Islam: Interpretation vs. Reality

Country Club "Heaven" - cont. 3

2006-04-09T11:10:00.000+02:00

While reading the Koran, I was stopped by verses that, to me, contradicted the idea that non-Muslim are automatically in Hell.

The first revealed that God would not forgive being worshipped with another but that He may forgive anything below that. (An-Nisa, chapter 4, verse 48 and then repeated again in verse 116) Surely this suggests that even an atheist might be forgiven. Of course, someone may propose that no one knows if atheism is a higher or a lower offence. I cannot say for sure that I do. However, it is my gut instinct, my belief, that worshipping another being with God is indeed the highest possible offence. Also, from how I perceive God, The Merciful The Forgiver, I think that if God makes a point to let us know that there is something not to be forgiven, it would be this one and only thing. Moreover, logically, if there were other unforgivable offences, why were we told of only one? Surely we cannot be expected to determine them logically based on the one disclosed. To prove my point, we only have to go back few lines and debate whether atheism is a higher, lower, or equal offence. But, I am first to admit that I am not aware of everything in our holy book. So, although I believe the above to be true and most logical, I am keeping an open mind as there may be other clues in the Koran that I have missed. Nonetheless, there are two more Koranic encounters that I didn't.

Country Club "Heaven" - cont. 2

2006-04-05T17:10:00.000+02:00

Some things that contradicted the notion that non-Muslim are automatically in Hell were just common sense observation. Others were verses I read in the Koran.

As for common sense, for instance, I tried to put myself in the place of any of them and I couldn't convince myself that I would be able to achieve what they didn't and convert to Islam for sure. So just because I was born Muslim, how does that make me so special.

Another common sense observation is that Islam allows Muslim men to marry women of the book. So if I was to marry a Jewish lady for example and I proceed to have children with her to be raised as Muslims, wouldn't that mean that I am setting my beloved children for immense pain once they understand that their mother is going to Hell?! I believe the compassion of Islam does not allow something like that.

But if common sense got me thinking, it is what I found in the Koran that completed the picture and gave it a more concrete touch.

Country Club "Heaven" - cont. 1

2006-04-03T17:19:00.000+02:00

In Islam, you grow with the notion that no one can tell if he or she or someone else is going to Heaven or Hell. You are just taught to do your best and refrain from judging others. But, you kind of also understand along the way that you have to be Muslim to get in, with the exception of people who have never heard of Islam. I am not sure how I got that concept but I knew it by time I was 13 or 14. At that age, one day at school, the subject somehow got open and someone said it out loud. What he said did not shock me. What troubled me, however, was the look on the face of another. He was/is a son to a Muslim father and a Christian mother. It was not enough though to make me question the concept itself at this point.

Later on in life I met many non-Muslims that I categorized as "good people". Some were very generous and helpful to me, and some were just nice people that wouldn't harm a fly. I started to develop this inner urge to "save" them. I even built up the courage to talk to a couple of them about Islam and the reason why it is the right religion. It only helped me appreciate how difficult it is for anyone to consider a religious change. Even someone who is not happy with his religion may look to change from within, some kind of modification, rather then defect (covert) to another. I ended up limiting my efforts to prayer, that God guide us all.

But the concept that non-Muslim are automatically in Hell started to bother me. It just didn't feel right and it seemed like it contradicts some obvious staring-you-in-the-face facts of life.

The Law of Infinity

2006-03-27T19:12:00.000+02:00

The law of infinity (∞) says that when infinity interacts with any number, the outcome is always infinity. That is ∞ + 1 = ∞, ∞ - 20 = ∞, ∞ x 1000 = ∞ and ∞ / 99999999999 = ∞. I am sure we all learned this in high school.
This law unconsciously influenced a conversation I had with a colleague of mine back in college some 15 years ago about why so many people disagree when it comes to God and religion. He thought the reason was that nothing in our life is absolute. But I replied that God is absolute and when absolute and non-absolute interact the outcome should be absolute.
So then why? It never occurred to me till now but I guess two remaining infinity calculations may hold the answer: ∞ x zero = undefined and any number / ∞ = zero. Do you get it?
And of course, the outcome cannot be infinity if infinity is not part of the equation.

Country Club "Heaven".

2006-03-24T17:55:00.000+02:00

Through time, I have witnessed so many debates concerning Heaven. Some people are just fixated on trying to imagine how it is. How will we look like after resurrection? Will there be sex? Will there be alcohol? Are the rewards for men the same as for women? And my personal favorite: wouldn't it be boring to have everything at your fingertip? It is well known that Heaven is unimaginable. But it is surely the place to be; where one will find absolute and eternal happiness. Regardless of how or why, that is what I believe Heaven to be. But that leaves us with really the more serious question: who will get in?

The Sound of Music

2006-03-11T18:05:00.000+02:00

When I created this blog, I did not know what I should start with. Of course I thought I should start at the beginning. As Julie Andrews would say, "it's a very good place to start". But, I still don't know where was the beginning.
Over the past years, from personal incidents, readings and witnessed debates, something like a music note was born from each. One day, all the notes came together and I heard the sound of music.
I cannot say that the melody, or symphony, is complete yet. But as I go on living, I get filled with the notion that it will be.

Let me introduce myself.

2006-01-01T16:33:00.000+02:00

Hello.

My name is Mahmoud. I am an Egyptian Muslim living in Cairo, Egypt. I am a 30 something years old man. I studied engineering, business and finance and spent most of my professional career in the later. Currently, I am self-employed and, although it entails greater risk exposure, I enjoy the freedom that comes with it especially in terms of time management. Traveling has always been part of my life. It gave me the opportunity to meet interesting and good people in different places; different amongst themselves and certainly different than where I come from. At home, I was blessed by being born in a good family. All my life, I was, and still am, surrounded by the care and love of its members. My good fortune is extended to friendships that made the importance of blood ties seems a little overstated.

As a Muslim, I don't know if I can call myself religious because I am not quite sure what the definition of that is. I am not a great practitioner of rituals but to the very least I do the minimum required. I can say, however, that I do seek God's approval and acceptance. To the best of my knowledge and understanding, I would do my utmost to let the way I live my life be governed by the word of God as presented in Islam. I am not a theologian or a Muslim scholar and for most of my life I had turned to such people for answers, whether in person or through their literary work. For most of my life I took for granted these answers to be the true and correct word of God. Lately, however, I had to face the fact that at least some of these answers are not so but rather the opinions and interpretations of other human beings who could be mistaken.

Due to the importance of Islam in my life, I had to verify that what I call Islam is Islam as God intended it to be. The way I went about doing that was not through dismissing everything I know and putting a "False" label on it. I also couldn't devote my whole life to this verification process. Rather, whenever an issue with problematic or illogical attributes comes to my attention, I reanalyze it to my satisfaction. Sometimes, I only get more questions than answers. I admit, I don't have the proper training or the time needed to come up with clear and precise conclusions. I still felt like I needed to share what I come up with along the way. In a way, I think it is a religious duty. Also, I need and welcome any help anyone has to offer in terms of their knowledge as well as their take on what I have to say.

Again, as a final disclaimer, I am not qualified to pass on Islamic teachings or to be considered in any way a reference when it comes to Islam. If you find an interesting idea on this blogg, kindly discuss it with someone who does qualify, who you are used to going to for religious guidance, before you adopt it or act on it.

God bless us and guide us all.