BASIC TEACHING OF ISLAM

Basic Teaching of Islam

Islam and The Relation between God, Man and The Universe

Islam considers a correct acquaintance with God as being related to a proper understanding of man and universe. According to its teachings the better our knowledge of man's nature and being , the more perfect our knowledge of God and the truer.

--"Whoever knows himself knows His Lord."

This also holds true of creation in general. A better understanding of the creatures is a real help towards better understanding of God, the Creator. On the other hand, any kind of deep-rooted error or unfounded fancy about man and universe, particularly God's relation to man, universe and to angels leads to an erroneous idea of God, the Maker because the knowledge of cause and effect are intimately related.

There are many verses in Koran inviting man to reflect upon himself and the universe in order to acquire a better understanding of God.

Thus two pertinent verses of Koran read as follows:

﴾In the creation of the heavens and the earth , and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding (definite) proof.﴿

﴾Who think of Allah, standing, sitting and lying and think about the creation of the heavens and the earth...﴿ (3:190-191)

It is easy to deduce from these verses the close correlation:

Recognition of God/cognition of man and universe.

The 91st verse of the 6th sura reads as follows:

"They did not esteem Allah according to His value when they said:

﴾Allah has not sent anything down to man ', Say, who then has sent the book which Moses brought as a light and guidance for mankind, but you have made of it sheets of paper which you show while you conceal much.﴿

A group of Jews who had dealings with the Meccan's heard that a messenger had arisen from among the Koreish saying: 'God has revealed to me so that I may rise up against those who take partners unto Him, and to rise up against ignorance and oppression. I have been ordained by Him to place within the reach of men the divine truths, so that all may know God and the right way of life, pleasing Him , and to deliver them from error'.

Accepting the truth that Mohammad was the prophet of God was for many reasons unpalatable to those Jews, so that they attempted to sabotage the progress and spread of Islam from many directions and eventually decided to fight Islam. They employed various methods in their struggle. One way was to cast doubt in the humble minds of the Arabs. Among other things, they said that it is impossible that God should reveal His message to a man and it has not been known of God that He has done so. In reply to this the Koran says:

'What about the book brought by Moses? From where did it come to him? Is it not true that exactly like the Koran it was sent down as a revelation on one who had been chosen for prophecy, so that he may guide men'.

Verily, Moses too was a man to whom a Holy Book had been revealed as well, and that illusory claim-'God never sent a revelation to man'- is based on ignorance. The unwise claim by the Jews was directly related to the problem of the revelation, but the Quran has considered it as a result of their wrong conception of God.