Muslim understanding of man being "made in God's image"?

[anns82]

I was wondering what the Muslim understanding of God’s creation of the world, and if it is believed that Man is “made in God’s image”. Considering it is said that Allah is the same as the Judeo/Christian God, I am wondering if the book of Genesis is accepted on some level, or something similar to it.

Thanks.

 

[Aydan]

No Islamic doctrine states that man was not made in the image of God and they deny Genesis because they see the Bible as being corrupt and that’s why the Koran was sent so that errors in the Bible could be corrected. Here are the versus from the Koran:

Not made in the image of God (42:11). Man is made out of the dust of the earth (23:12) and Allah breathed life into man (32:9; 15:29)

Muslims Christians and Jews do believe there is only one God and he is the creator however each religion differs on how to view and worship God.

I hope this answers your question.

 

[Ahimsa]

I was wondering what the Muslim understanding of God’s creation of the world, and if it is believed that Man is “made in God’s image”. Considering it is said that Allah is the same as the Judeo/Christian God, I am wondering if the book of Genesis is accepted on some level, or something similar to it.

Thanks.

I have breathed into man of My spirit. – Quran 15:29

 

[Aydan]

This is a reference to the Holy Spirit the biblical equivalent is Jesus breathing on the disciples and giving them the Holy Spirit. It has absolutely nothing to do with the image of man. The Koran clearly states that man was not made in God’s image because man has flaws and God does not.Both Christians and Muslims believe in the Holy Spirit.

I have breathed into man of My spirit. – Quran 15:29

 

[Sam_777]

The Koran clearly states that man was not made in God’s image because man has flaws and God does not.

 

[sedonaman]

I was wondering what the Muslim understanding of God’s creation of the world, and if it is believed that Man is “made in God’s image”. Considering it is said that Allah is the same as the Judeo/Christian God, I am wondering if the book of Genesis is accepted on some level, or something similar to it.

Thanks.

See these posts by a Muslim in response to dzheremi’s question about man being made in God’s image:

First of all, everyone has the same rights. Let’s start with this statement. Certain, God-given rights, simply because they are a human being (although Muslims do NOT say that mankind was created in the “image of God.”) So every human being has certain rights. The rights to their life, to their property, to their dignity for example.
…
So perhaps the best way to explain this (and please, forgive me for the shortcomings in my explanation) is to say first that every human being has rights on the Muslim, but because of a relationship they might have with a person, it’s possible that they have even MORE rights.

continued below

continued from above

I wouldn’t say it’s uncharitable to say I’m focused on legalism or that such focus distinguishes Islam…

You might notice the different meanings of words she uses, such as “love” being an emotion you can’t control, as opposed to the Christian concept of a conscious decision. In another response, she said that Muslims were told never to say that man is made in God’s image.

 

[anns82]

Thank you all for your responses - part of why I ask is because with understanding Man as being made in God’s image, and God being “love” itself (especially revealed in Christianity through identifying God in the personal relationship of “Father”), it indicates we, being made in God’s image, are made to love as well.

From what I understand, the emphasis for Muslims is on following God as a ruler. This, along with the idea that God can change, would have an interesting effect on a person’s understanding of mankind if man were made in God’s image.

Another question that comes up is “in the Muslim faith, why did God create man?”

 

[sedonaman]

…

Another question that comes up is “in the Muslim faith, why did God create man?”

I have asked this question before and never got an answer.

 

[Aydan]

I need to research this a little more but off the top my head based on my knowledge of Islam God uses this life as some kind of test to see if you deserve to go to heaven or not. Let me see if I can find a better answer for this.

I have asked this question before and never got an answer.

 

[Aydan]

Okay according to Islam God created man for the sole purpose of worshiping him. The purpose of life here on earth is a test to see if you truly submit to God. If you do you go to heaven if you don’t you go to hell. As far as love goes it is totally different from what we believe as Catholics. Islam teaches that God can forgive anyone he chooses and in that sense he is a loving and merciful God but at the same time he is a vengeful God. according to Islam every person has two angels one of them records good deeds and the other one records bad deeds. If at the end of your life you have more bad deeds you are going to hell because everyone is held accountable for their own deeds. You can read more about this on Google books look for the complete idiot’s guide to Islam.

books.google.com/books?id=3GKAYnClDPwC&lpg=PA91&ots=FE9c6pOjlo&dq=Islamic%2Bunderstanding%2Bof%2Bwhy%2BGod%2Bcreated%2Bman&pg=PA29#v=onepage&q=Islamic+understanding+of+why+God+created+man&f=false

I need to research this a little more but off the top my head based on my knowledge of Islam God uses this life as some kind of test to see if you deserve to go to heaven or not. Let me see if I can find a better answer for this.

 

[anns82]

Okay according to Islam God created man for the sole purpose of worshiping him. The purpose of life here on earth is a test to see if you truly submit to God. If you do you go to heaven if you don’t you go to hell. As far as love goes it is totally different from what we believe as Catholics. Islam teaches that God can forgive anyone he chooses and in that sense he is a loving and merciful God but at the same time he is a vengeful God.

This God defined by His power/our worship of Him - reminds me of the Nietschian philosophy that people are driven by their “will to power.” It seems as though if the Muslim God would have made man in his image, Nietsche’s view of man would actually be accurate.

Where I find that Nietzsche is completely wrong is that people often make choices out of love for another. Look at the traditional relationship between a husband and wife - Nietzsche would say the man is oppressing the woman - yet, if their relationship is based on what Jesus said that God intended “in the beginning,” they serve each other because they love each other.

I find it interesting that in the Jewish and Christian faith, true love within a marriage will lead to a greater understanding of God. This would not be the case within the Muslim faith if God is completely detached from love. A marriage with true love can actually work against God in that case because the man would want to serve his wife, and with that, God might become jealous.

 

[Aydan]

Yeah Islam even teaches that if you believe in the Trinity or “partners” as they call it that is the one sin God will not forgive in other words you’re going to hell so in Islam God is much more vengeful and therefore he should be feared. Islam teaches Muslims to always fear the wrath of God. Doesn’t sound very loving does it?

This God defined by His power/our worship of Him - reminds me of the Nietschian philosophy that people are driven by their “will to power.” It seems as though if the Muslim God would have made man in his image, Nietsche’s view of man would actually be accurate.

Where I find that Nietzsche is completely wrong is that people often make choices out of love for another. Look at the traditional relationship between a husband and wife - Nietzsche would say the man is oppressing the woman - yet, if their relationship is based on what Jesus said that God intended “in the beginning,” they serve each other because they love each other.

I find it interesting that in the Jewish and Christian faith, true love within a marriage will lead to a greater understanding of God. This would not be the case within the Muslim faith if God is completely detached from love. A marriage with true love can actually work against God in that case because the man would want to serve his wife, and with that, God might become jealous.

 

[Sam_777]

Another question that comes up is “in the Muslim faith, why did God create man?”

I have asked this question before and never got an answer.

Because He created us only to worship/serve Him according to (Quran 51.56):
*YUSUFALI: I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.
PICKTHAL: I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.
SHAKIR: And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me. *

 

[wwolverine]

I have breathed into man of My spirit. – Quran 15:29

Its true that God breathed into man His Spirit, but what about the image? Holy Bible says that man was made in God’s Image. The OP is regarding that. So what does he Quran say?

 

[sedonaman]

Because He created us only to worship/serve Him according to (Quran 51.56):
YUSUFALI: I have only created Jinns and men, that they may serve Me.
PICKTHAL: I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.
SHAKIR: And I have not created the jinn and the men except that they should serve Me.

This says why Allah supposedly created man; it does not say how, i.e., in his own image or some other manner.

 

[Aydan]

I can answer that one according to the Koran God made man out of clay and dust. It even says Jesus was made out of dust.
3:59 (Y. Ali) The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”. And he was.
38:71 Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I am about to create man from CLAY:

This says why Allah supposedly created man; it does not say how, i.e., in his own image or some other manner.

 

[sedonaman]

I can answer that one according to the Koran God made man out of clay and dust. It even says Jesus was made out of dust.
3:59 (Y. Ali) The similitude of Jesus before Allah is as that of Adam; He created him from dust, then said to him: “Be”. And he was.
38:71 Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I am about to create man from CLAY:

So, according to Islam, man has no spiritual element, only physical?

 

[Aydan]

well no it’s not only physical because the Koran says that God gave man the Holy Spirit’s it was quoted earlier in this thread. Islam has a really complicated view of creation.
You can read about here if you would like
ldolphin.org/islamcreat.html

So, according to Islam, man has no spiritual element, only physical?

 

[sedonaman]

well no it’s not only physical because the Koran says that God gave man the Holy Spirit’s it was quoted earlier in this thread. Islam has a really complicated view of creation.
You can read about here if you would like
ldolphin.org/islamcreat.html

The evolution of man may be summed up by saying that at first man was only a clod of earth or some kind of rock formation. After some intermediary stages which the Quran has not mentioned, man reached a stage where he became a kind of animal growth divided into male and female and procreating through sexual intercourse. Again the Quran leaves out some intermediary stages until man emerges as a social being divided into several groups as a result of which there sprung up a variety of mental, physical or economic affiliations. This is the point where the story of human civilization begins.

I found the explanation of the evolution of man in stages to be interesting as well as the seven points of the conclusion. They would go a long way to explain Darwin. I had pondered such an explanation for some time. However, Darwin has a problem: for evolution to work, it must have matter to work itself on. Where did matter come from?

What the atheists say is true, that you can’t make something from nothing; but that applies to man. God can create, a word that means to make something from nothing. We can gain an insight to creation through the study of thermodynamic energy, or heat in motion, and Einstein’s theory of relativity, namely E=MC^2, where E=energy, M=mass [of matter], and C=speed of light.

Whenever heat is transferred from a hot body to a cold one, there is a loss of energy, and entropy is increased. The question then is asked, how did the universe get into a state of reduced entropy to begin with? The answer is creation, or a reversal of entropy “Let there be light!” – Genesis]. Einstein’s equation can be re-arranged thus: M=E/C ^2. In order of there to be mass, there must be a force in the form of energy [E] to create it. This force must come from outside the universe because matter cannot create itself from nothing. This force also reversed entropy. This Force we call God.

As I read the article, I kept looking for when man’s soul first entered the picture, but there was no mention of his spiritual creation, which is what Christians mean when they say man was made in the image and likeness of God.

Nice try.

 

[Aydan]

I found the explanation of the evolution of man in stages to be interesting as well as the seven points of the conclusion. They would go a long way to explain Darwin. I had pondered such an explanation for some time. However, Darwin has a problem: for evolution to work, it must have matter to work itself on. Where did matter come from?

What the atheists say is true, that you can’t make something from nothing; but that applies to man. God can create, a word that means to make something from nothing. We can gain an insight to creation through the study of thermodynamic energy, or heat in motion, and Einstein’s theory of relativity, namely E=MC^2, where E=energy, M=mass [of matter], and C=speed of light.

Whenever heat is transferred from a hot body to a cold one, there is a loss of energy, and entropy is increased. The question then is asked, how did the universe get into a state of reduced entropy to begin with? The answer is creation, or a reversal of entropy “Let there be light!” – Genesis]. Einstein’s equation can be re-arranged thus: M=E/C ^2. In order of there to be mass, there must be a force in the form of energy [E] to create it. This force must come from outside the universe because matter cannot create itself from nothing. This force also reversed entropy. This Force we call God.

As I read the article, I kept looking for when man’s soul first entered the picture, but there was no mention of his spiritual creation, which is what Christians mean when they say man was made in the image and likeness of God.

Nice try.

Muslims believe that a person’s soul enters the body 120 days after conception I’m not sure why this article did not mention lt. In Islam it is said that if you are going to Paradise your soul separates easily from your body if not your soul has to be dragged out of your body. here’s another article about the soul in Islamic doctrine.
missionislam.com/knowledge/Soul.htm