Amica said:
Hi/Salaam!
When something/someone is worshipped, it means that it is prayed to and that the worshipper is constantly chanting praises and prayers TO the object of worship.
Neither conservative Muslims or Christians, to my knowledge, pray to the Holy Books (Qur'an and Bible), but rather use them as a source to reach God, to know Him, to praise him.
For Muslims, the Holy Qur'an is the Word of God. The Book is respected in such a way and used as a Prayer TO God/Allah. Muslims do not worship the Qur'an, but God (Allah--in Arabic language).
I suppose it's not only a matter of worship but also the concept of God.
I hope it's alright to discuss my Christian beliefs in an Islamic forum.
From my point of view, I've come to the understanding that Muslims don't "worship" the Quran. They simply read it and do what it says.
Many Christians argue that the Quran is like "a Second Person" in what they call "the God-head." The argument goes that if Muslims claim that Islam is the "universal religion," and the Quran the Ultimate Revelation, then it follows that the Quran is co-eternal and uncreated.
However, from stuff I've heard from other sources, Muslims believe, and perhaps even the Quran says that it was written and preserved in heaven.
The reason why Christians use this argument is that before a book is even written, the concept it will convey has already been conceived. If Islam is universal, then it means that this concept is timeless and unchanging. Therefore, if Islam was the Word of God, then it existed before it was even literally written in heaven. In other words, it was already in the mind of God and was as eternal as God Himself.
My intention isn't to argue against Islam, but to perhaps to explain why Christians think that way and present such arguments.
This reasoning is quite sound. If a Revelation is universal and applies for all time, then it must be timeless and unchanging. It then follows that the concept or system of concepts that it represents was uncreated. The Christian teaching is therefore that the Word of God is uncreated and eternal.
This is where we can understand Muslims' devotion to the Quran and Christians' devotion to Jesus.
This is where the differences begin. The Christian teaching is that because the Word of God couldn't come from anyone but God, it belongs to God and is unique to God, it must therefore be a part of God. It belongs to the
Being of which nothing greater can be imagined. Islam has a different concept. The Quran comes from God but is not a part of God.
Of course, a bundle of paper put together to form a book could never be a part of God, but the wisdom that comes from it is a part of God. Christians consider it bizarre that Muslims affirm that it's God's wisdom and yet it's not a part of God.
This leads us to Christian concept of the Trinity. I don't follow what people call "doctrines" and "dogma" because the apostles of the Christian Gospel never told us to live that way. The concept of the Trinity is in the New Testament, but it is not a doctrine. There is no such thing as "the doctrine of the Trinity."
The concept has three elements, the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit. If you actually read the New Testament, you find that the Father really means that God is the Source of holiness and righteousness.
The Son has several names: the Word, the Son, Christ and Jesus. This is merely terminology that means different things in different contexts. Basically, the Word (or Son) is God's Revelation of Himself. This is what Christians believe is the "Ultimate Revelation."
The Holy Spirit is God's own Spirit. It is the only perfect and incorruptible Spirit in the whole universe.
The Trinity therefore refers to three properties that we can associate with God:
(1) He is the One and Only Source of holiness and righteousness
(2) He is the One and Only Revelation of Himself, His own character, personality and wisdom
(3) He is the One and Only Holy Spirit, and is perfectly incorruptible and immune to evil.
Muslims like to say that Christians have "compartmentalised" God but really we're just saying that God has these three properties. We worship one God and He is one.
Again, just as a book made of paper, string and ink could never be a part of God, a human being made of flesh, blood and bones could never be a part of God either. God does not reveal Himself in a book or a human being.
However, what I do believe as a Christian is that God reveals Himself through meaning and concepts. In other words, God could not only reveal Himself through the wisdom in the Quran, but also the character and personality of a human being like Jesus.
The Holy Book and the human being
are not God, however, the wisdom and the character and personality revealed through a Holy Book or a human being come from God and must therefore also be a part of God.
Saying that a Holy Book or a human being are God is not idolatry, because you are not really talking about the Holy Book or human being itself, but the character and wisdom conveyed through it. The Holy Book and human being are media of transmission.
Whether God sent a Holy Book or a human being, it's really just the same thing that's being revealed. God is revealing a part of His character, personality and infinite wisdom.
Yes, there's a real difference between Islam and Christianity's concept of God, and this is reflected in the way in which the Ultimate Revelation was revealed. The main point that Christians raise is that if the Quran is the source of holiness and righteousness, then is it really taking the place of God?
Well, as we know, Christians have Jesus as their living example and follow Him. Jesus doesn't really take the place of God and nor does the Quran, they both (allegedly) come from
the Source -- God Himself.
Christians can't really accuse Muslims of idolatry and Muslims can't accuse Christians for idolatry. We both have different concepts of God and the Ultimate Revelation.
