I actually didn't hear about the "clean slate" hadith until after I converted to Islam, and I even asked a question about it on YA (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aq2p_4y4uqjP.Ahuqvg4jFbty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100701134035AAmgXuY). Whether it is true or not, I think the important thing is to always fear God but also remember His Mercy and seek His Forgiveness. After all, if you are a convert there really isn't much you can do about your past sins. I have a question though: am I putting my family in a dangerous position by exposing them to the Quranic message? Because whereas before they could potentally have been pardonned due to ignorance, now they must act on their knowledge. Insha Allah God will guide them.
Quran is full of remarkable statements of plurality, like "You have your religion, I have mine" and "the servants of the Lord are those who walk humbly on the earth". Within this plurality the minimum standard of Salvation conveyed to us through God's message is the belief in "the" God, belief in the Judgment day and good deeds. However when we take this minimum standard in conjunction with His infinite mercy we can must be mindful of the fact that the ultimate judgment is for Him alone.
In light of the generous provisions of plurality we must conclude that Islam is the best available way to our salvation and maybe tied to our status in the new reality after the Judgment Day but at the same time it is not the only way to salvation. Hence exposing your family to the Quranic message may raise the bar for them in terms of provision of ignorance defense but in no way is "endangering" them :)
"...but at the same time it is not the only way to salvation"---if all religions teach this, we would have a much more peaceful world, don't you think? Exclusivist theology is simply not compatible with our diverse world today. But I wonder why this line of theology isn't more popular. Isn't pluralism, as you pointed out, supported by the Quran? (The verses ) However I do remember listening to this lecture: http://www.halaltube.com/yasir-qadhi-he-path-of-allah-or-the-paths-of-allah-a-survey-of-classical-and-medieval-interpretations-of-salvific-exclusivity According to this speaker, "salvific exclusivity" is an unquestionable and integral part of Islamic theology, and he based his argument on the Quran too. Unfortunately I think this is by far the more popular belief in the Muslim community. I wonder if there is a clear answer to this. There will probably always be vastly different interpretations of the Quran. I wonder if there is a truly neutral interpretation? In any case, the question of tolerance and attitude towards other religion is becoming more and more important in our time and I think we should really try to figure it out. Thanks for the response concerning my family :) Insha Allah.
I actually didn't hear about the "clean slate" hadith until after I converted to Islam, and I even asked a question about it on YA (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aq2p_4y4uqjP.Ahuqvg4jFbty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100701134035AAmgXuY). Whether it is true or not, I think the important thing is to always fear God but also remember His Mercy and seek His Forgiveness. After all, if you are a convert there really isn't much you can do about your past sins. I have a question though: am I putting my family in a dangerous position by exposing them to the Quranic message? Because whereas before they could potentally have been pardonned due to ignorance, now they must act on their knowledge. Insha Allah God will guide them.
ReplyDeleteQuran is full of remarkable statements of plurality, like "You have your religion, I have mine" and "the servants of the Lord are those who walk humbly on the earth". Within this plurality the minimum standard of Salvation conveyed to us through God's message is the belief in "the" God, belief in the Judgment day and good deeds. However when we take this minimum standard in conjunction with His infinite mercy we can must be mindful of the fact that the ultimate judgment is for Him alone.
ReplyDeleteIn light of the generous provisions of plurality we must conclude that Islam is the best available way to our salvation and maybe tied to our status in the new reality after the Judgment Day but at the same time it is not the only way to salvation. Hence exposing your family to the Quranic message may raise the bar for them in terms of provision of ignorance defense but in no way is "endangering" them :)
"...but at the same time it is not the only way to salvation"---if all religions teach this, we would have a much more peaceful world, don't you think? Exclusivist theology is simply not compatible with our diverse world today. But I wonder why this line of theology isn't more popular. Isn't pluralism, as you pointed out, supported by the Quran? (The verses )
ReplyDeleteHowever I do remember listening to this lecture: http://www.halaltube.com/yasir-qadhi-he-path-of-allah-or-the-paths-of-allah-a-survey-of-classical-and-medieval-interpretations-of-salvific-exclusivity
According to this speaker, "salvific exclusivity" is an unquestionable and integral part of Islamic theology, and he based his argument on the Quran too. Unfortunately I think this is by far the more popular belief in the Muslim community.
I wonder if there is a clear answer to this. There will probably always be vastly different interpretations of the Quran. I wonder if there is a truly neutral interpretation? In any case, the question of tolerance and attitude towards other religion is becoming more and more important in our time and I think we should really try to figure it out.
Thanks for the response concerning my family :) Insha Allah.