So Muslims think that the concept of the Trinity is against the nature of God. Well, that’s a better understanding than I had before. I believe that the Trinity is not against the very nature of God. I believe that there is one God in Three Divine Persons and that this revealed truth is ensential to understanding who God is in himself. As John Paul II put it:Saint&Sinner’s got it exactly right here. Muslims don’t place limitations on God per se, we just argue that certain things (such as existing in three hypostasis) are against His nature.
I thought those were the “99 Names of God”…they are “chanted…prayed” using the 100 prayer beads…similar to the chockti, mala and rosary of other faiths.Actually, Islam defines 99 “aspects” of Allah. If this is not defining God, then what is? I also find it amusing that these 99 aspects correspond to an almost similar number of pagan gods that were hosted at the Ka’aba in Mecca. It is equally ironic that it was Mo’s family that had charge of this shrine for some time (and some historians argue Mo dearly wanted that “title” back). The Ka’aba is currently one of Islam’s holiest shrines.
If you investigate (using the Qur’an, hadith and secular histories) you will find the “names” and “aspects” are used somewhat interchangeably (this may be a translational issue, I’d have to go back and do a check on that).I thought those were the “99 Names of God”…they are “chanted…prayed” using the 100 prayer beads…similar to the chockti, mala and rosary of other faiths.
The current use of Allah by Arabic Christians is what, in language is called a linguistic variant. That is, the word “Allah” is associated in a different symbolic context than its meaning was to pagans and Mohammad in the 7th century.Similarly that “El” comes from the tribal Cannanite god?
Allah is Arabic, even Arabic Christians use the name “Allah”…is their God also descend form the moon god of antiquity?
Actually the Hebrew word is the Tetragrammaton YHWH (“I AM”), usually spelled Yahweh. El is the generic term “god” As YHWH was prohibited (by Talmudic scholars) from beig spoken except in specific temple use, the practice was to substitute Adonai (Lord). As an aside, through a merger of YHWH and Adonai, Jehovah is derived, though that did not occur until some time between the 6th and 10th century.I guess my point was…Muslims and Arabic speaking Christians no more worship a “moon god” just because their proper name for the Most High God is “Allah” than do Jews or Christians worship a Caananite god because the names “Elohim” or “El Shaddai” root “El” has it’s roots in Sumer or Caanan pantheon of gods.
I’d like to see some solid evidence for this. Muslims regard Allah as absolutely One, and the Koran itself asserts so very strongly in a number of Surahs, particularly Surah 113. Allah is not a conglomeration of pagan idols and they understand the divine names to be divine attributes, just as Christians and Jews do (in relation to their scripture).Actually, Muslims very much so denounce the Trinity of Christianity. Which, given this subtopic on the 99 aspects of Allah is rather hypocritical of them.
A case can be made for the 99 aspects or facets of Allah reflecting pagan deities of the area at the time. Mo was trying to unite pagan tribes, after all. So, wrap up their personas as aspects of Allah and you reduce the objections and increase converts. Mo was illiterate, but he had plenty of street smarts.
This is borne out in secular histories of that era, as well as containing indirect references in the Qur’an and hadith.
But back to the main premise of this thread: neither faith “limits” God, both have wholly different views on the interaction between the divine and humans.