beberapa minggu, sebaik selesai fardhu ain khususi. Dia PM aku lagi.

adam : Bang Mat, this ramadhan will be a masterpiece to me. This is the first ramadhan i'm gonna fast in my life. ( Bg mat, ramadahn thn ni akan menjadi sejarah kat saya sebab inilah kali pertama saya akan berpuasa dalam hidup saya )

lepas PM tu, aku lak terbusy dgn kerja. tak dpt nak online hampir 2 minggu. Sampailerr satu ari, aku dapat emel dari sahabat yg yang conduct fardhu ain khususi utk budak tu. Sahabat tu cite dah seminggu budak tu tak online. Aku terus PM dia tinggal offline mesej. Tak ada reply.

Akhirnya, setelah agak lama tak online, lepas kerja aku beres, ada masa nak online. Aku pun seperti biasa masuklah chat room. Ada sorg chatter PM aku. Dia kata ada seorang perempuan menggunakan id chat adam cari aku di chat room. Perempuan tu ibu kepadd adam. Perempuan tu tinggalkan pesan bahawa anak dia baru saja meninggal dunia sebab brain cancer. Anak dia tu dah lama kena brain cancer, dan sebelum mati dia minta ibunya utk sampaikan pesan kat aku yg dia tak sempat nak berpuasa tahun tu.

Bila aku dapat berita tu, kepala otak aku jadi blank. tak tahu nak kata amender. Biasanya aku kalau masuk chat room, memang aku lerr yg paling kuat merapu, aku lerr yang paling jahat kat chat room. Tapi hari tu, lepas dapt berita tu memang jamm otak aku.

Macam2 perasaan timbul dalam kepala otak aku. Aku terkilan sebab aku baru tahu dia tu pesakit brain cancer. Yang paling aku rasa terkilan sebab dia seorang yg benar rasa gembira dengan kedatangan Ramadhan telah pergi dan tidak berkesempatan untuk berpuasa sambil meraikan bulan yang penuh berkat. Itulah yang aku terkilan. Dia berusaha utk menyambut Ramadhan dengan hati gembira. Kerana dia ingin menjadi seorang Muslim yang sejati, dia ingin menunaikan ibadah puasa dan berzakat bagi membuktikan bahawa dirinya seorang muslim yang ingin menjadi hamba Allah, yang ingin menjadi umat kepada Rasulullah SAW.

Namun Allah lebih sayangkan dia, dan menjemput dia kembali ke sisi-NYA. Semoga Allah menempatkan dia di tempat orang yang muqarrabin.

Saudara/i sekelian. Seandainya seorang pemuda yang berusia belasan tahun. Yang hanya kenal Islam di saat kubur menggamit dirinya. Begitu berselera dan bergembira untuk menyambut Ramadhan ? Mengapakah kita yang sudah matang dan berusia ini tidak terasa akan keselamatan, keamanan dan keberkatan Ramadhan yang telah dijanjikan Allah & Rasul-NYA kepada kita ?

Seandainya seorang pemuda yang berusia belasan tahun, yang hanya pandai melafazkan Al Fatihah berdasarkan tulisan rumi yang di emelkan kepadanya, begitu bersungguh untuk membuktikan keIslamannya kepada Allah dan Rasul, mengapakah kita masih berpura-pura sebagai seorang Islam sambil enak2 melakukan dosa dan kemungkaran sedangkan Allah telah memberikan kita nikmat iman dan Islam sejak kita lahir lagi.

Seandainya seorang yang diberikan ujian kesakitan barah otak, mampu mensyukuri nikmat Allah lantas berusaha menjadikan dirinya seorang muslim yang sejati, mengapakah kita yang dililit dan disirami nikmat kemewahan hidup dan kesenangan duniawi tidak mahu mensyukuri nikmat iman dan Islam yang telah Allah anugerahkan kepada kita ?

Seandainya seorang yang sudah tahu, bahwa saat ajalnya hanya tinggal beberapa detik masa sahaja, dia berusaha memperkemaskan dirinya dengan amal ibadah buat bekalan di akhirat, mengapakah kita yang sihat segar bugar ini masih lalai untuk mentaati perintah Allah sedangkan ada diantara kita umur pun sudah di ufuk senja ?

Kadang-kadang aku sendiri merasa malu atas diri sendiri. Sebab perasaan dan jiwa aku sendiri masih belum segembira dan se excited Adam dalam menghadapi ketibaan Ramadhan. Dan seperti selalu, setiap kali kedatangan Ramadhan, ingatan aku kepada Adam Bin Abdullah subur kembali.

Oleh itu, marilah kita bersama-sama, membuka hati dan minda dan raihlah keberkatan di bulan Ramadhan yang bakal menjelma nanti. Perbanyakkanlah ibadah fardhu & sunat. Didiklah diri untuk meninggalkan yang haram. Didiklah diri dan jiwa kita untuk benar2 memahami, menghayati dan mengamalkan titah perintah Allah. rebutlah peluang menikmati keberkatan Ramadhan yang didalamnya dijanjikan rahmat, keampunan dan pembebasan dari api neraka. Rebutlah peluang keemasan ini, kerana belum tentu kita akan bertemu lagi di Ramadhan yang akan datang.

Akhir kata, salam Ramadhan buat semua. Semoga Madrasah Ramadhan tahun ini, mampu menjadikan kita hamba Allah yang lebih hampir dan dekat dengan Allah dan Rasulullah SAW.

Al Fatihah kepada Adam bin Abdullah. Semoga roh mu berada di sisi para anbiya wal mursalin, para auliya' was solihin.

Hulurkanlah Lebihan Rezeki Anda Untuk Amal Jariah

"Ilmu itu cahaya. Jahil itu merbahaya"

"Orang yang pandai ialah orang yang selalu mengingat mati"

Itulah antara ungkapan-ungkapan yang sering kita dengar. Ilmu yang menjadi cahaya penyuluh jalan untuk menuju kepada Allah SWT. Namun kepandaian seseorang bukanlah terletak kepada sejauhmana bertimbunnya Sijil dan Ijazah, tetapi adalah sejauhmana seseorang itu dapat mengingati mati. Kerana mereka yang sering mengingati mati, akan berusaha bersungguh-sungguh di kehidupan dunia ini untuk mencari keredhaan Allah demi kehidupan yang kekal abadi di akhirat sana.



Oleh itu saudara dan saudari sahabat seperjuangan sekelian. Saya ingin mengambil kesempatan ini untuk mengajak saudara- saudari untuk bersama-sama melakukan amal jariah. Demi memangkinkan seruan Islam yang suci ini di muka bumi. Untuk mendidik anak bangsa kita untuk tunduk dan patuh kepada titah perintah Allah SWT serta menjauhi laranganNya. Maka dengan itu, Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Pembangunan Madrasah Tahfiz Al Quran Darussyifa, ingin memohon keikhlasan hati saudara-saudari untuk memberi bantuan dan sumbangan dalam membangunkan Madrasah Tahfiz Al Quran Darussyifa, Repah, Tampin.

P/S jika anda ingin berbuat amal jariah kepada anak-anak yang fakir miskin dan yatim, sedekah anda boleh disalurkan ke :

Madrasah Tahfiz Al QUran Darussyifa
Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad Cawangan Tampin
A/C No : 05-021-01-0023102

Understanding Islam Part 8 : Who Is Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him ?

Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him is the man beloved by more than 1.2 billion Muslims. He is the man who taught us patience in the face of adversity, and taught us to live in this world but seek eternal life in the hereafter. It was to Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him that God revealed the Quran. Along with this book of guidance from The Creator came Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him, whose behaviour and high moral standards are an example to us all. Prophet Muhammad’s life was the Quran. He understood it, he loved it and he lived his life based on its standards. He taught us to recite Quran, to live by its principles and to love it. When Muslims declare their faith in One God, they also declare their belief that Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him is the slave and final messenger of God.

When a Muslim hears Muhammad’s name mentioned they ask God to send blessings upon him. Prophet Muhammad was a man, a human being just like any other man, but it is his love for humanity that sets him apart. Muslims love Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him, but it is his love for us, that makes him a man like no other. Muslims love and adore him because he saw past our flaws and inconsistencies and saw the good in us all. He longed for paradise not only for himself but also for all of us. He wept tears not for himself but for his Ummah, and for humanity. He was often heard to cry “O God, my Ummah, my Ummah”.



Muslims also believe in the same Prophets mentioned in Jewish and Christian traditions, including Noah and Moses, Abraham and Jesus, and they believe that all prophets came with the same message – to worship God alone, without partners, sons or daughters. There is a difference however between all other prophets and Prophet Muhammad. Before Muhammad, prophets were sent to particular people in particular places and periods. Muhammad however, is the final Prophet and his message is for all of humankind.

God tells us in Quran that He did not send Prophet Muhammad except as mercy for humankind. “And we have sent you O Muhammad, not but as a mercy for humankind and all that exists.” (Quran 21:107) God did not say Muhammad was sent to the people of Arabia, or to men, or to the people of the 7th century, He made it clear that Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him was a prophet like no other, one whose message would spread far and wide and be applicable in all places for all times. Muslims love him, respect him and follow him. They hold him in such regard that for many it is emotionally painful to see or hear their beloved mentor ridiculed or disrespected.

Throughout history and around the world non-Muslims have shown great respect and honour to Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him and he is considered influential in both religious and secular matters. Mahatma Ghandi described him as scrupulous about pledges, intense in his devotion to his friends and followers, intrepid, fearless, and with absolute trust in God and in his own mission. Prophet Muhammad taught Islam as a way of life, founded an empire, laid down a moral code and instituted a code of law focusing on respect, tolerance and justice. The Supreme Court building in Washington DC commemorates Mohammad’s role as a lawgiver in its north wall frieze.

What is it about Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him that inspires such devotion? Is it his gentle and loving nature, his kindness and generosity or is it his ability to empathise with all of humanity? Muhammad was a selfless man who devoted the last 23 years of his life to teaching his companions and followers how to worship God and how to respect humanity. Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him was acutely aware of just how much responsibility had been thrust upon him by God. He was careful to teach the message just as God had prescribed and warned his followers not to praise him excessively the way Jesus, son of Mary was praised.

Muslims do not worship Prophet Muhammad; they understand that he is only a man. However, he is a man worthy of our utmost respect and love. Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him loved humanity so much that he would weep out of fear for them. He loved his Ummah with such deep and profound devotion that God remarked on the depth of his love for us in Quran.

“Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He (Muhammad) is anxious over you (to be rightly guided, to repent to God, and beg Him to pardon and forgive your sins, in order that you may enter Paradise and be saved from the punishment of the Hell-fire), for the believers he is full of pity, kind, and merciful.” (Quran 9:128)

Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him taught us to love God and to obey Him. He taught us to be kind to each other, to respect our elders, and care for our children. He taught us that it was better to give than to receive and that each human life is worthy of respect and dignity. He taught us to love for our brothers and sisters what we love for ourselves. Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him taught us that families and communities are essential, and he pointed out that individual rights although important are not more important them a stable, moral society. Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him taught us that men and women are equal in the sight of God and that no one person is better then another except in respect to his or her piety and devotion to God.

Who is Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him ? Quite simply he is the man who will stand before God on the day of Judgement and beg God to have mercy on us. He will intercede for us; he will touch his forehead to the ground before God and ask that we be admitted into paradise. Muslims love him because he is the slave and messenger of God, he is a mercy to humankind and his gentleness, and devotion to humanity is unprecedented.

Footnotes:
[1] The translation of the Arabic word Ummah is nation. However, it means more than a country with borders, it is a fellowship of men women and children united in their love for One God and their admiration for Muhammad, the Prophet of God.
[2] A frieze is a long stretch of painted, sculpted or even calligraphic decoration normally above eye-level. Frieze decorations may depict scenes in a sequence of discrete panels. The material of which the frieze is made of may be plasterwork, carved wood or other decorative medium.

Understanding Islam Part 7 : The Concept of God in Islam (part 2 of 2): A Unique Concept

God’s Attributes

If the Creator is Eternal and Everlasting, then His attributes must also be eternal and everlasting. If this is so, then his attributes are absolute. Can there be more than one Creator with such absolute attributes? Can there be, for example, two absolutely powerful Creators? A moment’s thought shows that this is not feasible.

The Quran summarizes this argument in the following verses:

“God has not taken to Himself any son, nor is there any god with Him: for then each god would have taken of that which he created and some of them would have risen up over others.” (Quran 23:91)

Also,

“And why, were there gods on earth and heaven other than God, they (heaven and earth) would surely go to ruin.” (Quran 21:22)



The Oneness of God

The Quran reminds us of the falsity of all alleged gods. To the worshippers of man-made objects it asks:

“Do you worship what you have carved yourself?” (Quran 37:95)

Also,

“…Or have you taken unto yourself others beside Him to be your protectors, even such as have no power either for good or for harm to themselves?...” (Quran 13:16)

To the worshippers of heavenly bodies it cites the story of Abraham:

“When night outspread over him, he saw a star and said, ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said, ‘I love not the setters.’ When he saw the moon rising, he said, ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said, ‘If my Lord does not guide me, I shall surely be of the people gone astray.’ When he saw the sun rising, he said, ‘This is my Lord; this is greater.’ But when it set, he said, ‘O my people, surely I quit that which you associate, I have turned my face to Him who originated the heavens and the earth; a man of pure faith, I am not one of the idolaters.’” (Quran 6:76-79)

The Believer’s Attitude

In order to be a Muslim, that is, to surrender oneself to God, it is necessary to believe in the oneness of God, in the sense of His being the only Creator, Preserver, Nourisher, etc. But this belief is not enough. Many of the idolaters knew and believed that only the Supreme God could do all this. But this was not enough to make them Muslims. In addition to this belief, one must acknowledge the fact that it is God alone who deserves to be worshipped, and thus abstains from worshipping any other thing or being.

Having achieved this knowledge of the one true God, man should constantly have faith in Him, and should allow nothing to induce him to deny truth.

What this means is that, if one submits knowingly to God without reservations, and admits He is the only one worthy of your worship, one must consequently worship Him. That is, knowing we owe Him obedience means putting into practice what we acknowledge in our hearts. God asks, rhetorically:

“Did you think that We had created you in without purpose, and that you would not be brought back to Us?” (Quran 23:115)

He also states categorically:

”I did not create Mankind and Jinn except that they should worship me.” (Quran 51:56)

Hence, when faith enters a person’s heart, it causes certain mental states that result in certain actions. Taken together, these mental states and actions are the proof for the true faith. The Prophet, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, said:

“Faith is that which resides firmly in the heart and which is proved by deeds.”

Foremost among these mental states is the feeling of gratitude towards God, which could be said to be the essence of worship.

The feeling of gratitude is so important that a non-believer is called ‘kafir’, which means ‘one who denies a truth’ and also ‘one who is ungrateful’.

A believer loves, and is grateful to God for the bounties He has bestowed upon him, but being aware of the fact that his good deeds, whether mental or physical, are far from being commensurate with Divine favors, he is always anxious lest God should punish him, here or in the Hereafter. He therefore fears Him, surrenders himself to Him and serves Him with great humility. One cannot be in such a mental state without being almost all the time mindful of God. Remembering God is thus the life force of faith, without which it fades and withers away.

The Quran tries to promote this feeling of gratitude by repeating the attributes of God very frequently. We find most of these attributes mentioned together in the following verses of the Quran:

“He is God; there is no god but He. He is the Knower of the unseen and the visible; He is the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. He is God; there is no god but He. He is the King, the All-Holy, the All-Peace, the Guardian of the Faith, the All-Preserver, the All-Mighty, the All-Compeller, the All-Sublime. Glory be to God, above that they associate! He is God, the Creator, the Maker, the Shaper. To Him belong the Names Most Beautiful. All that is in the heavens and the earth magnifies Him; He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.” (Quran 59:22-24)

Also,

“There is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting. Slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who is there that shall intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows what lies before them, and what is after them, and they comprehend not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills. His footstool extends over the heavens and the earth. The preserving of them oppresses Him not; He is the All-High, the All-Glorious.” (Quran 2:255)

Also,

“People of the Book, go not beyond the bounds in your religion, and say not as to God but the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only the Messenger of God, and His Word that He laded on Mary, and a Spirit from Him. So believe in God and His Messengers, and say not “Three”. Refrain; better it is for you. God is only one God. Glory be to Him – (He is) above having a son.” (Quran 4:171)

Thus we have three parts to our acknowledgement of God as the Only True God. We must believe he is the ultimate Creator, Controller and Judge of the universe and everything in it; we must refrain from the worship of anything except Him, and then actually direct our Worship to Him; and we must know that He alone has all the divine attributes and names, and we cannot apply them to any other being, no matter who they are. If one merely acknowledges with one’s lips these necessities, even should we refrain from applying them to other gods, it is not enough. They must be sincerely directed to the One you acknowledge as well.

Understanding Islam Part 6 : The Concept of God in Islam (part 1 of 2): A Unique Concept

It is a known fact that every language has one or more terms that are used to refer to God and sometimes to lesser deities at the same time. This is not the case with Allah. Allah is the personal name of the One true God. Nothing else can be called Allah. The term has no plural or gender. This shows its uniqueness when compared with the word “god,” which can be made plural, as in “gods,” or made feminine, as in “goddess.” It is interesting to note that Alah is the personal name of God in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and a sister language of Arabic.

The One true God is a reflection of the unique concept that Islam associates with Allah. To a Muslim, Allah is the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of the universe, Who is similar to nothing, and nothing is comparable to Him. The Prophet Muhammad was asked by his contemporaries about Allah; the answer came directly from Allah Himself in the form of a short chapter of the Quran, which is considered to be the essence of the unity or the motto of monotheism. This is chapter 112, which reads:

“In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate.”

“Say (O Muhammad), He is Allah, the One God, the Self-Sufficient, who has not begotten, nor has been begotten, and equal to Him is not anyone.”



Some non-Muslims allege that God in Islam is a stern and cruel God who demands to be obeyed fully and is, consequently, not loving and kind. Nothing could be farther from the truth than this allegation. It is enough to know that, with the exception of one, each of the 114 chapters of the Quran begins with the verse, “In the name of God, the Merciful; the Compassionate.” In one of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, we are told that:

“God is more loving and kind than a mother to her dear child.”

On the other hand, God is also Just. Hence, evildoers and sinners must have their share of punishment, and the virtuous must have God’s bounties and favors. Actually, God’s attribute of Mercy has full manifestation in His attribute of Justice. People suffering throughout their lives for His sake should not receive similar treatment from their Lord as people who oppress and exploit others their whole lives. Expecting similar treatment for them would amount to negating the very belief in the accountability of man in the Hereafter and thereby negate all the incentives for a moral and virtuous life in this world. The following Quranic verses are very clear and straightforward in this respect.

“Verily, for the Righteous are gardens of Delight, in the Presence of their Lord. Shall We then treat the people of Faith like the people of Sin? What is the matter with you? How judge you?” (Quran 68:34-36)

Islam rejects characterizing God in any human form or depicting Him as favoring certain individuals or nations on the basis of wealth, power or race. He created human-beings as equals. They may distinguish themselves and get His favor through virtue and piety only.

The concepts, such as God resting on the seventh day of creation, God wrestling with one of His soldiers, God being an envious plotter against mankind, or God being incarnate in any human being, are considered blasphemy from the Islamic point of view.

The unique usage of Allah as a personal name of God is a reflection of Islam’s emphasis on the purity of the belief in God that is the essence of the message of all God’s messengers. Because of this, Islam considers associating any deity or personality with God as a deadly sin that God will never forgive, despite the fact that He may forgive all other sins.

The Creator must be of a different nature from the things created because, if He is of the same nature as they are, He will be temporal and will therefore need a maker. It follows, therefore, that nothing is like Him. Furthermore, if the Maker is not temporal, then He must be eternal. If He is eternal, however, He cannot be caused, and if nothing caused Him to come into existence, nothing outside Him causes Him to continue to exist, which means that He must be self-sufficient. And if He does not depend on anything for the continuance of His own existence, then this existence can have no end, so the Creator is, therefore, eternal and everlasting. Hence we know that He is Self-sufficient or Self-subsistent, and Everlasting or, to use a Quranic term, Al-Qayyum: “He is the First and the Last.”

The Creator does not create only in the sense of bringing things into being, He also preserves them and takes them out of existence and is the ultimate cause of whatever happens to them.

“God is the Creator of everything. He is the guardian over everything. Unto Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth…” (Quran 39:62-63)

And God says:

“No creature is there crawling on the earth, but its provision rests on God. He knows its lodging place and its repository...” (Quran 11:6)

To be continue .......