(1:1) In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate1
1 One of the many practices taught by Islam is that its followers should begin their activities in the name of God. This principle, if consciously and earnestly followed, will necessarily yield three beneficial results. First, one will be able to restrain oneself from many misdeed, since the habit of pronouncing the name of God is bound to make one wonder when about to commit some offence how such an act can be reconciled with the saying of God's holy name. Second, if a man pronounces the name of God before starting good and legitimate tasks, this act will ensue that both his starting point and his mental orientation are sound. Third - and this is the most important benefit - when
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As we have already explained, the character of this surah is that of a prayer. The prayer begins with praise of the One to whom our prayer is addressed. This indicates that whenever one prays one ought to pray in a dignified manner. It does not become a cultivated person to blurt out his petition. Refinement demands that our requests should be preceded by a wholehearted acknowledgement of the unique position, infinite benevolence and unmatched excellence of the One to Whom we pray. Whenever we praise someone, we do so for two reasons. First, because excellence calls for praise, irrespective of whether that excellence has any direct relevance to us or not. Second, we praise one who, we consider to be our benefactor; when this is the case our praise arises from a deep feeling of gratitude. God is worthy of praise on both counts. It is incumbent on us to praise Him not only in recognition of His infinite excellence but also because of our feeling of gratitude to Him, arising from our awareness of the blessings He has lavished upon us. It is important to note that what is said here is not merely that praise be to God, but that all praise be to God alone. Whenever there is any beauty, any excellence, any perfection-in whatever thing or in whatever shape it may manifest itself- its ultimate source is none other than God Himself. No human beings, angels, Demigods, heavenly bodies-in short, no created beings-are possessed of an innate excellence; where excellence exists, it is a …show more content…
We beseech God to guide us in all walks of life to a way which is absolutely true, which provides us with a properly-based outlook and sound principles of behaviour, a way which will prevent our succumbing to false doctrines and adopting unsound principles of conduct, a way that will lead us to our true salvation and happiness. This is man's prayer to God as he begins the study of the Qur'an. It is, in short, to illuminate the truth which he often tends to lose in a labyrinth of philosophical speculation; to enlighten him as to which of the numerous ethical doctrines ensures a sound course of conduct; to show which of the myriad ways and by-ways is the clear, straight, open road of sound belief and right
We worship gifts and not God! We want everything we see, even the power of God, if it were obtainable. We
What was there to thank him for?¨(Wiesel 33). Wiesel is expressing this because of the betrayal he feels from God and the anger he feels that his father still is loyal to God even after he didn't do anything to help them. During a solemn service, Wiesel watched the other men say the prayer, and he began to think, ¨Why, but why would I bless Him? Every fiber in me rebelled… He caused thousands of children to burn in His mass graves…
It 's just me and my Father this Sunday as we drive the ten miles into town with me pouting in the back seat. I was always a stubborn child who fought going to church because I found myself being bored and antsy for that hour and a half. I remember my father looking over to me, patient as ever and explaining as best as you can to a child why attending church was so important. He said, we have a lot of things to be grateful to God for like how we have food to eat, a house to live in, and a family that we love. I sat and thought about that all through church and was in awe of my father’s love for God.
“Why should I sanctify his name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank him for?” (33).At arrival
He is also very prideful that he will become the first person to have defied nature in creating a perfect being- a feat he has not yet
Another writer, Pico della Mirandola, states in Oration of the Dignity of Men that “I seem to have understood why man is the most fortunate creature and thus worthy of all admiration. For this is the very reason why man is rightly called and considered a great miracle and a truly marvelous creature” (Document 8). The importance of this quote is that it shows how Renaissance men thought of themselves. They believed they were worth appreciation and
(Butler191) This is a risk she takes as a writer concerning the higher power. She infers that in a Utopian world everyone would either be flawed or flawless. If humans are flawed and are made in God’s image and likeness, then God is flawed, an alarming view for religious persons and a comforting analysis for agnostics. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
He is the pinnacle of perfection because of those points, and therefore it is
Nevertheless, God takes all of me, even my own inadequacies, and uses it for His glory. The more I spend time with God, the more I see God changing me for the better. He is working out all the flaws. He is turning me into a beauty I could not
Humans are driven to transcendence. “God is a holy mystery so radically different from the world that human beings can never form an adequate idea” (Johnson, pg. 38). Rahner believes there is only one mystery in Christian faith which is God as a self-giving love. I agree that God is a mystery who is very
He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the
A. PREAMBLE The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 has sparked intense curiosity and interest in the world especially the West to learn and investigate the religion of Islam. The Muslim people are portrayed as violent and barbaric, and Islam as oppressive and antithesis to human rights values. Thus, escalation of public opinion about Islam has encouraged debates and forums, and also stirred demonstrations and movements which have compelled the Muslims to speak out their minds and interpret and recast their texts viz. Quran and Sunnah of prophet Mohammad and even question and challenge the prevailing culture and practices, and domineering structures.
What a wonderful privilege! John Calvin believed that the image of God is reflected in us like a mirror. As you said, it is his nature to be glorified, and we can glorify Him by reflecting his nature! Martin Luther believed, however, that in the fall of man,"the image of God was lost." John Calvin believed that image was not lost but instead horribly deformed.
As sovereign God , He works within and through man to “produce a quality of life quite unseen or acknowledged at the time.” This is made possible only through numerous trials, hardships, sicknesses, and difficulties – experiences that polish and perfect creation. As designer creator, He, in His sovereignty, prescribes man’s unchangeable features even before he is born.
Praise will reinforce positive characteristics and does not focus on limitations as it builds pride. In artice 1, it says “Self-worth is a function of living with dignity, which exists apart from any