God is One Flashcards

Question

What do muslims believe about God's mercy and compassion?

Answer 1

This is known through revelation - Muslims believe from the Qur’an that Allah created Adam and put him in charge of the earth (a vice-regent). However, as he is merciful, he sent Prophets to show humans how to be a vice-regent. They also believe that God will be forgiving of Muslims who try their best but commit sins.

Answer 2

The universe cannot be infinite as infinity makes no sense - If you add a book or borrow one from a library with an infinite number of books, it still has an infinite amount as you cannot add to or take away from infinity.

Answer 3

the universe came from nothing - it appeared out of the laws of gravity, so there is no need for a God

Answer 4

AHADIYYA - This can be seen when one looks at the human eye and can see the harmony and interconnections of between the different parts. The fact that each human eye has the same purpose points to one God. If there were two equally omnipotent powers, then design would be chaotic because they would be fighting over design.

Answer 5

WAHIDIYYA - unity in the cosmos (eg the water cycle) points towards a creator, as different parts of the universe work together towards one purpose.

Answer 6

gives example of the watch. Everything is designed towards its purpose to keep you within time. Also gives painting example - though we have not met the artist, we can conclude that it has a designer.

Answer 7

As the sperm is simple, it should produce a similar simple effect. Yet it does not - it produces all the different organs of the human body and so it is not simple. Naturalists would explain this by saying that the sperm has components within it that that relate to the organ they produce. RAZI points out that even if this was the case and the sperm contains the components to produce the different organs, it does not contain within it the ability to ensure that the organs are always in the same place. This requires wisdom which a sperm which is a part of nature simply does not have. It requires an intelligent creator.

Answer 8

- Design in the universe could be the work of several gods - but then created objects would not be the same so there would be disorder - epicurean hypothesis - Milani and Saleem - we would not think this if we looked at a painting, we would say it has a designer - designer could not be perfect due to flaws in the world - but evil allows humans to grow, and taqlif means god does not give humans more suffering than they can cope with

Answer 9

There is too much evil in nature for the designer of this world to be loving - "nearly all the things which men are hanged or imprisoned for doing to one another are nature’s every-day performance" - but Saleem says that “evil” is a part of the order e.g. a poisonous animal does not make all food they touch poisonous. It works within its own order - "Nor can goodness and evil be equal. Repel (evil) with what is better" - quran

Answer 10

This world looks well designed due to natural selection and survival of the fittest. If a species does not adapt to its environment, then it will die out. Thus, everything will always look well designed - he Qur’an is the word of Allah and humans came from God making them out of clay not and then from God placing a sperm in the womb-not evolution.

Answer 11

Mutazalites; because otherwise it could suggest there are two gods for if the quran is eternal it would be its own god

Answer 12

Denied God's attributes. God is transcendent and so cannot be like humans. They felt adjectives used to describe God took away from his oneness. Must use reason to work out metaphors, not read Qur'an literally as 'hands' etc anthropomorphise God

Answer 13

Strengths - will not lead to shirk or anthropomorphising god, also maintains his oneness and transcendence Weaknesses - reason can be wrong, less personal god, undermines qur'an's authority, lost sight of immanence

Answer 14

- God's attributes revealed in the Qur'an. Should be believed, though their nature is secret as human reason is limited and cannot understand them. Debating them could compromise his transcendence. - Ibn Badran said that "those curious about the nature of the divine attributes should reverently recognise that such matters are veiled from the workings of human reason. " The bible should be read literally.

Answer 15

They teach the middle way between the Hanbalites and Mutazilites. They emphasised the use of reason to know God, and used negation to define God. God's attributes are a part of his essence but not the same, so do serve a purpose and say something about god. Attributes of action and attributes of essence. Did not say attributes and essence are the same as it denies his attributes, but did not say they are different as it could suggest multiple gods.

Answer 16

strengths - understands mystery of god, doesn't misunderstand him weaknesses - anthropomorphises god, could lead to polytheism, appeals to much to mystery

Answer 17

strengths - Attributes are not the same as essence, so do serve a purpose and say something of God weaknesses - how can we understand god if his attributes are nothing like humans?

God is One Flashcards

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