Quran 112:3 [Surah Al-Ikhlas] He neither begets nor is born.
Quran 5:18 [Surah Al-Ma’idah] But the Jews and the Christians say, ‘We are the children of Allah and His beloved.’ Say, ‘Then why does He punish you for your sins?’ Rather, you are human beings from among those He has created. He forgives whom He wills, and He punishes whom He wills. And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, and to Him is the [final] destination.
This verse is telling. When Jews and Christians suggest that they are children of God, the Quran says to castigate them and inform them that they are nothing but his creatures, as are all humans. We must also note that this verse actually does use the primary and best word for "love" in Arabic, habb, but it uses it to explicitly deny that people are Allah's beloved.
He intentionally keeps himself removed from mankind. It is not for man to know Allah intimately.
Of Allah's ninety-nine names there are no names that indicate Allah desires intimacy with man. The two possible exceptions are al-Wali and al-Wadud. Some understand al-Wali to mean "the Friend", but really it means "the Patron", and it emphasizes the protection of Allah, not a relationship with him. The other word, al-Wadud, is more promising, as it does mean "the Loving" and is used twice in the Quran. But when we look more closely at the word, it seems an expressive idea is in view rather than a relational idea, as in "the Affectionate".
It may come as a shock to Muslims as they were taught that Allah loves them. It is a common teaching among Muslims, but it is not the teaching of the Quran. A verse that is often used to suggest that Allah is close to us is 50.16, which says that Allah is nearer to people than their jugular veins.
Quran 50:16 [Surah Qaf] And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein.
What was not taught is that this verse is in the context of an extended threat: Allah is so close to you that he knows your subversive thoughts very well, and he throws doubters into hell.
Allah intends man to pursue the relationship of a servant to his master, but not the relationship of a child with his father. Nothing in the Quran suggests that Allah desires intimacy with humanity. Mankind is not his beloved—just one of his creatures.
Of Allah's ninety-nine names there are no names that indicate Allah desires intimacy with man. The two possible exceptions are al-Wali and al-Wadud. Some understand al-Wali to mean "the Friend", but really it means "the Patron", and it emphasizes the protection of Allah, not a relationship with him. The other word, al-Wadud, is more promising, as it does mean "the Loving" and is used twice in the Quran. But when we look more closely at the word, it seems an expressive idea is in view rather than a relational idea, as in "the Affectionate".
It may come as a shock to Muslims as they were taught that Allah loves them. It is a common teaching among Muslims, but it is not the teaching of the Quran. A verse that is often used to suggest that Allah is close to us is 50.16, which says that Allah is nearer to people than their jugular veins.
Quran 50:16 [Surah Qaf] And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein.
What was not taught is that this verse is in the context of an extended threat: Allah is so close to you that he knows your subversive thoughts very well, and he throws doubters into hell.
Allah intends man to pursue the relationship of a servant to his master, but not the relationship of a child with his father. Nothing in the Quran suggests that Allah desires intimacy with humanity. Mankind is not his beloved—just one of his creatures.
The True God, Yahweh, is in fact the exact opposite. He created us for the express intent of an intimate relationship with His created family. He took on the form of mankind to dwell among us. He exacted justice for our sin and bore the weight of that penalty for us... much like I would do for any of my children.
Imagine that I owned and ran a store and found out my son was stealing from me. Justice requires that the debt be paid and the wrong not be ignored. Love requires that you not simply write the offense off or pretend it never happened.
In biblical terms you do both at once:
Justice — You acknowledge the theft. The inventory is gone, the books are out of balance, and the wrong is real. You do not minimize it or pretend it does not matter. The debt stands.
In biblical terms you do both at once:
Justice — You acknowledge the theft. The inventory is gone, the books are out of balance, and the wrong is real. You do not minimize it or pretend it does not matter. The debt stands.
Love — Instead of making your son pay the full price out of his own pocket (or cutting him off forever), you yourself cover the loss from your own resources. You restore the inventory or absorb the cost so that the debt is actually settled. Then you welcome him back, not because the theft was small, but because you have paid it.
This is the pattern of the gospel. God does not overlook sin ("the wages of sin is death", Romans 6:23). At the same time He does not leave the sinner to bear the full weight alone. In Yeshua, God Himself bears the cost so that justice is satisfied and the relationship can be restored ("God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us", Romans 5:8; "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him", 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Unlike Allah, Yahweh is the One who pursues us... not the other way around. It is expressly Love and Intimacy that He demonstrates for us and desires from us.
This is the pattern of the gospel. God does not overlook sin ("the wages of sin is death", Romans 6:23). At the same time He does not leave the sinner to bear the full weight alone. In Yeshua, God Himself bears the cost so that justice is satisfied and the relationship can be restored ("God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us", Romans 5:8; "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him", 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Unlike Allah, Yahweh is the One who pursues us... not the other way around. It is expressly Love and Intimacy that He demonstrates for us and desires from us.
We are His children... He is our Abba.
Christians and Muslims do not worship the same God.
[Gal 4:6 LSB] And because you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
No comments:
Post a Comment