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Why don't they just leave it to Allah?

agorman

Active Member
Premium Member
Everytime I read on the news that there was a terrorist attack in response to some offense of the "infidels" (e.g. Mohammed cartoons), I make myself the same question:

If fundamentalists supposedly have so much faith in Him, then why don't they let Allah punish the offenders Himself instead of them doing the dirty work?

According to their beliefs, isn't Allah/God all-powerful? Why would he need any Human killers to avenge offenses against his prophet? Heck, he could just send a few thousand angels if He doesn't want to do the job Himself!

Mind you, my question is serious. I just want to understand what's in the mind of someone who's suddenly willing to sacrifice his life or freedom to supposedly gain more respect toward his beliefs (although they end up causing the opposite effect).
 

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
I'm not certain, but I suspect they get lost somewhere along the line of where politics and religion separate. Sadly, they can no longer tell the difference between their religious teaching and what their political or personal agenda pushes.
 

SeekerOnThePath

On a mountain between Nietzsche and Islam
Everytime I read on the news that there was a terrorist attack in response to some offense of the "infidels" (e.g. Mohammed cartoons), I make myself the same question:

If fundamentalists supposedly have so much faith in Him, then why don't they let Allah punish the offenders Himself instead of them doing the dirty work?

According to their beliefs, isn't Allah/God all-powerful? Why would he need any Human killers to avenge offenses against his prophet? Heck, he could just send a few thousand angels if He doesn't want to do the job Himself!

Mind you, my question is serious. I just want to understand what's in the mind of someone who's suddenly willing to sacrifice his life or freedom to supposedly gain more respect toward his beliefs (although they end up causing the opposite effect).

It has nothing to do with God/Allah, I have no idea why you're mentioning God/Allah in the first place.
 

SeekerOnThePath

On a mountain between Nietzsche and Islam
Everytime I read on the news that there was a terrorist attack in response to some offense of the "infidels" (e.g. Mohammed cartoons), I make myself the same question:

If fundamentalists supposedly have so much faith in Him, then why don't they let Allah punish the offenders Himself instead of them doing the dirty work?

According to their beliefs, isn't Allah/God all-powerful? Why would he need any Human killers to avenge offenses against his prophet? Heck, he could just send a few thousand angels if He doesn't want to do the job Himself!

Mind you, my question is serious. I just want to understand what's in the mind of someone who's suddenly willing to sacrifice his life or freedom to supposedly gain more respect toward his beliefs (although they end up causing the opposite effect).

And as for verses about it, well Surah 3:176 of the Qur'an does say:
"Do not grieve for those who are active in ingratitude/faithlessness; they will not hurt God in the least: God desires to give them no share in the Hereafter, and there is a great punishment for them."

And, Surah 47:32:

"Indeed those of ingratitude/faithlessness and bar from the way of God and defy the Messenger after guidance has become clear to them, will not hurt God in the least, and He shall make their works fail."

There are only about three or so verses that mention any idea of "hurting God" and they are all pretty strongly the opposite of your sentiment.
 

SeekerOnThePath

On a mountain between Nietzsche and Islam
The same question can be asked of fanatical Christians who want government to enforce their beliefs (and that's true of other religions as well to some degree).

True, Protestants are often quite fanatical, yet not so widely publicized despite what they commit.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Everytime I read on the news that there was a terrorist attack in response to some offense of the "infidels" (e.g. Mohammed cartoons), I make myself the same question:

If fundamentalists supposedly have so much faith in Him, then why don't they let Allah punish the offenders Himself instead of them doing the dirty work?

According to their beliefs, isn't Allah/God all-powerful? Why would he need any Human killers to avenge offenses against his prophet? Heck, he could just send a few thousand angels if He doesn't want to do the job Himself!

Mind you, my question is serious. I just want to understand what's in the mind of someone who's suddenly willing to sacrifice his life or freedom to supposedly gain more respect toward his beliefs (although they end up causing the opposite effect).
I think it comes down to misunderstandings of the teaching, and their wish for some kind of power and hate for those who not see the world as they do.
It seems like the extremists read in to the teachings something that is not in the teaching. And that if the teaching say something that could be inpretetated as killing others, they use it for all it is "worth" to them.

I do not know if this is correct but i think extremists do anything to be seen and heard.
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
Everytime I read on the news that there was a terrorist attack in response to some offense of the "infidels" (e.g. Mohammed cartoons), I make myself the same question:

If fundamentalists supposedly have so much faith in Him, then why don't they let Allah punish the offenders Himself instead of them doing the dirty work?

According to their beliefs, isn't Allah/God all-powerful? Why would he need any Human killers to avenge offenses against his prophet? Heck, he could just send a few thousand angels if He doesn't want to do the job Himself!

Mind you, my question is serious. I just want to understand what's in the mind of someone who's suddenly willing to sacrifice his life or freedom to supposedly gain more respect toward his beliefs (although they end up causing the opposite effect).

How do you propose it does it himself?

If you were to ask these fundamentalists, they will likely tell you that Allah is acting through them. So, as they likely see it, Allah is punishing these "offenders" himself.
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
Everytime I read on the news that there was a terrorist attack in response to some offense of the "infidels" (e.g. Mohammed cartoons), I make myself the same question:

If fundamentalists supposedly have so much faith in Him, then why don't they let Allah punish the offenders Himself instead of them doing the dirty work?

According to their beliefs, isn't Allah/God all-powerful? Why would he need any Human killers to avenge offenses against his prophet? Heck, he could just send a few thousand angels if He doesn't want to do the job Himself!

Mind you, my question is serious. I just want to understand what's in the mind of someone who's suddenly willing to sacrifice his life or freedom to supposedly gain more respect toward his beliefs (although they end up causing the opposite effect).
This has occurred to me too
 

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
The same question can be asked of fanatical Christians who want government to enforce their beliefs (and that's true of other religions as well to some degree).
... or of religious people who run charities.

... or of Christians who save for their retirement.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
It has nothing to do with God/Allah, I have no idea why you're mentioning God/Allah in the first place.

Because religious terrorists tend to believe they are killing for their god

Of all the recent terrorists murders in france, each time the terrorists called to their god.
 

ChristineM

"Be strong", I whispered to my coffee.
Premium Member
True, Protestants are often quite fanatical, yet not so widely publicized despite what they commit.

This is true of many christian sects, there are currently several terror campaigns going on in Africa (and i believe india) that rarely get reported in western news
 

Tambourine

Well-Known Member
I think it comes down to misunderstandings of the teaching, and their wish for some kind of power and hate for those who not see the world as they do.
It seems like the extremists read in to the teachings something that is not in the teaching. And that if the teaching say something that could be inpretetated as killing others, they use it for all it is "worth" to them.

I do not know if this is correct but i think extremists do anything to be seen and heard.
I think that goes to the other extreme (pardon the pun) in that it completely softballs the content of what are, let's face it, archaic texts formed by societal rules much unlike our lofty liberal ideals of human rights and equality.

Their language is also archaic and ambigious so they can be interpreted in a wide variety of ways. If somebody's looking really hard to justify something truly reprehensible, chances are good they'll find a passage that speaks to them.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
I think that goes to the other extreme (pardon the pun) in that it completely softballs the content of what are, let's face it, archaic texts formed by societal rules much unlike our lofty liberal ideals of human rights and equality.

Their language is also archaic and ambigious so they can be interpreted in a wide variety of ways. If somebody's looking really hard to justify something truly reprehensible, chances are good they'll find a passage that speaks to them.
Social rules as in political? Thats not something i know anything about.
 

Tambourine

Well-Known Member
Social rules as in political? Thats not something i know anything about.
Societal rules as in the spoken and unspoken rules of how we live together. As in literally everything we do that involves other people, including but not limited to politics, cultural life, relationships, eating and drinking, social life etc.

It should be pretty obvious that the world and society during the Prophet's time was a different one than the one we live in.
 

Spirit of Light

Be who ever you want
Societal rules as in the spoken and unspoken rules of how we live together. As in literally everything we do that involves other people, including but not limited to politics, cultural life, relationships, eating and drinking, social life etc.

It should be pretty obvious that the world and society during the Prophet's time was a different one than the one we live in.
Yes it is different times now, so we must remember to adult our self into todays world, but still not change the teaching, as followers we are the one who must adult our self to become like the teaching. Not change the teaching to become like our self
 

alsome

Member
Why blame the "gods", in their transparency, humans slaughter humans in defense of their beliefs in those same "gods".
The "beliefs" are the main problem here.
 

agorman

Active Member
Premium Member
"Do not grieve for those who are active in ingratitude/faithlessness; they will not hurt God in the least: God desires to give them no share in the Hereafter, and there is a great punishment for them."

Indeed those of ingratitude/faithlessness and bar from the way of God and defy the Messenger after guidance has become clear to them, will not hurt God in the least, and He shall make their works fail."

See? It was just a matter of waiting until God sends them to Hell after they die. Terrorism wasn't necessary after all.

There are only about three or so verses that mention any idea of "hurting God" and they are all pretty strongly the opposite of your sentiment.

Not my sentiment! Maybe the terrorists forgot about those verses? They should re-read the Quran then.

How do you propose it does it himself?

If you were to ask these fundamentalists, they will likely tell you that Allah is acting through them. So, as they likely see it, Allah is punishing these "offenders" himself.

Allah's omnipotent. Why would he ever need them? Why would he use people for His dirty work? Terrorists most often end up dead or in jail. Why would Allah want his faithful to have such a miserable end?

He could just wait until offending infidels die and send them to Hell, as the surahs describe.

Oh and there's another detail... If Allah is perfect, I don't see why would He send terrorists to kill those who actually didn't draw any cartoon. For what I've seen, terrorists tend to do random killing.

Because religious terrorists tend to believe they are killing for their god

Of all the recent terrorists murders in france, each time the terrorists called to their god.

So that would be a sort of Human sacrifice. Aren't they forbidden in Islam? Or infidels aren't considered Human?

Why blame the "gods", in their transparency, humans slaughter humans in defense of their beliefs in those same "gods".
The "beliefs" are the main problem here.

Hey I have my beliefs, but never crossed my mind to go randomly shoot a synagogue!
 
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