Meaning of Islam (ritual, Creator, Earth, grace, creation)

[maj123]

if you'd like to learn more you may visit the following link
emuslim - Message of Islam

[ayani]

hey, Maj. thank you, man. some other sites about Islam, just for the sake of flavor and possible debate:

MWU! Forums :: Index

Free-Minds - Index

so what is the meaning of Islam? i have heard many say that Islam is the natural religion of man, and that reminds me of a Baha'i quote :

this is the changeless faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future. let him that seeketh, attain it : and as to him that hath refused to seek it : verily, God is self-sufficient, above any need of His creatures.

[Calif_Musk]

Originally Posted by ayani

hey, Maj. thank you, man. some other sites about Islam, just for the sake of flavor and possible debate:

MWU! Forums :: Index

Free-Minds - Index

so what is the meaning of Islam? i have heard many say that Islam is the natural religion of man, and that reminds me of a Baha'i quote :

How can it be the Natural religion of man when in the lifetime of man it has been around for the blink of an eye? Either your supernatural god was a bit lazy, or just like all the other religions, it is the 'natural' religion of one man... the guy who founded it, and somehow got loads of people to believe his version of magic.

[ayani]

depends on what one considers "natural", Musk.

for example, these days i've been kind of looking within and without, and trying to find the source of religious longing. what are we looking for, and do we ever find it? are we looking for a spiritual home, for God, for purpose? if we get to the heart of these questions and hopes, perhaps we will be closer to finding "natural" religion.

i think that surely the seeds of that religion have roots in Islam and in the queries and experiences of Muslims.

[Popeyesays]

Originally Posted by ayani

depends on what one considers "natural", Musk.

for example, these days i've been kind of looking within and without, and trying to find the source of religious longing. what are we looking for, and do we ever find it? are we looking for a spiritual home, for God, for purpose? if we get to the heart of these questions and hopes, perhaps we will be closer to finding "natural" religion.

i think that surely the seeds of that religion have roots in Islam and in the queries and experiences of Muslims.

"Thou well knowest, O my God, my Best-Beloved, that naught can quench the thirst I suffer in my separation from Thee except the waters of Thy presence, and that the tumult of my heart can never be stilled save through the living fountain of my reunion with Thee."
(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 58)

"The hearts that yearn after Thee, O my God, are burnt up with the fire of their longing for Thee, and the eyes of them that love Thee weep sore by reason of their crushing separation from Thy court, and the voice of the lamentation of such as have set their hopes on Thee hath gone forth throughout Thy dominions.
Thou hast Thyself, O my God, protected them, by Thy sovereign might, from both extremities. But for the burning of their souls and the sighing of their hearts, they would be drowned in the midst of their tears, and but for the flood of their tears they would be burnt up by the fire of their hearts and the heat 158 of their souls. Methinks, they are like the angels which Thou hast created of snow and of fire. Wilt Thou, despite such vehement longing, O my God, debar them from Thy presence, or drive them away, notwithstanding such fervor, from the door of Thy mercy? All hope is ready to be extinguished in the hearts of Thy chosen ones, O my God! Where are the breezes of Thy grace? They are hemmed in on all sides by their enemies; where are the ensigns of Thy triumph which Thou didst promise in Thy Tablets?"
(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 157)

"Be thou patient, though thy heart be consumed in its separation from God, for He hath granted thee an exalted station in His presence. Nay, thou art even now standing before His face, and We are imparting unto thee, through the tongue of might and power, such words as even the ears of the sincere ones have been deprived of hearing. Say: Were He to utter but one word, that word alone would exceed in sweetness all the sayings of men."
(Baha'u'llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 148)

Regards,

Scott

[ayani]

excellent quotes, Scott. again and again the Quran urges Muslims to remember God, to pray, to be humble, and to give generously. one can not divorce the social from the spiritual. one can not be a miser or unkind and still be fulfilling one's religious obligations correctly. this is surely a recurring theme in world faiths, and an inescapable message in Islam.

from Sura Ar-Ra'ad

[13.16] Say: Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?-- Say: Allah. Say: Do you take then besides Him guardians who do not control any profit or harm for themselves? Say: Are the blind and the seeing alike? Or can the darkness and the light be equal? Or have they set up with Allah associates who have created creation like His, so that what is created became confused to them? Say: Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Supreme.

[13.22] And those who are constant, seeking the pleasure of their Lord, and keep up prayer and spend (benevolently) out of what We have given them secretly and openly and repel evil with good; as for those, they shall have the (happy) issue of the abode

from Sura An-Nur

[24.35] Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth; a likeness of His light is as a niche in which is a lamp, the lamp is in a glass, (and) the glass is as it were a brightly shining star, lit from a blessed olive-tree, neither eastern nor western, the oil whereof almost gives light though fire touch it not-- light upon light-- Allah guides to His light whom He pleases, and Allah sets forth parables for men, and Allah is Cognizant of all things.
[24.36] In houses which Allah has permitted to be exalted and that His name may be remembered in them; there glorify Him therein in the mornings and the evenings,
[24.37] Men whom neither merchandise nor selling diverts from the remembrance of Allah and the keeping up of prayer and the giving of poor-rate; they fear a day in which the hearts and eyes shall turn about;
[24.38] That Allah may give them the best reward of what they have done, and give them more out of His grace; and Allah gives sustenance to whom He pleases without measure.

[BruceDLimber]

Greetings!

The meaning of Islam is very simple: it means "submission."

Peace,

Bruce