YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
The remedy for ignorance is asking questions. (Prophet Muhammad) The spirit of enquiry is the hallmark of an open society and the above saying of the Prophet aptly illustrates this principle. A culture of curiosity and open-mindedness will foster development in any society by motivating its members to learn enthusiastically and enrich their knowledge. This is because awareness of one’s ignorance is half of knowledge, as it becomes a stepping-stone to seeking and finding answers. A questioning mind is like a flowing river that is rep
(The following is a part of the Question & Answer session of an Interfaith programme)
We believe in the personhood of our God. Since he is a person, we enjoy communication through his self-revelation. He can be also considered as another person. According to human logic, communication is possible between two people. Therefore, what is your understanding of the personhood of God? In other words, what is the teaching of Islam about the nature of God?
Chapter 112 of the Quran titled Oneness says the following about God: Say, ‘He is God the One, God, the Self-Sufficient One. He does not give birth, nor was He born, and there is nothing like Him.’
Chapter 2 of the Quran titled Heifer says this:
God: there is no deity save Him, the Living, the Eternal One. Neither
slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. To Him belong whatsoever is in the
heavens and whatsoever is on the earth.
Who can intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows all that is before them and all that is behind them. They can grasp only that part of His knowledge which He wills. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and their upholding does not weary Him. He is the Sublime, the Almighty One! (2: 255)
There are many other verses like these about how God describes Himself in the Quran. One can see the index given on the back of the English translation we have produced and go through the verses which describe God.
We have a hierarchy in our church. They are the custodians of our faith and teachings. They are called the magisterium of the church. Please explain the hierarchical order of Islam? How the faith and principles are taken care of or explained? Who is officially keeping the authorship?
We have a working hierarchy in the religious institutions for the administration and the work involved.
However, for the teachings of Islam, the authorities are the Quran and Hadith (teachings of the Prophet). For an explanation of these two, there are commentaries by the learned scholars. For the present times, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is considered Islam’s ambassador to the world. He is the Islamic scholar who has been writing and speaking on the correct understanding of Islam from the original sources of the Quran, Hadith and the Prophet’s life.
Quran is believed to be a preserved book and there are many authentic books of Hadith.
What is the understanding of mysticism in Islam?
There is no mysticism in Islam. All aspects of Islam are explainable.
Every religion in its ultimate sense keeps the sentiment of ‘conversion in their core reality. Hence what is the Islamic understanding about the conversion of a person from another religion? What is the missionary method for that?
There is no concept of conversion in Islam. Islam believes in discovery. Quran addresses an individual thus: There shall be no compulsion in religion. (2: 256) We are commanded to convey the message of Islam in a peaceful manner.